Controller not detected
Working down the chain from pad to app
The main window is the source of truth. If the right-hand end of the help line - the strip along the bottom of the window - names your pad, MIDIpad is reading it. If a No controller detected badge sits in the title bar instead, work down the list.
- Check it's a supported pad: a DualShock 4, DualSense, an Xbox pad over Bluetooth, a Switch Pro Controller, or any other gamepad the system recognises. See Controllers.
- Confirm the system sees it. Check the system's Bluetooth menu, and check that the USB cable carries data rather than charge only. If the system doesn't list the pad, MIDIpad can't either - re-pair it, or charge it and try again.
- Xbox pads: use Bluetooth. Wired Xbox controllers don't appear as standard input devices on macOS. Paired over Bluetooth, they work.
- Reconnect while MIDIpad is running. The app watches for new connections continuously. Unplugging and replugging, or switching the pad off and on, usually clears a stubborn connection.
- Restart MIDIpad. Quit fully - tray icon → Quit MIDIpad - and relaunch.
If none of that works, Help → Send Feedback… sends me a diagnostics snapshot and I'll take a look.