Find the sound settings on your Mac

Why it happens

On a Mac, everything about sound lives in one place called Sound, inside System Settings. It picks which speaker plays and which microphone listens, and sets the volume for each. Things like sample rate and speaker layout are in a separate app called Audio MIDI Setup.

How to fix it

1. Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings, then click Sound in the sidebar. Under Output you choose where sound plays and set Output volume.

   Sound›Output

2. Click Input to choose the microphone and set its Input volume.

   Sound›Input

3. Alert sounds and startup sound are in the Sound Effects part of the same page.

   Sound›Sound Effects

4. For sample rate, speaker setup or combining devices, open Finder, choose Go > Utilities, and open Audio MIDI Setup.

   Finder›Go›Utilities

Still not fixed?

1. Want a quick sound control at the top of the screen? Turn on the Sound control in Menu Bar settings, under Menu Bar Controls.

   Menu Bar›Menu Bar Controls›Sound

2. Can't find Sound in the sidebar? Type sound into the search field at the top of System Settings.

3. If Sound shows no devices at all, restart your Mac. If the list is still empty, contact Apple Support.