Airfoil 5.13.0 — macOS

Airfoil is for anyone who wants the sound from their Mac to come out of a speaker that isn't plugged into it. Whether you're playing music in the living room, following a video on the office TV, or just want the Mac's audio on a Bluetooth speaker across the room, Airfoil gets it there. It works with Apple TV, AirPort Express, AirPlay devices, Google Cast speakers, Bluetooth gear, iOS devices, and even other computers. Version 5.13 restores streaming to Apple TV and HomePod devices, which matters if you've leaned on those in the past.

• Streams audio from your Mac to Apple TV, HomePod, Google Cast, and Bluetooth speakers.
• Also sends audio to iOS devices and other Macs or PCs.
• Can start streaming automatically to a chosen device when Airfoil launches.
• Runs as a 64-bit app on macOS 14.4 through macOS 27.
• Works alongside the Airfoil Satellite companion apps for extending playback and remote control.

For an office Mac that occasionally needs to send sound somewhere else, Airfoil fits without fuss. It's one of those tools you don't think about until you need it, and then it just does the job.

Let Airfoil scan your network for devices

Give yourself a few minutes to open Airfoil and let it scan your network once. It finds nearby AirPlay and Google Cast devices on its own, so there's nothing to configure there. If you use Bluetooth speakers, pair them with the Mac as usual first, then Airfoil will see them in its device list.

Pick one application that you'd usually send to a speaker — say, a music player or a browser tab with a podcast. Open that app, start audio playing, then select it in Airfoil's source list. Choose your speaker. If it works, you're done. If not, check that the speaker is on the same network (for AirPlay and Cast) or paired (for Bluetooth).

You can also set Airfoil to start streaming automatically. In its preferences, tell it which device to send audio to when it launches. That can save a step if you always use the same speaker. Just be aware that audio will start flowing the moment you open Airfoil, so have something playing or be ready to pause it.

Test with a few different apps over the first couple of days. Some applications behave differently — a video player may send audio in a way that the equalizer can handle one way, a music app another. It's worth knowing how yours act before you rely on it in a pinch.

A workflow: sending a podcast from a browser to a Google Cast speaker

Say you're listening to a podcast in a web browser and want it on the kitchen speaker. Here's how that goes from start to finish with Airfoil.

1. Make sure the Google Cast speaker is on the same Wi-Fi network as the Mac. Airfoil will find it automatically once it's up.
2. Open Airfoil. The main window shows a list of available speakers and devices on the left, and a list of running applications on the right. If you don't see your browser there, make sure audio is playing in the browser — sometimes Airfoil needs to hear the app before it shows up.
3. Click your browser in the application list. A small volume slider and a device selection area appear.
4. Click the Google Cast speaker in the device list. Airfoil starts sending audio to it immediately. The browser's audio now comes out of the kitchen speaker, not the Mac's own speakers.
5. If the volume from the speaker is too loud or too quiet, adjust the volume slider for that application in Airfoil. The built-in equalizer is also available if you want to tweak the tone — click the equalizer button next to the source to open it.
6. To stop, click the speaker in Airfoil's device list again to disconnect, or close Airfoil entirely. The browser keeps playing locally as before.

That's it. You don't need to pause the podcast or restart anything. Airfoil handles the routing in the background, and the audio stream uses Apple Lossless encoding, so the quality stays good end to end.

Airfoil works with older Macs and Apple Silicon

Will Airfoil work with my setup if I have an older Mac?
Airfoil 5.13 runs on macOS 14.4 and later, all the way through macOS 27. Both Apple Silicon and Intel 64-bit machines are supported. If your Mac is on an older system, Airfoil won't install — it needs that minimum version. Check your About This Mac panel before downloading.

Do I need any extra hardware or software?
No. Airfoil itself handles the streaming. For AirPlay and Google Cast, the speakers just need to be on the same network. For Bluetooth, pair the speaker with the Mac normally. The Airfoil Satellite companion apps are optional — they add remote control features but aren't required for basic streaming.

Can I send audio to more than one speaker at once?
Yes. You can select multiple devices in Airfoil's device list, and audio from a single application goes to all of them simultaneously. This works across different speaker types — you could have an Apple TV in one room and a Google Cast speaker in another both playing the same audio.

Does Airfoil work with any application?
It captures audio from any running application that produces sound. That includes browsers, music players, video apps, games, and system sounds. If the app makes noise, Airfoil can route it somewhere else.

What about sound quality?
Airfoil transmits audio encoded in Apple Lossless, which keeps the original quality intact. The built-in equalizer lets you adjust the tone per source if you want to, but it doesn't degrade the stream by default. The quality you hear depends on your speaker and network, not on Airfoil doing anything to the audio.

Is there a way to control playback from another room?
If you install the Airfoil Satellite companion app on an iOS device or another computer, you can start and stop streaming, switch sources, and adjust volume remotely. That's useful for home setups where the Mac is in one room and the speakers are in another. But again, Satellite is optional — Airfoil works fine on its own.

• Restores audio streaming to Apple TV and HomePod devices.

• macOS 14.4 or later
• 64-bit processor (Intel or Apple Silicon)
• Interface: English