It's awesome to game on the gorgeous brandish of a Mac computer. Whether y'all employ Steam, OneCast, Apple Arcade, or emulators, information technology's really fun and beautiful.

The only thing that might improve the feel is connecting a controller to your Mac—particularly when you play Xbox or other console games. So you get bully graphics and bang-up control of your game.

There are a few ways to connect an Xbox controller to your Mac, depending on the kind of controller you're trying to use. Observe your model beneath to see how your controller can work with your computer.

Connecting Wireless Bluetooth Xbox Controllers

A wireless Xbox controller held by two hands.

The controllers in this section all accept one feature in common: Bluetooth connectivity. This makes wireless pairing possible non just with the Xbox One and Xbox One S/10 consoles, but with Windows PCs and Macs as well.

To be clear, this department covers the following controllers:

  • Xbox One S Wireless Controller
  • Xbox Ane X Wireless Controller
  • Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series ii
  • Xbox Adaptive Controller

Other panel controllers can connect to a Mac via Bluetooth as well—we talk about it in our commodity on means to improve your Mac gaming experience.

To pair one of these controllers with your Mac, plough the controller on, and printing and concord the Pairing push button on the device. This button is at the top of your controller, toward the left side.

The Xbox logo button should showtime blinking. This means the controller is in pairing style.

On your Mac, go to System Preferences > Bluetooth. You'll discover a list of nearby devices to connect to, including one chosen Xbox wireless controller. Click on the Connect button to the correct of that device name.

Your controller should now be paired with your Mac!

If you're having issues, cheque out the Settings or Preferences on whatever gaming arrangement you're playing on, and look for a controller department.

To disconnect your controller when you're done playing, get to System Preferences > Bluetooth, and hit the Disconnect button adjacent to Xbox wireless controller.

Pre-2016 Xbox I Wireless Controller and Wired Xbox Controllers

Xbox One wireless controllers that came out earlier 2016 aren't Bluetooth uniform. Therefore, although they're wireless, they can't be paired with a Mac the way the above controllers tin.

You tin nevertheless connect them though, just with a few extra steps. And with a few more steps than when you connect an Xbox controller to a PC.

These steps also utilize to any wired Xbox controllers, including Xbox 360 controllers, if you lot still take any of those around and want to utilise them.

First, y'all have to download and install the driver 360Controller (Free).

Xbox drivers come natively to PCs, merely Macs need them added. 360Controller is only available on GitHub. Make certain you go the nearly recent version.

Double click on the DMG file and run the PKG file. And then follow the onscreen instructions to install the driver.

Installation window for xbox360 Driver.

In one case the commuter is installed, make sure you have the right cablevision for your controller and your Mac. You'll demand a micro USB on one side, for your controller, and a USB or USB-C on the other side, for your Mac. The latter function depends on which ports or converters you have on your Mac.

Once y'all have your cable, plug it into your controller, then into your Mac. Plough on your controller with the Xbox button.

Side by side, get to Arrangement Preferences > Xbox 360 Controllers, which should be in your System Preferences at present. You'll get a map of your controller, plus its name at the top, which should be the Xbox model it goes with, plus (Wired) at the cease.

You tin can reset or change your controller buttons by clicking on them on the map, and tapping new inputs on your controller. To disconnect the controller, just unplug it!

Xbox Serial X and Series S Controllers

An Xbox controller held up on a stand in front of a computer keyboard and beside a small cat statue.

The Xbox Series X/S console is the latest generation in Microsoft'south gaming console. And it comes with wireless, Bluetooth controllers. But while some people have had luck connecting their Series X/S controllers to their Mac computers via the Bluetooth instructions above, many more haven't.

Equally per an Apple Back up page on connecting wireless controllers, Apple and Microsoft are working together to create Bluetooth compatibility support between the new Xbox Series X/S controllers and macOS.

This means compatibility doesn't be betwixt the controllers and Mac computers only nonetheless—at to the lowest degree, not at the fourth dimension of writing this.

You can try using a cable—Microsoft sells a ix-foot USB-C cable—merely that's had fiddling luck for most folks too. Even less than the Bluetooth in fact.

So programme to connect via Bluetooth, per the Xbox I wireless controllers steps above when macOS gets the driver update for this compatibility. We'll certainly exist on the watch for it.

Connecting Keeps Getting Easier

Apple and Microsoft aren't well known for making their devices compatible with each other, just Xbox controllers evidence how that's changing, specially with the latest systems.

We hope our steps higher up aid you get your Xbox controllers paired with your Mac, and that your gaming experience is that much better for information technology. We've had a lot of fun with ours, and with other console controllers too.

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Almost The Writer

Jessica Lanman (62 Articles Published)

Jessica has been writing tech manufactures since 2018, and in her free time loves knitting, crocheting, and embroidering tiny things.

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