10 Best Fixes For AirPods Won’t Connect To Mac

AirPods are one of Apple’s most popular gadgets. The shiny white exterior and the incredible sound experience offered by these compact, in-ear sound systems can justify the previous statement. AirPods Won’t Connect To Mac.

Linking your AirPods to your Apple devices’ atmosphere can be very helpful. But when you face connectivity problems, it is off-putting. Now, we don’t want you listening to music with interruptions or being inattentive in a class or meeting because of AirPods connectivity issues. That’s why we made this article for you.

10 Fixes For AirPods Won’t Connect To Mac

Solutions To The AirPods Won’t Connect To Mac Issue

These are the solutions that can be used to make the AirPods connect with your Mac as if there were no issues again.

  1. Reboot The Mac
  2. Connect The AirPods Charging Case To A Charger
  3. Check For The Charge On Your AirPods
  4. Clean The AirPods And The Case
  5. Enable The Bluetooth Service On The Mac
  6. Booth The AirPods Into The Bluetooth Pairing Mode
  7. Connect The AirPods Manually
  8. Make Your AirPods The Default Audio Output Device
  9. Forget Your AirPods As A Bluetooth Device On Mac
  10. Reset The AirPods

What Should You Do When Your AirPods Won’t Connect To Your Mac?

MacBook Air with a lit keypad

Your first workaround has to be downloading a software update for your MacBook. This could fundamentally hold the potential to fix this and many other problems.

Also, this is the universal solution to any generation of AirPods (1st Generation or 2nd Generation) or the relatively new AirPods Pro.

Reboot The Mac

  1. Bring down the Apple menu by clicking on the Apple icon.
  2. From this menu, choose the Restart option.
  3. Select the same in the prompt window that follows.

Connect The AirPods Charging Case To A Charger

Sets of AirPods, AirPods Pro and their respective charging cases

Apple AirPods come with a storage cum charging case, which is very important for storing and powering the AirPods up. You will be able to find the charging port for this holder, under the case.

Use a genuine cable with a lightning pin to charge the case. If your case charges, wirelessly, you just have to place it gently on the charging mat.

This connectivity issue can also be caused by a low charge on the AirPods, which is a consequence of a charger with a low battery. 

Check For The Charge On Your AirPods

A pair of AirPods cannot function or produce flickering audio output if it manages to remain connected to the host device, which in this case is the Mac.

You can simply put your AirPods back into their case for them to charge up. If the AirPods are charging, you will see 

Clean The AirPods And The Case

AirPods charging case with the charging cable

This is not a concern for connectivity but for charging. Dust particles in the charging port or the inside of the charger case can stop the AirPods or the case itself from charging.

Use a cotton bud, gently to wipe the insides of the AirPods’ earpieces and the charging case. If you suspect the entry of water or any other liquid, you can take it to the Apple Genius bar or a store.

Enable The Bluetooth Service On The Mac

One common mistake we all make is that we’ll forget to turn on the Bluetooth attribute. We’ve been there. Just take a look if Bluetooth is enabled. If it hasn’t been activated, go into the Apple menu > System Preferences > Bluetooth > Show Bluetooth in the menu bar and then, toggle this feature on. 

System Preferences window on Mac

Boot The AirPods Into The Bluetooth Pairing Mode

Bluetooth Pairing Mode is a Mac feature that is used to connect the AirPods with the Apple gadget, even if it isn’t linked to an iCloud account. This is very simple.

  1. Place the AirPods in the charging case, carefully, and do not close the lid down.
  2. If you are looking at the front portion of the charging case, turn it around and locate the round button. This is the setup button.
Setup button on a charging case
  1. Press and hold the setup button. Do not release the setup button, until the light turns white.

Connect The AirPods Manually

If the automatic connection does not work, the manual method might help fix the AirPods not connecting issue.

  1. Turn on Bluetooth and open the lid of the AirPods’ charging case.
AirPods Pro with the charging case lid open
  1. Open the System Preferences on your Mac and go into the Bluetooth settings.
  2. From the list of devices, click twice on your AirPods. 

This will force these two devices to connect.

Make Your AirPods The Default Audio Output Device

If you work with a bigger system, you can try troubleshooting the issue. But for a MacBook or an iPhone, you might just have to make the AirPods your default.

  1. Activate Bluetooth on your Mac and bring the AirPods into your Mac’s proximity. Keep the lid open.
  2. Go to the System Preferences > Sounds > Output.
  3. Select your AirPods from this list to be made as to the default outlet for sound on your system.

Forget Your AirPods As A Bluetooth Device On Mac

Let’s try forgetting the Bluetooth connection between the AirPods and the MacBook.

MacBook and 2nd Generation AirPods on a table
  1. Follow this path:

Apple menu > System Preferences > Bluetooth

  1. Choose the AirPods from the list of devices and press the cross (X) by the AirPods.
  2. Place the AirPods in the case and bring it close to the Mac, with the case open.

To reconnect, click on the AirPods and select the Connect option. 

Reset The AirPods

Resetting might sound scary but it’ll just delete all the set configurations for the AirPods. You will practically be getting a set of AirPods with fresh software. This is an excellent solution to the AirPods not connecting issue.

Press the Setup button and hold it until the status light flashes amber, a few times, and after a few seconds, flashes white. 

This will have reset your AirPods, back to the default. After this, try to connect your AirPods with a MacBook.