Ever wanted to use an Xbox One controller with your Mac to play games? You can make it easier than ever with the latest versions of MacOS, because since macOS 10.15 Catalina and beyond Apple has added native support for Xbox One game controllers.
A paired Xbox One controller can be used to play any game that supports controllers on the Mac, be it popular titles like Fortniteo Apple Arcade Games, or many others. Microsoft Xbox One S and Xbox One X controllers are great game controllers and very popular with gamers in general, and it's now easier than ever to get them up and running on your Mac, as you'll see in this tutorial.
Assuming you already have a Microsoft Xbox One S controller or Xbox One X controller, standard Xbox One controllers are impossible, pairing it with your Mac is a snap.
How to pair and use Xbox One controller with Mac (10.15 Catalina and later)
You will need the Xbox One controller to be physically close to your Mac in order to pair it, and of course the controller will also need charged batteries. Here's how to do the rest:
- To get started, make sure your controller is turned on by pressing and holding the Xbox button.
- Put your controller into pairing mode by pressing and holding the circular button on the upper edge of the body. You should only hold it for three seconds or so.
- Click on the Apple icon in the menu bar and then click on "System Preferences."
- Click on "Bluetooth."
- After confirming that Bluetooth is enabled, right-click the name of the controller you want to pair with.
- Click "Connect" and your driver will automatically pair with your Mac.
You can now start the game you want to play and the controller should automatically detect itself, assuming the game is compatible with controllers anyway. Most games have customizable controller options in their settings too, so you can change which buttons do what.
Remember, you can only pair controllers with one device at a time.
Any controller paired with your Mac will no longer be paired with any Xbox, Apple TV, iPhone, or iPad it was previously paired with. Don't worry though, pairing with those devices again is easy if you're pairing with an iPhone or iPad, or even an Apple TV (and yes, if you didn't already know, you can also pair game controllers with those devices! too!)
How to unlink your Xbox One controller from Mac
If you later want to unpair your Xbox controller from the Mac, that's easy too.
Return to the Bluetooth system preferences on the Mac. Then right-click the controller name in the Bluetooth area of System Preferences. Click "Unlink" to complete the process.
You shouldn't need to unpair a controller to pair it with another device, but if you're having trouble this can be a good troubleshooting step.
You can also remove the driver like any other Bluetooth device on the Mac if you decide that you no longer want to use the driver on the computer.
What about older Macs?
If you are using an older version of macOS, all is not lost. You can still pair your Xbox controller using third-party software instead of previous versions of the Mac operating system.
Do you use a game controller with your Mac to play? What do you think of the experience? Share with us in the comments.