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Tech News Today
Home » Console

How to Use Controller as Mouse or Keyboard?

Deep ShresthaBy Deep ShresthaDecember 14, 2022
use controller as mouse

By default, a controller cannot navigate through you PC. And if you are a console gamer, switching between a mouse/keyboard and a controller could be an inconvenience.

Wouldn’t it be easy if you could simply control the mouse cursor and type using the controller? Fortunately, in today’s world, it is possible.

And in this article, we will guide you through a list of applications and steps to configure your controller to use it as a mouse or a keyboard. 

Table of Contents

  • How to Use Controller as Mouse or Keyboard?
    • Through Steam Client
    • Using Gopher360
    • Through InputMapper

How to Use Controller as Mouse or Keyboard?

To configure your controller, you have to rely on a program. All the applications we’ve listed below are free. However, some apps such as Controller Companion and REWASD charge fees to reconfigure your controller. 

Through Steam Client

The Steam client also offers built-in controller support to use the controller as a mouse and keyboard. Steam supports a wide range of controllers such as the PlayStation, XBOX, Switch Pro, or any generic gamepad. 

Since most users using the controller likely have a steam client installed in their system. Therefore, using it to configure the controller is an ideal choice. However, below we have explained the process of installing steam and using it to manage the controller settings.

  1. Download Steam from the official Steam Website.
    download steam
  2. Install and update the Steam Client.
  3. Once Steam Runs, log in to your Steam account. Create an account if you do not have a Steam account.
  4. Connect the controller to the PC.
  5. Once you log in, click on View and go to Settings.
    steam settings
  6. On the left panel, click on Controller.
  7. Now, on the right panel, click on General Controller Settings. Another Steam window should open.
    general controller settings
  8. Under Detected Controllers, it should show your controller.
  9. Here, check the correct controller configuration Support. For example, check Xbox Configuration Support if you use an XBOX controller.
    xbox configuration support
  10. Close this Window.
  11. On the Settings Window, click on Desktop configuration. Another window named Steam Controller Configuration should open.
    steam desktop configuration
  12. On the bottom, click on Browse Configs.
    browse controller config
  13. Click on Recommended and select Desktop Configurations.
    recommended desktop configuration
  14. Click on Apply Configuration, and you should have the desktop controller configurations.
    apply recommended desktop config

If you want to rebind a key according to your choice, click on one of the pop-up sections. Now select the mouse or the keyboard key to rebind. Furthermore, you can also use the configuration you set in other non-steam games. You need to add this game to steam. Then, you can use the profile you set on non-steam games.

Using Gopher360

Gopher360 is a great lightweight tool to use as a mouse. You can use the on-screen keyboard to press certain keys and use it to type. Once you connect the controller to the PC, wired or wirelessly, the application will automatically detect the controller and configure its left stick movement with the mouse movement.

One downside to Gopher is that it only allows mouse movement from an XBOX controller (Wired or wireless) and DualShock (With InputMapper 1.5+). You cannot use this tool if you use a generic controller.

Follow the steps mentioned below to use the controller as a mouse or keyboard by using Gopher360.

  1. Go to the Github Repository that contains the Gopher360 file.
  2. Once the site opens, scroll down under Assets.
  3. Click on Gopher.exe to download the file.
    download gopher
  4. Connect the XBOX or DualShock controller to the PC.
  5. Now, right-click on the downloaded file, Gopher.exeand select Run as Administrator.
  6. Wait for a few seconds for the application to set up the controller. 
  7. Once the setup is complete, you should be able to move the mouse cursor using the right stick.
Below we have listed basic controls for the XBOX controller to use as a mouse.
  • Right analog stick = Mouse cursor movement
  • Left analog stick = Scroll
  • A = left click
  • X = Right click
  • Y = Hide Gopher Window
  • B = Enter
  • D-pad = Alternate scroll
  • Left analog stick click = Middle mouse button click
  • LB + RB = Toggle mouse cursor speed
  • Start = Windows key

It will help if you run Gopher360 as an administrator to use the controller to access the on-screen keyboard. Follow the steps below to run the application as admin by default.

  1. Right-click on the Gopher.exe file and select Properties.
  2. Go to the Compatibility tab.
  3. Under Settings, check Run this program as administrator.
    run gopher as admin
  4. Click on Apply, then OK.

Once the application is set to run as admin by default, you need to ensure that it runs automatically on startup. Doing this means you do not need to use a mouse to run the application every time the computer starts.

  1. Copy the Gopher.exe downloaded file.
  2. Press Windows + R to open Run.
  3. Type Shell:startup and press Enter. A Windows Explorer dialog box should appear.
  4. Paste Gopher.exe in this file location.
    startup gopher

Gopher will now run automatically every time you turn on the PC, and you can use the controller directly on the go.

Through InputMapper

Unlike Gopher360, InputMapper allows you to map the entire keybinds according to your choice. This gives the user full control over their controller buttons. You can even remap your DS4 (DualShock 4) to work like an XBOX controller. 

This variety of advanced macro and customization makes the InputMapper a great application you can use to replace your mouse and keyboard with the controller. Furthermore, the application is not only restricted to XBOX and PS controllers but also any other generic controllers.

Follow the steps below to remap your controller using InputMapper.

  1. Download the setup file from the official InputMapper website.
    download inputmapper
  2. Once the download is complete, install and run the application.
  3. Connect the controller to the PC.
  4. Once the PC detects the controller, the application should detect the controller as well.
  5. On the left panel of the application, click on Profiles.
  6. On the right panel, click on New Profile.
    new profile inputmapper
  7. Now, the visual layout of your controller should appear under Button Mapping.
  8. To remap your buttons, click on the button you want to remap. A window named Mapping should pop up.
    remap controller
  9. Here, you can bind this selected button to any keys from the keyboard, controller, or mouse buttons or even set it as a media control key.
  10. On the Configuration tab, you can set the controller’s cursor speed, scroll speed, sensitivity, and lights.
  11. If you use a DS4 controller, you can check Trackpad as Mouse to use the trackpad for mouse movement.
    use controller trackpad as mouse
  12. Once you have configured everything, click on Save to save all your keybind settings.
how-to
Deep Shrestha
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Deep Shrestha works as a computer hardware writer at TechNewsToday with several hardware and programming certifications. Although he has been writing technical content for more than a year, his interest in hardware components started at a very young age ever since he heard about PC building. Pursuing his passion, he has assembled several desktop computers. Besides building desktop PCs, Deep also has hands-on experience fixing software and hardware issues on laptops and desktop computers. Using all this knowledge and skills about computer hardware, he's on a quest to make content that's easy to read and understand for everyone. You can contact him at deep@technewstoday.com

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