How to Share Audio on Your Mac with Two Bluetooth Headphones
Looking to enjoy a movie alongside a friend using your Mac? Whether you’re coping with the challenges of a lengthy flight or dealing with malfunctions from your MacBook Air speakers, there’s good news. Macs come equipped with an integrated feature that allows them to combine several sound outputs, negating the need for any external applications. This enables you to connect two pairs of Bluetooth headphones and enjoy the same audio without experiencing any audio delay or drift.
Step 1: Pair Both Devices via Bluetooth
Begin by linking both Bluetooth headphones to your Mac. This can be accomplished by navigating to the Control Center and selecting Bluetooth.
If the devices haven’t been paired yet, they won’t appear in the list. In that case, head to System Settings and then select Bluetooth to pair the headphones with your Mac.
Step 2: Configure Dual Audio Outputs
To initiate the audio configuration, launch the Audio MIDI Setup application. You can locate it in the Applications folder under Utilities or quickly find it through Spotlight Search or Launchpad.
In the Audio MIDI Setup window, click the Plus icon in the lower-left corner and select Create Multi-Output Device.
You will see all connected audio devices. Select the two devices you wish to use for playback. You can designate one as the Primary Device. The app will automatically activate the Drift Correction feature for the secondary headphone, ensuring both devices are perfectly synchronized.
Next, double-click the Multi-Output Device name in the sidebar to assign it a name that is easy to remember. To test the setup, control-click this group and select Use This Device for Sound Output. This action will immediately direct the audio to the paired headphones.
For a quicker way to switch audio to the headphones, consider using the Sound menu within the Control Center.
Click the Control Center icon on the menu bar, then navigate to the Devices tab under Sound (it’s possible to drag the Sound option directly onto the menu bar for easier convenience).
Select the audio pair you just created. If this is your first time, pick the Multi-Output Device and it will automatically be updated with the name you’ve assigned, facilitating easier selection in future sessions.
When you’re ready to use this configuration again, remember to connect both devices separately through the Bluetooth menu first, and then select them as a combined output from the Sound menu (they won’t show as an integrated pair in the Bluetooth menu by default).
