A Mac shows the battery of your AirPods only while they are awake and connected to that Mac. The two common causes of a missing level are AirPods that are connected to your iPhone and AirPods in a closed case. Open the lid, click Control Center, click Sound, and choose your AirPods. The level then shows under Bluetooth.
The quick fix
- Open the lid of the case, or take a bud out.
- Hold the AirPods close to your Mac.
- Click the Control Center icon in the menu bar.
- Click Sound, then choose your AirPods from the list. This moves them to your Mac if they were connected to your iPhone.
- Click the Control Center icon again, then click Bluetooth. The battery level is next to the name of your AirPods.
For the left bud, the right bud and the case one by one, open System Settings, click Bluetooth, and look under the name of your AirPods.
The six causes
| What you see | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The AirPods are in the list with no level | They are connected to your iPhone or iPad | Choose them under Sound in Control Center |
| The AirPods are in the list with no level, and they are in the case | The lid is closed, so they are asleep | Open the lid, or take a bud out |
| The buds show a level, and the case does not | The case reports only through the buds | Put a bud in the case and open the lid |
| One bud is missing | That bud is not connected, or it is not charging in the case | Put both buds in the case for 30 seconds, then connect again |
| There is no Bluetooth list to open | Bluetooth is not in the menu bar | Add it in System Settings, or use Control Center |
| The AirPods play on this Mac and no level shows | The Mac has not received the level, or the pairing is damaged | Wait a minute, then forget the AirPods and pair them again |
The AirPods are connected to your iPhone
This is the most common cause. AirPods switch between your devices by themselves, and the Bluetooth list on a Mac keeps the name of AirPods that are connected to something else. A name with no level means that they are not connected to this Mac.
Choose the AirPods under Sound in Control Center, as in the quick fix. macOS has no way to show the level of AirPods that stay connected to the iPhone.
The AirPods are in their closed case
AirPods shut down in the case when the lid is closed. A Mac cannot read them then. Open the lid, or take a bud out, and they wake up.
Only the case is missing
The case has a battery, and no Bluetooth of its own. It sends its level through the buds. So the Mac shows the case only while at least one bud is in the case with the lid open, or just after you take the buds out.
- Put at least one bud in the case.
- Open the lid and hold the case close to your Mac.
- Open System Settings and click Bluetooth.
- Look under the name of your AirPods.
A missing case level does not mean that the case is empty. With the buds out, the light on the case shows its charge. Green means a full charge, and amber means less than one full charge. See how to check AirPods case battery on a Mac.
One AirPod is missing
A Mac shows one level for both buds when they are about the same, and two levels when they differ. That is normal.
If one bud has no level at all, it is not connected.
- Put both buds in the case and close the lid.
- Wait 30 seconds.
- Open the lid and connect the AirPods to your Mac again.
If one bud still shows nothing, or stays at 0%, clean the metal contacts at the bottom of the bud and in the case with a dry cotton swab. A bud that does not touch its contacts does not charge.
Bluetooth is not in the menu bar
The Bluetooth menu is the fastest place for the level, and it is off by default.
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Click Menu Bar in the sidebar.
- Below Menu Bar Controls, select Bluetooth.
In macOS Sequoia or earlier, click Control Center in the sidebar and set Bluetooth to Show in Menu Bar.
The AirPods play on this Mac, and no level shows
Try these in order.
- Wait a minute. The level can arrive some time after the AirPods connect, or after the Mac wakes from sleep. Keep System Settings, Bluetooth, open.
- Turn Bluetooth off and on. Use the switch at the top of the Bluetooth settings.
- Restart the Mac.
- Forget the AirPods and pair them again. In the Bluetooth settings, click the info button next to your AirPods, then click Forget This Device. Put the AirPods in the case, open the lid next to the Mac, and connect them again.
- Reset the AirPods. Put them in the case, close the lid and wait 30 seconds. Open the lid. On a case with a button, hold the button on the back for about 15 seconds, until the light flashes amber and then white. On AirPods 4, which have no button, double-tap the front of the case while the light is on, again when it flashes white, and a third time when it flashes faster.
- Update the AirPods. They update by themselves while they charge in the case near your iPhone, iPad or Mac.
A reset removes the AirPods from all your devices, so you set them up again after it.
AirPods not in the Batteries widget
The Batteries widget on a Mac lists the Mac and the Bluetooth devices that are connected to it. When your AirPods disconnect, they leave the widget. It has the same rule as the Bluetooth menu, so the fixes on this page apply. See the devices the Batteries widget shows.
What macOS cannot show
Two cases have no fix in macOS.
- AirPods that are connected to another device. The Mac shows a level only for AirPods that are connected to it.
- AirPods in their closed case. You have to open the lid to see how much charge they have.
BatteryBud is a battery monitor for Mac that covers both. AirPods send short Bluetooth broadcasts with their battery levels, and BatteryBud reads them while the AirPods are near your Mac. It shows the left bud, the right bud and the case while the AirPods play from your iPhone, and while they are in their closed case. Most broadcasts carry exact levels, and the rest come in 10% steps.
You can pin your AirPods to the menu bar with their percentage, and set an alert at the level you want.
Other Bluetooth devices have other causes. See Bluetooth battery level not showing on a Mac. For all the places a Mac shows the level, see how to check AirPods battery on a Mac.