Guides
Why macOS moves your audio where you did not ask it to, and what you can do about it — whether or not you ever install anything.
- Why your Mac keeps switching audio to your AirPodsYour AirPods wake up and steal the sound from your speakers. Here is why macOS does it, the settings that reduce it, and how to stop it happening at all.
- How to set a default audio output device on macOSHow to change your Mac audio output, how to switch quickly from the menu bar, and why the setting does not stick when you plug something else in.
- Stop macOS sending audio to your monitor’s speakersPlug in a display and your Mac moves the sound to its tinny built-in speakers. Why that happens when you dock, and the ways to stop it.
- How macOS actually chooses your audio deviceThe rule behind every unwanted audio switch on a Mac, what Core Audio does and does not let apps control, and the macOS 26 audio bugs worth knowing about.
- Stop your Mac switching the microphone to your AirPodsYour AirPods connect mid-call and suddenly you sound like you are in a tunnel. Why the microphone moves, why it makes everything sound worse, and how to keep it put.
- How to set audio device priority on a MacYou want AirPods first, then your Bluetooth speaker, then the built-in speakers. Here is what macOS offers, what the Audio MIDI Setup options really do, and what works.
- Why your Mac blasts the speakers when headphones disconnectYour headphones disconnect and whatever you were playing comes out of the Mac speakers, sometimes loudly. Why it happens and how to make it quieter or rarer.
- Mac microphone input keeps changing? How to set a default mic that sticksYour USB mic, webcam or AirPods keep taking over as the Mac microphone. How to change the default microphone on macOS, and how to stop it changing again.
- How to record a podcast on a Mac: the audio setup that won’t let you downRecording a podcast on a MacBook or iMac: choosing the mic in GarageBand and QuickTime, the Mic Mode setting to check, and stopping macOS switching devices mid-show.
- Mac audio setup for YouTube and streaming: OBS, voiceovers and screen recordingsGetting clean audio on a Mac for YouTube videos and streams: choosing the mic in OBS and screen recordings, capturing desktop audio, and keeping devices from moving.