Half-pull trigger on Xbox Elite 2 Controller?

Certain games allow you to part-pull the trigger to, e.g., steady your aim or slow time. I'm struggling to do this accurately.

I've got an Xbox Elite 2 controller. Is there any way to, say, remap one of the paddles to half-pull the trigger?

Note that I'm not asking how to shorten the trigger pull, so that it fires when half-pulled.


Disclaimer: this answer applies to the original Xbox Elite Wireless Controller, and does not work with the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2.


You can't map the paddles to half-pull the triggers, but you can use the hair trigger locks to physically lock your trigger to half-pull.

Back of Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Back of the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller, image taken from xbox.com

The hair trigger locks are the green switches right above the paddles. When flipped up, they allow pulling their respective trigger fully. When flipped down, you can only pull the trigger about 3/4 of the way.

Obviously, flipping the lock in the middle of a game is not ideal. While in theory, it is possible to still fully pull the trigger with the lock engaged, this requires using a lot of force, which could physically damage your controller and hurt your finger.

Fortunately, you can map the paddles to the trigger using the official Xbox Accessories app, available on Windows 10, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. By pressing the paddle, you'll be simulating a full pull on the trigger of your choosing.

Xbox Accessories app - landing page

Launch the Xbox Accessories app and click on "Configure". If your controller isn't already connected, the app will ask you to connect your controller first.

Xbox Accessories app - profile selection - creating new profile

Create a new profile if you haven't done so already. Don't forget to set the profile to one of the slots when you're done.

Xbox Accessories app - profile selection - editing existing profile

Or if you already have a profile, just select it and click on the button with the pen icon to edit it.

Xbox Accessories app - Mapping

You should be on the "Mapping" tab by default. If not, change to it. On the Mapping screen you can map a paddle to a trigger. The easiest and fastest way to change the mapping is to:

  1. Hold the button you want to map (in this case the paddle) until another screen appears.
    Xbox Accessories app - Map to

  2. Press the button you want to map to (in this case the trigger).

As I mentioned before, the hair trigger locks are set to a 3/4 pull. Depending on the game, a 3/4 pull might still be interpreted as a full-pull. Fortunately, the Xbox Accessories app allows you to change your triggers' deadzones for both minimum pull (left side of slider) and maximum pull (right side of slider).

Xbox Accessories app - Triggers

Simply drag the left or right side of the slider until you get the desired effect. You can pull the trigger to see what value you would get in game.

Xbox Accessories app - Triggers - half-pull with hair trigger lock engaged

On my controller, I can get a half-pull (more or less) with hair trigger lock engaged by setting the minimum deadzone (left side) to approximately 22. Remember to pull the trigger only as far as you're comfortable, and to not use excessive force.


The Xbox Accessories app saves your configuration to the controller itself, so you only need to install the app on one device, and can then use your customized Elite Controller on any other device that supports it.