Overview

You can play sound through your computer’s internal speakers or through speakers, headphones, or other equipment plugged into your Mac or available wirelessly through AirPlay.

If your Mac has separate ports for input and output, the sound input port has a microphone icon. If your Mac has only one sound port, it has a headphones icon () and can be used for both input and output.

You can use your computer’s internal microphone or an external microphone you plugged into your computer’s sound port or connected via USB

Changing Sound Input Devices

1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  (top-left corner of screen) > System Preferences, click Sound, then click Input.

2. Select the device you want to use in the list of sound input devices.

   All sound input devices available to your Mac are listed.

3. Do any of the following to adjust your sound input settings:

   • Adjust the input volume: Drag the volume slider.

     • If you’re recording sound through your computer’s sound port, you can adjust the input volume to compensate for the sound source being too loud or quiet.

       For example, if you’re recording loud music, lower the input volume so the recorded sound isn’t too loud or distorted. Or if you are recording someone who is speaking softly, increase the input volume so your Mac can better capture the person’s voice.

Changing Sound Output Devices

1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  (top-left corner of screen) > System Preferences, click Sound, then click Output.

2. Select the device you want to use in the list of sound output devices.

   All sound output devices available to your Mac are listed, including the computer’s internal speakers, devices plugged into your computer’s sound port (), USB speakers, and AirPlay devices.

   For any device plugged into the computer’s sound port, choose Headphones.

3. Do any of the following to adjust your sound output settings:

   • Adjust the balance or volume: Drag the volume slider.

   • Show a volume control in the menu bar: Select the “Show volume in menu bar” checkbox so you can turn the volume up or down from anywhere.

   • To set a separate volume for alert sounds, click Sound Effects.

   • If you use apps that have volume controls (for example, Music or iMovie), their settings can only be equal to or less than the computer’s output volume. They do not override the settings you choose in Sound preferences.

Adapted from Apple macOS User Guide: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-the-sound-output-settings-mchlp2256/mac and https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-the-sound-input-settings-mchlp2567/mac