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accessibility

How to Use a Mouse and Keyboard on Your Xbox—and Which Games to Play With Your New Hardware

Xbox supports mouse and keyboard on select games and apps. Here is the correct setup, Store check, recommended games, cloud distinction, and troubleshooting advice for 2026.

By VGSources Team 6 min read

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Yes—Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S support USB mice and keyboards. The important limitation is that support remains optional: each game or app must enable keyboard input, mouse input, or both. Connect the hardware, verify it in an app such as Microsoft Edge, then check the Xbox Store listing for the Console Keyboard & Mouse capability before expecting PC-style controls.

What works on Xbox

Microsoft added mouse-and-keyboard support for Xbox One developers in 2018. It is a title-by-title feature, not a universal control mode. A game may support both devices, keyboard-only navigation, mouse aiming in gameplay, or only text entry and chat. Xbox Series X|S uses the same model.

Native support means you do not need a XIM or another input adapter for compatible games. The console handles ordinary USB-HID devices directly.

Connect your mouse and keyboard

Wired USB devices

  1. Turn on the Xbox.
  2. Plug the keyboard and mouse into the console’s USB ports.
  3. Wait a few seconds for the console to recognize them.
  4. Open a compatible game or app.

Microsoft documents wired USB mice and keyboards as supported devices. No driver installation or Xbox Accessories app setup is required for standard input. See Xbox’s mouse-and-keyboard support page.

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Wireless devices with a USB receiver

A wireless keyboard or mouse can work when its receiver is plugged into the Xbox. Pair both devices with that receiver first; for a combo set using one receiver, both must be registered to it. The console sees the receiver as a USB input device.

Bluetooth-only devices

Do not assume a Bluetooth-only keyboard or mouse can pair directly with an Xbox console. Microsoft’s documented console connection methods are wired USB and wireless devices using USB receivers. If a product supports both Bluetooth and a proprietary USB receiver, use the receiver. Microsoft’s accessibility guidance is at Xbox Accessibility.

Adjust the Xbox mouse settings

Open Xbox button → Profile & system → Settings → Devices & connections → Mouse. The console-level options generally include pointer speed and swapping the primary and secondary buttons. The current path is also identified in this Microsoft Community answer.

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There is no single Xbox menu that remaps every keyboard key for every game. Rebinding, aiming sensitivity, acceleration, and input-mode choices are controlled by the individual title.

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What to expect on the dashboard and in apps

Keyboard support is broader than mouse support outside games. A keyboard can help navigate Xbox, while mouse navigation is available only in selected games and apps; the Home dashboard is not guaranteed to behave like a PC desktop. Microsoft Edge is a useful test. If both devices work there but not in a game, the console connection is usually fine and the game’s implementation is the issue.

You may still need a controller to start a title, choose a profile, dismiss a controller-required prompt, or navigate menus when a game enables mouse and keyboard only after gameplay begins. Microsoft’s Guideline 107 recommends keyboard access for starting, configuring, playing, and exiting a game, but it is developer guidance rather than a guarantee for every existing title.

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Check a game’s compatibility before you install it

On the Microsoft Store, look for the capability label Console Keyboard & Mouse. It is separate from PC Keyboard & Mouse and from general accessibility tags. Check the exact Xbox edition and platform: a Windows version can have full controls while the Xbox version has partial or no support.

“Full Keyboard Support” accessibility metadata may describe keyboard-only navigation, text entry, or selected menus, so it does not by itself promise complete mouse gameplay. Store listings can change with editions and updates; use the Xbox edition’s capability label as the strongest first check.

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Games worth playing with mouse and keyboard

The following titles are identified in Microsoft’s Xbox listings or official rollout announcements. For a purchase, open the current Store page and confirm the capability on your edition.

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Game Why it fits Evidence and qualification
Halo Infinite Free-to-play multiplayer offers an inexpensive way to test mouse aiming. The Xbox listing includes Console Keyboard & Mouse and covers Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC and cloud gaming: Store page.
Sea of Thieves Co-op sailing and combat benefit from keyboard movement and mouse control. The current listing includes Console Keyboard & Mouse for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S: Store page.
Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition Hotkeys and pointer-based unit management are much closer to the PC experience. The Xbox listing includes Console Keyboard & Mouse: Store page.
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor Single-player top-down action is a low-pressure way to learn the controls. The Xbox edition released September 17, 2025 and lists Console Keyboard & Mouse: Store page.
Quake and Quake II Classic first-person shooters are natural mouse-and-keyboard tests. Both appeared in Microsoft’s official Xbox rollout list: May 2024 update.
Grounded, State of Decay 2 Survival and co-op play with useful keyboard shortcuts. Included in Microsoft’s May 2024 rollout list: official announcement.
Cities: Skylines – Remastered, Gears Tactics Management, tactical selection, and hotkeys suit a pointer and keyboard. Included in the same May 2024 Xbox rollout announcement.
The Sims 4, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, Terraria Building, shortcuts, inventory, and direct controls benefit from keyboard input. Included in Microsoft’s May 2024 rollout list.
The Thaumaturge Another supported option for players who prefer pointer-based control. Added to Microsoft’s official list in October 2025: October 2025 update.
Transport Fever 2, Company of Heroes 3 Strategy and logistics interfaces are well suited to mouse input. Microsoft added both to its cloud mouse-and-keyboard catalog in February 2026; verify the locally installed console edition separately: February 2026 update.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

Console games and cloud games are different checks

Xbox Cloud Gaming has its own mouse-and-keyboard catalog. In April 2026, Microsoft reported more than 190 cloud games with active support; that number does not represent all locally installed Xbox games.

On a PC browser or in the Xbox PC app, open Xbox app → Cloud Gaming → Play with mouse and keyboard to find Microsoft’s cloud collection. The collection was introduced in the June 2024 Xbox update. Cloud support does not prove that the installed Xbox console edition supports the same controls.

Troubleshoot common problems

The keyboard works but the mouse does not

  • The app may support keyboard navigation without mouse input.
  • The game may allow keyboard chat or menus but not mouse gameplay.
  • The mouse may be Bluetooth-only, or its USB receiver may be missing or incompatible.

Test both devices in Edge, then check the game’s Console Keyboard & Mouse label.

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  • 2.4Ghz Wireless Connection----Both the LED wireless gaming mouse and keyboard use a 2.4G wireless connection and share a USB adapter (the keyboard and mouse can also be used separately). The effective distance is 10 meters, with no delay and a response speed comparable to that of a wired keyboard. Attention: The USB adapter is on the back of the mouse or keyboard
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The game accepts input only after a controller is used

Some titles require a controller at the title screen, profile selection, or mode selection before enabling mouse-and-keyboard gameplay. Use the controller to pass that screen; it does not necessarily mean Xbox failed to detect the devices.

Prompts keep switching between controller and keyboard

Many games select the active control scheme based on the most recent input. Pressing a keyboard key can change prompts to keyboard-and-mouse icons; pressing a controller button can switch them back. This is normal title behavior, including in supported cloud games.

Extra mouse buttons do nothing

Xbox does not run Logitech G Hub, Razer Synapse, or similar PC configuration software. Macros, lighting profiles, and extra-button assignments may be unavailable unless the mouse stores a profile in onboard memory, and the game must still expose a binding for that input.

PC controls do not match Xbox controls

Xbox Play Anywhere and a Windows edition do not guarantee identical input implementation. Recheck the Xbox Store capability for the exact edition rather than relying on the PC game’s feature list.

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Bottom line

Use a wired USB keyboard and mouse, or a wireless set with a USB receiver; direct Bluetooth pairing is not a documented Xbox method. Test the devices in Edge, set pointer speed under Settings → Devices & connections → Mouse, and verify Console Keyboard & Mouse on the specific game listing. Halo Infinite, Sea of Thieves, Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, and the other titles above are strong starting points, but no Xbox-wide switch can make an unsupported game accept mouse and keyboard.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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