how to split sound between speakers and headphones

Rogue Amoeba notes that 2018 MacBook Pro and iMac Pro devices also seem to sport separate output devices - which led the software company to theorize that it’s a function of Apple’s T2 security chip. It’s not just the MacBook Air or Mac mini that have this ability, either. If you plug in a pair of headphones, macOS will prioritize that and switch the standard audio output to that source. Of course, Rogue Amoeba points out that audio-switching still functions normally. Just make sure that your headphones are set for the standard audio output device (in the Output tab). Under the Playback tab, right-click Speakers and choose Set as Default Device. Right-click on the volume icon in the taskbar and click Sounds. Connect your headphones and speakers to your PC. You can make that change by going to System Preferences > Sound > Sound Effects and setting Play sound effects through your Mac’s internal speakers. The following steps let you play sound through both speakers and headphones if you’re using Windows 10. That way, you aren’t disturbed by routine notification pings. You can, for example, have operating system sound effects play through a Mac’s speakers while music or video content outputs audio through a pair of headphones. There are more useful ways to take advantage of the change, too.

That means users can have a movie on iTunes output audio to a Mac’s internal speakers while Spotify plays music through a pair of plugged-in headphones. Because of that, users now have the ability to send different audio sources to the separate outputs. Newer Macs make the headphone jack and the speakers separate audio output devices. Because of that, you could only use one device at a time - plugging in headphones would automatically disable playback through the internal speakers, for example. On previous generations of Mac, the 3.5mm headphone jack and internal speakers were two separate “ports” on a single output device.

That may not sound all that exciting, but it allows new Mac computers a capability that just hasn’t been possible before.

How to split sound between speakers and headphones