How to Change the Volume on a Mac

Last Updated: October 17, 2022

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

1
Click the Apple menu. This can be found in the upper-left corner of the screen.
2
Click System Preferences.

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3
Click the Sound option. If you don't see the Sound option, click the Show All button at the top of the window.
4
Click the Show volume in menu bar box. 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

1
Click the Volume button in the menu bar.
2
Click and drag the slider to change the volume.
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.
4
Press the volume keys on your keyboard to adjust volume. Most Mac keyboards have volume buttons on F11 and F12. Press these to turn the volume up or down.
5
Tap the volume button on your MacBook Pro's Touch Bar. 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

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.