How to Connect a Switch Pro Controller to PC: The Methods That Actually Work

You’ve got the best controller Nintendo has ever made. It’s got that chunky, satisfying weight, battery life that puts the PS5’s DualSense to shame, and offset sticks that just feel right. But then you try to play Elden Ring on your PC and realize Windows thinks your Pro Controller is some kind of alien artifact. It’s frustrating. Windows and Nintendo don't exactly speak the same language out of the box.

Basically, the Switch Pro Controller uses DirectInput rather than the XInput standard that Windows prefers. This is why you can’t just plug it in and expect every game to behave.

Fortunately, getting your PC to recognize it isn't black magic. You just need to know which "translator" to use. Whether you're a Steam devotee or someone who just wants to play Game Pass titles without the headache, there are three main ways to bridge the gap.

The Steam Shortcut: Why Most People Don't Need Anything Else

If 90% of your gaming happens inside the Steam ecosystem, you're in luck. Valve did the heavy lifting for us years ago. They built a dedicated communication layer specifically for Nintendo's hardware.

To get started, open Steam and head into your Settings. Look for the "Controller" tab. You’ll see a toggle for "Enable Steam Input for Switch Pro Controllers." Flip that switch. There is also an option for "Use Nintendo Button Layout," which is a godsend if your brain is hardwired to the "A is on the right" layout rather than the Xbox "A is on the bottom" style.

Once that's toggled, Steam acts as a wrapper. It takes the Switch’s signals and tells the game, "Hey, this is an Xbox controller, don't worry about it."

Wired or Wireless?

USB-C is the easiest way. Just grab the cable that came with your Switch and plug it in. Windows will chime, Steam will flash a notification in the corner, and you're good. But let's be real—nobody wants to be tethered to a desk in 2026.

Bluetooth is where things get a bit finicky. On the top of the Pro Controller, right next to the charging port, there is a tiny sync button. Hold it until the green lights at the bottom start dancing back and forth like a Cylon. On your PC, go to Bluetooth settings, "Add Device," and select "Pro Controller."

Sometimes Windows asks for a PIN. If it does, try 0000. Usually, it just connects.

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When Steam Isn't Enough: The BetterJoy Solution

What if you're playing something on the Epic Games Store, GOG, or—heaven forbid—an emulator? Steam's wrapper won't help you there. This is where most people get stuck.

You need a driver called BetterJoy (originally BetterJoyForCemu). It’s an open-source tool created by David Laban that essentially tricks Windows into thinking your Pro Controller is a virtual Xbox 360 controller. It’s lightweight, it’s free, and it’s remarkably stable.

Download the latest release from GitHub. Run the drivers' installer first (usually located in the "Drivers" folder within the zip). Once that’s done, run the main app. If your controller is connected via Bluetooth, it should pop up in the app window immediately. The icon will turn green.

The coolest thing about BetterJoy? It supports the gyro. If you’re playing a shooter and want to use motion aiming—which, honestly, is the superior way to play once you get the hang of it—BetterJoy can pass that motion data through to the system.

The Hardware Route: 8BitDo Wireless Adapter

Software can be a pain. Updates break things. Windows updates, specifically, have a nasty habit of "forgetting" Bluetooth pairings. If you have the cash—about $20—the 8BitDo Wireless USB Adapter 2 is the "set it and forget it" solution.

It looks like a little brick-textured USB stick. You plug it into your PC, press the pair button on the stick, then the sync button on your Pro Controller.

To the PC, that adapter is the controller. It doesn't see a Bluetooth device; it sees a hardwired XInput controller. No drivers. No mapping. No Steam settings required. It’s the closest thing to "plug and play" you’re going to find in this space.

Calibration and the Dreaded Stick Drift

Nintendo hardware isn't immune to physics. If your character starts walking to the left while you're trying to take a sip of water, you’ve got drift.

Before you go buying a new controller or tearing this one apart with a tri-wing screwdriver, try the Windows calibration tool. Type "Set up USB game controllers" into your Start menu. Select the Pro Controller and click Properties. Go to the "Settings" tab and hit "Calibrate."

Follow the prompts. Sometimes, just resetting the center point in the software is enough to compensate for a slightly aging sensor. If that doesn't work, Steam's controller settings allow you to increase the "Deadzone." Basically, you're telling the computer to ignore the first 5% of movement from the stick. It’s a band-aid, sure, but it works.

Battery Life and Charging Realities

One of the weirdest things about using the Pro Controller on PC is the charging indicator. Windows is notoriously bad at reporting the battery percentage of Nintendo devices. You might see "Critical" one minute and "Full" the next.

Trust the controller, not the OS. If the orange light by the USB port is on, it's charging. If it's off while plugged in, it's full. You’ll get roughly 40 hours of play on a single charge, which is insane compared to the 6-8 hours you get from a DualSense.

Technical Troubleshooting: Why won't it connect?

If your PC sees the controller but nothing happens when you press buttons, check for "Ghost Devices."

1. Right-click the Start button and open Device Manager.
2. Go to View and select Show hidden devices.
3. Look under Human Interface Devices and Bluetooth.
4. If you see five different "HID-compliant game controller" entries that are grayed out, uninstall them all.
5. Restart and re-pair.

Windows often gets confused when you swap between wired and wireless modes on the same device. It tries to assign a different ID to each connection method, and eventually, the stack just collapses under its own weight.

Actionable Next Steps

To get the best experience right now, do this:

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• Check your Bluetooth version: If your PC uses Bluetooth 4.0 or older, you’re going to have lag. Consider a 5.0 dongle.
• Install BetterJoy: Even if you use Steam, having BetterJoy as a backup for non-Steam games is essential for any PC gamer.
• Update the controller firmware: Connect the Pro Controller to an actual Nintendo Switch console occasionally. Go to System Settings > Controllers and Sensors > Update Controllers. Nintendo occasionally pushes stability fixes that improve Bluetooth handshake speeds.
• Toggle Steam Input: If a game feels "double-inputting" (jumping two menu items for one press), it means both Steam and the game are trying to read the controller at once. Turn Steam Input off for that specific game.

Connecting a Switch Pro Controller to a PC isn't as seamless as plugging in an Xbox peripheral, but the effort is worth it for that d-pad alone. Once the initial setup is done, your PC will remember the configuration, and you can get back to what actually matters: playing the games.