How do I test a PS5 or Xbox controller on PC?

Plug it in by USB or pair it by Bluetooth, open the Gamepad Tester and press a button with this tab in front. DualSense, DualShock 4 and Xbox Wireless and Elite controllers are named on the page; the Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Con work too. Other controllers appear as generic gamepads, with button numbers if the browser does not know their layout.

Is stick drift normal?

Small off-centre readings are normal, and games hide them with a dead zone. The page compares the worst reading with the dead zones games use: below 0.10 the stick comes back to the centre; between 0.10 and Microsoft's recommended dead zone (0.24 left, 0.27 right) the badge is orange and only games with a narrow dead zone may notice; above that it is red and most games will.

Is stick drift fixable?

Sometimes. If the reading is only slightly over 0.10, a firmware update, a recalibration where the maker offers one, or a wider dead zone in the game can be enough. If the reading is large, the last step on the list is repair. Run the test again after each step to see whether the number came down.

Does the controller tester check vibration?

It sends it. Where the browser offers vibration, the page can send a short rumble to each motor, and only you can tell whether you felt it: the page gets no answer from the controller.

Why does the page not see my controller?

Browsers show a controller to a page only after a button press, so press one with this tab in front and, for Bluetooth, check that it is paired with this device. If Steam is running, Steam Input may put a virtual controller in the middle: close Steam or turn off Steam Input, then reconnect. Chrome on Linux may not see Nintendo controllers without extra setup, and Firefox reads them directly. Some browsers hide controllers from pages for privacy, such as Tor Browser and Firefox with fingerprinting resistance turned on.

Why do the results differ between browsers?

Chrome, Firefox and Safari read controllers through different system interfaces, so names, layouts and trigger values can differ. Some browser and system combinations, such as Chrome on Linux and browsers on a Mac, iPhone or iPad, can hide small stick movements before the page sees them. The page then says so in a banner, words the centre numbers as "at least" and shows NO DRIFT SEEN instead of ALL GOOD.

Gaming

Gamepad Tester

Online controller tester: every button, trigger and stick drift

Test

Connect a controller by USB or Bluetooth and press any button. Everything below reacts as you press.

No controller yet

Loading the tester…

Left stickx 0.00 · y 0.00

Right stickx 0.00 · y 0.00

0.125 Unity default0.24 / 0.265 Xbox games (XInput)

Trigger check

Press each trigger all the way. It should rest at 0 and reach 1.

Left triggerrest — · max 0.00Right triggerrest — · max 0.00

Button check

0 of 16

Press every button once: it turns green when the browser sees it. Then press Done pressing.

Stick check

Both sticks: whether they reach the edge, drift at rest and how they spring back. Roll them around the edge, put the controller down and take your hands off, then follow the arrows, one stick at a time.

Roll both around the edgewaiting
Hands off: 5 swaiting
Left stick: 8 pusheswaiting
Right stick: 8 pusheswaiting

Terminal

Console ready. Execute a command to see output...

About Gamepad Tester

Gamepad tester: controller test and stick drift test

The Gamepad Tester reads a controller through the browser's Gamepad API and shows every input live: each button, both analog triggers and both sticks with their exact axis values. It works as a controller input test for Xbox, PS5, PS4 and Switch controllers and most USB and Bluetooth gamepads, with nothing to install.

The stick drift test measures what a live view cannot show: how far each stick rests from the centre, how much it jitters at rest, where it settles after eight pushes to the edge, and whether it reaches the edge at all. The worst reading is compared with the dead zones games use, from 0.10 in Microsoft's Windows example to the 0.24 Microsoft recommends for Xbox games, because that comparison decides whether a game will actually see the drift. Triggers are checked for their rest position and full travel, and buttons for a press that never registers or one that registers by itself.

How to use Gamepad Tester

Connect the controller
Plug the controller in by USB or pair it by Bluetooth, then press any button while this tab is in the foreground. The page shows its name and a drawing.
Press every button and trigger
Press each button, pull both triggers all the way and move both sticks. Each one lights up as it registers; Done pressing lists anything that did not.
Run the stick drift test
Start the stick check and follow the prompts: roll each stick around the edge, let go of everything for five seconds, then push each stick to the edge in eight directions and release.
Read the result
The badge says ALL GOOD or STICK DRIFT, with the numbers and, for drift, the maker's steps. NO DRIFT SEEN appears instead of ALL GOOD only where the browser or system may hide small movements.

Frequently Asked Questions

: Plug it in by USB or pair it by Bluetooth, open the Gamepad Tester and press a button with this tab in front. DualSense, DualShock 4 and Xbox Wireless and Elite controllers are named on the page; the Switch Pro Controller and Joy-Con work too. Other controllers appear as generic gamepads, with button numbers if the browser does not know their layout.