When New things become way more annoying when something that should “simply work” doesn’t. Because your Apple AirPods are meant to connect to your phone, iPad, and other devices seamlessly and efficiently, it’s rare and irritating when your AirPods don’t connect to Mac. This is even more annoying when Apple’s AirPods are intended to pair almost instantly with devices that are synced to your iCloud. Fortunately, debugging a broken connection with Mac is simple with these simple steps.
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Table of Contents
Checking your charge:-
Sometimes a lack of charge/battery in your Airpods can cause your AirPods don’t connect to Mac. Inserting your Airpods in the charging case and ensuring that they’re charging can work wonders.
See: Debugging a Broken Connection with Mac
Also, for AirPods to connect to any device, they need to be in the device’s Bluetooth connection range and ready to use.
Re-checking Bluetooth settings:-
When your AirPods don’t connect to Mac then, try to enable Bluetooth, click the Bluetooth status symbol in the menu bar. If you don’t see the Bluetooth symbol, click to Settings > Bluetooth and select the option that says “Show Bluetooth in the menu bar.”
Unless you can go to settings on your Mac>Bluetooth and turn it on from there.
If your Bluetooth were already on, the first thing you would want to try in that case would be, switching off Bluetooth on your Mac, waiting 10 seconds, and then turning it back on.
Restarting your Mac:-
This is a straightforward yet powerful tip if your AirPods don’t connect to Mac. Restarting your Mac may be enough to resolve your problem. Select Apple menu > Restart on your Mac.
Some customers had claimed that they had to restart their smartphones twice before their AirPods started working again.
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Updating your iMac:-
If your AirPods don’t connect to Mac then you should always keep in mind that if they are of second-generation or later, your Mac must be running macOS Mojave 10.14.4 or later. If you have first-generation AirPods, ensure that your Mac is running macOS Sierra or later. And if you have AirPods Pro, make sure your Mac is running macOS Catalina 10.15.1 or later.
But if you’re not sure, here’s how to tell which generation of AirPods you have:
Find out what model it is. If you have your AirPods linked to an iOS device, you can check the model number by navigating to Settings > General > About > your AirPods.
The number may also be found on either of your AirPods. Because the numbers are so small, you may need to use a magnifying glass.
A1523/A1722 are the first-generation AirPods.
AirPods A2032/A2031 are second-generation AirPods.
Making your iMac forget your Airpods:-
The following instructions will guide you by first removing your AirPods from the list of Bluetooth devices and then re-adding them if your AirPods don’t connect to Mac.
1. Go to Settings.
2. Click Bluetooth.
3. You will see the list of your Bluetooth devices.
4. Do you see your AirPods on the list? If your AirPods do not approve, you may need to reconnect them to your Mac. See the following point. If the list of gadgets also has AirPods in it(as Not Connected), click on the (i) to select it.
5. An option saying “forget this device” would appear.
6. Click on it to remove your AirPods.
Now we will re-add again:
1. Put your AirPods in the charging case.
2. Ensure that your charging case is close to your Mac so that they are in range.
3. Open the case lid.
4. On your Mac, go to Settings> Bluetooth.
5. In the devices list, do you see your AirPods?
6. Select your Airpods and click Connect.
Setting up your Airpods:-
When your AirPods don’t connect to Mac, try to set up if they are not on the list of devices. The steps below will escort you through the method of pairing your device with your Mac. Here’s how to do it:
Go to Settings > Bluetooth on your Mac.
If it reads “Bluetooth: Off,” turn it on.
Insert the AirPods into their charging case.
Remove the cover from the case.
Then hold down the setup button (back of the case) until the status light becomes white and then press and hold the settings button for a few seconds.
Your AirPods should now appear in the list of Bluetooth devices on your Mac.
Click on them to connect.
Resetting your Airpods:-
Still, if your AirPods don’t connect to Mac, you may need to reset them. Here’s how to do it:
Insert the AirPods into their charging case and check if both the AirPods and the charging case are fully charged. Also, check if the lid is open.
Then close the lid of the cover and wait for the next 30 seconds. After that, you can resume it.
If the lid of your AirPods is still open, locate the setup button on the back of the device and press and hold it for 15 seconds until the status light flashes white and then amber.
Your AirPods have now been reset.
Set up your AirPods with your Mac now. See the section above titled “Setting Up Your AirPods.”
Cleaning your Airpods and their case:-
If your AirPods don’t connect to Mac, then there might be dust getting inside them or the charging case might impair their operation in some situations. Here’s how you can clean them:
Use a gentle, lint-free cloth.
Use a greased material to clean your AirPods.
You can remove the particles with an anti-static brush.
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Tony, computing writer at Automaticable, covers laptops, tablets, Windows, iOS. Off-duty, he indulges in comics, gaming, speculative fiction, and excessive Twitter use. Non-nerdy side includes rocking out at concerts and hitting NYC bars.