A macro turns one press into a sequence: several buttons in order, a keyboard shortcut, a mouse action, or a combination of them. In InputMapper, macros live inside a profile, so the same controller button can trigger a useful shortcut in one game and do nothing special in another. Used well, macros remove repetitive input — firing a screenshot shortcut without leaving the couch, or triggering a push-to-talk style key while your hands stay on the sticks. Used carelessly, they can also get you into trouble in online games. This guide explains the macro editor concepts, walks through practical examples, and is honest about where InputMapper’s macro tools end.
How Macros Fit Into a Profile
InputMapper outputs a virtual Xbox 360 controller, a virtual DS4, or keyboard and mouse input through ViGEmBus. A macro is an extension of that mapping: instead of a button simply sending one output, it sends a small script of outputs. Because macros are saved in the profile, they travel with it — back up the profile folder under %AppData%\DSDCS\InputMapper and your macros are backed up too, as explained in back up InputMapper profiles.
Before building macros, make sure the underlying profile works without them. Follow InputMapper profiles to create a baseline, bind it to your DualShock 4, and test the plain mapping in a game. A macro built on a broken baseline is just a faster way to send the wrong input.
The Macro Editor, In Concepts
Exact clicks vary in feel, but every macro you build follows the same four ideas:
- Trigger: the physical button (or combination) that starts the macro. Pick a button you will not hit by accident mid-game — a spare or less-used input is ideal.
- Steps: the sequence itself. Steps can be controller outputs, keyboard keys, or mouse actions, pressed and released in order.
- Timing: the gap between steps. Games need time to register each input, so a sequence replayed instantly may drop steps. Small pauses between steps make macros far more reliable.
- Press pattern: whether the macro fires once per press, holds while you hold the trigger, or repeats. One-shot is right for shortcuts; repeating patterns are where you should stop and think about fairness, as discussed below.
Recording a Button Combination
The simplest macro records a combination you would otherwise chord with two hands or awkward fingers. Open the macro editor from your profile, choose the trigger button, record the combination by pressing the sequence you want — for example two face buttons and a shoulder button in a specific order — then stop recording and save. Test the macro somewhere harmless, such as a game’s menu or a text document if the output includes keyboard keys, and adjust the timing if steps are missed. Short combinations record most reliably; long fighting-game style strings are sensitive to timing and to the game’s own input window, so build them up a few steps at a time.
Practical Example 1: A Screenshot Combo
Couch players lose screenshots because the keyboard shortcut is across the room. A macro fixes that:
- Create or duplicate a profile for general gaming.
- Pick a trigger you rarely use in that game.
- Record a keyboard output sequence matching your screenshot tool’s shortcut — a modifier key plus a function or letter key, pressed together and released.
- Add a small pause between press and release so the shortcut registers cleanly.
- Save, bind the profile, and test it in a game where screenshots are safe to take.
The same pattern works for recording clips, toggling an overlay, or muting a microphone app — any single keyboard shortcut can ride on a controller button. Our touchpad as mouse guide pairs well with this, since touchpad clicks plus one shortcut macro cover most desktop chores from the sofa.
Practical Example 2: Push-to-Talk Style Keys
Voice chat apps usually expect a keyboard key held down to talk. A controller version works like this: assign a macro, or a direct keyboard mapping, so that holding a chosen controller button holds the voice app’s talk key, and releasing the button releases it. Set the voice app to the same key, then test in the app’s own input indicator before joining a channel. Keep the trigger away from buttons you mash in combat, or your team will hear your most excited moments in full. This is a mapping convenience, not a special voice feature — InputMapper is sending keyboard input, and the voice app cannot tell the difference.
Keyboard and Mouse Outputs: Ground Rules
- Test keyboard macros in a harmless window first. A macro that types into a game is delightful; the same macro typing into a chat box or a password field is not.
- Keep sequences short. The longer the chain, the more places timing can break, especially if the game stutters or a menu opens mid-sequence.
- Name macros inside the profile where the editor allows notes or clear profile names, so future you remembers why a button types three keys. Per-game profiles, as covered in the profiles guide, keep game-specific macros from leaking into other games.
- Remember that some games capture the keyboard differently when menus are open. Test your macro in real gameplay, not only on the title screen.
Caution: Online Games and Anti-Cheat
This is the part to read twice. Macros that automate gameplay — repeating attacks, one-button combos that replace skill, or rapid repeated inputs — can violate a game’s terms of service and can trigger anti-cheat attention, even though InputMapper itself is just a mapping tool. Rules differ by game and change over time, and a macro that is tolerated in a single-player title may be a bannable automation in a competitive one. The safe line is simple: use macros for shortcuts and accessibility — screenshots, push-to-talk, overlay toggles, single quality-of-life combinations in offline games — and do not use them to automate play against other people. If a game’s rules are unclear, do not test the boundary with an account you care about. When in doubt, play that title with a plain profile such as the baseline from how to use InputMapper, and keep macros for offline use.
When You Need More Than InputMapper Macros
InputMapper’s final build is from May 2020 and is no longer developed, so its macro editor is a capable but frozen toolset. If you need elaborate conditional logic, layered macros, or actively supported automation features, that is the territory of a paid commercial mapper. Our honest comparison, InputMapper vs reWASD, lays out what reWASD adds — and notes plainly that reWASD is a paid commercial product and we have no affiliate relationship with it. For most players, InputMapper’s macros plus per-game profiles are enough; power users should read the comparison and decide with their eyes open. The wider alternatives page covers the other current options, including the free Steam Input inside the Steam client.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are InputMapper macros saved?
Macros are saved as part of the profile you build them in, and profiles live under %AppData%\DSDCS\InputMapper. Back up that folder and your macros are backed up with the rest of the profile.
Can macros get me banned in online games?
They can if they automate gameplay against other players. Rules vary by game and anti-cheat systems may flag automation. Use macros for shortcuts like screenshots and push-to-talk, and use a plain profile in competitive online games.
Why does my recorded macro drop some steps?
Usually timing. If steps replay with no gap, the game may not register each input. Add small pauses between steps, shorten the sequence, and test again in the actual game rather than only in menus.
Is there a better tool if I need advanced macros?
For elaborate conditional macros you would need a paid commercial mapper such as reWASD, which we compare honestly in our InputMapper vs reWASD guide. We have no affiliate relationship with reWASD. InputMapper macros still cover everyday shortcuts well.