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Installation

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hifihedgehog edited this page Mar 19, 2026 · 18 revisions

Installation

Quick Start (2 Minutes)

  1. Go to the Releases page and download PadForge-v{version}-win-x64.zip.
  2. Extract the zip to any folder (e.g., C:\PadForge\).
  3. Run PadForge.exe.
  4. On the Dashboard, go to Settings and click Install next to ViGEmBus (this installs the driver that creates virtual Xbox 360 and DualShock 4 controllers).
  5. Back on the Dashboard, click Add Controller and choose Xbox 360 to create your first virtual controller slot.
  6. Connect a physical controller. It appears on the Devices page. Click the slot badge on the device card to assign it to your virtual controller.
  7. Done. Your physical controller is now mapped through PadForge to a virtual Xbox 360 controller that games see as a standard gamepad.

Requirements

  • Windows 10 or 11 (x64)
  • .NET 10 Desktop Runtime -- this is bundled inside PadForge, so you do not need to install it separately

PadForge is a single-file portable executable. There is no installer. Just extract the zip and run the exe. You can place it anywhere on your system.

Download

  1. Go to the Releases page.
  2. Download the latest PadForge-v{version}-win-x64.zip.
  3. Extract the zip to any folder you like (e.g., C:\PadForge\ or your Desktop).
  4. Run PadForge.exe.

PadForge stores its settings in a PadForge.xml file in the same folder as the executable. To move PadForge to a different location, just move the entire folder (including PadForge.xml if it exists) to keep your settings.

First Launch

On its very first launch, PadForge opens the Dashboard page. At this point, no optional drivers are installed, so you cannot create virtual controllers yet. Here is what to do:

  1. Install ViGEmBus -- Go to Settings (in the sidebar) and click Install next to ViGEmBus. This is the most important driver -- it is required for Xbox 360 and DualShock 4 virtual controller output. A UAC (User Account Control) prompt will appear for the driver installation.
  2. Create a virtual controller -- Back on the Dashboard, click Add Controller. A popup lets you choose the controller type (Xbox 360, DualShock 4, etc.). Pick one and it appears in the sidebar.
  3. Check your devices -- Go to the Devices page. PadForge automatically detects all connected physical controllers (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, generic USB gamepads, etc.).
  4. Assign a device -- On the Devices page, click the slot badge on a device card to assign that physical controller to your virtual controller slot. Once assigned, your physical controller's input flows through PadForge and comes out as the virtual controller type you chose.

That is all you need for basic operation. Games will see the virtual controller as a standard gamepad.

Optional Drivers

PadForge can install and uninstall all of its optional drivers directly from the Settings page. You do not need to download anything manually.

ViGEmBus -- Virtual Xbox 360 and DualShock 4
What it does Creates virtual Xbox 360 and DualShock 4 controllers that Windows and games recognize as real gamepads
When you need it Almost always. This is the primary output method for most users. Install this first.
When you can skip it Only if you exclusively use vJoy, MIDI, or Keyboard+Mouse output

ViGEmBus is the most commonly needed driver. Without it, you cannot create Xbox 360 or DualShock 4 virtual controller slots.

vJoy -- Virtual DirectInput Joystick
What it does Creates virtual DirectInput joysticks with configurable button counts, axis counts, and force feedback support
When you need it When a game or application requires a DirectInput joystick rather than an XInput gamepad (common for flight simulators, racing sims, and older PC games)
When you can skip it If all your games work with Xbox 360 or DualShock 4 output

vJoy is a specialized driver for DirectInput applications. Most modern games use XInput (Xbox controllers), so you typically only need vJoy for specific use cases.

HidHide -- Controller Hiding
What it does Hides your physical controllers from games so they only see PadForge's virtual controllers
When you need it When games detect both your physical controller and PadForge's virtual controller, causing double input (every button press registers twice)
When you can skip it If you are not experiencing double input issues

HidHide solves the "double input" problem. Without it, some games see both your real controller and PadForge's virtual controller and respond to both, causing doubled button presses and erratic behavior.

Windows MIDI Services -- MIDI Output
What it does Provides the infrastructure for PadForge to create virtual MIDI devices
When you need it When you want to use a game controller to send MIDI messages to music software (DAWs, synthesizers, VJ software)
When you can skip it If you do not use MIDI output. Most users do not need this.

Windows MIDI Services is only available on Windows 11 (recent builds). The install button downloads the latest version from Microsoft's GitHub repository.

Keyboard+Mouse -- No Driver Needed

The Keyboard+Mouse virtual controller type does not require any driver installation. It is always available and lets you map controller inputs to keyboard keys and mouse movements.

Auto-Elevation (Administrator Privileges)

PadForge normally runs without administrator privileges. However, if the vJoy driver is installed, PadForge automatically requests elevation (a UAC prompt) on startup. This is necessary because vJoy device node management requires administrator access to create and configure virtual joystick devices.

Here is what happens:

  1. PadForge starts and detects that vJoy is installed (by checking for the vJoy driver files in C:\Program Files\vJoy\).
  2. PadForge relaunches itself with a UAC prompt asking for administrator privileges.
  3. If you accept the UAC prompt, PadForge runs elevated and vJoy works normally.
  4. If you decline the UAC prompt, PadForge continues running without elevation. Xbox 360, DualShock 4, MIDI, and Keyboard+Mouse output all work normally, but vJoy virtual controllers will not function correctly.

If you do not have vJoy installed, no UAC prompt appears and PadForge runs with standard user privileges.

Start at Login

Enable Settings > Window > Start at login to have PadForge launch automatically when you sign in to Windows.

For a fully silent background experience, enable all three options:

  • 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 enabled, PadForge runs in the background with only a system tray icon, processing controller input without any visible window.

Uninstalling

PadForge has no installer, so there is no formal uninstall process. To remove it:

  1. If you installed optional drivers, go to Settings and click Uninstall next to each driver you installed (ViGEmBus, vJoy, HidHide, Windows MIDI Services).
  2. Close PadForge.
  3. Delete the PadForge folder.

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