When both Windows and DS4Windows see your controller, the game can receive input twice—or think there are two controllers. That causes double input, wrong player assignment, or erratic behavior. Hiding the real controller from the game (so only the virtual Xbox controller is visible) fixes this.
What Double Input Does
- Same action triggers twice (e.g., menu opens and closes).
- Game thinks multiple controllers are connected.
- Multiplayer or co-op may start unexpectedly.
- Game may prefer the “real” controller and ignore the virtual one.
Method 1: HidHide (Recommended)
HidHide hides the physical controller from games and most apps while DS4Windows keeps using it and exposes a virtual Xbox 360 controller. Games then see only the virtual controller.
- Download HidHide from the official releases or the link provided in DS4Windows documentation.
- Install HidHide and reboot when prompted.
- Open HidHide Configuration Client. In the “Select device to hide” list, enable hiding for your PlayStation or Nintendo controller. Do not hide devices named “Sony Computer Entertainment” or “Xbox 360 for Windows” (those are the virtual devices).
- Close HidHide after configuring. Then start DS4Windows. In DS4Windows Settings → Other, you can enable “Hide DS4 Controller” if the option appears (depends on version).
Tip: Configure HidHide while DS4Windows is closed. Reboot after installing HidHide if the controller still appears in games.
Method 2: In-Built Hider (DS4Windows)
Newer DS4Windows versions include an option to request exclusive access to the controller so Windows (and games) don’t see the real device—only the virtual one.
- In DS4Windows, go to Settings and enable the option that hides the DS4 controller (e.g. “Hide DS4 Controller” or “Exclusive mode”).
- Exclusive access can fail if another app is using the controller: a game, browser (e.g. Chrome), or Nvidia GeForce Experience. Close those and try again.
- If the connection drops often when using the in-built hider, switching to HidHide is usually more stable.
Steam and Other Software
If you use Steam, disable its controller layer for the game so it doesn’t create a second virtual device:
- Steam Settings → Controller → General Controller Settings.
- Turn off PlayStation Configuration Support and Xbox Configuration Support (or disable per-game in the game’s Steam controller options).
Close other controller tools (e.g. Xpadder, JoyToKey, reWASD) when using DS4Windows. Run DS4Windows as Administrator if you still see double input after hiding the controller. For full Steam steps, see DS4Windows and Steam: Avoiding Conflicts.