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Tomodachi Life Keyboard Controls & Controller Setup for Ryujinx | TomoHub

Fix input conflicts when naming Miis in Tomodachi Life on Ryujinx. Best keyboard controls, Xbox controller setup, and DualSense guide. Stop the Enter key conflict.

4 min read·Updated April 18, 2026

The Problem with Default Mappings

The default Ryujinx keyboard mapping maps the A button to the Enter key. This causes a conflict when you try to type a name for your Mii — pressing Enter to confirm a letter also triggers the A button action, causing the game to skip ahead or freeze the input.

Recommended Keyboard Mapping

Open Ryujinx → Options → Settings → Input → Select your keyboard profile.

Switch ButtonRecommended Key
AK
BJ
XI
YU
LQ
RE
ZL1
ZR3
+ (Plus)Return/Enter
- (Minus)Backspace
D-Pad UpW
D-Pad DownS
D-Pad LeftA
D-Pad RightD
Left StickWASD (analog)
Right StickArrow Keys
**Key insight**: Moving A away from Enter eliminates the naming conflict entirely.

Xbox Controller Setup

Xbox controllers work out of the box with Ryujinx. Go to Input → Controller 1 and select your Xbox controller. The default mapping is correct — no changes needed.

One optional tweak: set Stick Deadzone to 0.15 if you notice drift in the island walking view.

DualSense (PS5 Controller)

DualSense requires the DS4Windows driver on Windows:

  1. Download [DS4Windows](https://ds4-windows.com/)
  2. Enable **HidHide** to hide the raw controller from Ryujinx
  3. DS4Windows presents the DualSense as an Xbox controller
  4. Ryujinx picks it up automatically

Fixing the On-Screen Keyboard Freeze

If the in-game keyboard freezes when you try to type:

  1. Make sure your **Windows input language** is set to English (US) before launching the game
  2. Disable any **IME (Input Method Editor)** — these conflict with the game's text input
  3. If using a Japanese keyboard layout, switch to US layout in Windows Settings before playing

Pro Tip: Hotkeys

Set these Ryujinx hotkeys for a smoother experience:

  • **F11** — Toggle fullscreen
  • **F5** — Pause/Resume (useful for save editing)
  • **Ctrl+S** — Quick save state (not the same as game save)

Related Guides

  • [Fix Ryujinx AudioRenderer crash (yellow screen)](/guides/ryujinx-audio-renderer-crash-fix)
  • [Where to find your savedataArc.txt save file](/guides/find-savedataarc-file)

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