Use AirPods with your Mac
When your AirPods are nearby and ready to use with your Mac, you can use them to listen to music, use Siri or handle phone calls. To learn more about AirPods, see the AirPods User Guide.
Pair your AirPods with your Mac
With your AirPods in their case, open the lid.
Press and hold either the setup button on the back of the case or the noise control button (on AirPods Max only) until the status light flashes white.
On your Mac, choose Apple menu
in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)Open Bluetooth settings for me
Tip: To make it easier to connect your AirPods, you can add the Bluetooth status icon or Sound control to the menu bar using Control Centre settings.
Hold the pointer over your AirPods in the list of devices on the right, then click Connect.
If your AirPods support it, click Enable to be able to say “Hey Siri” to start using Siri with your AirPods.
If asked whether you want to improve Siri and Dictation, do one of the following:
Share audio recordings: Click Share Audio Recordings to allow Apple to store audio of your Siri and dictation interactions from this Mac. Apple may review a sample of stored audio.
Don’t share audio recordings: Click Not Now.
If you change your mind later and want to share or stop sharing audio recordings, you can turn the Improve Siri & Dictation option on or off in Privacy & Security settings. See Change Privacy & Security settings.
Note: You can remove the audio recordings from Apple servers whenever you like — see Delete Siri and Dictation history.
You can change your settings to connect your AirPods automatically or only when last connected to your Mac. See Change when your AirPods connect to your Mac.
Change AirPods settings on your Mac
Wear your AirPods and make sure they’re connected to your Mac.
On your Mac, choose Apple menu
Change the controls for your AirPods. (Options vary by model.)
See Change settings for AirPods (1st or 2nd generation), Change settings for AirPods (3rd generation), Change settings for AirPods Pro (all generations) or Change audio settings for AirPods Max in the AirPods user guide.
Turn Spatial Audio on or off on your Mac
When you listen to audio on supported apps like Apple TV or FaceTime, AirPods (3rd generation), AirPods Pro and AirPods Max use Spatial Audio to create an immersive surround sound experience. You can turn Spatial Audio and head tracking on or off for each supported app.
Note: Spatial Audio with AirPods is only available on Mac with Apple silicon.
Wear your AirPods and make sure they’re connected to your Mac.
On your Mac, click the AirPods icon
in the menu bar or Sound in Control Centre.If the AirPods icon isn’t in the menu bar, choose Apple menu
in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) Click the pop-up menu next to Sound on the right, then choose “Always Show in Menu Bar”.Choose one of the following below Spatial Audio:
Off: Turns off both Spatial Audio and head tracking.
Fixed: Turns on Spatial Audio without head tracking.
Head Tracked: Turns on both Spatial Audio and head tracking. This allows the sound to follow the movement of your head.
If you don’t want Spatial Audio to follow the movement of your head, you can turn that option off in Audio settings for accessibility.
If you set up Personalised Spatial Audio on your iPhone, you can turn it off in AirPods settings on your Mac. See Control Spatial Audio and head tracking in the AirPods user guide.
Change noise control modes on AirPods from your Mac
Switch between noise cancellation and transparency modes while listening to audio from your Mac on AirPods Pro or AirPods Max.
Wear your AirPods and make sure they’re connected to your Mac.
On your Mac, click the AirPods icon
in the menu bar or Sound in the Control Centre, then choose one of the following:Noise Cancellation: Blocks out external sounds.
Transparency: Lets you hear the sounds around you.
Off: Turns off both noise cancellation and transparency.
If the AirPods icon isn’t in the menu bar, choose Apple menu
Tip: If your AirPods support it, you can activate Siri with your voice by saying “Hey Siri”. Open Siri settings and make sure “Listen for ‘Hey Siri’ on AirPods” is turned on. See Change Siri & Spotlight settings.