Mac Kung Fu, 2nd Edition

Tip 52

Quickly Switch Audio Output (Including AirPlay)

Smaller MacBooks come with a single 3.5mm audio jack, which has the dual purpose of being a line-in audio port and a headphone socket. You can switch between the two modes using the Sound component within System Preferences (Apple menu→System Preferences)—select whichever entry you want from the drop-down menu alongside Use Audio Port For. However, a quicker way to switch is to hold down the Option key and click the volume control icon at the top right of the screen. Then select either Input or Output from the menu that appears.

Note that you can switch modes only if there’s nothing plugged into the socket at the time, such as a pair of headphones.

This same trick lets you instantly select ...