If you've set up first-generation or second-generation AirPods with your iPhone and your Mac is signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID, then your AirPods should be ready to use with your Mac.

how to pair airpods with your mac
Ideally, all you need to do is put your AirPods in your ears, click the Bluetooth icon in your Mac's menu bar, select your AirPods from the dropdown list, and click Connect.

If you don't see your AirPods in the Bluetooth menu, you can pair them manually with your Mac in the following way.

How to Connect AirPods to Mac

  1. On your Mac, launch System Preferences from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...).
  2. Click the Bluetooth pane.
    how to pair airpods with mac

  3. Make sure Bluetooth is turned on.
  4. With your AirPods in their charging case, open the lid.
  5. Press and hold the button on the back of the charging case until the status light between the AirPods flashes white.
    how to pair airpods with mac 2

  6. Select your AirPods in the Bluetooth devices list and click Connect.

Next time you want to use your AirPods with your Mac, place them in your ears and they should automatically pair. If they don't (if they pair with your nearby iPhone instead, for example) simply click the Bluetooth icon in your Mac's menu bar, select your AirPods in the dropdown list, and click Connect.

How to Customize AirPod Controls on a Mac

Apple AirPods support a number of gestural touch controls that you can customize, including the option to change tracks with a double tap.

All of these options can be accessed in the Settings app while the AirPods are connected to your iPhone or iPad. But you can also access them when your AirPods are connected to your Mac. Here's how:

  1. On your Mac, launch System Preferences from the Apple menu bar ( -> System Preferences...).
  2. Click the Bluetooth pane.
    how to pair airpods with mac

  3. In the Bluetooth devices list, click the Options button next to your AirPods.
    how to pair airpods with mac 3

From this menu, you can enable or disable manual ear detection, choose to use the left or right AirPod microphone, and choose what happens when you double tap an AirPod.

how to pair airpods with mac 4
Double-tap options include Siri, Play/Pause, Off, Next Track, and Previous Track. Note that you can also set different gestures for the left and the right AirPod.

Related Roundup: AirPods 4
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Buy Now)
Related Forum: AirPods

Top Rated Comments

YegorH Avatar
84 months ago
“Ideally, all you need to do is put your AirPods in your ears, click the Bluetooth icon in your Mac's menu bar, select your AirPods from the dropdown list, and click connect...”

This is the biggest problem with AirPods + multiple devices. Why should the user go through 3 steps to connect? Why not give a pop-up to connect or dismiss when the Mac or iPad, or any other device detects AirPods?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Tsai Avatar
84 months ago
This is the biggest problem with AirPods + multiple devices. Why should the user go through 3 steps to connect?
I develop an app called ToothFairy ('https://c-command.com/toothfairy/') that makes this much easier. You can just press a hotkey or click an icon in the menu bar to connect to your AirPods.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
doctor-don Avatar
82 months ago
Selected Bluetooth: On - OK
Selected My AirPods: Connected
Selected Preferences > Sound > Output - BUT NO AIRPODS IN THE DEVICES!!!!

They connect just fine to my phone.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Futurix Avatar
84 months ago
I don't have as much of an issue with the Mac connection option as the steps to reconnect on a phone. Unlock > Settings > Bluetooth > Tap ... So dumb.
You can just choose AirPods in the Now Playing widget in Control Centre (or use the device selection button in the same way in Music / Podcasts / TV / Spotify / etc).
And in case of Control Centre there is no need to unlock.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pdaholic Avatar
84 months ago
Sometimes my AirPods will just decide that no matter what I do, they refuse to connect to my 2013 MacBook Pro. Have to forget the device and pair it all over again. Granted it might occur one out of 30 times that I paid them, but still...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGuder Avatar
84 months ago
“Ideally, all you need to do is put your AirPods in your ears, click the Bluetooth icon in your Mac's menu bar, select your AirPods from the dropdown list, and click connect...”

This is the biggest problem with AirPods + multiple devices. Why should the user go through 3 steps to connect? Why not give a pop-up to connect or dismiss when the Mac or iPad, or any other device detects AirPods?
Exactly...every time I connect my Airpods to my Mac then later I go to workout and listen to some music on my iPhone I have to go through 3 steps to get them to re connect to my iPhone. Then later at night if I want to use my Airpods again on my Mac I have to do the same thing go thru the re connect process. If Bluetooth is already on (like I have) then it should just be 1 pop up that says re connect. Why make me jump thru all these menus to re connect on the same Apple products?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...