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How can I pair a bluetooth speaker with my MacBook Pro?

My brother just bought me a cool new Logitech wireless speaker and I'm eager to try it with my MacBook Pro, but it's not Airplay, it's a bluetooth speaker. I think my MacBook has bluetooth, but how do I pair the speaker and use it with my Mac OS X laptop?


Dave's Answer:

I know the wireless speaker you're talking about, actually, as we have one too, the Logitech Z515 wireless speaker (they need cooler names for their products, I think!). It's nice, portable, sounds good for the size and works as an audio device for any Bluetooth compatible source, including iPhones and, yes, MacBooks and MacBook Pro computers. It'll also work with PCs that support Bluetooth, of course: it's platform agnostic. :-)

Getting Bluetooth up and running on any computer can be a bit tricky because it's not a commonly used service, so it tends to be tucked away in the dusty corners of the operating system. On the Mac you can have a Bluetooth icon on your menu bar, but it's not enabled by default so you're still going to have to delve a bit into the system preferences to turn things on and get them running. There are two steps required too: first you have to "pair" the bluetooth speaker with your computer, then once that's done you can select the new device as an audio output device and use it. It's easier the second time.

Ready?

Start by launching your "System Preferences..." from the Apple menu:

mac pair bluetooth speaker 1

Once launched, you'll see a lot of icons representing different areas of your system. Look for the Bluetooth icon, as highlighted below:

mac pair bluetooth speaker 2

Click on Bluetooth and you'll see a list of previously paired Bluetooth devices -- if any -- along with a few minimally labelled control buttons:

mac pair bluetooth speaker 3

This is where it's confusing the first time you use it because I always expect either for the Bluetooth device to magically show up or a button labeled "Add new Bluetooth Device". Instead, click on the small "+" button on the lower left. Now the Bluetooth Setup Assistant will launch and it will see your new speaker after a few moments:

mac pair bluetooth speaker 4

Tip: If it doesn't see the speaker, make sure that you have the device in "pairing" mode. On the particular Logitech speaker you're talking about, that's done by pushing both the "+" and "-" speaker volume buttons simultaneously for about ten seconds. On other devices, there are similar techniques for moving into bluetooth pairing mode: check with the instructions that came with the device. It also can take a few seconds sometimes for the device to be "seen" by the computer.

Once it is, however, you can click on the "Continue" button on the lower right...

mac pair bluetooth speaker 5

Hopefully no more than five seconds will pass and the MacBook Pro will be able to successfully pair with the new speaker:

mac pair bluetooth speaker 6

Looks good, but you're not done, as is obvious if you look closely at the new speaker in the Bluetooth panel: it's not "connected" yet:

mac pair bluetooth speaker 7

To use the speaker as an external audio device on your Mac OS X system, select the speaker, then click on the "gear" menu on the lower left and select "Use as Audio Device":

mac pair bluetooth speaker 8

It can take 5-10 seconds to properly switch, but after a short period, the device should be listed as connected:

mac pair bluetooth speaker 9

Done. Now just crank iTunes and you'll find the audio comes out of the external bluetooth speaker. Nice!


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Reader Comments To Date: 9

malou said, on August 6, 2012 9:30 PM:

Hi Dave,, thank you.. its been very helpful.,

TJ said, on December 21, 2012 10:57 PM:

This was extremely helpful - thank you!

Laura said, on February 6, 2013 8:38 PM:

Thanks for the instructions! They worked perfectly until I clicked on the gear button and selected "use as audio device." The error message reads "Bluetooth audio failed. There was an error connecting to your headset. Make sure it is turned on and in range. The audio portion of the program you were using may have to be restarted." I turned on and off both my speaker and Itunes. It still didn't work - any idea what I might need to do?

Thanks!

Dave Taylor said, on February 7, 2013 9:33 AM:

Hmmm... have you previously paired the speaker with something else? That might still be "holding on to" the connection, which the Mac only sees when it tries to actually *use* the device for audio output?

Shannan said, on February 27, 2013 7:33 PM:

Great tutorial - worked perfectly and there was no way I could have figured this out. Thanks!

Viral said, on April 10, 2013 4:28 PM:

Thank you very much :-)
I just got new mbp, wanted to connect with awesome bluetooth twist speakers from iSound.

Geoff said, on April 19, 2013 9:32 PM:

Thank you!!! This worked famously.

Cheers,

g

Moltie said, on April 26, 2013 3:38 AM:

Thanks mate, very helpful!!

andrew Thistlethwaite said, on May 4, 2013 2:56 PM:

HI Dave!
The answer to connecting a bluetooth speaker to my macbook pro was very helpful. However, when it recognizes the "JBL Flip" I have, the type says "headset" and then it says it has failed to connect. So it can find the device but can't connect. Any ideas?

Andrew

Starbucks coffee cup I do have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but first I'd like to say thank you, Dave, for all your helpful information by buying you a cup of coffee!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!











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