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macOS HID! Have you ever thought about identifying which devices are connected to your computer?
Devices like keyboards, mice, game controllers, and even specialized equipment like barcode scanners or RFID readers are actually all HID (Human Interface Device) devices.
This article will guide you step-by-step on how to list these HID devices on a macOS system using Python and develop in the Visual Studio Code (VSCode) environment.

What is HID?

HID (Human Interface Device) is a type of USB device designed to interact with humans. Common HID devices include:

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Stylus/Tablet
• Game controllers
• Certain sensors, RFID readers

A key feature of these devices is that they do not require additional drivers—
the system can recognize and support them natively.

Why use Python?

Python is a simple, easy-to-learn language with a powerful ecosystem of libraries.
Using Python to work with HID devices has the following advantages:

• The hidapi library supports cross-platform use (Windows, Linux, macOS)
• Only a few lines of code are needed to quickly read the device list
• Suitable for rapid prototyping and automated testing

Whether you’re a developer, a maker, or just someone curious about hardware,
Python is an excellent starting point.

Setting Up

• Install Python 3.x or higher.
• Ensure you have access to a terminal or command-line tool to run Python scripts.

Installing Python packages and tools

Before you begin coding, make sure you’ve completed the following setup:

brew install hidapi         # Install the C-level hidapi library
pip install hidapi          # Install the Python bindings

Creating a project using VSCode

1. Create a folder, e.g., hid_scanner
2. Open the folder in VSCode
3. Add a new file: list_hid_devices.py

macOS HID Code

Here is the full macOS HID source code:

import hid

def list_hid_devices():
    devices = hid.enumerate()
    if not devices:
        print("No HID devices found.")
        return

    for idx, device in enumerate(devices):
        print(f"Device {idx + 1}:")
        print(f"  Vendor ID: {hex(device['vendor_id'])}")
        print(f"  Product ID: {hex(device['product_id'])}")
        print(f"  Manufacturer: {device.get('manufacturer_string')}")
        print(f"  Product: {device.get('product_string')}")
        print(f"  Serial Number: {device.get('serial_number')}")
        print(f"  Path: {device['path'].decode('utf-8') if isinstance(device['path'], bytes) else device['path']}")
        print(f"  Interface Number: {device.get('interface_number')}")
        print("-" * 40)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    list_hid_devices()

Code Explanation

The key points of this code are:

• Using hid.enumerate() to retrieve a list of all connected HID devices
• Using a for loop to iterate through and display each device’s information
• vendor_id and product_id are fundamental parameters used to identify the device
• manufacturer_string and product_string typically contain the brand and product name
• path is the internal identifier of the device, relevant for reading and writing operations

This information helps you quickly understand which HID devices are currently connected to your system and can serve as a basis for further communication or control.

macOS HID Devices

Below is a sample output from running list_hid_devices.py on macOS:

Device 1:
  Vendor ID       : 0x05ac
  Product ID      : 0x0250
  Manufacturer    : Apple Inc.
  Product         : Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad
  Serial Number   : XYZ1234567
  Path            : IOService:/AppleACPIPlatformExpert/...
  Interface Number: 0
----------------------------------------
Device 2:
  Vendor ID       : 0x046d
  Product ID      : 0xc534
  Manufacturer    : Logitech
  Product         : USB Receiver
  Serial Number   : None
  Path            : IOService:/AppleUSB20HubPort@1a000000/...
  Interface Number: 1
----------------------------------------
Device 3:
  Vendor ID       : 0x1a2b
  Product ID      : 0x1f2e
  Manufacturer    : Generic Manufacturer
  Product         : RFID Reader
  Serial Number   : A1B2C3D4E5
  Path            : IOService:/AppleUSB20HubPort@1d000000/...
  Interface Number: 2
----------------------------------------

Conclusion

With Python and hidapi, you can easily list and inspect all macOS HID devices.
This is very helpful for hardware application development, debugging device connections,
or even for automated testing.

Especially on macOS, you don’t need to install any drivers—
it just works out of the box.

As a next step, you can try communicating with HID devices (reading/writing data)
or even build a simple control panel with a GUI.

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