Use game controllers#
Game controller support lets you play games on the host with a physical controller connected to your device, or with an on-screen controller on iPhone, iPad, and Android. The host detects the controller as an Xbox controller, so games supporting Xbox controllers can use it. A Steam Controller is the exception: the host detects a real Steam Controller.
For example:
- A gamer pairs a controller with a Mac or iPad and plays on a gaming PC at home.
- Without a controller, they play with the on-screen controller on their phone.
To configure the rest of a gaming setup on each device, see Gaming.
Applies to#
- Physical controllers: Jump Desktop on Windows, macOS, iPhone, iPad, and Android Beta. Not available in a web browser.
- On-screen controller: Jump Desktop on iPhone, iPad, and Android.
- Host: Windows 11 or later, or macOS 15 or later, with Jump Desktop Connect 10.15.23 or later, or Linux Alpha with Jump Desktop Connect, over a Fluid connection.
- All plans. A Steam Controller requires the Jump Desktop for Teams Enterprise plan.
Before you start#
Game controllers use USB redirection, which is off by default. To turn it on for the host, see Turn on USB redirection. On hosts with a Connect Configuration, a team administrator must also leave Allow Game Controllers on.
If Devices shows Unavailable. Click to learn more. (Unavailable on this computer on Android), see USB troubleshooting.
Use a physical controller#
Most controllers recognized by your device work, over USB or Bluetooth. Connect the controller to your device, connect to the host, and then share the controller:
Choose Remote > Devices, then select the controller. If it is not listed, choose Refresh. A firmware update warning appears; click I Understand. The warning appears each time you share a device until you select Don't show this warning again.
Choose Remote > Devices, then select the controller. If it is not listed, choose Refresh. A firmware update warning appears; click I Understand. The warning appears each time you share a device until you select the checkbox that suppresses it.
Tap the Settings button in the session toolbar, then Devices, then the controller. If it is not listed, tap Refresh.
When a controller connects during a session, or is already connected when the session starts, Jump Desktop displays the Game controller connected prompt. Tap Redirect to share the controller, or Not now to continue using it to control the app.
To share controllers without the prompt, select Automatically redirect controllers from now on in the prompt, or turn on Automatically Connect Gamepads under Gaming in Jump Desktop Settings. You can also share a controller from Devices under the Settings button.
To stop sharing, select the controller again. On Windows, macOS, iPhone, and iPad, a shared controller is shared again automatically the next time you connect to that host.
- Several controllers: each controller has its own row in Devices.
- Vibration: rumble from the game is sent to your controller.
- Not sent: motion sensors, touchpads, and adaptive triggers. The host detects a standard Xbox controller, except for a Steam Controller.
Steam Controller#
From Jump Desktop on Windows or macOS, a Steam Controller is passed through to the host as a USB HID device. The host detects a real Steam Controller, so Steam on the host can use its touchpads, gyro, and haptics. Share it from Remote > Devices like any other controller.
- A Steam Controller requires the Jump Desktop for Teams Enterprise plan.
- The host must allow HID devices. If the host has a Connect Configuration, Allow HID Devices must be on (the default). See Turn on USB redirection for the host.
If USB device is in use appears, Steam on your computer is using the controller. Quit Steam on your computer, then select the controller again.
Use the on-screen controller#
On iPhone, iPad, and Android, tap the Settings button in the session toolbar, then Devices > On-Screen Controller. The controller appears over the remote screen, and you can move its controls to positions that suit your hands. To turn it off, select On-Screen Controller again.
| Control | Where |
|---|---|
| LB, LT and the left stick | Left side |
| RB, RT, the right stick, and A, B, X, and Y around it | Right side |
| Menu button | Between the sticks on a phone, bottom-left corner on a tablet |
Touches outside the controls are sent to the remote screen as usual.
The controller menu#
Tap the menu button to open the controller menu. The icons shown are from Jump Desktop for Android; iPhone and iPad use similar icons.
| Icon | Button | What it does |
|---|---|---|
 |
Select | Presses the controller's Select (Back) button. |
 |
Start | Presses the controller's Start (Menu) button. |
 |
Rearrange (Edit layout on Android, Rearrange Controls on iPhone and iPad, for screen readers) | Starts rearranging the controls. |
 |
Hide | Hides the controls, leaving only the menu button. The controller remains connected; to disconnect it, turn off On-Screen Controller in Devices. |
The menu button icon changes to indicate its current action:
| Icon | When |
|---|---|
 |
The controller is showing. Tap to open the menu. On iPhone and iPad, this button shows three lines. |
 |
The menu is open. Tap to close it. |
 |
Rearranging is in progress. Tap to finish. |
 |
The controls are hidden. Tap to show them. |
Move and rearrange the controls#
Move the controls so they do not cover content you need to see, or so they sit where your thumbs rest.
- Tap the menu button, then the rearrange button. The left controls, right controls, and menu button wiggle to indicate that they can be moved.
- Drag each group to the position you want. The left and right groups can extend partly or fully past the edge of the screen; the menu button always remains at least partly visible.
- Tap the check mark button to finish.
The layout is saved separately for portrait and landscape, so each orientation can have its own arrangement. The layout applies to every host you connect to.
Check that it worked#
A check mark appears next to the controller or On-Screen Controller in Devices, and the game responds to the controller.
Limitations#
- The on-screen controller has no D-pad, Guide button, or stick clicks, and its triggers register only as fully pressed or released.
- The on-screen controller has no size or transparency settings, and no way to reset a rearranged layout.
- Controllers do not work in a web browser, or with hosts running Windows 10 or earlier or macOS 14 or earlier.
Related#
Icons: Material Icons by Google, licensed under the Apache License 2.0.