Simply open the charging case near your Mac (with your computer’s Bluetooth setting enabled), and click on the “Bluetooth” icon from the menu bar. Here, select your “AirPods,” and click on the “Connect” button to connect them to your Mac.

But this process doesn’t always work. If you don’t see your AirPods in this menu, or if they’re not connecting, you’ll have to manually pair them to your Mac. To do this, click on the “Apple” logo from the menu bar and then select the “System Preferences” option.

Here, go to the Bluetooth menu and make sure that Bluetooth is enabled.

Flip open the charging case near your Mac.

Now, press and hold the physical “Setup” button at the back of the device’s case (it’s the small circular button) until the status light flashes white. This means the AirPods are in pairing mode.

In just a second or two, you should see the AirPods in the Devices list on your Mac. Here, click on the “Connect” button next to the device’s name.

If your device support the Hey Siri functionality, you’ll be asked if you want to enable it. Click on the “Enable” button if you want to turn it on.

And that’s it. Your AirPods or AirPods Pro are now connected to your Mac. Click on the “Options” button next to the headphone listing to change the settings any time your headphones are connected to your computer.

Here, you can configure the double-tap actions, disable Automatic Ear Detection, noise cancellation settings for AirPods Pro, and choose which microphone to use.

Now that your AirPods are connected, just take the earbuds out of the case and put them in your ears. You’ll hear the familiar connection chime that will tell you that your Mac has switched the audio output to your headphones.

If your AirPods are paired but not connected, you can click on the “Volume Control” button from the menu bar and choose your earbuds to switch to them.

You can monitor your AirPods battery and connection status from the Bluetooth menu in the menu bar. Here, click on the “Disconnect” button if you want to stop using AirPods on your Mac, or if you want to switch to a different device.