Computers, Laptops & Tablets > Apple 52 52 people found this article helpful Select Audio In and Out From Your Mac's Menu Bar Changing audio inputs and outputs is just an option-click away By Tom Nelson Tom Nelson Writer Tom Nelson is an engineer, programmer, network manager, and computer network and systems designer who has written for Other World Computing,and others. Tom is also president of Coyote Moon, Inc., a Macintosh and Windows consulting firm. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 11, 2020 Apple Macs iPad Trending Videos Close this video player Using System Preferences > Sound is the standard method of selecting an audio input or output, but it's cumbersome. Instead, use this simple trick to change audio preferences quickly. The information here was verified in macOS 10.15 (Catalina), but it should apply to older versions of macOS and OS X as well. Westend61 / Getty Images Using the Option Key Clicking the volume icon in the menu bar along the top of your screen shows the volume bar, available output devices, and a link to Sound Preferences. The icon looks like a small speaker. To see the same choices plus available inputs, hold option while selecting the volume icon in the menu bar. This is just one example of the many additional functions and features you can access in macOS using a special modifier key. Depending on your Mac model and setup, you might have several sources for audio in, in addition to your computer's internal microphone. Audio output choices might include headphones, Apple TVs, external speakers, and more, in addition to your internal speakers. These options also show up in the Sound preference pane. If You Don't See the Volume Control in the Menu Bar To display a missing volume control icon in your menu bar: Select System Preferences in the dock, from the Apple menu, or in the Finder at Applications > System Preferences. Click Sound. In Output, tick the box next to Show volume in menu bar. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit