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OmniControl

Xbox with keyboard and mouse

This guide shows you how to play your Xbox console, or Xbox Cloud Gaming, inside OmniControl with your keyboard and mouse. It takes about five minutes the first time, and one click after that.

Overview

OmniControl opens Microsoft's own Xbox player in a window of the app. That player streams your Xbox to your PC, the same one you get at xbox.com/play. OmniControl adds the part Microsoft's player does not have: your keyboard and mouse drive a virtual Xbox controller, and the player reads it like a controller in your hands.

You sign in on Microsoft's own page. OmniControl never sees your password and holds no Microsoft sign-in of its own.

How it works

Two pieces work together:

  • The Xbox window. Microsoft's player, running in a window called OmniControl Xbox. It finds your consoles, wakes them and streams the picture and sound.
  • Drive a Controller. Your keyboard and mouse steer a virtual Xbox 360 controller. The Xbox player sees that controller and sends what it does to your console.

The window has two modes, and the switch on the Xbox card picks between them:

  • Browsing (Play with keyboard and mouse off). Your mouse is a normal pointer, so you can sign in, choose a console and use the menus.
  • Playing (Play with keyboard and mouse on, Xbox window in front). Your keyboard and mouse control the game. The pointer is hidden and held in place so it does not wander over the picture. The Xbox card shows Playing.

What you need

  • An Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S or Xbox One, signed in with your Microsoft account.
  • Remote features turned on for that Xbox (see the first step below).
  • OmniControl with Drive a Controller. Playing with keyboard and mouse is a Pro feature.
  • A good home network. A cable on the PC, or 5 GHz Wi-Fi, gives the smoothest stream.
  • For Xbox Cloud Gaming instead of your own console: an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership.

Getting started

  1. Turn on remote features on your Xbox

    On the Xbox, open Settings, then Devices and connections, then Remote features, and tick Enable remote features. Set the power mode to Sleep so the Xbox can be woken from your PC.

  2. Open the Xbox card

    In OmniControl, open Remote Play. The Xbox card is at the bottom of the page. Click Open Xbox. A window called OmniControl Xbox opens on Microsoft's Xbox page. If no controller output was running, OmniControl starts an Xbox 360 controller for you.

  3. Sign in

    Sign in with the Microsoft account your Xbox uses. If Block Keys and Clicks is on, turn it off while you type your password, then turn it back on.

  4. Pick your console

    Choose your Xbox from the list and start remote play. The first connection can take a minute while the Xbox wakes up. The picture appears in the OmniControl Xbox window.

  5. Play with keyboard and mouse

    When the game or the Xbox home screen is showing, turn on Play with keyboard and mouse on the Xbox card, then click the Xbox window. The card says Playing, the pointer disappears, and your keyboard and mouse control the Xbox.

  6. Get your pointer back

    Turn the switch off, or press Alt+Tab, whenever you want the menus or another window. Turn it on again to carry on playing.
Use Xbox 360 output
The Xbox player reads an Xbox 360 controller best. If your controller output is set to DualShock 4, the Xbox card says so and offers Switch to Xbox 360 in one click.

Fullscreen

Use Fullscreen on the Xbox card, or the player's own fullscreen button. Windowed on the card puts it back in a window. Close on the card closes the Xbox window; you stay signed in for next time.

Xbox Cloud Gaming

With Game Pass Ultimate, the same window plays cloud games without a console. Choose a cloud game in the player instead of your console, then turn on Play with keyboard and mouse as above.

Best practices

Set up your keys before you play. Drive a Controller uses your profile's keyboard and mouse bindings, so pick or tune a game's layout first in Drive a Controller, or start from a game pack. Turn on Block Keys and Clicks while you play, so your key presses only drive the controller and do not also reach the Xbox page. Keep the PC on a cable if you can: it does more for a smooth stream than any setting.

Troubleshooting

The Xbox window opens but my console is not listed. Check remote features are on, the Xbox is signed in with the same Microsoft account, and the power mode is Sleep. Restart the Xbox once after turning remote features on.

My keys and mouse do nothing in the game. Make sure Play with keyboard and mouse is on and the Xbox window is in front: click it once. The card should say Playing. Check controller output is running and set to Xbox 360.

I cannot type my password. Block Keys and Clicks is on. Turn it off while you sign in.

My pointer is gone. Turn off Play with keyboard and mouse, or press Alt+Tab.

The stream stutters. Move the PC to a cable or to 5 GHz Wi-Fi, and close downloads on the same network. The Remote Play page's connection check shows how the PC is connected.

For anything else, see Troubleshooting.

Game rules still apply
Some online games forbid playing with keyboard and mouse through a controller, or forbid virtual controllers, and can penalise your account for it. That risk sits with you as the player, so check a game's rules before you play.

FAQ

Does OmniControl see my Microsoft password?

No. You sign in on Microsoft's own page inside the Xbox window. OmniControl never reads what you type there and keeps no Microsoft sign-in.

Do I need Game Pass?

Not to stream your own Xbox. Xbox Cloud Gaming, playing without a console, needs Game Pass Ultimate.

Can I use a real controller too?

Yes. A controller connected to the PC works in the Xbox player as normal. Turn off Play with keyboard and mouse to use it alone.

Does this work away from home?

Microsoft's player supports remote play outside your home network, but it depends on your router and connection. It is smoothest when the PC and the Xbox are on the same home network.