How to Hide Controls in BlueStacks

Aaron Donald July 12, 2023

Mobile gaming on a PC or Mac using BlueStacks is a great way to expand your experience, but sometimes the on-screen controls can get in the way. Gamepad and keyboard on-screen controls on BlueStacks can be hidden if they interfere with gameplay. Or you can adjust their opacity so the controls are still on-screen but not as distracting.

Keep reading to find out how to get rid of those BlueStacks controls. This article also covers other BlueStacks control basics like creating, editing, and changing defaults.

Hiding Gamepad Controls

There are instances when you feel your gameplay could be better if you removed the gamepad on-screen controls. If you are already conversant with how they work, hiding them could do the trick.

Using a USB, connect the gamepad.
Launch the game you want to edit gamepad controls for from your home screen in BlueStacks.
Select the keyboard icon in the side toolbar to access the controls menu.
Toggle the “On-screen controls” option in the drop-down menu to “OFF.”

Changing Gamepad Control Opacity

Alternatively, you can simply adjust the opacity so the on-screen controls aren’t so visible.

Launch the game you want to edit.
Press the keyboard icon to access the “Game Controls” menu.
Use the slider to change the opacity as needed.

On the latest BlueStacks version, once controls have been disabled, they remain disabled even in subsequent launches.

Hiding Mouse or Keyboard Controls

BlueStacks makes it possible to hide, view, or adjust the visibility of mouse and keyboard controls for any BlueStacks game. To hide controls:

Open BlueStacks.
Select a game to change the mouse and keyboard control visibility.
Click on the “Game Controls” icon found on the side toolbar.
Ensure you’ve picked the keyboard option in “Controls for.”
Check that “Games controls” is “OFF.” If it is “ON,” switch the toggle to “OFF.”

You can still utilize the opacity option here as well.

Using the Game Controls Menu on BlueStacks

Besides hiding controls on BlueStacks, so much more can be done using the games control menu. With simple clicks, there are various functions that you can perform to manage controls conveniently. You can:

Select control schemes
Manage the on-screen controls
Edit or create key controls
Import control schemes from earlier BlueStacks versions

Both the in-screen and game controls toggle usually apply to all the games. They are not limited to a single game.

After launching the Game Controls menu, different options present themselves to the user.

Game controls: In this case, the controls can be easily turned on and off. When turned off, all assigned keys and game control options are disabled.
On-screen controls: With these, you can hide, view, or adjust the visibility of the on-screen controls for any BlueStacks game.
Opacity: Sliding the bar reduces or increases the opacity of on-screen controls.
Controls for: On-screen controls can be seen by clicking “Gamepad” or “Keyboard” icons.
Schemes: It is possible to choose different control schemes.
Mouse sensitivity: Mouse cursor sensitivity can be changed in some cases. The X value controls the speed of the cursor on the X-axis when moving horizontally. The value of Y controls the speed in the Y-axis for vertical movement.
Controls editor: Controls can be edited or created per your preference.

Creating and Editing BlueStacks Controls

You can create new controls or edit existing ones in BlueStacks. Key mapping for the games using the controls editor in BlueStacks is also possible.

There are various ways of accessing the controls editor. You can right-click “Game Control” on the keyboard icon option on the side toolbar. The second method of accessing the controls is to click “Game Controls” and select “Controls Editor.”

To edit controls:

Launch your game.
Open the controls editor by clicking the “Open advanced editor” on the “Game Controls” menu.
Click on existing game controls that need to be edited and press the new key assigned to the control on the keyboard.

Switching to the Default Game Controls

When there has been a game update on BlueStacks, you may experience some game control issues. The controls may not work as expected. Fortunately, you can just switch to the default game controls to solve many control problems.

Reverting to the default controls is uniform for all games. Follow these steps to get started:

Open the BlueStacks home screen and then launch a game.
Select “Game Controls” in the side toolbar.
From the drop-down menu, choose “Controls editor.”
Click “Reset” on the bottom right corner.
To confirm action click “Reset.” this will restore all game controls to the default values. This also resolves all the issues that are control related.

The standard control scheme may be denoted as a “Default control scheme” in games such as Mech Arena: Robot Showdown. Choose “Default control scheme” as applicable to switch the controls to their default settings.

Adding or Creating Key Controls to Games

There are instances where you may be playing a game without any controls. Creating or adding key controls can make playing the games more manageable on BlueStacks. Here’s how to start the process:

Select the drop-down menu below “Control Scheme.” Choose “Create a new profile.” This step isn’t necessary if the controls are being added to an existing control scheme.
Select the available controls, then drag and drop them into the game control.

The key control you’ve just created can be customized according to your preference. The different controls that you can create include the following:

Repeated tap
Tap spot
Aim
Pan & shoot
D-pad
Free look
Script
Zoom
Swipe
Tilt
MOBA skill pad
Edge scroll
MOBA D-Pad
Rotate
Scroll

Elevate Your Gameplay

You can customize and design BlueStacks game controls for the perfect gaming experience. Whether you want to hide the controls completely for an unimpeded view or create new controls for specific games, BlueStacks has it covered.

Have you tried hiding controls on BlueStacks? Did you edit any of the existing controls? Let us know in the comments section below.