Does a ROCCAT Kone mouse work on a Mac?
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.
Yes, as a mouse. A Kone plugs into a Mac and the pointer, clicks and wheel work, but I could not find a Mac version of Swarm, the software that sets its buttons and Easy-Shift layer, and ROCCAT is now part of Turtle Beach. What the mouse has stored keeps working, and the buttons that reach the Mac can be bound there.
I searched Turtle Beach's support pages and ROCCAT's pages on October 21, 2026 and found no Mac build of Swarm or Swarm II, so treat that as what I could not confirm, not as a rule. I make InputConfig, a free Mac app that reads a mouse's extra buttons and gives each one a job.
On this page
Steps
- Plug in the mouse or its dongle. The pointer, clicks and wheel work at once.
- Check Turtle Beach's support page for your model to see whether Swarm II runs on a Mac.
- If it does not, save your settings once from a Windows PC.
- Open InputConfig, add a row, press Scan and press a thumb button.
- Bind each button, then press Activate.
See what Swarm does on a Mac
Swarm is the software for ROCCAT mice, and Swarm II is Turtle Beach's new version. I found no statement that either runs on macOS. A Turtle Beach support answer I found for a different mouse, the Burst II Air, says Swarm II is on PC only and that on a Mac the mouse works as a generic mouse. I have not seen that wording for the Kone, so ask Turtle Beach about your exact model.
| Mouse | What I know |
|---|---|
| Kone XP | A shift button called Easy-Shift sits in the thumb groove and adds a second layer of button functions, according to a review I read. |
| Kone Pro | Part of the same Kone line. I did not confirm its button count. |
| Kone II | An older mouse. I could not confirm its software for a Mac. |
Swarm may not run on your Mac, but the mouse works and the buttons that reach macOS can still be bound.
Know what works with nothing installed
- Pointer, clicks and wheel. A Kone is a standard mouse on a Mac.
- DPI. The mouse steps through stored levels with its own button, and no Mac app sees that button.
- Easy-Shift. It is a layer inside the mouse. Whether it does anything depends on what Swarm stored.
- Side and thumb buttons. They reach a Mac as mouse buttons, or as keys if the profile says so.
Find out what each button sends
- You: Open InputConfig, add a row, press Scan and press each button.
- InputConfig: Names each button that arrives and lights it in the Live Visualizer.
- Check: Press the Easy-Shift button with another. If the second press reports a different button or key, the layer works. If nothing reports, the layer lives only in the mouse.
| Button | How it reports | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Left, right, wheel | Left click, Right click, Middle click | Wheel click as Mission Control. |
| Side buttons | Button 4 and up | Back, Forward, shortcuts. |
| Easy-Shift | Probably nothing alone | Press Scan to check. |
| Tilt wheel | Scroll X, sideways | See the tilt wheel page. |
Bind the buttons
- You: Choose a button as a row's input and pick an output, for example Keyboard Key with Command and the left bracket for Back.
- InputConfig: Sends it when you press the button.
- Check: Test it in Safari or Finder.
The wheel on a Kone XP tilts, and the tilt wheel page explains what InputConfig can do with that. A second control in a row, While also holding, gives you a combo of your own, and it does what Easy-Shift does inside the mouse.
Build your own Easy-Shift layer
If Swarm is not an option, InputConfig can give you the same idea on a Mac. Pick one button as the shift and hold it, and each other row reacts to it through the While also holding control.
- You: Choose a thumb button as the Second control on the rows that should change, and set the outputs for the held state.
- InputConfig: Fires the second job only while you hold that button.
- Check: Hold the button and press another. The second job should run, and the plain press should still run alone.
A held button plus a second button is a layer, and you can build it without Swarm.
Macros and options
- Macros. A step list with a wait and a hold time per step, from Options.
- Hold and double tap. A second and third output on each row.
- Block the original action. For the side buttons an app also reads.
- Per app layouts. The layout follows the front app.
Ideas for a Kone user
A Kone is a large, button rich mouse, so most of the value is in getting the thumb buttons right. I would start with three jobs you do many times a day, such as Back, copy and paste, and only then add anything fancy. If a button does something you never use, give it a hold action instead of leaving it empty. I have not tested a Kone myself, so press Scan on yours before trusting any row.
- Editing. Put undo, redo and cut on the thumb buttons.
- Writing. Type Text on a button for an email sign off.
- Games. List the game under Automation & Gaming Utilities so the layout switches when it opens.
If a button does nothing
Climb this ladder, smallest step first:
- Scan it. Nothing named means the mouse is not sending it.
- Check the mode switch. Wireless Kone models have a connection switch.
- Check the profile. A Windows PC with Swarm can restore it.
- Check Accessibility. System Settings, Privacy & Security, Accessibility must list InputConfig.
- Set keys to F13 to F20. If a button types a letter, change it in the profile.
- Let go of Easy-Shift. While Easy-Shift is held, the buttons send their second layer. Release it and Scan again.
What it cannot do
- Run Swarm. I found no Mac version.
- Change DPI, lighting or the stored profile. Those stay with the mouse.
- See Easy-Shift alone. If it sends nothing, no Mac app can.
The short version
- Works. A Kone is a mouse on a Mac.
- Swarm. I found no Mac version, so set the profile on Windows once.
- Buttons. Scan and bind them.
A Kone keeps its stored profile, and the Mac can bind whatever reaches it.
Questions
Does ROCCAT Swarm work on Mac?
I found no Mac version of Swarm or of Turtle Beach's Swarm II. Check Turtle Beach's support page for your exact mouse.
Does the ROCCAT Kone XP work on a Mac?
As a mouse, yes. Its Easy-Shift layer and other settings are stored by Swarm, which I could not confirm for macOS.
What is Easy-Shift on a ROCCAT mouse?
A shift button in the thumb groove that adds a second layer of button functions. It lives in the mouse's profile.
How do I use Kone side buttons on a Mac?
Press Scan in InputConfig, press the button and choose what it sends. A While also holding control lets you build your own shift layer.
Is the ROCCAT Kone Pro compatible with Mac?
It works as a standard mouse. Software support on Mac is not something I could confirm, so ask Turtle Beach.
Can I use the Kone without Swarm on a Mac?
Yes. It works as a standard mouse, with whatever profile is stored in it. You can build a shift layer in InputConfig with While also holding.
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