Do you enjoy watching movies more when you use wireless headphones or headsets?

Wearing headphones is a great way to keep distractions out and enjoy a night of solo movie-viewing (and more). You may also enjoy working on your Mac with lo-fi hits in the background to keep your focus on your tasks.

Learn to connect a pair of brand new AirPods or Bluetooth headphones to your Mac. In this guide, we’ll show you some Bluetooth setup tips and how to set up your Bluetooth headset.

AirPods: How to Connect and Use on Mac

The revolutionary wireless AirPods work well with any Apple device, even MacBooks. For our first of many helpful Mac Bluetooth tips, we’ll show you how to connect AirPods to a Mac computer. This tip applies to brand new AirPods that haven’t connected to your Mac yet.

First, open System Preferences, and then select the Bluetooth menu. Turn on your Bluetooth and your new pair of AirPods. At the bottom center of the AirPods case, there’s a round button.

Press and hold that button until you see the white light blinking. Look at your Mac computer again and check that the headphones are in the list of Bluetooth devices. Now, you can use your new AirPods on your Mac or MacBook.

If your AirPods already got paired with your iPhone, the connection process is easier. Your iCloud account and Apple ID are both on your Mac and iPhone. Since your Apple ID and iCloud connects both devices, the Mac will recognize the AirPods.

How to Pair Wireless Headphones to Your Mac

Not everyone has a pair of AirPods yet. If you have a pair of Bluetooth compatible headphones, read the following instructions. If you want to learn how to connect Bluetooth headphones to Mac, open to the Bluetooth status menu in the menu bar and click Connect.

If you don’t have a Bluetooth status menu in the menu bar, open System Preferences. Go to the Bluetooth menu from there and turn on Bluetooth. From the list of Bluetooth devices, choose the headphones you want to connect with your Mac.

If you already paired your headphones to your Mac before, reconnect instead. Right-click on the device name from the list. Click on Connect and then proceed to peruse and enjoy your playlist.

Bluetooth Setup Tips

Now, you know how to connect your headphones to your Mac computer. Below are some more Bluetooth setup tips to help optimize your listening experience.

Show Volume Control and Control Playback

The Netflix effect has more people tuning into both small and big screens at home. In the US alone, Netflix has around 59 million subscribers. A lot of laptop users prefer the more immersive sounds of headphones rather than harsh laptop speakers.

If you’re watching alone, you may want to keep the volume control open on your Mac. Go to System Preferences and click on Sound or the speaker icon. Look for and click the checkbox next to Show volume in the menu bar.

For easier control, use the F10 and F11 keys to raise and lower the volume. Press on F10 to mute and F8 to pause or play music. Press F7 if you want to go to the previous track or F9 to go to the next track.

Connect Two Devices at the Same Time

Did you know you can connect two wireless headphones to your Mac via Bluetooth?

One of Mac’s best features lets you connect and use wireless devices to your Mac at the same time. You and a friend can watch a movie together while each using a separate pair of headphones.

To use two audio outputs at the same time, launch the Audio MIDI Setup from Applications. Click the plus icon you can find at the bottom left. Pick Multi-Output Device and a new option will appear.

Check the Bluetooth devices you want to play at the same time. After you check what you need, go to System Preferences and enter the Sound menu. In the Output tab, look for and choose Multi-Output Device.

Headphones aren’t the only devices you can use for this. You can also connect headphones and speakers at the same time. This feature is also useful if you want a surround-sound setup at home but have two different speaker sets.

Common Bluetooth Headphone Problems on Mac

Below are some Mac Bluetooth troubleshooting solutions for common problems with wireless headphones.

Connected Bluetooth Headsets Have No Audio

There will be times when none of the connected headphones have audio. To troubleshoot this issue, ensure the headphones are the selected audio output.

Under System Preferences, go to the Sound menu and open the Output tab. Look for the headphones you want to use together. Double-click them so they become active, and then try playing your sounds again.

If one or both the headphones remain soundless, try to remove them from the Mac’s Bluetooth menu. Go back to the System Preferences menu and click on Bluetooth. Look for the headphones, right-click on them, click on Remove, and confirm.

After you disconnect, reconnect the headphones again with the methods mentioned above.

I Can’t Connect My Headphones to Mac and Other Devices

The solution here is to restart your Bluetooth headphones. For AirPods, place them back in the case, but keep the lid open. Press the setup button and hold it until the light turns from amber to white.

If you’re using a different headset device, refer to its manual.

Enjoy Using Your Headphones With Your Mac

The great thing about Bluetooth headphones is convenience. They’re often hassle-free because of the lack of wires. Also, as newer models enter the market, we see more with longer battery lives and new features.

The best thing about these Bluetooth setup tips is they work with both old and newer headphone models. We hope you enjoy using your Bluetooth headsets or headphones with your Mac.

If you want to learn more useful tech tips, check out our other guides today! We encourage you to continue reading more of our articles to get all the tips and tricks you need.