[Fixed] Steam Not Detecting Controller on Windows

Steam not recognizing your controller? You’re definitely not alone. Many players have been reporting the same issue. However, according to our users, this problem might not be so hard to fix at all.

Try these fixes:

You might not need to try them all. Simply move down the list until you find the one that does the trick.

1. Make sure your controller is working
2. Update all your drivers
3. Disable Steam configuration in Big Picture
4. Update your Steam client
5. Install all Windows updates

Fix 1: Make sure your controller is working

Before working with your computer, first you need to make sure your controller is functioning. Check if your controller is fully charged if on wireless connection, and maybe change the USB cable if on wired connection. And if possible, test your controller on another console or PC.

If you’re sure the problem doesn’t come from the controller, try the following to troubleshoot PC configurations.

Fix 2: Update all your drivers

One of the common causes of the controller issues is that you’re using broken or outdated computer drivers. For your controller to work with Steam with zero error, make sure your PC has the latest drivers installed.

There’re 2 ways you can update your drivers: manually or automatically.

Manually – You can go to the manufacturer’s website of your computer or motherboard, search for the driver according to your Windows version and download it manually.

Automatically (Recommended) – If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your network driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.

Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the exact correct network drivers corresponding with your Windows version, and it will download and install them correctly:

1. Download and install Driver Easy.
2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
   
3. Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system.
   (This requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. If you don’t want to pay for the Pro version, you can still download and install all the drivers you need with the free version; you just have to download them one at a time, and manually install them, the normal Windows way.)
   

Once you’ve updated all the drivers, reboot your PC and check if your controller is working now.

If the latest drivers didn’t give you luck, simply continue to the next fix.

Fix 3: Disable Steam configuration in Big Picture

Some users reported that changing configurations in Big Picture mode is a potential fix. You can try the same and see if there’s any luck.

1. Launch your Steam client. At the bottom right corner of your taskbar, right-click the Steam icon and select Big Picture.
   
2. Select LIBRARY.
   
3. In the left pane, select Installed. Then select the target game.
   
4. From the left menu, select Manage Game Options. Under the Steam Input section, select Controller Options.
   
5. In the pop up window, set Steam Input Per-Game Setting to Forced Off.
   

Now you can launch your game and check if the controller is working.

If this solution doesn’t work for you, try the next one below.

Fix 4: Update your Steam client

You’ll likely run into trouble if you’re using an outdated Steam client. To rule out the possibility, you need to make sure your Steam version is the latest.

Here’s how

1. Launch your Steam client.
2. At the top left corner, click Steam and select Check for Steam Client Updates…
   

If your Steam client is already up to date, take a look at the next solution.

Fix 5: Install all Windows updates

When Steam is not recognizing your controller, you might be experiencing a compatibility issue. One way to fix that is to make sure you’ve installed all the Windows patches.

Here’s a quick guide for that:

1. On your keyboard, press Win+I (the Windows logo key and the i key) to open the Windows Settings app. Click Update & Security.
   
2. Click Check for updates. Windows will then download and install the available patches. It might take some time (up to 30 mins).
   

After installing all the system updates, restart your PC and check if your controller is working with Steam.

Hopefully, this post helped you get your controller working with Steam. If you have any questions or ideas, simply leave a comment down below.

• Steam