Xbox Controller Not Detected on Mac? Why, and How to Fix It

A Mac only talks to an Xbox controller over Bluetooth, and only to the models that have Bluetooth in the first place: the Series X and Series S pads, the Elite Series 2, the Adaptive Controller and the later Xbox One pad Apple lists as Model 1708. If yours is one of those and still doesn't show up, the usual culprits are pairing mode, an old firmware that the Mac can't update, or a stale Bluetooth record. Older Xbox One and Xbox 360 pads won't work on a current Mac without third-party drivers, and those drivers stopped short of Big Sur.

Once it's paired, you can confirm the Mac really sees inputs here:

Which Xbox controllers work with a Mac?

Apple's page on Xbox controllers names five models. Anything else isn't something Apple supports, even if it looks the same.

Controller	Pairs with a Mac	What Apple or the driver authors say
Xbox Wireless Controller, Series X or Series S	Yes, Bluetooth	Listed by Apple
Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2	Yes, Bluetooth	Listed by Apple
Xbox Adaptive Controller	Yes, Bluetooth	Listed by Apple
Bluetooth Xbox One controller, Model 1708	Yes, Bluetooth	Listed by Apple
Earlier Xbox One controller without Bluetooth	No	The 360Controller project notes only Xbox One pads released after August 2016 have Bluetooth
Xbox 360 controller, wired or wireless	Not natively	Third-party driver only, no plans past Catalina
Xbox Wireless Adapter (the USB dongle)	No	Apple's instructions cover Bluetooth only

The quickest way to tell an older Xbox One pad from a Bluetooth one is the model number on its label. Apple names 1708 for the Bluetooth version. If yours carries a different Xbox One model number, the 2016 cut-off above is the one that matters.

How do you pair an Xbox controller with a Mac?

Apple's steps are short, and getting the order right matters more than people expect:

1. Turn the controller on with the Xbox button.
2. Hold the small Connect button on top of the controller for a few seconds, until the Xbox logo flashes quickly. A slow pulse means it's searching for a console it already knows, not pairing.
3. On the Mac, open System Settings › Bluetooth and choose the controller when it appears under nearby devices.

If the controller was last used with an Xbox console in the same room, turn the console off or unplug it first. A pad that keeps grabbing the console will never stay in pairing mode long enough for the Mac.

It paired once, now it won't connect

This is the most common Mac complaint, and Apple's answer is the same for every controller: in Bluetooth settings, select the controller, choose Forget This Device, then pair it again from step 1. Old pairing records go stale after the controller has been paired with something else, such as a phone or an Xbox.

Apple also suggests updating macOS and the controller's firmware, and cutting down how many Bluetooth devices are connected at once. A Mac with a keyboard, a mouse, headphones and a controller on the same radio can drop the one that asks for the most bandwidth, and controllers send a constant stream of small packets.

Check the power side too. Xbox controllers run on AA batteries or a rechargeable pack, and a weak set keeps the logo lit long after the Bluetooth link has become unreliable, so a pad that pairs and then drops every few minutes often just needs fresh batteries. Distance and obstacles matter for the same reason: a Mac mini under a desk or an iMac with the controller behind a monitor is a harder spot for a small radio than a laptop on your knees.

Why does the Mac ask for a controller firmware update?

Apple's Xbox page tells you to follow Microsoft's update instructions when the Mac reports this. The catch: Microsoft's own update route is its Xbox Accessories app, which runs on Windows PCs and Xbox consoles, and its support page rules out updating over Bluetooth. A Mac has no way to do it.

So if your controller has only ever been used with the Mac, borrow a Windows machine or an Xbox for ten minutes, plug the pad in with a USB-C cable that carries data, run the update in Xbox Accessories, and then pair it with the Mac again. It's a one-time chore, and after it the Mac usually stops asking.

Can you connect an Xbox controller to a Mac with a cable?

Usually not in a useful way. Apple says some controllers pair automatically when plugged in with a cable that carries data, but its Xbox page only gives Bluetooth steps, while its PlayStation page spells out the cable option. In practice, plan on Bluetooth for any Xbox pad on a Mac, and use the cable for charging.

The old workaround for wired pads was the open-source 360Controller driver, which added support for wired Xbox 360 and Xbox One controllers. Its own readme says there are no plans to support Big Sur or Apple Silicon and that it will most likely not work there, that wireless Xbox 360 support caused kernel panics and was turned off, and that the driver can never work with Apple's Game Controller framework. On any Mac from late 2020 on, treat it as history.

Paired, but the game doesn't react

Bluetooth settings showing "Connected" only means the radio link is up. Games then need to receive the controller through macOS, and there are three places where that can go wrong.

macOS has it, but under different buttons. On macOS Ventura 13 and later, System Settings has a Game Controllers pane. Click your controller there to see its buttons and any changes made to them. If a button was remapped in that pane, every game will get the remapped one.

Steam is in the middle. The Mac version of Steam can translate controllers too. If a Steam game ignores the pad, check Steam's controller settings, and close other controller utilities you may have installed in the past.

The game doesn't support controllers on Mac. Some games ported to the Mac only read the keyboard, or only certain controllers. If our tester sees every button and the game doesn't, the problem is the game.

How to check a Mac sees the controller in a browser

Open our gamepad tester in Safari, Chrome or Firefox, then press any button on the controller. Browsers don't reveal a gamepad to a page until a button is pressed, which is a privacy rule in the Gamepad API, so an empty screen before you press anything is normal. If the sticks move on screen, macOS is doing its part and the problem is further along: Steam or the game. If nothing happens even after a button press, go back to the Bluetooth steps.

The same page will also show whether the sticks rest at centre. A pad that pairs fine but makes a character walk on its own isn't a Mac problem; stick drift behaves the same on every computer.

Quick checklist

• The controller is on Apple's list: Series X or S, Elite Series 2, Adaptive, or Model 1708.
• Pairing mode is the fast-flashing logo, not the slow pulse.
• No Xbox console nearby is grabbing it.
• Old pairing forgotten and redone.
• Firmware updated once, via Xbox Accessories on a PC or an Xbox.
• Fewer Bluetooth devices connected while you test.
• A button pressed before you decide the browser can't see it.

For Windows, Steam on a PC and other controllers, the controller not detected guide goes through the same chain step by step.