My Macbook is detecting an xbox 360 controller that does not exist. In the "controllers" section of system preferences, an Xbox 360 controller appears despite me not owning not connecting such a device to my mac. This causes isues with some Steam games and is an overall nuisance. How do I remove the phantom controller?
MacBook Air 13″, macOS 26.3
Ok, just to make sure I understand your post, are you saying when you go to System Settings > Bluetooth, this "phantom" Xbox 360 controller appears in the "Nearby Devices" list?
If so, and you are sure you do not have this controller, could it be another third-party Bluetooth device (that just appears to macOS as an Xbox controller)?
Could it be a neighbor's controller? Sometimes the range of these devices allows one to detect them from someone who lives near by.
The best you can do is "Forget" the device (if it has previously been connected).
Settings > Bluetooth
Find the device in the list (if in fact it is there), click on the info icon ("i" within a circle), then click the "Forget This Device" button.
Mac detecting phantom Xbox 360 controller
