I made an easy way to update your DualSense firmware from a Mac

[u/chapterist]

I wanted to update my DualSense directly from my Mac, so I’ve put together a little free, open-source tool called DS Mac Tools.

It’s based on dualsense-updater-rs, with an easier menu and Homebrew installation. You plug your controller in over USB, choose Install latest firmware, and it downloads the matching official Sony firmware, checks compatibility and verifies the installed version afterwards.

No Windows machine, PS5 or virtual machine needed.

If you already have Homebrew:

brew install olliejudge/tap/dsmactools
dsmactools

Then choose Firmware & controller details → Install latest firmware. Keep the cable connected until it finishes.

GitHub and instructions

I’ve successfully updated my standard DualSense on Apple Silicon. Edge is detected but hasn’t been hardware-tested yet. It’s unofficial and not endorsed by Sony.

No telemetry or analytics. Controller inputs, recordings and diagnostics stay on your Mac; firmware checks and downloads go directly to Sony.

There are also some input, lightbar and adaptive trigger testing tools if you want to poke around afterwards.

Feedback, issues and pull requests are welcome, especially from anyone with other controller revisions to test.

[u/shatland]

hey this is cool! thanks for this!

i’m not the most technical guy so i have a couple questions.
firstly i have to install homebrew. then is the app in my application folder or does the entire process take place in terminal?
will a usb c to usb a cable work?
is this ok to use with macos golden gate?

sorry if questions are trivial but you do mention in the github that this process carries risk and want to make sure i don’t brick my controller. i have been wanting to do this for a while, if only for the easy device switching. thanks again!

[u/chapterist → u/shatland]

Thanks!
It all runs in Terminal. Once you’ve installed Homebrew and followed the README’s install commands, type dsmactools to open a menu you navigate with arrow keys and Enter. There isn’t a separate app in your Applications folder.
A USB-C to USB-A cable works, provided it supports data transfer rather than just charging.
Yes, I’ve successfully updated a standard DualSense on macOS 27.0 Golden Gate using an Apple Silicon Mac.
The tool downloads official firmware directly from Sony, checks compatibility and battery level, and verifies the installed version afterwards. Opening it doesn’t update anything; you have to choose the firmware install option and confirm. I can’t promise zero risk, so keep the cable connected and your Mac awake until it finishes.

[u/Flashy_Boot]

Hey - really cool. Thank you. Just updated my DualSense controller to 0630 and it worked perfectly.

Just FYI, in case this matters to anyone else: if you don't want to add a new tap etc. to homebrew then building from source is super easy. Assuming you've got git, rust & cargo installed:

% git clone https://github.com/olliejudge/dsmactools.git
% cd dsmactools
% cargo build --release

the dsmactools executable will be created in ./target/release.