The Control menu can be accessed under Options. In order to configure controls however, a Name must be created so that the custom controls only apply to that name, making it not possible to alter global controls.
Once in the menu, the player can set any of the buttons to any of the "standard" actions: attack, special, jump, grab, and shield. Smash attacks and taunts can also be configured, but are only available for certain buttons. The only controls that cannot be altered are the left control stick and the Start Button, as they retain their option for movement and pausing respectively.
In addition to configuring buttons, players can also change the option for tap jumping, shaking the controller to begin a smash attack (Wii Remote with Nunchuck only), or simultaneously pressing the special and attack buttons to begin a smash attack (Wii U version only).
The controllers that can be configured in Brawl are the Wii Remote with Nunchuck, Wii Remote held sideways, Classic Controller, and GameCube Controller, bringing a total of four possible options. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U retains all these options and adds to the list the Wii U GamePad, the Wii U Pro Controller, and the Nintendo 3DS, bringing the total number of possible control schemes to seven. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS only allows the option of swapping actions between buttons instead of selecting from a list, and only one configuration can be saved.
Once customization is complete, they can be tested by pressing the Start Button, with Mario being the test character. Once the controls are saved, they can be used in any game mode by selecting the name at the character selection screen.