How To Use Switch Pro Controller On Steam

How to apply a Nintendo Switch Pro controller on your PC

Nintendo Switch Pro controller held in a person's left hand

(Prototype credit: Shutterstock)

As one of the all-time Nintendo Switch controllers, knowing how to use a Nintendo Switch Pro controller on your PC gives you the best of both worlds. The Nintendo Switch Pro is a delight to use, and is far more comfy than the Joy Cons which come with the Switch. It'south one of the nicest pads ever made, then it'southward simply natural you'd want to use it every bit much as possible.

Fortunately, Nintendo has made it easy to use the Switch Pro controller work with PC, either wired using a USB-C cable or wirelessly over Bluetooth. Though the keyboard/mouse combo is one that some gaming puritans would never surrender, using a joypad for sports games or a few sessions of Rocket League every now and and then is a welcome change.

Information technology may non offer the advanced options yous can get by using a DualSense controller with PC, just in terms of condolement and stamina, the Switch Pro pad and its superhuman bombardment life remains extremely hard to beat.

Here'south how to utilise your Nintendo Switch Pro controller on your PC.

How to use a Nintendo Switch Pro controller on your PC (wired)

In that location's really not much to this method, but…

1. Grab a USB-C cable and plug ane terminate into the top of the Switch Pro controller, and the other into your PC.

How to use a Nintendo Switch controller on PC — (Image credit: Nintendo)

2. Windows should detect and identify the Nintendo Switch controller, and you'll see a minor notification in the task bar telling y'all when information technology's done.

How to use a Nintendo Switch Pro controller on PC (wireless)

To use the Switch Pro controller on your PC wirelessly, you'll either need to take Bluetooth built in, or have a Bluetooth dongle lying around. Assuming you practise, hither's how you connect your Switch Pro controller to PC via Bluetooth.

1. Press the First push, and then press "Settings".

2. In the window that opens, select "Devices," which is the 2nd selection on the pinnacle row.

iii. Make sure the Bluetooth toggle is switched on, and then press "Add Bluetooth or other device."

4. You now accept to choose the kind of device you want to connect. Ignore the mention of Xbox controllers at the bottom, and press the tiptop pick: "Bluetooth."

five. You at present need to put your Switch Pro controller in pairing style. Pick information technology up and find the small button on the left side of the charging port (number 2 in the diagram below – thanks Nintendo!).

Press and concord the button until the set of lights on the underside of the pad (marked 6 in the epitome higher up) starts flashing back and forth.

6. Back on your figurer, a listing will have begun to fill featuring Bluetooth devices that can exist continued. The Switch Pro controller volition announced hither, and information technology's thankfully easy to spot, named simply "Pro Controller.'' Click this choice.

7. All being well, you'll go confirmation with the words "Your device is set up to go!" Once you've seen this message, your gamepad is continued.

How to setup the Nintendo Switch Pro controller in Steam

Before you lot begin to play with your Nintendo Switch Pro controller on PC, you'll want to practise a little finetuning on Steam.

one. Sign into Steam, and press the Steam menu button in the meridian-left hand corner of the window. Select "Settings" in the drop-down menu.

2. From the menu that appears, select "Controller". This will open up a new panel on the correct, where y'all need to choose "General Controller Settings."

3. Select "Switch Pro Configuration Back up" and then that Steam knows what kind of gamepad information technology'due south working with.

When y'all do this, you'll encounter an actress pick that lets you apply the "Nintendo Push Layout." This is because Nintendo's positioning for A, B, Ten and Y differs from Microsoft's on the Xbox controller, Yous can either make the Switch Pro Controller mirror this, or take information technology the way Nintendo intended.

4. Y'all're at present free to customize the Nintendo Switch Pro controller as much as y'all similar. Go back to the previous menu and select "Big Picture show Configuration" and y'all tin tweak everything to your liking.

How to use the Nintendo Switch Pro controller with non-Steam games.

Merely what well-nigh your non-Steam games? Well, y'all can mess around with programs like X360ce if you similar, simply an easier solution is to only bring your non-Steam games into Steam. Here's how.

one. Sign into Steam again, and select the option labelled "Games" along the meridian bar. From the drop-down menu that appears, choose "Add together a Non-Steam Game to My Library."

two. A new window will announced that will list a whole bunch of applications from your computer. Just find the games you want to add, select them, and then press "Add Selected Programs."

At present y'all know how to use a Nintendo Switch Pro controller on your PC, cheque out some of our other Nintendo Switch guides, including how to add together friends on Nintendo Switch and how to Connect Nintendo Switch to a TV. And if you've recently upgraded, take a look at how to transfer Switch data to your new Switch OLED.

Freelance correspondent Alan has been writing nearly tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in betwixt. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, y'all'll probably notice him tackling his e'er-growing games backlog. Or, more than likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.