USB-C, cables
and your Mac

Model by model

Sony's guides describe the USB port only for charging, and reviews of the XM6 and WH-1000XX confirm there's no USB-C audio on the newest models either.

Listen with the 3.5 mm cable

1. Plug the supplied cable into the headphones' headphone jack and into your Mac's headphone jack. If your Mac doesn't have one, use a USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone adapter.
2. Open System Settings → Sound → Output and choose the headphone jack or the adapter, if macOS didn't switch to it by itself.
3. On the WH-1000XX, switch the headphones on. The other models play both on and off; switched off, they work as ordinary passive headphones without noise canceling.

A cable is worth it when you want a lossless source without Bluetooth compression, when the battery is flat, or when you want the Mac's Bluetooth out of the picture. See LDAC, AAC and lossless on a Mac.

What changes while the cable is plugged in

• Bluetooth turns off in the headphones, on every model. On the XM6 and WH-1000XX, unplugging the cable while they're on switches them back to Bluetooth.
• Open Sound Connect can't connect, because its controls use Bluetooth. Change settings before you plug in, or unplug to change them. See how Sony headphone control works on a Mac.
• The microphone isn't used. Sony's guides say to talk using your phone's microphone instead; on a Mac, use the Mac's. More below.
• Wearing detection doesn't work on the XM4 and XM5, so taking them off won't pause your music.
• On the WH-1000XX, listening modes and the headphones' controls are disabled.

Calls with the cable

Over the cable, the headphones carry sound only, so a call app on your Mac needs another microphone:

1. Open System Settings → Sound → Input and choose your Mac's built-in microphone or another microphone.
2. Make the same choice in your call app's audio settings if it has its own.
3. On the XM4 and newer, turn off Speak-to-Chat before you plug in for a wired call; Sony warns that otherwise you may not hear the other person. Do it while still on Bluetooth, since the app can't reach the headphones over the cable.

If you want to use the headphones' own microphone, use Bluetooth. Microphone not working on a Mac covers Bluetooth microphone problems.

Using them while charging

• WH-1000XM4 and XM5: while connected to a power outlet or a computer, they can't be turned on and don't play music. Unplug the charging cable to use them.
• WH-1000XM6 and WH-1000XX: you can use them while charging. Charging then stops at about 80%.

Plugging any model into your Mac's USB port charges it and does nothing else: the headphones don't appear in System Settings → Sound.