How To Connect A Pro Controller To Switch

How to use a Nintendo Switch Pro controller on your PC

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

(Image credit: Shutterstock)

Equally one of the best 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 employ, and is far more than comfortable than the Joy Cons which come with the Switch. It's one of the nicest pads e'er made, and then it's merely natural y'all'd want to employ information technology as much every bit possible.

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

It may not offer the advanced options you can become by using a DualSense controller with PC, merely in terms of condolement and stamina, the Switch Pro pad and its superhuman battery life remains extremely hard to trounce.

Here's how to use your Nintendo Switch Pro controller on your PC.

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

There'southward really not much to this method, but…

1. Take hold of a USB-C cable and plug one finish into the top of the Switch Pro controller, and the other into your PC.

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

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

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

To utilize the Switch Pro controller on your PC wirelessly, you lot'll either need to take Bluetooth congenital in, or accept a Bluetooth dongle lying around. Assuming you practise, here'southward how y'all connect your Switch Pro controller to PC via Bluetooth.

1. Printing the Outset button, and then press "Settings".

ii. In the window that opens, select "Devices," which is the second selection on the top row.

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

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

5. You now need to put your Switch Pro controller in pairing way. Pick information technology upwards and detect the small button on the left side of the charging port (number 2 in the diagram below – thanks Nintendo!).

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

vi. Back on your computer, a list will have begun to fill featuring Bluetooth devices that can be continued. The Switch Pro controller will announced here, and it'south thankfully like shooting fish in a barrel to spot, named simply "Pro Controller.'' Click this option.

7. All being well, you'll get confirmation with the words "Your device is ready to go!" In one case yous've seen this message, your gamepad is connected.

How to setup the Nintendo Switch Pro controller in Steam

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

1. Sign into Steam, and press the Steam bill of fare button in the tiptop-left mitt corner of the window. Select "Settings" in the drop-down bill of fare.

2. From the menu that appears, select "Controller". This will open up a new panel on the right, where you demand to choose "General Controller Settings."

iii. Select "Switch Pro Configuration Support" and so that Steam knows what kind of gamepad it's working with.

When you exercise this, yous'll see an extra pick that lets yous utilize the "Nintendo Push button Layout." This is because Nintendo's positioning for A, B, Ten and Y differs from Microsoft's on the Xbox controller, You tin either make the Switch Pro Controller mirror this, or accept it the way Nintendo intended.

iv. You lot're at present costless to customize the Nintendo Switch Pro controller every bit much every bit you like. Go back to the previous card and select "Big Picture Configuration" and yous can tweak everything to your liking.

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

Simply what about your not-Steam games? Well, yous can mess effectually with programs like X360ce if you like, but an easier solution is to just bring your not-Steam games into Steam. Here's how.

1. Sign into Steam again, and select the option labelled "Games" along the top bar. From the drop-down menu that appears, choose "Add a Not-Steam Game to My Library."

two. A new window will appear that will list a whole agglomeration of applications from your estimator. But find the games y'all desire to add, select them, and and so press "Add Selected Programs."

Now y'all know how to use a Nintendo Switch Pro controller on your PC, check 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 set. And if y'all've recently upgraded, have a wait at how to transfer Switch data to your new Switch OLED.

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the spider web and in the occasional mag too. When not weighing upwards the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more than likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.