How to Change the Volume on a Mac

Co-authored by Gonzalo Martinez

Last Updated: October 3, 2023

To mute, decrease, or increase the volume on your Mac, press F10, F11, or F12 on your keyboard, respectively. To enable the volume slider in the menu bar, click the Apple menu → click System Preferences → click Sound → check the "Show volume in menu bar" box. You can also change the volume with your keyboard keys or OLED Touch Bar.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Enabling the Volume Slider

Download Article

This can be found in the upper-left corner of the screen.
Advertisement
If you don't see the Sound option, click the Show All button at the top of the window.
You'll see the volume button appear in your menu bar. It looks like a speaker.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Adjusting the Volume

Download Article

3
Click a different output device to change outputs.
- On some models and versions of Mac, you may need to press ⌥ Option as you click the Volume button to see all your output and input options.
Most Mac keyboards have volume buttons on F11 and F12. Press these to turn the volume up or down.
If you have a MacBook Pro with an OLED touch Bar, you can tap the Volume button on it to display the volume slider. Tap and drag the slider to adjust the volume.

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

F10, F11 and F12 are not working, what should I do?

Community Answer

Go to volume preferences, and enable show volume in the menu bar. Go to your menu bar, and use the slider there.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 99 Helpful 12

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

If you are using external speakers and are not hearing sound, make sure that they are properly connected and powered, and check their volume controls.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
You can use ⇧ Shift+⌥ Option+F11 or ⇧ Shift+⌥ Option+F12 to adjust the volume in smaller increments.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Show More Tips

If you are using external speakers and are not hearing sound, make sure that they are properly connected and powered, and check their volume controls.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Show More Tips

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!