How to connect headphones to PC

How to connect headphones to Windows PC

You need to connect the headphones to a Windows PC and you don't know how to do it? No problem: in this section of the tutorial you will find the solution you are looking for. In the following paragraphs, in fact, I will explain in detail how to connect them to the computer headphones with cable, Those Bluetooth and, finally, the wireless headphones equipped with radio frequency transmitter.

How to connect wired headphones to PC

Make the connection between the headphones with cable and the computer is very simple: it is all about identifying the jack from 3.5 mm in which to insert the plug and that's it! If you had never heard of it, this type of connector is the same also available on numerous smartphones, tablets and many other devices, which can be used to connect common headphones equipped with this plug.

On the computer, the 3.5 mm jack can be located in several positions: on the front panel, in back of the case o at the sound card, in the case of Desktop PC, or on one of the BORDI lateral, in the case of notebook.

The housing you are looking for is usually colored green and is marked with the inscription Headphones, Line OUT o Front L / R. On notebooks, however, you may find yourself with a color input black, distinguished by the symbol of headphones.

Once you have identified the 3.5 mm jack input, all you have to do is insert the plug coming from the headphones: if everything went well, Windows should be able to automatically recognize the headphones, directing the audio output towards these last. In some cases (e.g. for signed sound chips Realtek), you may see a message appear warning you that a plug has been inserted.

Once connected, you can adjust the volume of the headphones by clicking on thewindows sound icon (the one in the shape of a speaker, located next to the clock) and acting on the cursor shown on the screen.

Stai using Windows 10, you can also change, from the same panel, the audio device from which to emit the sounds (headphones or, possibly, other speakers / speakers connected): to do this, click on thevolume icon and then on upward arrowhead Corresponding to the dicitura Headphones. Finally, select the device you intend to use to play the sounds by selecting it from the menu that appears on the screen.

If, on the other hand, you are using an older version of Windows, you can get a rather similar result in the following way: right-click on the icon volume, select the voice Show playback devices from the menu that is proposed to you and locate the item relating to the output device you want to use (e.g. the built-in speaker). When you have found it, click on its name, then on the button default located at the bottom and, to confirm the change, press the button OK.

How to connect Bluetooth headphones to PC

Make the connection between the Bluetooth headphones and a PC with an operating system Windows it is not complicated: what you have to do, in practice, is to enable the Bluetooth module of the computer (if this is not already active), and then set the headphones in pairing mode and then perform the association between the two devices.

Turn on Bluetooth

Let's first see how turn on Bluetooth. If you are using Windows 10, open the system notification area by clicking on comic located next to the clock, look for the button Bluetooth between those located at the bottom of the panel that opens and press it, until it turns blue. If the button in question is not visible, try clicking on the item Expand located just above the first row of buttons.

Alternatively, you can get the same result by acting on the operating system settings: right click on the button Home (the flag icon located in the lower left corner of the screen), click on the item Settings attached to the menu that opens, enter the section devices by clicking on the relevant icon and make sure that the lever corresponds to the wording Bluetooth is set to ON.

Su Windows 8.1 o Windows 7instead, you have to look for the Bluetooth symbol inside the notification area of ​​the operating system, located next to the clock (the area that usually contains the icons of programs running silently): if you can see it, it means that Bluetooth is already active. If you don't see it, try clicking on button in the shape of an arrow to verify that it is actually present.

If not, you need to make sure that the Bluetooth module is installed and active, using the panel Device management Windows: to reach it, press the key combination Win + R, type the command devmgmt.msc in the text area that appears on the screen and press the button Submit on the keyboard.

Once you have reached the next screen, click on the symbol > located next to the section Bluetooth and check for the presence of the entry for the Bluetooth adapter installed in the computer (eg. Bluetooth USB Adapter): if this is disabled (colored gray), right-click on its icon and click on the item Enable device attached to the displayed menu. If, on the other hand, there are problems with the drivers (icon marked with a yellow exclamation point), select the item Update Driver from the aforementioned menu and follow the instructions given to you to update the device drivers.

Even if you were not able to activate Bluetooth in this way, it could have been deactivated by means of a physical switch: if you have a laptop, locate the button identified by the key on the keyboard. Bluetooth logo (a stylized “B”) and press it using the key if necessary Fn. Alternatively, there may be one physical toggle (usually at the top right) responsible for activating the Bluetooth.

If you have a computer not equipped with a Bluetooth module, however, you can use a special one adapter to be inserted into the USB port of the PC: there are really all kinds and can be purchased for a few euros in computer stores, or online.

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Once the adapter is connected to the computer, wait for Windows to automatically install the necessary drivers, then follow one of the procedures described above to verify that Bluetooth has been activated.

In some cases, you may need to manually install the drivers: if you have been provided with a CD with the adapter, insert it into your computer drive and follow the instructions shown on the screen to proceed with the installation of the device (usually, this corresponds to pressing the button Forward / Next for a number of times).

In the absence of the CD, you can download the necessary drivers from the Internet, taking them from the manufacturer's website, or connect the adapter to the PC and use a specific program to install the missing drivers on Windows.

Connect the headphones

Once Bluetooth is enabled, you can finally proceed with the connection between the computer and the headphones: first, turn on the latter and set them to mode pairing o pairing. Typically, just press and hold the power button until a voice (or a particular sound) notifies you that you have entered that mode.

Unfortunately, it is not possible for me to tell you the precise procedure to perform, as it varies according to the model of headphones in your possession: for more information on this, I suggest you take a look at the user manual of the headphones.

After this step too, proceed with the search and association of the headphones to the computer following the procedure that best suits the operating system in your possession.

• Windows 10 - tap on the icon comic located in the lower right corner of the screen, click on the icon Connect placed inside the panel that opens and wait a few seconds for the computer to detect the headphones. When this happens, click on the device name and that's it: once the connection is established, you can use the headphones to listen to the music and all the sounds coming from the computer.
• Windows 8.1 / Windows 7 - click on your button Home, type the voice Devices and printers in the search area and select the first result that is proposed to you: in this way, you should be able to immediately access the appropriate section of the Control Panel. Once this is done, click on the button Add device located at the top of the new window that opens, wait for the Bluetooth headphones to be detected, then click on its name and press pulsating NEXT to finalize the connection.

If necessary, you can quickly switch between playback via the Bluetooth headset and playback via the computer speaker (or any other connected audio device) by adjusting the Windows sound reproduction settings, as I showed you in the final bars of the section previous of this guide.

How to connect wireless headphones to PC

You recently bought a couple of wireless headphones equipped with radio frequency (RF) transmitter to connect them to the TV, but you haven't used them anymore due to lack of time and would like to “recycle” them to listen to music from your computer? All you have to do, in this case, is to pair the headphones to the relevant transmitter and connect the latter to the computer.

Although this is a very simple operation to complete, I cannot be very detailed on the instructions to follow and on the position of buttons and / or levers to use for the configuration, as each model of headphones has a different configuration. .

What I can do, however, is guide you in the general procedure to be performed, which can be applied on most wireless headphones on the market: first of all, enter the battery supplied in one of the two speakers (usually the left headphone), connect the charging base / transmitter to the power supply, using the supplied cable, and place the headphones on it to start the first charge cycle.

However, keep in mind that, for some models, charging via a cable connected to the RF transmitter: in this case, after connecting the transmitter to the power socket, you must insert the charging cable into the slot located on the headset that contains the batteries. Once the charging is complete, you must place both the headphones and the transmitter on it channels, using the appropriate lever located on both devices, and turn on the headphones by pressing the appropriate button.

After this step too, all you have to do is connect the transmitter to the computer via the jack from 3.5 mm and that's it: from now on, you can manage the wireless headphones via Windows exactly as if they were "normal" headphones with cable, using the same steps that I indicated in the section of the tutorial relating to the latter.

How to connect headphones to Mac

You have not found the information I have given you so far useful, since you have a Mac and not a computer with a Windows operating system? Then continue reading, because I am going to explain to you how to pair with the Mac headphones with cable, Bluetooth headphones e wireless headphones with RF transmitter.

How to connect wired headphones to Mac

connect the wired headphones to the Mac, first locate the housing jack from 3.5 mm placed on the computer body (it is marked with the symbol in the shape of headphones). When you've found it, insert the headphone plug in and you're done: the computer should automatically start playing audio through the headphones.

When needed, you can make sure that, even with headphones connected, the audio is played through the Mac speakers: to do this, open the System preference clicking on the d-shaped icongear placed on the Dockclick sulla voce Sound and then on the board output, located at the top. After that, choose the device for audio output (the one through which the sounds coming out of the Mac will be played) from the appropriate box; to adjust the output volume of the aforementioned device, you can use the slider located at the bottom.

Alternatively, you can quickly change the output device, as well as set its volume, by clicking on the volume located next to the clock; if you don't see it, you can activate it by going to System Preferences> Sound and applying the segno di spunta accanto alla voce Show volume on the menu bar.

How to connect Bluetooth headphones to Mac

If you have a Mac, you shouldn't have any particular problems using Bluetooth headphones, as such connectivity is present and active, by default, on all newer MacBook, iMac and Mac Mini models.

To check the Bluetooth activation on your Mac, click on the icon System preference (the button in the shape ofgear) attached to the bar Dock, select the icon Bluetooth from the window that opens and check that, immediately under the icon of the stylized "B", there is the wording Bluetooth: active. Otherwise, manually activate Bluetooth by clicking on the button Turn on Bluetooth.

Also, to enable quick access to Bluetooth from the top panel of macOS, I recommend that you put the check mark next to the item Show Bluetooth in the menu bar.

Once you have verified that Bluetooth is activated, you can finally proceed to pair the computer with the headphones: to proceed, set the headphones in pairing / pairing mode by pressing and holding the power button (or following the instructions provided in the manual supplied with the device), go back to the section System Preferences> Bluetooth macOS and wait a few seconds for the name of the headphones to appear in the list of nearby devices.

To conclude, click on your button Connect placed next to the name of the headphones and wait for the connection between the headphones and the Mac to be completed. Done! From now on, you can listen to music or any other sound coming from the Mac through the newly paired device.

Also in this case, you can quickly choose the device from which to play the sounds in the same way that I described above.

How to connect wireless headphones to Mac

The steps to take to connect wireless headphones to your Mac (those equipped with RF transmitter) are essentially the same as seen for Windows - basically, you have to insert the battery inside the headphones, connect the transmitter RF / charging base to power outlet, place the headphones on the base (or connect the appropriate charging cable) and, once the first charging cycle is completed, set the headphones and transmitter on the same channel, using the appropriate lever.

Once this is done, all you have to do is connect the plug of the transmitter to the 3.5 mm jack of the Mac and turn on the headphones: starting from this moment, you can manage them like a pair of wired headphones, following the instructions I have given you. provided in one of the previous sections of this guide.

How to connect multiple headphones to your PC

It might seem strange to you but, in some cases, connecting multiple headsets to your PC is a very simple affair! If, for example, you need to connect two pairs of wired headphones at the same time, you can use a dedicated one splitter: it is, in practice, a small component equipped with a 3.5 mm audio jack plug and two or more inputs of this type, in which to insert the headphones from which you want to reproduce the audio.

Once the headphones are connected to the splitter and the latter to the appropriate slot on the computer, the sounds will be reproduced by all the headphones connected, simultaneously. Since this is a "physical" subdivision of the audio channel, ie carried out only by the splitter, the operating system will see the two headphones as a single device.

3.5 mm jack splitters can be purchased for a few euros in the best electronics stores, or online. Below I point out some of them.

If, on the other hand, you want to connect several “independent” Bluetooth headsets to your computer (and not a pair of headsets that work together), the matter could get slightly complicated. If you find yourself on Windows, for example, you have to pair both Bluetooth devices using the classic procedure, and then combine the audio with a program such as SAT (Synchronous Audio Router).

As regards the Mac, however, it is essential that the computer is equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 (at the time of writing this guide, only the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and Mac Mini products from 2018 onwards have them). If this is your case, you must first pair the system with all the Bluetooth headphones you intend to use, and then start any song, click on the choice of audio source (The triangle with waves) and tick all the Bluetooth headphones you intend to use. In extreme cases, you can try to combine playback by creating a multi-output device through the appropriate macOS function.

For more guidance on using multiple Bluetooth audio devices at the same time, I urge you to take a look at my guide on how to connect 2 Bluetooth speakers, which you can easily readjust into headphones as well.

How to connect Lightning headphones to PC

You have purchased an iPhone with attached headphones with a connector lightning and, for convenience, would you also like to use them to listen to music from your computer?

Unfortunately, this time around, I don't think I have good news for you: as a commercial policy, Apple doesn't provide the ability to use EarPods Lightning on devices other than iPhones. In other words, at the time of writing, there are no adapters capable of making the aforementioned headphones compatible with other connectors, so they cannot be used with computers.

If you really can't give up the convenience of the EarPods, I can advise you to buy the variant equipped with 3.5 mm jack connector, which you can use, on all the devices you want (and equipped with the appropriate housing), like any other pair of wired headphones. You can purchase EarPods with headphone jack in Apple Stores, leading electronics / computer chains, Apple's website, and other authorized online retailers.

How to connect headphones to PC