> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://devdocs.xbox.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # XBOX Manager: remote control > XBOX Manager: remote control Use the Remote Control tab to send controller button presses to the console by selecting the gamepad image or by using an XBOX controller that's plugged into your development PC. The tool records gamepad input as input macros for playback. The following screenshot shows an example of the Remote Control tab: ![Screenshot of the Remote Control tab in XBOX Manager](https://mintcdn.com/microsoft-4404708b/NsRUQ49ZRpXgoZ9R/images/gdk/tools/xbom_input_tab.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=NsRUQ49ZRpXgoZ9R\&q=85\&s=098659a2aa5a6274049c20c8cc12d3b8) * [Remote streaming technologies](#remote-streaming-technologies) * [Real-time display of the console screen](#ID4E6) * [Virtual headsets for in-game voice control](#virtual_headset) * [Sending input to the console](#ID4EYB) * [Using the mouse in Remote Control](#ID4EHG) * [Input macros](#ID4EXE) * [Pairing a gamepad to a user](#ID4EIG) * [Remote control of groups](#ID4ESG) * [Controller drivers](#ID4EIH) > [!NOTE] > > You can now use checkboxes to choose preferred display settings in the remote console's new panel display. Additionally, the tool includes a customizable keyboard and controller mapping feature. ![Screenshot of new panel display for Remote Control tab XBOX Manager](https://mintcdn.com/microsoft-4404708b/z-rLYkO3Ax6HPtgm/images/gdk/tools/frontpanel_remotecontrol.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=z-rLYkO3Ax6HPtgm\&q=85\&s=0124e3e69f41fe3a025ca494840ddc9f) ## Remote streaming technologies You can choose from two streaming technologies for Remote Control. By default, XBOX Manager uses the industry-standard Real-time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) to stream content remotely from the console to the XBOX Manager client. If you set the console to use Game Streaming mode, the Remote Control view automatically switches to that mode instead. > [!NOTE] > > Game Streaming mode uses a newer implementation for streaming connections. Starting with the April 2026 GDK, newer console OS versions require an updated XBOX Manager to connect when using Game Streaming mode. This requirement applies only to Game Streaming mode; RTSP‑based connections are unaffected. ### Real-time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) RTSP, the default streaming technology, is suitable for most scenarios where you have a high quality network connection to the console. RTSP has the following characteristics: * Enables the console to connect to multiple XBOX Manager clients at the same time. * Has an approximate latency of 130 ms (not including network latency). * Doesn't adapt to variable speed network connections. * Many third-party tools can consume it, including OBS Studio, VLC Media Player, and ffmpeg. For more information, see [XBOX video server](/tools/tools-console/xbox-video-server). If you have a low-quality network connection to the console, you might experience degraded performance and lag while trying to use remote control. In this case, try the Game Streaming mode. ### Game Streaming mode Game Streaming mode is designed to test XBOX Game Streaming scenarios, but also works well as a Remote Control streaming protocol. When the console is in Game Streaming mode, the Remote Control panel switches to have a cloud icon instead of the settings icon in its title bar. Game Streaming mode has the following characteristics: * Supports only a single connection to a client. If another client attaches to the console, the console terminates any previously existing connections. * Has an approximate latency of 110 ms (not including network latency). * Adapts to variable speed network connections. You should use Game Streaming mode in the following scenarios: * You're specifically testing your game to run on XBOX Game Streaming. * You have a low quality network connection to the console. Game Streaming technology is designed to handle variable speed connections gracefully, and will provide a better Remote Control experience. To set up your console to use Game Streaming, see [Setting up your XBOX Development Kit for streaming](/build/core-features/common/game-streaming/game-streaming-setup-xbox-developer-kit). ## Real-time display of the console screen In addition to sending input to the console, you can use the Remote Control tab to display the console's screen in real time. If you set the **Console View** switch to Active, XBOX Manager mirrors the console screen. You can expand the console screen view to a separate window by selecting the **Expand** button at the upper-right corner of the Console View window. Use the volume trackbar control at the top of the Remote Control screen to adjust the volume of audio output from the console. Select the **Mute** button next to the volume trackbar control to mute and unmute. > [!NOTE] > > If your development PC is running a Windows N edition, you must manually install the Media Feature Pack to enable Remote View. > > If you don't install the Media Feature Pack, XBOX Manager reports the following error in the Remote Control pane: > > `Could not find a required dll. The Media Feature Pack is required, see: https://support.microsoft.com/help/3145500"` Starting in the October 2024 GDK, XBOX Manager includes a menu that you can use to choose specific pixel sizes for the pop-out video display. This menu is located on the right side of the pop-out window, next to the system minimize button. The selected pixel size is saved and applied the next time you open the pop-out window. ### Remote view settings You can access remote view settings only when you use RTSP streaming. The console doesn't offer these settings when it's in Game Streaming mode. To enable any of the following settings, select the **Remote View Settings** button in the Console View window, and then select the setting you want: **4K HEVC** - streams 4K video from the console. This setting requires the console to be in a 4K video mode, a High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) codec installed on the PC, and a minimum 25 Mbps connection from the PC to the console. This mode does increase latency, however. > [!NOTE] > > This feature requires an HEVC codec to be installed on your PC. XBOX Manager displays an error message if it can't find an HEVC codec installed on the PC. Microsoft Game Development Kit (GDK) provides an HEVC codec and a Windows PowerShell script to install it. You can find it in the `C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft GDK\redist` folder on a PC with the GDK installed. This codec isn't automatically installed by GDK setup. **Higher bitrate** - increases streamed picture quality by using 30% more network bandwidth. **Higher framerate** - increases streamed picture quality by increasing the framerate from the default value of 30 frames per second (fps) to 60 fps. **UDP transport** - reduces console CPU load and network load by using UDP instead of TCP for transport. However, UDP transport is lossy, so latency or other network issues can cause frames to be skipped in the stream. > [!NOTE] > > Complex network setups, such as VPNs, might limit packet sizes. This limitation can result in the network not delivering video, especially over UDP connections. > Use [xbconfig.exe](/tools/tools-console/commandlinetools/xbconfig) to set `VideoServerMaxPacketSize` to a lower value to reduce the maximum packet size. Set the value anywhere from 500 bytes to 1,400 bytes. The default size is 1,300 bytes. ### Remote view audio XBOX Manager remote control supports audio through [Windows Audio Session API](/build/console-features/audio/overviews/wasapi-overview) (WASAPI). However, it doesn't support audio streaming from [ISpatialAudioClient](/build/console-features/audio/overviews/spatial-audio-overview) (ISAC) when Dolby/DTS home theater settings are activated. ## Virtual headsets for in-game voice control Remote Control has an option to add a virtual headset to any virtual controller. By using this headset, you can use features like microphone input and headset output on a remote console. A red icon appears above the remote control window to show that XBOX Manager receives input from the PC microphone. In addition to that, the remote settings in XBOX Manager now support up to four virtual controllers. > [!NOTE] > > This feature requires a console running the March 2023 GDK Recovery or later, a microphone, and speaker on the PC. ![Screenshot of virtual headset and controller in the Remote Control tab of XBOX Manager](https://mintcdn.com/microsoft-4404708b/MVw3uKm0dcJ_XQoZ/images/gdk/tools/xbom_virtual_headset.webp?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=MVw3uKm0dcJ_XQoZ\&q=85\&s=e89c9218fc41dcedf9c09809e46d8740) ## Sending input to the console Use the Remote Control tab to send gamepad input, raw keyboard input, and mouse input to a remote console. When you use a gamepad plugged into the PC to send remote input to a console, the gamepad must appear on the **Game Controllers** settings page. You can activate this page by running `joy.cpl`. If the gamepad doesn't appear on the page, try the following steps: * Make sure that you're using a USB cable that has data lines, not just power lines. * If the gamepad is plugged in through a USB hub, try plugging it into a dedicated USB port on the PC instead. When you use Remote Control, it creates certain virtual devices on the console to deliver input events. Virtual controllers that XBOX Manager creates disconnect whenever you select a console group or when XBOX Manager exits. > [!NOTE] > > Virtual keyboard and mouse devices stay connected until the console reboots. ### Raw keyboard and mouse input Select **Raw keyboard**. You can then use the keyboard to enter your raw keyboard input to the console. To generate mouse input, select the UI elements on the screenshot that's displayed in the Remote Control tab of XBOX Manager. ### Gamepad input Select **Controller+Keyboard**. You can then generate gamepad input by using XBOX Manager in one of the following three ways: * Connect a controller to the development PC, and then XBOX Manager passes button presses from that controller to the console. * Use the mouse to interact with the **Virtual Controller** image in the **Remote Control** tab. * Use the keyboard that's plugged into your development PC to emulate gamepad button presses by using the following steps. 1. Select the remote console view (the image of the console), or the **Virtual Controller** image. 2. Emulate gamepad input by pressing the appropriate key on your keyboard that coincides with the button press on the gamepad as shown in the following table. Use the following table to emulate gamepad button presses with your connected keyboard. | Gamepad Key | Keyboard Key | | - | - | | A | **A** or **Enter** | | B | **B** or **Backspace** | | X | **X** | | Y | **Y** | | DPad Up/Down/Left/Right | **Up**/**Down**/**Left**/**Right** arrow keys | | XBOX button | **Home** | | Menu | **Ctrl+M** | | Share | **Ctrl+S** | | View | **Ctrl+V** | | Left Trigger | **Ctrl+T** | | Left Bumper | **Ctrl+G** | | Right Trigger | **Ctrl+Y** | | Right Bumper | **Ctrl+H** | > [!NOTE] > > If you select the **Open Game bar using Nexus on a controller** setting in the Game bar, the XBOX Nexus button press isn't sent to the console from the **Remote Control** tab. To enable sending XBOX Nexus button presses to the console, press **Windows logo key+G** to open the Game bar. Select the Settings option (gear icon), and then clear the **Open Game bar using Nexus on a controller** option. > [!NOTE] > > If a game uses `SetRumbleState`, this vibration data is passed to connected controllers when in **Remote Control** mode. The resulting vibration effect closely matches what a user experiences, as if the XBOX One or Series controller is directly attached to the console, but only if a single controller is connected. If multiple controllers are connected to the PC, or if an XBOX 360 controller is used, the resulting vibration effect is greatly reduced due to platform restrictions. For more information about remote controller settings, including vibration, see the [Remote](/tools/tools-console/commandlinetools/xbconfig#XBCONFIG_REMOTE) settings section in [Configuration (xbconfig.exe)](/tools/tools-console/commandlinetools/xbconfig). ## Using the mouse in Remote Control By default, mouse support in the Remote Control pane sends absolute coordinates. This approach works well for Dev Home and other apps with static layouts, but it doesn't work well for games that expect relative mouse movement data, such as first-person shooters. New for the June 2022 GDK is Capture Mouse mode. First, go to Remote View and select the **Expand** button. In this popped-out remote view, select **Capture Mouse**. Now all mouse movement is sent as relative data to the title. The window captures the mouse, so all select actions (no matter where) are also sent to the title. You can't select the control again to get out of this mode. Instead, you need to press **Alt+Tab** to change the window focus and exit Capture Mouse mode. For the same reason, you should size the popped-out window appropriately before enabling Capture Mode mouse. You might also find it advantageous to clear **Always On Top** when using this mode. ## Input macros In addition to the two methods that send controller button presses to the consoles, you can *record* controller button presses for later playback to the console. ### To record an input macro 1. Select the round **Record** button in the macro window. 2. Generate button presses by using either a controller that's plugged in or by selecting the gamepad image in XBOX Manager. As you press buttons, the button name appears in a row on the left side of the macro window, and a mark appears in the timeline in the same row. 3. When you're done recording input, select the square **Stop** button. > [!NOTE] > > After you record a macro, you can select **Record** again to add to the macro. Recording adds input to the macro at the current position of the time indicator. ### To playback an input macro 1. Drag the time indicator to the point you want in the macro. 2. Select the triangular **Play** button. 3. Select **Pause** to stop playback. > [!NOTE] > > Playback automatically stops when it reaches the furthest point on the timeline. ### To manage macros Use the **Macro Options** menu at the top of the macros window to create, open, and save macros. New macros appear in a new tab. ## Pairing a gamepad to a user Use the **Gamepad paired to user** dropdown list to pair the gamepad input to a specific user. To begin pairing, connect a user account to your console. ## Remote control of groups Real-time display and input for every member of a console group is found in the Remote Control tab of the Console Selector in XBOX Manager. If Consoles View is turned on, the screen of each console in the group appears in real time as described in the Real Time Display of the Console Screen section. Gamepad input and macros work as described in the Sending Gamepad Input to the Console section, except that input is applied to every console in the group. For more information, see [Group remote control](/tools/tools-console/xbom/manager-tool-group-remote-control). > [!NOTE] > > The console names, IPs, and images in the **Remote Control** tab are links. You can select the console name or IP, or select the console image by double-clicking to go to the **Remote Control** tab for that console. From there, you can interact directly with just one console as shown in the following screenshot. ![Screenshot of group settings in the Remote Control tab of XBOX Manager](https://mintcdn.com/microsoft-4404708b/NsRUQ49ZRpXgoZ9R/images/gdk/tools/xbom_group_remote.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=NsRUQ49ZRpXgoZ9R\&q=85\&s=67e7a1e00fbea55d94ed3b11e8145b2d) ## Controller drivers See [Connect an XBOX Wireless Controller to a Windows device](https://support.xbox.com/help/hardware-network/controller/connect-xbox-wireless-controller-to-pc) for information on connecting an XBOX Controller to the PC. Windows Update automatically downloads the XBOX Controller drivers. ## See also [Group remote control](/tools/tools-console/xbom/manager-tool-group-remote-control) ## Related topics - [XBOX Manager tool for managing dev consoles](/tools/tools-console/xbom/index.md) - [XBOX console video server](/tools/tools-console/xbox-video-server.md) - [XBOX Manager: group remote control](/tools/tools-console/xbom/manager-tool-group-remote-control.md) - [XBOX Manager](/tools/tools-console/xbom/xbom.md) - [XBOX Manager best practices for multiplayer testing](/tools/tools-console/xbom/manager-tool-multiplayer.md)