Ears for macOS

Change audio
without losing focus.

Ears is the instant audio switcher for macOS. Press a hotkey, choose your speakers or microphone, and keep moving without opening System Settings.

Free Download Purchase Ears
Ears app icon
Audio Output Shift-Command-A
  • A
    AirPods Pro
    Bluetooth output
    1
  • I
    iMac Speakers
    Built-in output
    2
  • U
    USB Microphone
    Input favorite
    3
Instamute
Push to Talk enabled

Your Mac has too many audio paths for System Settings.

Headphones, speakers, webcams, microphones, meetings, music. Ears gives those switches a direct keyboard path.

Switch instantly

Summon Ears with a hotkey, then pick output and input devices with arrow keys or shortcut keys.

Mute globally

Instamute gives your microphone one reliable hotkey from any app, even when the meeting app is not focused.

Set volumes

Choose default input and output volumes for specific devices so switching does not surprise you.

AutoConnect

Mark Bluetooth devices as favorites and connect to them with shortcuts, Dock menus, or the menu bar.

Pick output and input without opening System Settings.

The main Ears window keeps outputs, inputs, linked device sets, and shortcut hints visible in one focused place.

Screenshot of the Ears app window showing output devices, input devices, linked devices, and a Select Devices button.
Instamute

One mute key for every meeting app.

Zoom, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and the rest all use different shortcuts. Ears gives your microphone its own global control, independent of whichever app currently has focus.

Toggle mute on and off like a switch
Push to Talk stays muted until you hold the hotkey
Push to Mute works like a cough button
Geeks Rejoice

Control sound from scripts, launchers, and workflows.

Ears can be controlled from the command line or AppleScript, so you can wire audio changes into launcher actions, shell scripts, and personal automation.

ears --output "iMac Pro Speakers"
ears --input "USB Microphone"
ears --mute

Small controls that prevent audio surprises.

Ears does one job, but it covers the edge cases that make audio switching annoying.

Switching

  • Keyboard-first device picker
  • Input and output selection
  • Menu bar and Dock access

Meetings

  • Global mute hotkey
  • Push to Talk mode
  • Push to Mute mode

Confidence

  • Device-change notifications
  • Spoken announcements
  • Per-device default volumes

Preferences for the little details.

Set the global hotkey, choose your mute behavior, and mark favorite Bluetooth devices for quick reconnects.

Screenshot of Ears Preferences showing general settings for hotkeys, notifications, spoken device changes, login launch, and the CLI utility.
General settings for hotkeys, notifications, spoken changes, login launch, and the CLI utility.
Screenshot of Ears Preferences showing Instamute settings for mute mode, shortcut, Dock icon behavior, and status bezel.
Instamute settings for meeting-safe microphone control from anywhere on your Mac.
Screenshot of Ears Preferences showing favorite devices and connect shortcuts.
Favorites let Bluetooth devices appear in the menu and attach their own connect shortcuts.

Built for the audio hops you make all day.

A few common moves Ears makes faster and less fragile.

Send music to speakers, then jump to AirPods when the room gets loud.

Output switching

Use AirPods for listening while a USB microphone handles the meeting.

Input plus output

Mute your mic globally without remembering every app's shortcut.

Meeting control

Stop visiting System Settings for sound.

Download Ears for free, then buy a license for one user across multiple Macs when it earns a spot in your menu bar.

Free Download Purchase Ears