Joy-Con Test: Joy-Con Drift Test and Switch Pro Controller Test
This Joy-Con test checks a Joy-Con or a Switch Pro Controller in your browser. It shows every button, both sticks, SL/SR and rumble, and runs a Joy-Con drift test that tells you whether the stick is actually drifting and what to try next. It also tells a single Joy-Con from a pair or a Pro Controller and shows how the browser numbers each button. Pair the controller over Bluetooth, press a button, and start. No install is needed and nothing is uploaded.
How to run a Joy-Con test on a PC or Mac
You do not need the Switch for this. Pair the controller with the computer and let the browser read it:
- Joy-Con: slide it off the console, hold the small round sync button on the rail between SL and SR until the green lights run back and forth, then choose Joy-Con (L) or Joy-Con (R) in your computer's Bluetooth settings.
- Pro Controller: pair it the same way with the sync button on its top edge, or plug it in with a USB-C cable.
- Open this page in Chrome or Edge on a desktop and press any button. Browsers hide controllers until a button is pressed.
- Press every button once; each turns green when it registers.
- Put the controller down, take your thumbs off, and press Start drift test. After a 3-second countdown both sticks are sampled for 5 seconds.
Everything runs on your device and nothing is sent anywhere. The same tools work for other pads on the main gamepad tester.
Single Joy-Con, pair or Pro Controller: what the browser sees
A Joy-Con looks different to a browser depending on how it is connected; the panel under the drift test tells you which case applies. The rules below describe Chrome and Edge, which share Chromium's built-in Switch driver on Windows, macOS, Linux and ChromeOS:
- One Joy-Con on its own becomes a small sideways controller. Its single stick is reported as the left stick, the four face buttons are renumbered for a sideways grip, and SL and SR become the shoulder buttons (indices 4 and 5).
- A left and a right Joy-Con together are merged automatically into one pad named "Joy-Con L+R", as long as both use the same connection (both Bluetooth, or both in a Charging Grip over USB). It reuses the Charging Grip's product id, 057e:200e. Chrome reports 22 buttons: the 17 standard ones, Capture as button 17, and the four rail buttons as 18–21. To test one Joy-Con alone, disconnect the other.
- The Pro Controller (057e:2009) uses the full layout. B is button 0 and A is button 1, because the Gamepad API numbers face buttons by position (bottom, right, left, top), not by letter.
Firefox and Safari do not use Chromium's Switch driver, so buttons can arrive with raw numbers and fewer axes; the page then switches to raw mode. If BetterJoy or Steam Input is running, your Joy-Con may appear as a virtual Xbox pad, laid out as in the Xbox controller test; close the tool to test the real controller.
Testing SL and SR
SL and SR are the small buttons on the rail, and players only notice them when they hold a Joy-Con sideways. They connect through a thin ribbon cable inside the rail, so a button that works only when pressed hard, or only on one end, usually points to that cable or the button's contact. On a single Joy-Con, press SL and SR and watch buttons 4 and 5 light up. On a pair, watch 18–21. Last pressed names the control each time, so a button that never registers stands out.
Joy-Con drift test: how to read the result
Peak is the furthest point it reached, average offset shows which way it leans, and jitter shows how much the reading wanders. The grade uses the peak: up to 0.03 is no drift, up to 0.07 is minimal, up to 0.15 is mild drift, and anything above that is drift you will notice in games.
For a Joy-Con, the pattern matters as much as the number:
- Steady offset: the stick sits off-centre, but the reading is stable. Calibration can correct this.
- Wandering reading: the value moves around on its own. This is the classic Joy-Con drift, and calibration cannot fix it.
- Occasional escapes: the stick reads centre most of the time but sometimes jumps out. Drift often starts like this.
In Chrome and Edge, the Switch driver applies the deadzone stored inside the controller and snaps readings within it to exactly 0.000, so a healthy Joy-Con shows a flat zero and anything above zero is escaping Nintendo's own deadzone. The driver uses the factory calibration, not the one you save on the console, so recalibrating on the Switch may not change this page's numbers. For a deeper look at deadzones and snap-back, use the full stick drift test.
Why Joy-Cons drift
Joy-Con sticks measure position with potentiometers. A metal wiper slides over a resistive track, so every movement wears it a little, and dust can get in through the gap around the stick. Eventually the reading at rest no longer matches the centre the controller expects, and your character walks on its own.
Neither a controller update nor calibration can restore a worn track; cleaning sometimes clears debris, otherwise the stick needs replacing. Hall-effect and TMR sticks sense position with magnets and have no wiping contact. Several third-party replacement Joy-Con sticks use them, with quality that varies by maker.
Calibrate the Joy-Con sticks on the Switch
On the original Switch, go to System Settings → Controllers and Sensors → Calibrate Control Sticks. On Switch 2, go to System Settings → Controllers & Accessories → Calibrate Control Sticks. Push the stick you want to calibrate fully in any one direction for a few seconds, then follow the prompts. Install the latest system update first. If the change does not take effect, put the console to sleep and wake it, or press the controller's sync button once to reset it. Remove any thumbstick grips or skins before you calibrate. If the stick will not calibrate at all, Nintendo treats it as a repair case.
Joy-Con repair options
Nintendo first. Nintendo of America has been widely reported to repair drifting Joy-Con for free since 2019, even outside warranty. In April 2023 Nintendo said it would repair Joy-Con stick problems free of charge in the UK, the EEA and Switzerland, even outside warranty and even when caused by wear and tear. It may refuse controllers that were opened, modified, damaged or used with non-Nintendo accessories. Terms vary by region and can change, so check your regional Nintendo support page before you send anything.
Do it yourself. A Joy-Con stick is a separate module on a ribbon cable. Swapping it takes a tri-point (Y00) screwdriver, not a soldering iron. Opening the controller can end your eligibility for a free repair. A Pro Controller is harder: its sticks are soldered to the main board, so replacing one means desoldering. After any repair, run this Joy-Con test again.
Switch 2 Joy-Con 2 and the Pro Controller 2
Nintendo confirmed before launch that the Joy-Con 2 sticks are not Hall-effect sticks, and iFixit's teardown found potentiometer-type sticks similar to the originals. That means the same wear mechanism applies. How often Joy-Con 2 will drift in practice is still unclear.
On computers, support is still young. Chromium's Switch driver only recognises the original Joy-Con, Pro Controller and Charging Grip, so a Joy-Con 2 or Pro Controller 2 may not appear here, or may arrive with raw button numbers. Steam added USB support for the Pro Controller 2 in late 2025, while wireless use on Windows has relied on community tools. For a Switch 2 controller, the console's calibration screen is the most reliable drift check, and one under warranty should go to Nintendo.
Vibration: HD Rumble in a browser
Joy-Con and Pro Controllers use linear actuators that can play precise frequencies, which Nintendo calls HD Rumble. The Gamepad API only offers "dual-rumble", a strong and a weak motor. Chrome imitates it on Nintendo controllers with two fixed tones, about 141 Hz for the strong motor and 182 Hz for the weak one. The buttons here prove an actuator works; they cannot reproduce HD Rumble. If you also own a PlayStation pad, the DualSense test covers its haptics the same way.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't my Joy-Con reconnect to my PC after it goes to sleep?
Windows often loses the Joy-Con's pairing when Bluetooth turns off or the PC sleeps, and the fix is to remove it and pair it again. Delete it under Bluetooth devices, hold the sync button until the lights run, then add it. If this happens every time, reinstall the Bluetooth driver in Device Manager, or try a different Bluetooth adapter. Joy-Cons reconnect reliably on some adapters and badly on others.
My Joy-Con still drifts right after I replaced the stick. What went wrong?
Most likely the ribbon connector is dirty or not fully seated, or the replacement stick itself is faulty. Reopen the Joy-Con, clean the connector, push the ribbon fully into its latch, and check that the stick module sits flat. Cheap kits often include two or three sticks, so try another one. Then run the drift test again. A steady offset may calibrate out, but a wandering reading means the part is bad.
The SR button on my left Joy-Con is very hard to trigger. Is it broken?
Probably yes: the button's contact or the thin rail ribbon cable behind it is damaged or out of place. If the button feels stiff, something inside is blocking it. If it clicks normally but only registers in one spot, the contact is worn. Test it here by pressing SR on a single Joy-Con and watching button 5. Replacement rail buttons and ribbon cables are sold separately.
Has anyone experienced Joy-Con drift on the new Switch 2 Joy-Cons?
Some owners have reported it, but there is no clear sign yet of a widespread problem like the original Joy-Con's. What is confirmed: Nintendo said the Joy-Con 2 sticks are not Hall-effect, and iFixit's teardown found potentiometer sticks similar to the old ones, so wear-related drift remains possible. Check the stick in Controllers & Accessories → Calibrate Control Sticks, and contact Nintendo while it is under warranty.
Pro Controller left stick drifting — can I fix it myself?
Yes, but it is harder than on a Joy-Con, because the Pro Controller's sticks are soldered to the main board. Calibrate first, then update the controller and retest here. A steady offset may be all it is. If the reading wanders, try cleaning around the stick base with isopropyl alcohol. If that fails, contact Nintendo support or replace the stick module with a soldering iron.
Will Nintendo fix Joy-Con drift for free, even if it is out of warranty?
In several regions, yes. Nintendo of America has been reported to repair drifting Joy-Con free of charge since 2019. Since April 2023, Nintendo has offered the same for Joy-Con in the UK, the EEA and Switzerland, even for wear and tear. It may decline opened, modified or damaged controllers. Policies differ elsewhere and can change, so start a repair request on your regional Nintendo support site.
Why can't I calibrate my drifting Joy-Cons?
Calibration needs the stick to settle at a stable centre, and a badly drifting stick never does. Remove skins or grips, update the controller, press the sync button once to reset it, and try again with the Joy-Con lying flat. If calibration still fails or the drift returns at once, the stick is worn. Nintendo's own support treats a stick that won't calibrate as a repair case.
My new Gulikit TMR Joy-Con sticks drift for a few seconds at startup. Are they faulty?
Not necessarily. A brief lean that clears after the stick is moved, or after about 30 seconds, is common with replacement sticks. The problem is drift that lasts. Run the drift test after the controller has been on for a minute. If it stays in the good range, it is fine. If the peak climbs over days, return or replace the stick while you still can.