AirPods Volume Too Low on Mac? Make Them Louder

Your AirPods are plenty loud on your iPhone. Connect them to your Mac and everything is too quiet. System volume is at max, the app is at max, and it's still not enough.

This is one of the most common audio complaints from Mac users with AirPods, and it's almost always fixable. There are a handful of possible causes, so check them in order.

1. Headphone Safety is limiting your volume

This is the most common cause. macOS can cap headphone volume to protect your hearing.

Go to System Settings > Sound > Headphone Safety. If "Reduce Loud Audio" is on, macOS limits how loud your AirPods can get.

Fix: turn off "Reduce Loud Audio", or raise its threshold. You'll get more headroom right away.

2. Bluetooth volume is out of sync

Bluetooth audio has a volume level on the Mac side and one on the AirPods side. They're supposed to stay in sync, but sometimes the Mac shows 100% while the AirPods play lower.

Fix: disconnect your AirPods (System Settings > Bluetooth, click the "i" next to them, Disconnect), wait a few seconds and reconnect. You can also put them back in the case, close the lid, wait ten seconds and take them out again.

3. AirPods are stuck in headset mode

When something uses your AirPods' microphone (a call, Siri, dictation), they switch to a hands-free (headset) mode built for calls. Audio sounds thinner and often quieter.

Fix: if you're not on a call but audio still sounds quiet and low-quality, disconnect and reconnect your AirPods so they go back to normal playback. During a call this is expected and ends when the call ends. To avoid it on calls, pick the Mac's built-in mic as the input in your call app.

4. One AirPod is quieter than the other

If volume feels low because one side is quieter, the speaker mesh may be blocked by earwax or debris.

Fix: clean your AirPods gently with a dry, lint-free cloth and a dry soft-bristled brush for the mesh. Don't use liquids or sharp objects. Also open System Settings > Accessibility > Audio and make sure the left/right slider is centered.

5. The app itself is playing quietly

Many apps have their own volume control, separate from the system volume. Music players, video players, browsers' video players and call apps often do. If the app's slider is at 50%, you only get half, even with macOS and your AirPods at 100%.

Fix: check the volume control inside the app you're using and turn it up.

6. Core Audio is in a bad state

The macOS audio service (coreaudiod) can get stuck at a reduced level, especially after sleep or after switching between several audio devices.

Fix: open Terminal and run:

sudo killall coreaudiod

Audio drops for a second and restarts. Your AirPods may come back at a normal level.

Still too quiet? Boost one app beyond 100%

If you've checked everything above and your AirPods are still not loud enough, the audio itself may just be quiet, and you need to go above the macOS maximum.

SoundDial lets you boost one app above 100%, up to 200%. If a podcast in your browser is too quiet, drag the browser's slider to 150% or 180% from the menu bar.

Because it works per app, you only boost the quiet one. If your video call is fine at 100% but your music app needs 170%, set each one on its own.

SoundDial is a per-app volume mixer for Mac, €14.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store with no subscription, and needs macOS 14.2 or later.

Get SoundDial on the Mac App Store.