Why is my controller not detected?
The browser is hiding the pad, or the operating system never received it. Press a face button with this site focused before you reseat hardware. Most “dead controller” reports on a tester are the Gamepad API waiting for that press.
The short version
- Focus the tester. Open the homepage tester and click the page once so the tab is allowed to see gamepads.
- Press a button. Use a face button, a bumper, or the D-pad. Moving a stick does not count as the wake-up press in every browser.
- Try the other cable or radio. If you were on Bluetooth, plug in USB. If USB fails, try another port and another cable.
- Release anything that grabbed the device. Quit Steam overlay, another tester, or a remapper that opens the pad exclusively. Refresh this page and press a button again.
- Check the operating system. If the OS game-controller panel is empty, the browser cannot invent a pad. Pair it again or install the distro’s Xbox driver on Linux.
Work top to bottom. Stop when the live tester shows a slot. A pad that appears in the OS and not in the browser is a browser or focus problem. A pad that appears in neither is a cable, pairing, or driver problem.
Cases that look like a dead pad
- The page is not HTTPS. The Gamepad API requires a secure context. Localhost is the exception.
- iOS Safari connected the pad for a game and still will not expose it cleanly to a website.
- An 8BitDo mode switch is in a position this OS does not like. Move it to X on Windows or mac on macOS and reconnect.
- Steam Deck Game Mode. Use Desktop Mode instead. See the Steam Deck page.
Where to go next
When a slot appears, run the stick drift test before you celebrate. Detection only proves the browser can see reports.
Frequently asked questions
Does moving the stick wake the controller up?
Not reliably. Press a digital button.
Chrome sees it and Firefox does not. Is the pad broken?
No. Browser support differs. If one current desktop browser lists the pad, the hardware is talking.