Profiles Switcher Profiles Switcher › Automations › Sound follows your headphones
Switch sound to your headphones automatically, and back again
Create a Headphones profile that switches on when your Bluetooth headphones connect or wired headphones are plugged in, and have it set the sound output, the microphone and the volume. A low-priority everyday profile puts your speakers back when they disconnect.
- When
- AirPods connectHeadphones plugged in
- Then
- Sound to headphonesKeep the built-in micVolume 40%
Last updated
How to set it up
- Create the Headphones profile. Open Preferences from the menu bar icon, click Add new profile and name it Headphones.
- Add the headphone rules. Add a Bluetooth device rule and pick your headphones while they are connected. For wired headphones, add a Headphone jack (3.5 mm) rule set to "Jack plugged in". Leave the match set to "Any is true".
- Add the sound actions. Add Set audio output device and choose the headphones, Set microphone input and choose the mic you want, and Set system volume at a comfortable level.
- Add an everyday profile to switch back. Create an Everyday profile with a Day of the week rule set to every day, priority 9, and actions that set the output to your speakers and your usual volume. Whenever the headphones leave, Everyday takes over and puts things back.
Get Profiles Switcher on the Mac App Store, for macOS 13 or later
Permission needed: Bluetooth. See permissions in the help guide.
What does macOS do on its own?
When you connect AirPods or plug headphones into the jack, macOS normally makes them the sound output. That is where its help ends. It keeps whatever volume was set last, which is how people end up with music at full blast in their ears. It may switch the microphone to the headset too, which on Bluetooth headphones lowers the audio quality of everything you hear. And when the headphones disconnect, the output falls back to whatever macOS picks, not necessarily the desk speakers you use at home.
A Headphones profile fixes all three at once: the output, the microphone and the volume are set together the moment the headphones connect.
Why the Everyday profile matters
A profile only runs its actions when it switches on. Profiles Switcher keeps exactly one profile active, chosen by priority, so the trick is a general profile underneath the specific one:
- Headphones (priority 1) matches while your headphones are connected.
- Everyday (priority 9) matches all the time, because its rule is “Every day”.
While the headphones are connected, Headphones wins. When they disconnect, Headphones stops matching, Everyday becomes the winner and runs its actions: speakers back on, volume back to normal. The same pattern works for any “and switch back afterwards” setup.
Variations worth trying
- Two sets of headphones. Give your over-ear headphones their own profile with a different volume, and set the priorities so the one you care about most wins when both are connected.
- Headphones for calls only. Add a Time of day rule and set the profile to “All are true”, so the headset mic is used only during working hours.
- Open your music. Add Launch an app with Music or Spotify, so connecting headphones in the evening starts your playlist app.
- Wired jack on Apple Silicon. The Headphone jack rule works on Apple Silicon Macs, where the jack appears as a separate “External Headphones” device.
Frequently asked questions
Doesn't macOS switch to headphones by itself?
Usually it moves the output to newly connected headphones. It does not choose the microphone you prefer, set a comfortable volume, or switch everything back to your desk speakers the way you like. A profile does all of that in one go.
Why keep the built-in microphone when AirPods connect?
When a Bluetooth headset is also used as the microphone, it switches to a headset mode with lower sound quality. Keeping the Mac or a USB microphone as the input lets the headphones stay in high-quality playback mode.
Does this need any permission?
The Bluetooth rule needs Bluetooth permission. The headphone jack and audio actions need none.
Related automations
Set it up in a few minutes
Profiles Switcher is a menu bar app for Mac (macOS 13 or later, Apple Silicon and Intel) that switches your Mac's setup automatically. You build profiles from 19 triggers, such as the Wi-Fi network you join, a place, headphones or a display, and 18 actions, including running any of your Shortcuts. Everything runs on your Mac; it is available on the Mac App Store.
Download on the Mac App Store