So you’ve bought yourself a fresh new pair of Apple’s AirPods and are currently going through the process of syncing them up with your various devices. Whether you own a MacBook Air or Pro, connecting your AirPods is like riding a bike. Once you learn how to do it you’ll never forget it.
Here’s how you can connect AirPods to a MacBook
Firstly, make sure your MacBook’s Bluetooth is currently turned on. To do this, you can hit the Bluetooth icon that will be menubar on the top of the screen and select “Turn Bluetooth On”.
You can also access your Bluetooth via System Preferences, which should be in the Dock at the bottom of your screen. Once in System Preferences, select “Turn Bluetooth On”.
Now that your Bluetooth is on, if you’re in the Bluetooth dropdown from the menubar or in System Preferences, there should be a list of available devices that you can sync to.
Take your AirPods out of their case and then look for them on this list. Once you’ve found your AirPods, select it and it should connect to your MacBook.
But what if you can’t see your AirPods in this list of devices? First, you’ll need to place both AirPods back into the charging case, while keeping the lid open. You’ll need to then press and hold the setup button located on the back of the case. Once the status light on the case flashes white you should be able to select your AirPods from the device list.
What to do if your AirPods aren’t connecting
If your AirPods still aren’t connecting to your MacBook Pro or Air, you should first double-check that you have a compatible macOS installed. The AirPods (2nd generation) require Mojave 10.14.4 or later, while the AirPods Pro requires Catalina 10.15.1 or later. You can check this by hitting the Apple icon in the top lefthand corner of your screen and then selecting “About This Mac”.
Another way you can fix your connect is to reset your MacBook’s Bluetooth. This involves toggling it off for a moment (I usually wait around 30 seconds) and then switching it back on.
If your AirPods still won’t connect to your MacBook you’ll need to reset the earbuds. You’ll need to first remove your AirPods from the list of devices in the Bluetooth setting.
After you’ve done this, place the AirPods back in the case with the lid open and hold down the setup button located on the back of the case until the status light flashes white. You should be able to select your AirPods from the list of devices again.