Where is Audio MIDI Setup on a Mac?
Audio MIDI Setup is in the Utilities folder inside Applications, and it comes with macOS, so there is nothing to download. The quickest way to open it is Spotlight: press Command and Space, type Audio MIDI Setup, and press Return. It has two windows, Audio Devices and MIDI Studio, and both are in its Window menu.
The steps and names below are from Apple's Audio MIDI Setup guide and from the app itself on a Mac running macOS 27. I make InputConfig, a free Mac app that turns MIDI devices into shortcuts, so the MIDI half is the part I use every day.
On this page: 9 sections
Steps
- Press Command and Space, type Audio MIDI Setup, and press Return.
- Or open the Applications folder, then Utilities, and double-click Audio MIDI Setup.
- For MIDI devices, choose Window, Show MIDI Studio.
- For speakers, microphones and audio interfaces, choose Window, Show Audio Devices.
Open it
- You: Press Command and Space, type Audio MIDI Setup, and press Return. Or open Applications, then Utilities, and double-click it.
- macOS: Opens the app, usually with the Audio Devices window showing.
- Check: The menu bar says Audio MIDI Setup, and its Window menu lists Show Audio Devices and Show MIDI Studio.
If the window you need is not on screen, it is in the Window menu.
InputConfig is free on the Mac App Store. macOS 14 or later, no account, no tracking, open source.
Know its two windows
- Audio Devices. Every sound input and output the Mac has: built-in speakers and microphone, headphones, audio interfaces. This is where a device's sample rate and format are set.
- MIDI Studio. Every MIDI device the Mac knows: keyboards, pad controllers, interfaces, Bluetooth MIDI devices, and the built-in IAC Driver and network driver.
Sound problems belong to the Audio Devices window, and anything about a MIDI keyboard belongs to MIDI Studio.
Use MIDI Studio
- See whether a keyboard is connected. A device that is not connected is dimmed. How to connect a MIDI keyboard to a Mac.
- Find a missing device. The Rescan MIDI button looks again. MIDI keyboard not working on a Mac.
- Connect Bluetooth MIDI. The Configure Bluetooth button. Bluetooth MIDI on a Mac.
- Pass MIDI between apps. The IAC Driver icon. The IAC Driver on a Mac.
- Test a connection. The Test MIDI Setup button lights an arrow on a device when a note arrives.
MIDI Studio is the Mac's own answer to whether it can see a MIDI device.
Use the Audio Devices window
- Choose what a device is for. Control-click a device and choose it for sound input, sound output, or alerts and sound effects.
- Set the format. The Format menu sets the sample rate and bit depth for the selected device.
- Combine devices. The Add button at the bottom of the sidebar creates an aggregate device, which makes several audio devices work as one with more inputs and outputs.
- Play through several outputs at once. The same Add button creates a multi-output device.
Aggregate is for more channels in one device, and multi-output is for the same sound in several places. Apple's guide has a page for each: Set up audio devices, Combine audio devices and Play audio through multiple devices at once.
If a device is dimmed or missing
In MIDI Studio, a dimmed device may be turned off or disconnected. Double-click it and make sure Device is online is selected, then reconnect it. A device that is not shown at all may need the Rescan MIDI button, a different cable, or software from its maker. Dimmed means known and unreachable, and missing means never seen.
Put the MIDI devices to work
Any MIDI device that shows in MIDI Studio can do more than play notes. InputConfig turns each key, pad, knob and pedal into a keyboard shortcut, a click, system volume or an app launch, in every app on the Mac. If MIDI Studio sees it, a mapper can give it a job. MIDI to keystroke on a Mac has the setup, and the MIDI tester shows what a device sends, in a browser.
The short version
- Where. Applications, Utilities, Audio MIDI Setup, or Spotlight.
- Audio Devices. Inputs, outputs, sample rate, aggregate and multi-output devices.
- MIDI Studio. MIDI devices, Bluetooth MIDI, the IAC Driver and the test.
It is already on your Mac, and the Window menu holds both halves.
Questions
Where is Audio MIDI Setup on a Mac?
In the Utilities folder inside Applications. The quickest way to open it is Spotlight: press Command and Space, type Audio MIDI Setup and press Return.
Is Audio MIDI Setup already on my Mac?
Yes. It comes with macOS, so there is nothing to download or buy.
How do I open MIDI Studio?
Open Audio MIDI Setup and choose Window, Show MIDI Studio.
How do I show the Audio Devices window?
Open Audio MIDI Setup and choose Window, Show Audio Devices.
What is an aggregate device?
Several audio devices combined so they work as a single device with more inputs and outputs. In the Audio Devices window, click the Add button at the bottom of the sidebar and choose Create Aggregate Device.
What is a multi-output device?
A device that plays the same audio through several outputs at once. In the Audio Devices window, click the Add button and choose Create Multi-Output Device, then select the outputs to use.
Why is a device dimmed in Audio MIDI Setup?
In MIDI Studio, a dimmed device may be turned off or disconnected. Double-click it, make sure Device is online is selected, and reconnect it.
Related
Free. macOS 14 or later. No account, nothing leaves your Mac. Open source on GitHub.
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