The basic connection process
To connect Beats to a laptop, you turn on Bluetooth on both devices, put the Beats into pairing mode, and select them from your laptop's Bluetooth menu. The whole process takes about two minutes the first time. After that, your Beats will reconnect automatically whenever you turn them on near your laptop.
The exact steps differ slightly between Windows and Mac, but the principle is the same: your laptop is looking for a Bluetooth signal, and your Beats are broadcasting one. Once they find each other and exchange a small amount of security information, they stay paired until you unpair them or forget the connection.
Key Takeaways
- Put your Beats into pairing mode by holding the power button for about 10 seconds until the light flashes — this tells your laptop the Beats are ready to connect.
- On a Mac, open System Preferences, click Bluetooth, and select your Beats from the list; on Windows, go to Settings, then Devices, then Bluetooth, and do the same.
- Once paired, your Beats will reconnect on their own when you turn them on, so you only need to repeat the pairing process if you want to connect them to a different device.
- If your Beats do not appear in the Bluetooth menu, restart them, restart your laptop's Bluetooth, or unpair and try again — most connection problems solve themselves this way.
Pairing Beats on a Mac
Open System Preferences by clicking the Apple menu in the top left corner and selecting System Preferences. Click the Bluetooth icon. You should see a window that says "Bluetooth: On" at the top.
Put your Beats into pairing mode. The method depends on which Beats model you own. For most Beats (Studio, Solo, Pro, Fit Pro), hold down the power button on the headphones for about 10 seconds. You will feel a vibration, and a light on the headphones will start flashing white or red. This flashing light means the Beats are in pairing mode and broadcasting their signal.
Look at the Bluetooth window on your Mac. Your Beats should appear in the list of available devices within 10 to 15 seconds. Click the name of your Beats. Your Mac will exchange connection information with the headphones, and the light on the Beats will stop flashing. The Beats are now paired.
To confirm the connection is working, play a sound on your Mac — a video, music, or a system sound. You should hear it through the Beats, not through your laptop's speakers. If you do not hear anything, check that the Beats are selected as your audio output device. Click the volume icon in the top right corner of your Mac, hold down the Option key, and click Sound. Select your Beats from the Output Device list.
Pairing Beats on Windows
Open Settings by clicking the Windows Start menu and typing "Settings" into the search box. Click the Settings app when it appears. Click Devices in the left sidebar.
Click Bluetooth in the left sidebar. You should see a toggle that says "Bluetooth" with an on or off switch. Make sure it is turned on — the toggle should be blue and moved to the right.
Put your Beats into pairing mode using the same method as on Mac: hold the power button for about 10 seconds until the light flashes. Within 10 to 15 seconds, your Beats should appear in the list under "Other devices" on the Bluetooth page. Click the name of your Beats. Windows will pair them automatically.
Once paired, your Beats will move from "Other devices" to "Connected devices" at the top of the Bluetooth page. To confirm the connection is working, play a sound on your Windows laptop. You should hear it through the Beats. If you do not, right-click the volume icon in the bottom right corner of your screen, click Open Volume mixer, and make sure your Beats are selected as the output device.
What to do if your Beats do not appear
If your Beats are not showing up in the Bluetooth menu after you put them in pairing mode, the most common cause is that Bluetooth on your laptop is off or the Beats are not actually in pairing mode. Check the light on the Beats — it should be flashing. If it is not flashing, hold the power button again for the full 10 seconds. You may need to hold it longer than feels natural.
On your laptop, turn Bluetooth off and back on. On a Mac, click the Bluetooth icon in the top menu bar and select "Turn Bluetooth Off", wait five seconds, then click it again and select "Turn Bluetooth On". On Windows, go back to Settings, Devices, Bluetooth, and toggle the switch off and on.
If your Beats still do not appear, restart both devices. Turn off the Beats completely, turn off your laptop's Bluetooth, wait 10 seconds, then turn them back on in this order: Bluetooth first, then the Beats. Put the Beats back into pairing mode. This solves most connection problems.
Reconnecting Beats you have already paired
Once you have paired your Beats to your laptop once, you do not need to go through the pairing process again. straightforward turn on the Beats. Your laptop will recognize them and connect automatically within a few seconds. You will see your Beats appear in the Bluetooth menu with a "Connected" label next to the name.
If your Beats do not reconnect automatically, make sure Bluetooth is turned on on your laptop. If it is, turn the Beats off and back on. If they still do not connect, you can manually select them from the Bluetooth menu. On a Mac, click the Bluetooth icon in the top menu bar and select your Beats. On Windows, go to Settings, Devices, Bluetooth, and click your Beats in the Connected devices list.
Disconnecting or unpairing your Beats
If you want to temporarily stop using your Beats with your laptop but keep them paired, straightforward turn off the Beats. The pairing information stays on both devices, and they will reconnect the next time you turn the Beats on.
If you want to completely unpair your Beats so they no longer automatically reconnect to your laptop, you need to forget the connection. On a Mac, open System Preferences, click Bluetooth, find your Beats in the list, click the X button next to the name, and confirm. On Windows, go to Settings, Devices, Bluetooth, find your Beats under Connected devices, click it, and select Remove device.
After you unpair, your Beats will no longer reconnect to that laptop automatically. If you want to use them with the laptop again, you will need to put them back into pairing mode and pair them again from scratch.
Switching Beats between multiple devices
Beats can be paired to multiple devices at the same time, but they can only play audio from one device at a time. If you have your Beats paired to both your laptop and your phone, and you play music on your phone, the Beats will automatically switch to the phone and stop playing audio from your laptop.
If you want to switch the Beats back to your laptop, pause the audio on your phone and play something on your laptop. The Beats will switch back. You do not need to unpair and repair — the pairing information is already stored on both devices.
If you want to pair your Beats to a completely different laptop, you can either unpair them from the first laptop and pair them to the second one, or straightforward put them into pairing mode while near the second laptop. The Beats will pair to the new device without losing the pairing on the first one. However, they will only connect to whichever device you turn them on near.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my Beats keep disconnecting from my laptop?
Beats usually disconnect if your laptop's Bluetooth is turned off, if the Beats battery is very low, or if something is physically blocking the Bluetooth signal between the devices. Keep your Beats and laptop within 30 feet of each other and away from thick walls or metal objects. If disconnections keep happening, try unpairing and pairing again from scratch.
Can I use my Beats with my laptop and another device at the same time?
Your Beats can be paired to multiple devices, but they will only play audio from one at a time. Whichever device you play sound on first will take over. You cannot split the audio between two devices simultaneously.
What if I forgot which laptop I paired my Beats to?
Put your Beats into pairing mode and look at the Bluetooth menu on each laptop. Your Beats will appear in the menu of any device they are already paired to, and they will also appear as available to pair on any device they are not paired to yet. If you see them listed as "Connected" on one laptop, that is the device they are currently paired to.
Do I need to unpair my Beats before pairing them to a different laptop?
No. You can pair your Beats to a new laptop without unpairing them from the old one. However, they will only automatically reconnect to the device you turn them on near. If you want to make sure they do not reconnect to an old laptop, unpair them from that device first.
Why is the sound coming out of my laptop speakers instead of my Beats?
Your Beats are connected, but your laptop is not set to use them as the audio output device. On a Mac, click the volume icon in the top right, hold Option, click Sound, and select your Beats. On Windows, right-click the volume icon in the bottom right, click Open Volume mixer, and select your Beats as the output device.