Controller Tester

This controller tester answers the first question in every controller problem on PC: is it the controller or the setup? It shows exactly what your computer receives from a game controller, with each button, both sticks at their exact position and both triggers from 0 to 100 percent. It works with Xbox, PlayStation, Switch Pro, Joy-Con and generic USB pads in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on Windows, Mac, Linux and ChromeOS. Because it runs outside any game, the result is clear: if the controller works here but not in a game, the hardware is fine and the fix is in the game, Steam or a driver.

How to test a controller on PC

1. Plug the controller in with a data cable, or pair it by Bluetooth in your system settings. Some charging cables carry no data, so try another cable if nothing happens.
2. Press any button. The controller appears in the Controller row with a number and a light that flashes when it sends input.
3. Press every button and move both sticks in slow circles. Working buttons turn green.
4. Use the tabs to check stick drift, circularity, vibration and update rate.
5. Press Copy results for a plain text report you can attach to a return or a support request.

What the results mean

If the layout says Not standard, the browser has no button map for the controller. The drawing may not match, but the lists under All inputs still show every raw button and axis, which is all a PC game sees too.

Windows does not see the controller

• Try a different cable and a USB port on the computer itself, not a hub or the front panel.
• Open Device Manager and look under Human Interface Devices or Xbox Peripherals. A warning icon means a driver problem: right click the device, choose Uninstall device, then unplug and reconnect the controller.
• For Bluetooth, remove the controller in Settings > Bluetooth & devices on Windows 11 (Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices on Windows 10), put it in pairing mode and add it again.

The full checklist, including pairing buttons for each brand, is in controller not connecting to pc. If Windows shows a USB error when you plug it in, start with usb device not recognized.

It works here but not in your game

This is the most common PC controller problem, and a working test here proves the hardware is fine. Windows games read controllers in two ways. XInput is the Xbox standard and almost every PC game supports it. The older DirectInput is what PlayStation, Switch and many generic pads use. A game that only reads XInput ignores a DualSense or a Switch Pro Controller even though this page sees it.

• Use Steam Input. In Steam, open Settings, then Controller, and turn on Steam Input for PlayStation, Switch or generic controllers. Steam then hands your controller to the game as an Xbox pad. Add other launchers' games to Steam as a non-Steam game to use the same trick.
• Look for a second controller. Tools such as DS4Windows or DSX create a virtual Xbox controller next to the real one. Games may read the wrong one, and you get double inputs or none. Here they appear as two numbered controllers, so you can see it happen.
• Unplug other game devices. Wheels, flight sticks and some keyboards also register as controllers, and some games only read the first controller they find.

Buttons are mixed up in games but right here

The game, Steam or the controller itself has a remap. Reset the controls in the game's settings, check the game's layout in Steam, and on Xbox controllers open the Xbox Accessories app, because button changes made there are saved on the controller and follow it to every PC. Nintendo pads swap A with B and X with Y compared with Xbox positions; Steam's controller settings have a Nintendo button layout option for that.

Calibrating a controller on Windows

For flight sticks, wheels and generic pads, Windows still has its calibration wizard. Press Windows key + R, type joy.cpl and press Enter. Select the controller, choose Properties, open Settings and choose Calibrate, then follow the prompts. The wizard only affects games that read DirectInput. Xbox and PlayStation controllers are calibrated at the factory, so if a stick on one of them drifts, set a deadzone in the game or in Steam instead. The controller drift tester measures the drift and suggests a value.

Testing a PlayStation, Xbox or Switch controller on PC

Each brand has its own page with model specific fixes. The ps5 controller tester pc also reads the DualSense battery, touchpad, motion sensors and adaptive triggers in Chrome and Edge. The ps4 controller tester pc does the same for the DualShock 4, and the xbox controller tester pc checks the impulse trigger motors. For any pad, the gamepad test covers the same inputs with a generic drawing.

What this controller test cannot see

• Steam's virtual controller. Steam Input only exists inside Steam, so the page always sees the real device.
• Profiles stored on pro controllers. Remaps on an Xbox Elite or a DualSense Edge happen inside the controller, so the page shows the result, not the original button.
• Audio. The headset jack and controller speaker do not pass through gamepad support.
• End to end lag. The update rate tab shows how often readings arrive, not the full delay to the screen. The controller latency tester explains the difference.

Controller tester questions