How to connect a Bluetooth speaker to your Mac (macOS)
Today, mini speakers that connect to gadgets via Bluetooth are quite popular accessories. You can also connect them to your Mac (MacBook, iMac, Mac mini, etc.), expanding the sound range of standard speakers. With a wireless speaker, for example, an Apple laptop can become a veritable mini-theater with impressively deep sound.
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Connecting the speaker via Bluetooth to the Mac is a fairly simple task. One of the main requirements is that the wireless interface is activated on the computer itself and that the audio device is within signal range.
Make sure the speaker is not paired with other active devices nearby beforehand. So it is a good idea to disconnect from them beforehand.
MacOS in general can easily pair Bluetooth with any audio device, from headphones to fancy speakers.
Our step-by-step guide will be helpful for those who have never paired their Mac with speakers via Bluetooth or are inexperienced in wirelessly connecting audio devices to their computer. We explain step by step how to pair a Bluetooth speaker with your Mac.
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How can I connect a Bluetooth speaker to my Mac?
1. Turn on the wireless speaker and put it into discovery mode. This is normally done by pressing the power key or the dedicated button with the Bluetooth icon.
2. On a macOS device, press the menu in the upper right corner and select "System preferences"..
3. Go to Bluetooth.
4. In the that opens, enable the wireless interface if it is disabled. When a new item with the speaker icon appears in the device list, press the key. Connect. on the right side of the line.
5. Wait a few seconds. Once the Bluetooth speaker is connected, a small note will appear below it in the device list "Connected"..
After connecting the Bluetooth speaker, adjust the sound volume. You can do it on the speaker itself or on the computer.
The easiest way to check if the audio streaming is working is to open iTunes (the Music app on macOS Catalina and later), press the AirPlay icon, and play any song or watch a YouTube video. The audio must reach the wireless speakers.
In our example, the MacBook Pro is connected to a cheap but reasonable quality speaker system from AliExpress. It is far superior to the sound quality of the laptop's built-in speakers.
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How to disconnect the Bluetooth speaker from Mac (macOS)?
The easiest way to disconnect a wireless audio device from your Mac is to turn off the speaker. Except when you turn it back on, the device will try to pair again. But if you don't need to disconnect the speaker and you still need it to connect via Bluetooth to your iPad or iPhone, you will have to cancel the pairing with the audio device in the Mac menu bar or in the Bluetooth control .
1. In the macOS menu bar, click the Bluetooth icon.
2. In the device section, locate the speaker you are using. When you click on it, a submenu appears in which you must press "Disconnect"..
Another way to disable the speaker is to disable Bluetooth on the Mac itself. But this may not be a practical solution, as many s use a keyboard, mouse, and other accessories that connect wirelessly.
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How can I delete (forget) a Bluetooth speaker on my Mac?
To ensure that your Mac doesn't reconnect to a particular speaker and is no longer discoverable, you can disable that audio device on your computer.
1. Open the menu and select "System configuration"..
2. Select the Bluetooth settings .
3. To the right of the audio device name, tap the cross icon.
4. Confirm the removal of the connected speaker from the system.
Since the speaker has been disconnected and removed from the computer, if you want to connect an audio device via Bluetooth, you will have to follow the same steps described above.