Whether you’re trying to no-scope that enemy on COD or score a last-minute slam-dunk on NBA, the touchpad just doesn’t do it.

Plug in your controller to your Mac. If you have a current model MacBook or MacBook Pro, you'll need a USB-C to USB-A adapter. Click OK when the System Extension Blocked warning message pops up. Go into System Preferences via the dock or  menu.

So, we thought we’d share the best tips on how to connect an Xbox 360 controller to your Mac, to make them tense gaming moments a little easier.

Before you do: Clean up your Mac

BUT, before we get into all the juicy techy stuff, let’s remind you of how beneficial cleaning up your Mac can be.

Before installing any new hardware, it’s important to have an un-cluttered file space so the new software can run efficiently, and you can keep an eye on what’s where.

With CleanMyMac X, it’s easy. It’s one-click cleaning approach and powerful scanning means you can swiftly dispose of useless documents and apps which may be slowing your Mac down.

So, to get optimal controller connectivity, you should download CleanMyMac and tidy up your digital space – prior to any installations. Now, onto how to use an Xbox 360 controller on a Mac.

How to use the Xbox 360 controller on Mac

Not many of us know it, but there could be a handy use for all those old Xbox 360 or Xbox One controllers lying around. But, before you get set up, you need to have the correct hardware installed on your Mac to enable connectivity.

Here’s how.

First of all, you will need either a wired or wireless Xbox controller. Both work fine, but for all those passionate gamers with a tendency to erupt, a wireless device would be best to save any damages to wires (or opponents). These wireless receivers can be bought for around $20 on Amazon, and can handle up to 4 Xbox 360 controllers.

Free Drivers

Obviously, Macs don’t have an in-built driver for Xbox controllers as Apple are in no way affiliated with Microsoft. Similarly, Microsoft doesn’t supply drivers for Mac users for their hardware, which leaves us wanting users having to find our own way.

So back in 2006, it was music to gamer’s ears to hear that Tattie Bogle had developed their own driver free of charge to users across the gaming globe. However, this driver hasn’t been updated since 2012, and is therefore sticky when it comes to compatibility with MacOS X.

For a more streamlined approach to this conundrum, download GitHub’s free driver – it’s maintained and updated frequently and is free to all Mac users.

1. Install the driver

After opening the GitHub link, double click on the DMG file visible under ‘Assets’. This will start the installing process, where you will have to follow the appropriate instructions.

Remember though, as with any new program installation, it will reboot your Mac, so don’t panic. After the restart, you should be able to find ‘Xbox 360 Controllers’ in the system preferences.

2. Connect the Xbox 360 Controller to your Mac

Now you’ve installed the driver, the next step is to connect the controller, which is simple and only needs to be done once.

• Firstly, you need to plug the USB receiver into a free USB port on your Mac. Once plugged in, the USB receiver’s light should start blinking

• Press the big Xbox logo button on the controller so it lights up green

• Press the button on the USB receiver

• Press the connect button on the controller, which can be found at the top - in-between the left and right toggles

• The top left quarter of the circle around the Xbox button should now light up, indicating you are the first controller connected

Now the controller and Mac are linked - so in the future if you want to connect again, all you need do is press the big Xbox logo button to get going. Told you it was simple!

3. Test the Controller

As with all things techy, there’s always loopholes. So, it’s important to test the connections to ensure the controller works before we embark upon a mobile-gaming-gallivant.

Go to ‘System Preferences’, ‘Xbox 360 Controllers’ and you’ll see a screen like below.

This is a control pad, which indicates whether all the buttons on the controller are working properly. That’s about all you can do on this, as well as shutting the controller down by clicking ‘power off’.

4. Configuring for multiple games on your Mac

We all have different tastes in games - some of us like sports and some of us like military, there’s no right or wrong (asides from Half-Life, that’s just awesome and it’s not up for debate).

With these different games come different control configurations, which can get tedious when you only have one type of controller.

For full flexibility of use, there are many tools and apps available which allow you to play any game with any Mac compatible joystick or controller – even the ones that are not compatible with joysticks.

5. Use Joystick Mapper

Out of the many apps to choose from, Joystick Mapper is our pick. And at only $4.99 from the App Store, it’s real value for money – especially when considering the amount of effort it takes to develop such a complex tool.

Here’s how it works –

Once you download the Joystick Mapper app, you need to create a pre-set for your game preferences. To do this, open the app and click ‘Add new pre-set’.

Enter a name for future reference such as ‘My Game’, and for each joystick, click ‘Add a new joystick’.

Now that you’ve identified the joystick, you need to ‘bind’ joystick inputs to keyboard or mouse movements - which is easier than it sounds.

Click on ‘Add new bind’, and then ‘Scan’, and press the button of your game controller that you’d like to use. Next select a mouse or keyboard action, and that will ‘bind’ the chosen inputs.

Simply repeat this process until you’ve bound all the buttons you’d like to use.

If by chance you’re using a controller other than an Xbox 360 or Xbox One, you can replicate these actions and apply them to different controllers. To do this, simply click the ‘Clone’ icon in the top right corner. To put the pre-set into action, set a checkmark before the preferred pre-set/profile you’ve created for the game you’re about to play. Now, you’re good to go!

BUT – don’t close the Joystick Mapper app before starting the game, it needs to keep running to work. Simply select ‘cmd + H’ to hide the window.

Declutter your Mac to make more room for games

Remember, all of these processes won’t work as effectively if you have a messy Mac.

On average, there is a whopping 62GB of junk found on Macs, with jam-packed caches and folders full of useless documents cluttering the hard drive.

This considerably slows down the performance of your Mac, preventing quick and easy installations, and can even hinder the controller connectivity.

CleanMyMac X is an app dedicated to cleaning your Mac head-to-toe. It scans everything on the computer - even old folders that have been evading your wrath for years - identifying what needs to be removed.

The Mac is inspected rigorously, and with its smart one-click clean-up, CleanMyMac sweeps away the unwanted rubbish to organize folders and speed up performance.

Furthermore, CleanMyMac X is free to download. So, what are you waiting for? Download it for free here.

These might also interest you:

Recording well down gameplay and sharing to YouTube and Twitch have been the popular methods among game players. Moreover, many people make money by posting gameplays. Though PlayStation4 and Xbox one can record gameplay without buying anything, Xbox 360 gameplay still need third recoding editor to record and edit. If you are requiring high 360-gameplay quality, you can buy capture cards to record Xbox 360 gameplay with PC. However, the price between USB and PCI capture cards are $10 to $200. But do not worry about that, there are still methods to record Xbox 360 gameplay without buying anything.

Part 1. Get Game Capture Device to Record Xbox 360 in High Resolution

If you want to be professional game player, using game capture device can output HD videos in detail. Recording record Xbox 360 gameplay with capture card can rediscover viewers to play the Xbox as they really do. Moreover, using PCI capture card can bring out better video quality and faster operating speed than USB capture card. It is true that PCI capture charges higher than USB ones.

◆ You need to prepare the following objects. Xbox 360, one HDMI splitter, three HDMI cables, TV or other display devices, game capture device, network connection.

◆ Connect your digital equipment one by one in order. (Connect your Xbox 360 HDMI cable to the 'In' port of the record device, and then link the 'Out' port of your record device with the display devices, like TV, laptop and etc.)

◆ Choose Photo Gallery and Movie Maker and then set your recording resolution. You should consider the recorded Xbox 360 gameplay resolution limitation.

◆ Play your Xbox 360 as usual. Edit with video editors to trim and merge good Xbox 360 gameplay.

The capture devices have more selections. For instance, using AV.io HD with USB 3.0 cable can also record Xbox 360 gameplay with USB, laptop or TV in high resolution.

Part 2. Use Webcam or Camcorder to Record Xbox 360

For many people, recording Xbox 360 gameplay without capture card may be better choice. With the reason of high cost and similar video resolution, there are other ways to shoot gameplay as videos without blurry. Though users can get HD Xbox 360 gameplay, it is not people really want, who view gameplays from masters. After all, gameplay is not the movie, which set the user comfort experience as the first place.

◆ Install AndroVid on your recording devices. For instance, it is a nice idea to record Xbox 360 gameplay with Android phone.

◆ Click Garb icon to start shooting your Xbox 360 wonderful processes.

◆ Tap Trim after you finish recording, adjust the frame to suit your display screen finally.

◆ Add music, Merge, Reverse, Convert, Add effects and apply other video editing filters. Output recorded Xbox 360 gameplay

You can use AndroVid on Android and then shoot with AndroVid too. It is a way to record Xbox 360 gameplay with phone in free way. The only disadvantage of AndroVid is that you cannot remove ads during Xbox 360 gameplay recordation.

Part 3. Record Xbox 360 Gameplay with Windows 10

If you are Windows 10 users, then you can get one more method by Xbox app. The new Windows 10 Game DVR function allow users to record Xbox 360 gameplay with PC in free way too. Thus, you can record Xbox 360 gameplay process in high resolution in one degree. Moreover, you can edit recorded Xbox 360 gameplay with laptop with video effects after outputting too.

◆ Log in your Microsoft account, and then find Xbox app from Start menu.

◆ Choose Game DVR from Settings, turn it on to enable Xbox 360 gameplay recording.

◆ Open the games installed on the desktop. When you see the dialog, which asks whether to open or not, press Widows and G to start.

◆ Click the Red Circle icon to start record or press Windows, Alt and R to replace.

◆ Tap the Red Square icon to finish, or you can press Windows, Alt and R once more.

Xbox 360 How To Install

You can go to Xbox app to view and edit. For someone who just needs to record en epic within 30 seconds, there is one more interesting feature. Press Windows, Alt and PrtScn together to get screenshots any time you want. That is the whole process.

Part 4. Try Screen Capture Software to Share Xbox 360 Gameplay

Snagit is the screen capture software, which can work not only on desktop, but also on iPhone and Android. You can grab the video size area by one click, in horizontal or vertical. It is very easy to record Xbox 360 gameplay with Snagit. Moreover, you can capture any video moment, the whole Windows or region by a single hotkey.

◆ Install Snagit on Windows or Mac as your OS differs.

◆ Click the Start icon and then record Xbox 360 gameplay with Snagit directly.

◆ You can highlight, add texts and use other tutorial filters to process your Xbox 360 videos.

◆ Turn the part of recorded Xbox 360 gameplay on PC or Mac into animated GIF to have fun.

The panoramic capture feature enables users to take individual captures by merging them together. In addition, the high-resolution output allows user to enlarge images or videos without blurry.

Part 5. Get Smart Phone Xbox 360 Gameplay Recordation for Free

After knowing recordation on Mac and Windows computer, it is also necessary to handle record Xbox 360 gameplay app on iPhone and Android. At present, you do not need to install screen capture software on mobile phone. Both Android and iPhone, iPad have different solutions.

If you have updated Google Play Games app before, things will be easier of Xbox 360 gameplay recordation, or you can update right now, it does not matter. Search your target from Google Play and download it. Go to installed menu to tap the game to install. Once you open your game, you can see the red circle icon beside the Start option. Click it to choose Quality settings. After you are done recording games, you can share recorded gameplay with Android phone to social platform.

As for iOS users, Apple developers have created ReplayKit gameplay recording app. However, many game developers have integrated recording into games directly. Thus, iOS 9 or later users can choose whether to save 'Record Screen & Microphone' or 'Record Screen Only'. Or you can connect your mobile phone to computers to record gameplay with iPhone and iPad.

Part 6: FAQs of Recording Xbox 360 Gameplay

How do you record longer clips on Xbox?

For recording long clips on Xbox, you should select record for Game DVR, and then select the longer time, not limited 15 seconds.

Original Xbox On Xbox 360

Can you record gameplay on Xbox One?

Yes, it is easy to record gameplay on Xbox One. Playing your game as normal, and then press the Xbox button to open the Guide menu, press X to grab a video of the past 30 seconds.

How To Verify Xbox 360 Games Macbook

How long can you record on Xbox?

The time length limit of the gameplay recording on Xbox is 5 minutes via the built-in recorder. If you use the third-party recording software, the time length varies on difference software.

How To Verify Xbox 360 Games Mac Os

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