Is Razer Compatible with Mac?

Unlike with Windows, Razer’s peripheral accessories are not designed to work particularly on macOS. So, if you’re considering getting some Razer gaming accessories for your Mac, this review is exactly what you need. We’ve selected what we think are the best Razer gaming gears on the market in each category and tested them to see if Razer products are compatible with Mac!

Razer Keyboards

Products	Mac desktop	Mac laptop
Razer Blackwidow Elite	Partially	Partially
Razer BlackWidow V3 Pro	Partially	Partially
Razer Pro Type	Yes	Yes

All of the above keyboards can offer a quick and responsive experience like any Mac keyboard. In our tests on the 27‑inch iMac, the Blackwidow Elite, V3 Pro, and Pro Type worked smoothly with the incredibly low latency. So, you don’t have to worry about having any delay while gaming or working on your Mac at all. On top of that, Razer’s wireless keyboards like the V3 Pro also work great via Bluetooth with no connection problems.

However, while these Razer keyboards are completely compatible with Windows, their Scroll Lock and Pause Break buttons simply don’t work on macOS. Therefore, you won’t be able to customize anything, which is probably one of their best features.

If you simply don’t need to customize the keys through third-party software or anything like that, out of the box is totally fine. Personally, we think the best option here is the Razer Pro Type because it has no software support for customization. Therefore, you won’t miss out on any cool features when using it on a Mac.

Additionally, note that certain keys will be different if you use a Razer keyboard on a Mac. For instance, the Windows key on your Razer keyboard will be Command. You can also remap some keys via macOS Preferences to mimic the Mac keyboard layout.

Razer Wired Mouse

Products	Mac desktop	Mac laptop
Razer DeathAdder V2	Partially	Partially
Razer Naga Trinity	Partially	Partially
Razer Viper 8KHz	Partially	Partially

Even though some of these gaming mouse have been out for a couple of years like the Razer DeathAdder v2, they still remain as one of the best gaming mice on the market. That’s also why many professional gamers still favor the above options today. Just like other Razer mouse, these model buttons are excellent for gaming and programmable. You can customize them easily via Razer Synapse.

However, this software isn’t compatible with macOS yet. That also means you can’t rebind, assign macros, or personalize the lighting for any of your Razer products. With that limitation, we wouldn’t recommend using a Razer mouse on a Mac.

Razer Wireless Mouse

Products	Mac desktop	Mac laptop
Razer Atheris Ambidextrous	No	No
Razer Naga Pro	Partially	Partially
Razer Wireless Mamba	Partially	Partially
Razer Basilisk Ultimate	Partially	Partially

Razer wireless mouse are a great traveling companion. And, when it comes to gaming, they are also very useful with features like on-the-fly sensitivity adjustment, high DPI, programmable buttons, and a 2.4Ghz dongle. Just follow the manual and pair the device to use it with your Mac. However, it seems like only the wireless Razer Atheris doesn’t work well with Mac Bluetooth. In our test on the 2016 MacBook Pro, it gyrated between connecting and not-connect state and finally ended up not connected. And, even when we could connect it, the mouse would struggle to connect with our MacBook if it’s more than 5-feet away.

Besides, just like the wired version, there is no way for you to customize the Razer mouse’s buttons on macOS for now. Also, with ports like the USB-C on the MacBook Air & MacBook Pro, the 2.4Ghz dongle is actually useless. So, no matter how awesome these Razer mouse are, they are just not designed for the Mac.

Razer Headsets

Products	Mac desktop	Mac laptop
Razer Nari Ultimate	Partially	Partially
Razer Kraken Ultimate	Partially	Partially
Razer BlackShark V2	Partially	Partially

There is no doubt that the audio of these headphones is pretty well in line with the more accurate side of the gaming headset market. However, they actually depend on Razer Synapse to reach peak performance. Technically, you can still use it on your Mac. But, again, Razer Synapse doesn’t support macOS yet. So, you can’t do cool things like setting up different color patterns for the headphone’s RGB lighting.

Razer Earbuds

Products	Mac desktop	Mac laptop
Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds	Yes	Yes
Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro	Yes	Yes

These Razer Hammerhead Wireless Earbuds can boast an extremely low 60ms input latency, meaning your audio stays synced with your device even when working out. And, with or without the in-canal seal, we still feel some deep bass and loud enough on both devices. During our test on the M1 MacBook Pro, these earbuds handled our gaming and bass test track at maximum volume levels without a hint of distortion. Plus, there is nothing here for you to customize via Razer Synapse. So, we think the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Earbuds are a great alternative to AirPods for any gamers out there.

Razer External Cores

Products	Mac desktop	Mac laptop
Razer Core X Chroma	Yes	Yes

The Razer Core X is an external housing for a graphics card, which has enough grunt to bring desktop PC power to your Mac laptop. And, this eGPU requires your Mac to have at least macOS High Sierra 10.13.4 or higher with Thunderbolt 3 in order to use. As long as you follow Razer guidance, this device will work on your Mac perfectly.

The Bottom Line

Because most Razer products are compatible and work best as long as they interface with Razer Synapse. So, if you want to use all the features of your device, then you have to mess with this 3rd party software to make it work. Unfortunately, some customization options are still not available on the Mac. Therefore, we wouldn’t recommend choosing Razer as a go-to brand when it comes to finding peripheral accessories for your Mac. This is simply because Razer hasn’t focused on developing their products’ compatibility with macOS yet.