How to connect your Joy-Con controllers to play video games on your Mac

Some games are just easier or more fun to play with a controller. And if you happen to own a Nintendo Switch, you can use the Joy-Con controllers from it to play games on your Mac. You can take them out of the Switch, connect them to Mac, and then pop them into the Joy-Con Grip in just a few minutes.

Nintendo Joy Con controller.

This tutorial shows you how to connect your Joy-Con controllers to your Mac so the gaming can begin!

How to connect Joy-Con controllers to Mac

To pair your Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con controllers with your Mac to game with them, follow the steps outlined below:

1) Remove your Nintendo Joy-Con controllers from the Nintendo Switch or Comfort Grip.

2) Press and hold the round pairing button on the top of each Joy-Con:

Note: The four green pairing LEDs will begin shifting left to right and right to left to let you know that the Joy-Con is in pairing mode:

Joy-Con pairing LEDs.

3) On your Mac, Navigate to  → System Settings:

Apple System Settings.

4) Click on Bluetooth in the left-hand menu:

Bluetooth Connect button.

5) Click on the Connect button to the right of each Joy-Con controller that pops up.

6) The four green pairing LEDs will stop shifting from one direction to the other. Only one illuminates, signifying a successful pairing:

Successfully paired Nintendo Joy Con.

7) The Joy-Con controller(s) will join your other Bluetooth devices in your Mac’s list of paired devices:

Joy-Cons successfully paired with macOS.

That’s all there is to it! Your Joy-Con(s) are now paired with your Mac and you can use them for gaming as you wish.

Wrapping it up

If you recently downloaded a game on your Mac that you would like to try with your Joy-Con controllers, you can see just how easy it is to connect them. And hopefully, you’ll enjoy your Mac gaming experience just a little bit more.

If you don’t already have a pair of Nintendo Joy Con controllers, then you can purchase a set on Amazon for around $80. They’re available in different colorways and you don’t need Nintendo Switch to use them with your Mac. Likewise, the more ergonomic Nintendo Switch Pro Controller can be purchased from Amazon for approximately $70 and can be paired with your Mac in exactly the same way.

Are you going to connect your Joy-Con controllers to your Mac and give this a try? If so, let us know which games you play and if using the controllers worked out!