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How to Use Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons on PC

Jeremy Laukkonen is automotive and tech writer for numerous major trade publications. When not researching and testing computers, game consoles or smartphones, he stays up-to-date on the myriad complex systems that power battery electric vehicles .

What to Know

• Pair Joy-Cons with a computer via Bluetooth.
• Repeat the process for the second Joy-Con, if applicable.
• Install a third-party app such as BetterJoy that allows your computer to understand controller inputs.

This article discusses how to connect Switch controllers to your Windows PC if you want to use this setup with the emulator or indie game of your choice. You can pair Joy-Cons to any version of Windows, but the drivers work best with Windows 10.

How to Use Joy-Cons on a Windows PC

First of all, your PC needs to have Bluetooth connectivity. The Joy-Cons use Bluetooth to connect, so they won’t have any way to hook up if your PC doesn’t have that functionality. If it doesn’t, and you really want to use your Switch Joy-Cons on your PC, then you’ll need to add a Bluetooth adapter first.

If you have Bluetooth, then you have two options:

• Use each Joy-Con individually: You will use each Joy-Con in the sideways configuration as a standalone wireless controller. This is good for two player action and retro style games.
• Use the Joy-Cons as one controller: This allows you to use the Joy-Cons together as a single controller, and it’s best for modern games that require two analog sticks.

We’ll show you how to connect your Joy-Cons to your PC via Bluetooth, and then how to get them working with BetterJoy. BetterJoy is free software you can download from GitHub that allows you to use your Joy-Cons either individually or as one controller.

How to Connect Joy-Cons to Your Windows PC

Before you can start using your Joy-Cons on your PC, you first need to get them connected. This is a simple process that involves pairing each Joy-Con with your PC via Bluetooth. Once you finish, you’ll be ready to use BetterJoy, or any alternative, set your Joy-Cons up to work with PC games and emulators.

1. Click Start, and navigate to Settings >Devices >Bluetooth, and, if the toggle is set to off (as pictured), click the Bluetooth toggle to turn it on.

Click Add Bluetooth or other device.

Hold down the sync button on your Joy-Con until the lights start flashing.

Click Bluetooth.

Click Joy-Con (L) or Joy-Con (R) when it appears in the Bluetooth devices menu.

Wait for the Joy-Con to connect, and then repeat this process if you also want to pair the other one.

How to Use Your Joy-Cons as Controllers on a PC

Once you have successfully paired your Joy-Cons to your PC, you’ll have to provide some method for the PC to understand the inputs from each controller. There are a lot of solutions to this problem, but we’ll show you how to get things working with BetterJoy. This method allows you to easily switch between using the Joy-Cons as separate controllers or together as a single controller.

This method works for Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10, but you may experience issues if you don’t have Windows 10. If the drivers crash, try updating your official Xbox 360 controller drivers.

1. Download BetterJoy from this GitHub repo.

Download the most recent version. Use the x64 version if your operating system is 64-bit, or the x86 version if your operating system is 32-bit. If you aren’t sure, check out how to tell if you have Windows 64-bit.

Extract the files to the folder of your choice, open the drivers subfolder, and run ViGEmBUS_Setup as administrator. This will launch an install wizard that installs the necessary drivers.

After you have finished installing the drivers, return to the main BetterJoy folder and run BetterJoyForCemu as administrator.

BetterJoy will recognize your paired Joy-Cons. To use the Joy-Cons as separate controllers, click one of the Joy-Con icons. Doing so will rotate the icons to display the Joy-Cons in a horizontal orientation. To switch back to using them as a single controller, click either icon again.

About Joy-Con Controllers

The Joy-Con is actually two controllers used in concert. These tiny controllers connect to the Switch via Bluetooth, which means you can also connect Switch controllers to your PC (Windows) to use with the emulator or indie game of your choice. When you’re done, you can always connect your Switch controllers back to your Switch.

Due to the Joy-Cons requiring a Bluetooth connection, it’s not possible to pair them with your PC unless you use Bluetooth. Other Switch controllers such as the Pro Controller do have wired connection options and so can be used on a PC without Bluetooth.

If you’re attempting to pair your Joy-Cons to a PC and are prompted to enter a PIN, try either 0000 or 1234. Both options are the default PIN for Bluetooth devices and should work.

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Pair a Bluetooth device in Windows

You can pair all kinds of Bluetooth devices with your PC—including keyboards, mice, phones, speakers, and a whole lot more. To do this, your PC needs to have Bluetooth. Some PCs, such as laptops and tablets, have Bluetooth built in. If your PC doesn’t, you can plug a USB Bluetooth adapter into the USB port on your PC to get it.

Before you start, make sure that your Windows 11 PC supports Bluetooth. For more info on how to check, see Fix Bluetooth problems in Windows. If you need help adding a device without Bluetooth capabilities, see Add a device to a Windows PC.

Turn on Bluetooth

After you’ve checked that your Windows 11 PC supports Bluetooth, you’ll need to turn it on. Here’s how:

• In Settings: Select Start >Settings >Bluetooth & devices , and then turn on Bluetooth .
• In quick settings: To find the quick setting for Bluetooth, select the Network, Sound, or Battery icons ( ) next to the time and date on the right side of your taskbar. Select Bluetooth to turn it on. If it’s turned on without any Bluetooth devices connected, it might appear as Not connected .

To pair a Bluetooth device

1. Turn on your Bluetooth device and make it discoverable. The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufacturer’s website to learn how.
2. On your PC, select the Network , Sound, or Battery icons ( ) next to the time and date on the right side of your taskbar.
3. Select Manage Bluetooth devices on the Bluetooth quick setting, then select your device under New devices.

Follow additional instructions if they appear, then select Done.

Your Bluetooth device and PC will usually automatically connect anytime the two devices are in range of each other with Bluetooth turned on.

Tip: If you don’t see the Bluetooth device you want displayed in the list, you may need to set the Bluetooth devices discovery setting to Advanced. To learn how, see Fix Bluetooth problems in Windows.

To pair a Bluetooth printer or scanner

1. Turn on your Bluetooth printer or scanner and make it discoverable. The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufacturer’s website to learn how.
2. Select Start >Settings >Bluetooth & devices >Printers & scanners >Add device. Wait for it to find nearby printers, choose the one you want to use, then select Add device.

If you’re having problems installing your printer or scanner, see either Fix printer problems or Install and use a scanner in Windows.

To pair a Bluetooth device using Swift Pair

Swift Pair in Windows 11 lets you quickly pair a supported Bluetooth device with your PC. If the Bluetooth device supports Swift Pair, you’ll receive a notification when it’s nearby and you put it into pairing mode to make it discoverable.

1. Turn on a Bluetooth device that supports Swift Pair and make it discoverable. The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufacturer’s website to learn more.
2. If this is your first time using Swift Pair, select Yes when asked if you want to get notifications and use Swift Pair.
3. When a notification appears that a new Bluetooth device was found, select Connect.

Before you start, make sure that your Windows 10 PC supports Bluetooth. For more info on how to check, see Fix Bluetooth problems in Windows 10. If you need help adding a device without Bluetooth capabilities, see Add a device to a Windows 10 PC.

Turn on Bluetooth

After you’ve checked that your Windows 10 PC supports Bluetooth, you’ll need to turn it on. Here’s how:

In Settings: Select Start > Settings > Devices > Bluetooth & other devices, and turn on Bluetooth.

In action center: Action center can be found next to time and date on your taskbar. On the taskbar, select action center ( or ), then select Bluetooth to turn it on. If it’s turned off, it might appear as Not connected.

If you don’t see Bluetooth in your action center, here’s how you can change it:

• Expand quick actions. On the taskbar, select action center ( or ) >Expand. Bluetooth should appear here. It will appear as Bluetooth or Not connected.
• Add Bluetooth to action center. Select Start >Settings >System >Notifications & actions >Quick actions. Go to Add or remove quick actions and turn on Bluetooth.

Note: For more info about how to change the apps and settings that appear in action center, see Change notification and action settings in Windows 10.

To pair a Bluetooth headset, speaker, or other audio device

1. Turn on your Bluetooth audio device and make it discoverable. The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufacturer’s website to learn how.
2. On your PC, select Start >Settings >Devices >Bluetooth & other devices >Add Bluetooth or other device >Bluetooth. Choose the device and follow additional instructions if they appear, then select Done. Your Bluetooth device and PC will usually automatically connect anytime the two devices are in range of each other with Bluetooth turned on.

To pair a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, or other device

1. Turn on your Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, or other device and make it discoverable. The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufactur’s website to learn how.
2. On your PC, select Start >Settings >Devices >Bluetooth & other devices >Add Bluetooth or other device >Bluetooth. Choose the device and follow additional instructions if they appear, then select Done.

To pair a Bluetooth printer or scanner

1. Turn on your Bluetooth printer or scanner and make it discoverable. The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufacturer’s website to learn how.
2. Select Start >Settings >Devices >Printers & scanners >Add a printer or scanner. Wait for it to find nearby printers, then choose the one you want to use and select Add device.

If you’re having installation issues with your printer or scanner, see either Fix printer problems or Install and use a scanner in Windows 10.

To pair a Bluetooth device using Swift Pair

Swift Pair in Windows 10 lets you quickly pair a supported Bluetooth device with your PC. If the Bluetooth device supports Swift Pair, you’ll receive a notification when it’s nearby and you put it into pairing mode to make it discoverable.

1. Turn on a Bluetooth device that supports Swift Pair and make it discoverable. The way you make it discoverable depends on the device. Check the device or visit the manufacturer’s website to learn more.
2. If this is your first time using Swift Pair, select Yes when asked if you want to get notifications and use Swift Pair.
3. When a notification appears that a new Bluetooth device was found, select Connect.
4. After it’s connected, select Close.

Tip: If you’re a small business owner looking for more information on how to get Microsoft 365 set up, visit Small business help & learning.

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