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  • How can I pair / connect bluetooth speakers to my Mac?

How can I pair / connect bluetooth speakers to my Mac?

June 28, 2010 / Dave Taylor / Mac & MacOS Help, Most Popular / 51 Comments

My brother sent me some really cool wireless bluetooth speakers for my computer and I can’t figure out how to make them work. Is there some secret to getting a MacBook to use a bluetooth speaker system?

Actually, there is a nuance involved with bluetooth speakers based on my experience because pairing them to your Mac doesn’t automatically mean that they’re selected as audio output devices. It’s a two step process and the Bluetooth Setup Assistant doesn’t make that clear at all.

A few weeks ago YUBZ sent me a pretty cool bluetooth speaker called a MAGNUM and I went through the same confusion it sounds like you’re having.

The first step with bluetooth devices of any sort is to put them into “pairing” or “discoverable” mode, which in this case involves pushing and holding the power button for about ten seconds.

Then, on your Mac, go to “System Preferences…” –> “Bluetooth”:

mac pair bluetooth speakers 0
Make sure you have Bluetooth turned on (e.g. that box checked), then click on “Set Up New Device…” which actually launches the Bluetooth Setup Assistant:

mac pair bluetooth speakers 1
Hopefully your device shows up here: if it doesn’t then double-check that it’s in pairing mode (check the manual if it’s not obvious). In this case, the generically named “Headset” is actually the remote speaker we want to connect.
Choose it and click “Continue”…

mac pair bluetooth speakers 2
What you should see next is that the computer has figured out some information about the device, it’s “discovered” it:

mac pair bluetooth speakers 3

As you can see, it’s now paired, but it’s not connected. Confusing. In fact, it sounds like this is where you got without being able to proceed further. No surprise, this is where you seem to need insider info.

See the little gear button on the bottom? You need to click it:

mac pair bluetooth speakers 4
Ahhh… that’s what we want: “Use as Audio Device”. Choose stereo if it is indeed a stereo device (it probably is) or mono otherwise. Now it’s all good:

mac pair bluetooth speakers 5
That’s all there is to it. You have to take that second step for it to work or you’ll have the bluetooth pairing but it won’t actually be used as a speaker.

That’ll get you working, so have fun!

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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!
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51 comments on “How can I pair / connect bluetooth speakers to my Mac?”

  1. rakesh p botle says:
    August 17, 2018 at 2:51 pm

    Nicely explained with good illustration good work done thanks

    Reply
  2. George says:
    March 16, 2018 at 7:46 am

    I’ve got almost the same problem but with Windows and headphones instead of speakers. They pair just fine but won’t connect. They work on Linux with the exact same machine, just not on Windows. I already reinstalled the Bluetooth drivers but nothing. Any help would be appreciated.

    Reply
  3. CAM says:
    August 17, 2017 at 4:46 pm

    SO HELPFUL THXXXXX

    Reply
  4. heidi says:
    December 13, 2016 at 10:49 am

    i don’t have the “set up new device” option…
    it just lists my mouse and keyboard…
    i cannot get my computer look for any new devices, my mac is only about 18 months old…

    Reply
  5. Holly says:
    November 27, 2016 at 1:18 pm

    This was incredibly helpful. Thank you!!!

    Reply
  6. Bluetooth How To Connect Mac | MisHowTo says:
    November 2, 2016 at 8:30 am

    […] How can I pair / connect bluetooth speakers to my Mac … – Actually, there is a nuance involved with bluetooth speakers based on my experience because pairing them to your Mac doesn’t automatically mean that they’re … […]

    Reply
    • Joe Famulary says:
      September 30, 2018 at 4:39 pm

      It took me a week or so of persistence. All the advice I got from “experts,” including Samsung support, was either inadequate, or partially correct.

      So I have 3 Samsung Smart TV’s. For a while my headphones worked well on my 55” TV, then it quit, gradually! I could not connect to either of the other TV’s, but now can. Here are the steps I used to solve the problem:

      1.Using the remote, got to MENU->Sound->RESET SOUND.
      2. Got to Tools ->Speaker List ->AUDIO->Bluetooth Audio. If it says not paired, click on it and it should pair. If it says paired, click on that tab and hit connect.

      I seem to remember a setting that says: Show when a Bluetooth device is detected. If it is checked no, you might not be able to connect. I cannot find it now, and do not need it as apparently when the sound is reset it sets to show detected Bluetooth devices.

      Hope that helps.

      Reply
  7. Richard Duffy says:
    October 23, 2016 at 1:24 pm

    No problem pairing my Bose mini, but the sound is delayed compared to my other speakers which are connected by airport wifi. Any thoughts?

    Reply
  8. John Dyball says:
    January 18, 2016 at 10:24 am

    I got there in the end and it now connects to my Bose bluetooth with superior sound. How do I revert to the laptop speaker though?

    Reply
    • Dave Taylor says:
      January 18, 2016 at 11:51 am

      You can either turn off Bluetooth, disconnect from your speaker within the Bluetooth app, or simply go to Apple > System Preferences… > Sound and switch your output to the internal speakers. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Amanda says:
    August 31, 2015 at 3:01 pm

    I followed these steps but don’t seem to have some of those options.
    I would leave a screen shot if I could…
    When I select “use as audio device” my music plays but no sound comes out of the speaker. Then I get an error message that says “A bluetooth audio error occurred”

    Reply
  10. Clarey says:
    May 19, 2015 at 4:37 am

    Amazing, thank you – just where I was stuck and totally worked.
    Why don’t they tell you that in the Bluetooth setup?
    So grateful

    Reply
  11. Lori says:
    March 12, 2015 at 2:38 pm

    Darn I tried what you said to do but it didn’t work. My Macbook pro is about 5years old so maybe thats why it didn’t work.. I did sign up for your email. I liked the way you presented the info

    Thank you
    Lori

    Reply
  12. Adrian says:
    December 11, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    How i can contact my new speakers Sony GTK-N1BT with my Mac book pro thank you very much i really need this help

    Reply
  13. Michele says:
    November 4, 2014 at 6:40 am

    Thank you, just paired our new sound base (Roth) with my iMac, your advice is much appreciated! I love my Mac but it still defeats me quite regularly!
    Regards, Michèle

    Reply
  14. Rick says:
    August 30, 2014 at 11:01 am

    Dave, I want to Blue tooth (2) Soma BT’s to my Macbook pro- can you find the solution?

    Reply
    • Dave Taylor says:
      September 1, 2014 at 12:45 pm

      A lot of devices are designed so that they can’t dual pair to a system. I’d contact their tech support team and ask, but it’s possible you’re out of luck, Rick.

      Reply
    • sarah says:
      July 16, 2015 at 2:22 pm

      Thank you!!!! I also have a 5 year old macbook pro and this totally worked. Keep trying Lori!

      Reply
  15. Fred355 says:
    August 24, 2014 at 5:47 pm

    I need the same solution using OS 10.4.11 PowerBook G4 Titanium. I use the PB to play iTune through my stereo. Bought Iogear Bluetooth 2.0 USB Adapter, Class 1 because no Bluetooth in PB. Requires OS 10.3 or later. The PB recognizes the Eton Rugged Ruckus BT speaker but does not pair. When I chose Headset instead of Any Devise, PB says BT hardware does not recognize headsets, but Iogear box and instructions state that it does.

    Reply
  16. smiles.c.s@btpenworld.com says:
    March 5, 2014 at 11:21 am

    Great instructions, have just been able to pair a remote LBL speaker via bluetooth to my iMac.

    Until found this post have been trying for a couple of weeks without success.

    Reply
  17. Jim Sinclair says:
    January 21, 2014 at 7:24 pm

    Like many before me, I looked for help in my MacBook help to no avail. One look at “ask Dave Taylor” and I am a happy person for at least this night. Thank you Dave Taylor!

    Reply
  18. Jody says:
    January 11, 2014 at 5:03 am

    Thanks! It worked. (if you’re following this DON’T get excited and skip any steps)

    Reply
  19. christina says:
    December 29, 2013 at 5:47 pm

    Thank you! My frustration is now gone

    Reply
  20. Kayte says:
    December 28, 2013 at 5:06 am

    Thank you so much! This worked! 🙂

    Reply
  21. Héctor says:
    December 13, 2013 at 2:56 pm

    Thank you very much! I struggled with this for weeks!! I managed to pair my macbook pro with a Pioneer receptor.

    Reply
  22. H Coats says:
    December 5, 2013 at 1:43 pm

    Thank you. Worked perfectly. High five.

    Reply
  23. Germán Bezares says:
    November 2, 2013 at 11:05 am

    Thanks for the information, I was ready to return the JBL speaker

    Reply
  24. Axel says:
    April 19, 2013 at 7:28 am

    Works great! I just paired the JBL Charge. And do not forget to push the button “use as audio device”
    Also a fine tool for presentations with audio 🙂

    Reply
  25. Greg says:
    April 17, 2013 at 8:40 pm

    Thank you so much! You’re the first post in many to clear up this issue.

    Reply
  26. Dave Taylor says:
    March 14, 2013 at 10:20 pm

    adam, are you sure that you’ve selected the JBL’s as your audio output device? I’ve seen the smarter and more capable the device, the harder time the computer or gadget has figuring out what exactly it should be sending to the device.

    Reply
    • susan says:
      November 20, 2014 at 1:06 pm

      I don’t have the gear icon on my Bluetooth setup page in settings on my Macbook Pro. What kind of computer are you using? Just downloaded Yosemite

      Reply
      • Dave Taylor says:
        November 22, 2014 at 7:50 am

        On Yosemite click on the “Advanced” button on the lower right of the Bluetooth control panel, Susan!

        Reply
        • Simon says:
          January 20, 2015 at 12:04 pm

          Doesn’t work on my copy of Yosemite.
          The “Advanced” button just opens a silly dialog with three checkboxes for wakeup etc.

          Reply
          • Dave Taylor says:
            January 20, 2015 at 6:03 pm

            Yeah, you’re right that in Yosemite there’s no pairing “wizard” any more, Simon. Now you just have to ensure that the device is in pairing mode then look at the list in the Bluetooth System Preferences and wait for it to show up so you can pair. Not sure why they made this harder, but…

  27. adam says:
    March 14, 2013 at 6:47 pm

    I did everything. I’m trying to get my laptop to play on my JBL OnBeat Awake http://eu.jbl.com/jbl_product_detail_eu/jbl-onbeat-awake-black.html but no sound will come out even though fully synced.

    Reply
  28. Nkanyiso Ngcobo says:
    February 9, 2013 at 9:05 am

    Thanks Dave< I’ve been frustrated for days as I couldn’t connect to my Samsung Soundbar. You have certainly made my weekend.

    Reply
  29. saltan says:
    February 4, 2013 at 9:13 pm

    thanks man

    Reply
  30. kamil says:
    January 15, 2013 at 9:04 am

    thankyou, i had no clue!

    Reply
  31. Debbie says:
    January 6, 2013 at 1:11 pm

    Thank you so very much….couldn’t figure out how to do this anywhere else! Happy again!

    Reply
  32. Peter Douglas says:
    December 18, 2012 at 9:22 pm

    Yet another step for me, I had to go back into Settings – Sound, Output tab and select the device for sound output.

    Reply
  33. Crystal says:
    December 3, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    THANK YOU. Very helpful.

    Reply
  34. Jamireau says:
    November 25, 2012 at 6:50 am

    Hi Dave, in fact I did all the above but still no connection although my Macbookpro is paired to my Paranello speaker. Is there any reason you can think of that may cause no connection ?

    Reply
  35. ben Que says:
    November 13, 2012 at 12:32 pm

    thank you so much

    Reply
  36. Phil says:
    August 30, 2012 at 12:15 pm

    Having spent 2 1/2 hours scouring the web for a solution, finally come across this which DOES allow playback through Bose Soundlink… Genius!

    Reply
  37. Thitsa says:
    May 11, 2012 at 11:22 am

    thank you so much- so simple- you would think they would have a forced action for you to take to activate. my headphones work great now!!!

    Reply
  38. Nate says:
    February 18, 2012 at 10:37 am

    Dave,
    Thanks for your post, it worked right away. The only difference on my computer was that when I paired the device and went to the gear at the bottom of the screen, I had to select ‘Show more info’ and the ‘Update User Device’. Great walk through on this, you put me on the right track.
    Cheers

    Reply
  39. solomon says:
    January 4, 2012 at 11:21 pm

    I am trying to set up bluetooth speakers on my macbook pro os 10.4.11. It pairs, but it cannot connect, and there is no connect button or icon in the bluetooth setup. I also cannot find the bluetooth speakers in the audio out options. Does only OS 10.5+ support bluetooth speakers? If only OS 10.5+ supports bluetooth speakers, then why are bluetooth headphones an option in the bluetooth setup menu?

    Reply
    • anne says:
      October 8, 2013 at 8:26 am

      try going into the settings for the speaker and seeing if there is anything unusual. i was really struggling with my auvio speaker until i discovered that my computer was defaulted to using a password with it — but there was no password. i removed the password option and it connected. finally!

      Reply
  40. Chris says:
    December 30, 2011 at 6:40 pm

    Thank you so much for helping me to properly pair my Bose SoundLink to my MacBook.
    Helpful with light humor involved is always appropriate.
    Happy New Year!

    Reply
  41. Morag says:
    September 29, 2011 at 2:12 pm

    Thank you! I could not get my iMac to link to my new Bose wireless portable speaker and could not find help anywhere but your extra steps lead me to a solution…

    Reply
  42. ranjani says:
    July 1, 2010 at 12:05 am

    hi,
    I have connected my digital camera to my pc through usb cable but there was no pop up menu/window has been shown on my pc. So i want to ask what to do in this situation.

    Reply

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