Do Joy-Con 2 work on a Mac, and which JoyCon2Mac is which?
InputConfig is completely free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
Not natively. macOS supports the original Joy-Cons from macOS 13 Ventura on, and it has no support for the Joy-Con 2 sold with the Switch 2. Since version 1.8, InputConfig, the free Mac app I make, reads them itself, each Joy-Con 2 on its own: over USB in the Joy-Con 2 charging grip, or over Bluetooth once you turn on a setting. The app marks this as experimental, and the Bluetooth part is labeled not yet checked on a controller, because I built it without a Joy-Con 2 in my hands.
Two community projects, both called JoyCon2Mac, connect them over Bluetooth too. One turns the buttons and sticks into key presses. The other presents the pair as a virtual controller and a mouse, and its current release needs two of the Mac's security protections switched off. A third project, switch2mac, shows Joy-Con 2 to apps as a virtual gamepad without switching anything off, according to its own readme. I have not tested any of them. InputConfig needs no driver and switches nothing off.
On this page
Steps
- Check which Joy-Cons you have: the Joy-Con 2 are the pair sold with the Switch 2.
- With original Joy-Cons, pair them in System Settings, Bluetooth. macOS supports them.
- With Joy-Con 2, connect the charging grip to the Mac by USB-C, or turn on the Switch 2 Bluetooth setting in InputConfig, Settings, Devices.
- For Bluetooth, hold the sync button on each Joy-Con 2 until the lights sweep, and leave InputConfig open.
- If you want key presses with no mapper, or a virtual controller, read the two JoyCon2Mac readmes first: the driver one needs SIP and AMFI switched off.
Know what the Mac supports
- Original Joy-Cons. Supported from macOS 13 Ventura on. They pair in System Settings, Bluetooth, and games that read controllers see them. How to connect Joy-Cons to a Mac has the steps.
- Joy-Con 2. Not supported. They do not pair as Mac game controllers, so no game sees them through macOS. InputConfig reads them itself, as described below.
- Switch 2 Pro Controller. Not supported by macOS either. InputConfig reads it on a USB-C cable, and over Bluetooth with a setting, as an experimental feature: the Switch 2 Pro Controller on a Mac.
The Joy-Con 2 reach a Mac only through software that speaks their protocol itself.
Tell the two JoyCon2Mac projects apart
Two unrelated projects on GitHub share the name. They do different jobs and ask very different things of your Mac.
| loyahdev/joycon2mac | OZORDI/JoyCon2Mac | |
|---|---|---|
| What its readme calls it | A tool to use the Joy-Con 2 on a Mac as a keyboard controller | A native macOS driver and companion app for the Joy-Con 2 |
| What the Mac sees | Key presses. Every button and stick direction is mapped to a key, and the mapping is fixed for now | A virtual DualSense controller and a mouse, through a DriverKit system extension |
| How it connects | Hold the sync button on a Joy-Con 2 to pair it with the app. Up to two | Bluetooth Low Energy. Hold SYNC on each Joy-Con until the lights flash |
| What it asks of the Mac | An app download from its releases page | System Integrity Protection and AMFI disabled, for the current development release |
| Extras | The layout changes by itself between one Joy-Con held sideways and a pair held upright | Rumble, motion data, a mouse from the optical sensor, and remapping for the four rail buttons |
| Latest release | 1.0, August 9, 2025 | 0.1.5, September 6, 2026 |
| In its author's words | Numerous bugs remain, and some mappings may be wrong in one orientation | Do not treat this as a normal consumer install yet |
The repositories are loyahdev/joycon2mac and OZORDI/JoyCon2Mac. Both are unofficial and unaffiliated with Apple or Nintendo. The name alone does not say which one a download is, so check the repository it came from.
Weigh the security cost first
The driver project's readme is direct about it: the extension is not notarized, a stock Mac can block it, and the current release needs System Integrity Protection and AMFI disabled.
- System Integrity Protection. The macOS protection that keeps software from changing protected parts of the system.
- AMFI. The part of macOS that checks that code is signed before it runs.
- What the readme advises. Use a Mac you are comfortable using for driver development, and switch both back on when you are done testing.
I would not switch either one off on a Mac I rely on. The keyboard project asks for neither, and neither does InputConfig.
See what else connects Joy-Con 2
I read these two GitHub pages on October 27, 2026. Neither is from Apple or Nintendo, and I have not tested either.
- switch2mac. A menu bar app by Peterksharma for the Joy-Con 2 (alone or as a linked pair), the Pro Controller 2 and the Switch 2 GameCube controller. It connects over Bluetooth, needs macOS 15 or later on Apple silicon, and shows each controller to apps as a virtual gamepad. Its readme says Apple granted the app the entitlement that allows this, and it does not mention switching off SIP or installing a driver extension. It does not carry rumble or motion on that gamepad, and it calls itself a beta.
- Switch 2 Controller Helper. A work in progress by AlexmChadwick, but only for the Pro Controller 2, so it is no help with Joy-Con 2. Its virtual gamepad mode needs a paid Apple developer entitlement or SIP switched off. The Switch 2 Pro Controller page compares it with the other tools.
Of the community tools, switch2mac is the one I would read first, because by its readme it asks the least of your Mac.
JoyCon2Mac not working
This is for the driver project, OZORDI/JoyCon2Mac. Its readme says that if the app opens and no controller or mouse appears, the system extension probably did not load, or macOS blocked it because the extension is not notarized. Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Check that SIP and AMFI are off. The current development release needs both, and the readme says so plainly.
- Approve the extension. Open System Settings, Privacy & Security, and allow it if macOS asks. Restart if it says to, then open the app again.
- Right-click the app and choose Open. The readme suggests this when Gatekeeper blocks the first launch.
- Check where you got it. Two projects share the name, so confirm the download came from the repository you meant. The keyboard project asks for none of this.
If you would rather not switch core protections off, InputConfig reads the Joy-Con 2 itself and changes nothing about your Mac's security.
Use a Joy-Con 2 as a mouse
The Joy-Con 2 has an optical sensor, and the driver project uses it. Its readme says the sensor becomes a real mouse to macOS, that the app picks whichever Joy-Con is resting on a surface, and that one Joy-Con can be the mouse while the other stays part of the controller pair. It has Off, Slow, Normal and Fast modes.
That path carries the same security cost as the rest of that project. InputConfig does not read the optical sensor, but it can move the pointer from a Joy-Con 2's stick. For a pointer from a controller with nothing switched off, a mapper does it from the stick. How to use a game controller as a mouse on a Mac covers that with InputConfig, including a single original Joy-Con.
Use the Nintendo pads that work today
- Original Joy-Cons. Bluetooth, no extra software, one or two at a time. Joy-Cons in InputConfig covers a single one held sideways.
- Original Switch Pro Controller. The Nintendo controller that simply works on a Mac. How to connect a Switch Pro Controller to a Mac.
- Switch 2 Pro Controller. InputConfig reads it on a cable or over Bluetooth, marked experimental.
If you own both generations and want games to see them, the original Joy-Cons are the ones to pair with the Mac. The Joy-Con tester shows in a browser whether a paired Joy-Con is sending its buttons.
Use the Joy-Con 2 with InputConfig
Since 1.8, InputConfig reads each Joy-Con 2 on its own, held sideways like a single original Joy-Con. It needs no driver and changes nothing about your Mac's security.
- Over USB. Put them in the Joy-Con 2 charging grip and connect the grip to the Mac with a USB-C cable that carries data. InputConfig sends them the same start-up commands as the Switch 2 Pro Controller.
- Over Bluetooth. Open Settings, Devices, and turn on Connect Switch 2 Pro, GameCube and Joy-Con 2 controllers over Bluetooth. Then hold the sync button on each Joy-Con 2 until the lights sweep, and InputConfig connects to it while the app runs.
- What it reads. The stick and its press, the face buttons or arrows, SL and SR, L and ZL or R and ZR, Minus or Plus, Capture or Home, the C button, GL or GR, and the motion sensors.
- What it does not. The two as one combined pad, the optical mouse sensor, rumble and NFC.
The sidebar lists them as Joy-Con 2 (L) (Experimental) and Joy-Con 2 (R) (Experimental), and the Bluetooth setting is labeled not yet checked on a controller. macOS itself still does not read them, so games that read controllers through macOS do not see them. Press every button with the Live Visualizer open before you rely on a layout, and open an issue on GitHub if one reads wrong.
The short version
- macOS alone. It has no support for the Joy-Con 2.
- InputConfig 1.8. Each Joy-Con 2 on its own, over USB in the grip or over Bluetooth with a setting, mapped to keys and the mouse. Experimental.
- loyahdev/joycon2mac. Joy-Con 2 as a fixed set of key presses. An ordinary app, last released in August 2025.
- OZORDI/JoyCon2Mac. A virtual controller and a mouse, at the cost of SIP and AMFI switched off for now.
Until Apple adds the Joy-Con 2, every route to a Mac is an app that talks to them itself, so check what each one asks of your Mac before you install it.
Questions
What is JoyCon2Mac?
Two separate community projects on GitHub share the name. loyahdev/joycon2mac turns Joy-Con 2 buttons and sticks into key presses. OZORDI/JoyCon2Mac is a driver and app that presents the Joy-Con 2 as a virtual DualSense controller and a mouse. Neither comes from Apple or Nintendo.
Is JoyCon2Mac safe to install?
They differ. The driver project's own readme says its current release needs System Integrity Protection and AMFI disabled and should not be treated as a normal consumer install yet. The keyboard project is an app download with no such step. I have not tested either one. Download only from the GitHub repository of the project you mean, loyahdev/joycon2mac or OZORDI/JoyCon2Mac, because the name alone does not say which is which.
JoyCon2Mac not working: what do I check?
For the OZORDI driver project, the readme says the extension is probably not loaded or macOS blocked it. Confirm SIP and AMFI are off, approve the extension in System Settings, Privacy & Security, restart if asked, and open the app again.
JoyCon2Mac or InputConfig: which should I use?
JoyCon2Mac (OZORDI) gives you a virtual DualSense and a mouse at the cost of SIP and AMFI switched off for now. InputConfig reads each Joy-Con 2 on its own and maps it to keys and the mouse, changes nothing about your Mac's security, and is experimental.
Can I use a Joy-Con 2 as a mouse on a Mac?
The OZORDI JoyCon2Mac readme says yes: it turns the Joy-Con 2's optical sensor into a mouse and picks whichever Joy-Con is resting on a surface. That project's current release needs two macOS security protections switched off. InputConfig does not read the optical sensor, but it can move the pointer from the stick.
Does InputConfig work with Joy-Con 2?
Yes, since 1.8, as an experimental feature: each Joy-Con 2 on its own, over USB in the charging grip, or over Bluetooth with Connect Switch 2 Pro, GameCube and Joy-Con 2 controllers over Bluetooth turned on in Settings, Devices. The Bluetooth part is labeled not yet checked on a controller.
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