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Installation

Install PadForge, run it the first time, and set up the optional drivers.

Add Controller popup: pick a virtual controller type

Quick start (2 minutes)

  1. Download PadForge-v{version}-win-x64.zip from the Releases page.
  2. Extract the zip to any folder (e.g. C:\PadForge\).
  3. Run PadForge.exe.
  4. Approve the one UAC prompt at startup. PadForge needs administrator rights to run.
  5. Back on the Dashboard, click Add Controller and pick a type (Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Extended, Keyboard + Mouse, or MIDI). The first Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, or Extended controller you add installs HIDMaestro automatically. No button to click.
  6. Plug in a physical controller. It appears on the Devices page. Click the slot badge on its card to assign it.
  7. Done. Games now see a virtual controller.

Upgrading from PadForge v2? On first launch, PadForge detects ViGEmBus and vJoy and offers to uninstall them. HIDMaestro replaces both.

Requirements

Requirement Details
OS Windows 10 or 11 (x64)
Runtime .NET 10 Desktop Runtime, bundled. No separate install.
Format Portable single-file executable. No installer. Extract and run.

Settings live in PadForge.xml next to the executable. To move PadForge, move the whole folder.

First launch

PadForge opens the Dashboard after first launch. It shows one UAC prompt at startup because it needs administrator rights. A short welcome tour appears the first time and highlights the main areas. Follow it or skip it, then set things up in this order.

  1. Create a virtual controller. On the Dashboard, click Add Controller and pick a type. Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Extended (flight sticks, wheels, third-party gamepads, custom HID), Keyboard + Mouse, or MIDI. The first Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, or Extended controller you add installs HIDMaestro automatically.
  2. Check devices. Open Devices. PadForge auto-detects every connected gamepad, joystick, keyboard, and mouse.
  3. Assign a device. Click the slot badge on a device card to route that physical controller through the virtual one.

Games now see the virtual controller as a standard gamepad.

The About page, at the bottom of the sidebar, lists the projects PadForge is built on, along with its license and a short description of what it does. Your app version lives on Settings under Diagnostics > App Version. Note it when filing an issue.

The About page: the projects PadForge is built on

HIDMaestro

HIDMaestro is the user-mode driver that creates the virtual controllers. PadForge needs it for the Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, and Extended controller types. Keyboard + Mouse and MIDI use their own paths and do not need it.

The driver ships embedded in PadForge.exe. It installs automatically the first time you add an Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, or Extended controller. There's no button to click, and the startup UAC prompt covers it. On the Settings page, the HIDMaestro card lights its status indicator and shows the version once installation completes. After that, every Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, or Extended controller you add on the Dashboard becomes a fresh HIDMaestro device. Delete the slot and the device disappears. Slots and devices stay 1:1.

If you upgraded from PadForge v2, HIDMaestro replaces ViGEmBus and vJoy. The legacy driver cleanup dialog on first launch handles uninstalling them.

See HIDMaestro Deep Dive for how PadForge talks to the driver under the hood.

Optional add-ons

Two optional drivers install from Settings. HidHide is bundled. Windows MIDI Services downloads on demand. Each card lights its status indicator once the driver is installed and swaps its Install button for Uninstall.

The Settings drivers section: HIDMaestro, HidHide, and Windows MIDI Services cards

HidHide

Hides physical controllers from games so only the virtual ones are visible. Install it if a game sees both your physical pad and the PadForge virtual one at the same time and treats each input twice. Skip it if you do not see double input.

Windows MIDI Services

Creates virtual MIDI endpoints for the MIDI virtual controller type. Install it if you want to send MIDI to DAWs, synthesizers, or VJ tools. Skip it if you do not need MIDI output. Requires Windows 11 24H2 (build 26100) or later. The Install button is disabled on older versions.

Keyboard + Mouse

Always on. Maps controller inputs to keyboard keys and mouse moves. No driver required.

OpenXInput

PadForge bundles a build of OpenXInput so it keeps its own virtual controllers out of its own view. Without it, PadForge would try to map a virtual controller through itself. Games and Steam still see the virtual controllers normally. Nothing to install.

Administrator privileges

PadForge needs administrator rights and shows a UAC prompt at startup. HIDMaestro driver registration (automatic, with no in-app uninstall path), HidHide install / uninstall / whitelist edits, and Windows MIDI Services install / uninstall all need administrator access. Reading physical controllers needs it too. Declining the prompt means PadForge does not start.

The UAC shield is on the EXE icon as a hint. PadForge prompts once per launch.

Start at login

Turn on Settings > Window > Start at login to launch PadForge on sign-in.

To run PadForge silently in the background, turn on all three options.

Option Effect
Start at login Launches PadForge on sign-in.
Start minimized Skips showing the main window.
Minimize to system tray Keeps PadForge in the notification area instead of the taskbar.

With all three on, PadForge runs in the background with only a tray icon.

Uninstalling

There is no installer, so removal is short.

  1. Open Settings and click Uninstall next to HidHide and Windows MIDI Services if you installed them. HIDMaestro has no Uninstall button and stays registered.
  2. Close PadForge.
  3. Delete the PadForge folder.

If you previously had ViGEmBus or vJoy installed from PadForge v2, the legacy driver cleanup dialog on first launch removes them for you.

Last updated for PadForge 4.1.0.