How to Connect Sony WH-1000XM4 to Mac? [Step by Step Guide]

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Connecting Sony WH1000XM4 headphones to a Mac can be frustrating, especially if you’re not tech-savvy. Unclear instructions, software issues, and Mac specific issues can all cause difficulties.

I have struggled with this a number of times despite being a pretty techie person.

But don’t worry; I have a step-by-step process to help you connect Sony WH-1000XM4 to Mac to enjoy high-quality music, videos, and podcasts.

First, turn the headphones ON & put them in pairing mode. Next, activate Bluetooth on your Mac by going to the Bluetooth settings in your System Preferences. From there, search for your headphones and click “Connect.”

But this process might not work out at times due to various issues.

In this article, I’ll provide a detailed guide to help you connect your Sony WH100XM4 headphones to your Mac based on my own personal experience. I’ll also walk you through each step of the process.

By the end, you’ll have all the information you need to start enjoying your favorite music, videos, and podcasts on your Mac. So, let’s get started.

Connect Sony WH-1000XM4 to Mac

Before trying to connect your Sony headphones to your Mac, make sure it is running on MacOS 10.10 or later. Older MacOS versions might not work fully with the Sony headphones.

You can use these steps on any Mac device, including the newer Macbook Air & Pro with M1/M2 chips.

Follow the below steps to pair your Sony WH1000XM4 to Mac device.

1. Put your headphones in pairing mode

First of all, you will have to turn ON your Sony headphones and put it into pairing mode.

If your device is brand new out of the box and you haven’t paired it with any other device, it will enter pairing mode the moment you turn it on.

However, if you have used it with other devices and it has already been paired before, you will have to put it into pairing mode. Doing so is fairly easy.

• Turn ON your headphones by pressing the power button.
• Now, press & hold the POWER button for 7 seconds.
• Release the button when you see the blue LED start flashing twice, and you hear the headphones saying “Pairing mode”

Your Sony headphones are now in pairing mode and discoverable by other devices.

2. Turn on your Mac Bluetooth

Once your Sony headphones are in pairing mode, next we are going to turn on Bluetooth inside your Mac settings. To do this, follow the below steps;

• On top left of your Mac screen click on the Apple icon to open the settings menu
• Go to System Settings and select Bluetooth from the left panel.
• Turn the Bluetooth button on from the top, and your Mac device will start searching for available nearby Bluetooth devices.
• Select Sony WH1000XM4 under ‘Nearby Devices’ list and click on Connect. If your Mac asked for a passkey, input “0000”.

How many devices can connect to Sony WH1000XM4 at a time?

You can pair your Sony WH1000XM4 headphones with 8 different devices simultaneously. But do note that you can receive audio from one device at a time only.

If you pair a 9th device with your headphone, the oldest paired device will be deleted to make room for the new device.

How to unpair your Sony WH 1000XM4?

To delete or unpair your Sony WH 1000XM4 from your Mac device, you will have to go to the Bluetooth Settings again. From list of paired devices, find your headphone and click on the grey ⓘ button in front of it.

From the opened window for your headphone, click on “Forget This Device” button at the bottom left and your paired headphone will be deleted/unpaired.

Sony WH 1000XM4 not pairing with Mac – Troubleshooting

There might be times when you will not be able to pair your Sony WH1000XM4 headphone to your Mac. Follow the below troubleshooting steps to make things right.

Restart & repeat the process

If your headphones don’t pair with your Mac on the first try, try restarting both your headphones and your Mac and repeating the pairing process.

Sometimes, there is a temporary glitch or cache build-up on either your headphones or Mac, which can hamper proper functioning, and a quick restart can fix these common problems.

Bring the headphones near your Mac

Bluetooth devices have a limited range and usually work best in close proximity. If your headphones are sitting far away from your Mac, you might not be able to pair them.

I have noticed that any Bluetooth device, including my Sony WH1000XM4, works best when they are within 3 – 5ft of my Macbook and in direct sight.

Even my smaller Sonly WF-1000XM4 earbuds won’t pair to my phone when the distance is greater than 5 ft.

If you are unable to pair your headphones, bring them close to your Mac and try again.

Turn off other paired devices nearby

Although you can pair up to 8 devices with your Sony headphones, at times, you might face difficulties when different Bluetooth devices interact and cause errors in the pairing process.

If your Sony headphones are paired with multiple devices already, it is a good idea to turn these devices off and then try pairing them with your Mac.

Even using your already paired headphones, try turning off other Bluetooth devices that might interfere with the connection.

All Bluetooth devices use the same 2.4 GHz frequency, which can get crowded pretty easily (interestingly, your kitchen microwave also uses the same frequency)

Re-initialize the headphones

If your Sony WH1000XM4 headphones are not pairing with your Mac after multiple tries, you can try re-initializing them by following these steps:

1. Turn off your headphones and remove the USB charging cable (important!)
2. Press and hold the POWER and CUSTOM button for seven seconds until the indicator light flashes four (4) times in a row.
3. Your headphones will now reinitialize and revert back to factory settings.
4. Try pairing your headphones with your Mac again.

Remember that when you reinitialize your Sony headphones, all the previously paired devices will be deleted. You will also use customizations like volume and language settings.

Update headphones firmware

Outdated firmware can cause various problems with your Sony headphones. They might not charge at times or you won’t be able to pair them with Bluetooth devices.

A quick firmware update can easily solve these issues.

To update your firmware, you will have to download the Sony connect app. The sony app can be used to control various settings of your headphones and is a great companion app.

After installing the Sony connect app, pair your headphones with your app. From the top menu, select “Systems“

Scroll down to the bottom and turn on the Automatic software update option. If new software is available, you will get a notification at the bottom of the app and you can easily update your headphones with a single click.

Check your MacOS version

As mentioned above, your Sony headphones will best work with MacOS 10.10 or later. If you are on an older version of MacOS, you might face pairing issues.

To check your MacOS version, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen.
2. Select “About This Mac.”
3. Check the version number next to “macOS.”

If your Mac’s operating system is outdated, you may need to upgrade to a compatible version before pairing your Sony headphones.

How to pair Sony WH-1000XM4 to Mac – Conclusion

The Sony WH1000XM4 headphones are a great choice for music lovers who want to enjoy high-quality sound on their Macs. However, there may be times when users may encounter issues while trying to connect the headphones to their Macs.

In this article, we discussed the proper way to pair your Sony headphone to your Mac and also some common troubleshooting steps you can follow if you experience any problems.

By following these troubleshooting steps, you can resolve common issues and enjoy high-quality sound on your Sony WH1000XM4 headphones while using your Mac.