Switch Pro Controller Test
Connect your Switch Pro Controller, press every button, then set it down: one test checks the buttons, sticks and triggers.
- Connect
- Press Every Button
- Set It Down
- Result
- USB Plug it in with a USB-C cable that carries data, not only charge.
- Bluetooth Hold the sync button on top until the player lights run back and forth, then pair Pro Controller in your Bluetooth settings.
Getting ready…
Testing a Different Controller?
How It Works
Your browser reads a Switch Pro Controller the same way browser games do. Every button reports whether it is pressed, and each stick reports its position on two axes from −1 to 1. ZL and ZR are buttons too: on every Switch controller they are either pressed or not, with nothing in between.
The page draws a Pro Controller: A, B, X and Y in Nintendo’s positions, L and R, ZL and ZR, Minus and Plus, the D-pad, both stick clicks, Home and Capture. Each button lights while held and stays marked once registered, so the ones left dark are the ones still to try.
Finish test then records the controller for 5 seconds while it sits untouched. From that one window it finds buttons that register on their own, measures each stick’s resting position (its average offset is its drift), and checks that ZL and ZR let go.
Where the browser reports the controller’s USB ids, the result names the model: Switch Pro Controller or Switch 2 Pro Controller. Safari reports none, so there it names no model. Nothing is installed, and no reading leaves this page.
Motion controls, HD Rumble’s fine patterns, the NFC reader and the Switch 2 Pro Controller’s GL, GR and C buttons are not part of what browsers expose, so they are not tested here. Basic rumble is, wherever your browser supports it: the controller vibration test runs each motor in turn.
Interpreting Your Result
A stick resting below 0.08 from center passes: every stick has a little sensor noise. Between 0.08 and 0.20 is slight drift that many games ignore. Above 0.20 your character or camera will creep on its own.
Drift found? The stick drift test measures it on its own so you can retest after cleaning, and the controller deadzone test finds the lowest in-game deadzone that hides it.
A released ZL or ZR reads 0 and passes. One that stays down with nobody on it fails, and is reported as a stuck button too: dirt under the trigger or a broken return spring is the usual cause. Press it firmly a few dozen times and test again.
Trigger travel reads 0 or 1, since a Switch trigger has no in-between: it says whether the trigger registered, not how far it moves. The controller trigger test recognizes a digital trigger and checks only that it lets go.
A stuck button stayed down with nobody touching it. Sticky residue from a spill is the usual cause. A phantom press fired on its own, which usually means a worn contact or a damaged board.
The Home button staying dark is normal on a PC: Steam and the system often take it before a web page can see it, so it is not counted. Capture is counted only where the browser reports it.
Testing a PlayStation or Xbox controller instead? The PS5 controller test and the Xbox controller test are drawn for them. For Joy-Cons or any other controller, use the gamepad tester.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I test my Switch Pro Controller on PC?
Connect it with a USB-C cable, or pair it over Bluetooth: hold the small sync button on top, beside the USB port, until the player lights run back and forth, then choose Pro Controller in your Bluetooth settings. Open this page and press any button: the page cannot see a controller until one is pressed.
Why is my Switch Pro Controller not connecting to my PC?
Over USB, try another cable: many USB-C cables only charge and carry no data. Over Bluetooth, remove Pro Controller from your Bluetooth settings, then pair it again with the sync button. If the controller was last paired to a Switch nearby, turn the Switch off first, or it may reconnect to the console instead.
Why can ZL and ZR only read 0 or 1?
Every Switch controller has digital triggers: a switch under each one reports pressed or not pressed, unlike the analog triggers on PlayStation and Xbox controllers. So a light press counts as a full one, and there is no travel to wear out. What can fail is the trigger letting go, which this test checks.
Does it work with the Switch 2 Pro Controller?
Where your browser recognizes it, yes, for every button the original Pro Controller has, plus its sticks. GL, GR and the C button are outside the layout browsers report, so they are not tested. Support for it is new: if this page never reacts to it, try another browser or a USB cable.
How do I fix Switch Pro Controller stick drift?
Blow compressed air around the base of the stick while moving it in circles, then test again. If the drift stays, the stick sensor is worn: a controller under warranty can go back to Nintendo, otherwise the stick module can be replaced. Until then, a higher in-game deadzone hides it.
Why does it say my controller is not a Nintendo controller?
The browser reports it as something else. Steam Input can take a Pro Controller and present it as an Xbox controller while Steam runs, so close Steam and reconnect. Third-party Switch-style pads often switch between modes too: in Switch mode they report as a Pro Controller, in PC mode as an Xbox one.