How to Connect Two Sets of AirPods to the Same Mac

If you and a friend want to listen to something together on a Mac, you don't have to share one set of AirPods.

We all know how awesome it is to listen through our AirPods. But do you know what’s even better? Sharing the listening experience with another person.

If you and your friend both have your AirPods with you, you can connect both of them to the same Mac for a shared listening experience. Here’s how it works.

How to Listen on Your Mac Using Two Pairs of AirPods

The feature is pretty similar to Share Audio on the iPhone, which allows two people to listen on each of their AirPods from the same iPhone or iPad.

However, the process is a little different for Macs. A huge difference is that Share Audio only works for two sets of AirPods or other compatible devices, while this setup for Mac works for other kinds of audio devices too, whether they’re Bluetooth-enabled or not.

To start listening on two sets of AirPods on your Mac:

1. Pair both sets of AirPods on your Mac.
2. Click Finder, choose Applications in the sidebar, then select Audio MIDI Setup. You can also simply search Audio MIDI Setup in Spotlight on the menu bar.
3. Click the Add (+) icon at the bottom of the window, then select Create Multi-Output Device.
4. Tick the box beside the two sets of AirPods that you want to listen from.
5. Rename the setup by changing the default Multi Output Device to something else.
6. Click Sounds from the menu bar and select your new audio setup under output. Alternatively, you can go to System Preferences > Sound, click the Output tab, then look for the new device you’ve just made.

Use Two Pairs of AirPods for a Greater Listening Experience

When listening through speakers is not ideal, we immediately grab our AirPods or headphones to listen on our Mac. However, listening with just one piece of AirPods on each of your and your friend's ears doesn’t give justice to the media you’re consuming.

By pairing two sets of AirPods on your Mac, you can now listen to music or watch your favorite shows simultaneously with another person. An added plus is that you can now fully enjoy the perks of surround sound technology that the AirPods can offer.