Switch your Mac audio. Choose where it plays.

A track can be playing correctly while its sound goes to a monitor, headset or built-in speaker you did not expect. Check the name of the intended output before changing volume repeatedly. If headphones are wireless or attached through a dock, make sure macOS recognizes them first; the island can only offer devices the system makes available.

1. Start quiet test audio in your player.
2. Open System Settings → Sound and inspect the output list, or open Media Island's output picker.
3. Select the intended available device.
4. Check its volume and listen for the test audio. Pause afterward if you are about to join a call.

Output controls where you hear sound. Input controls which microphone records your voice. Selecting headphones for music does not by itself establish the microphone that a meeting app will use. Check the meeting app's own device settings before relying on a call, especially when a dock or display adds another audio device.

Some outputs manage volume on the hardware or through their own controls. An unavailable software volume slider does not necessarily mean the connection failed. Use the device's controls when appropriate and check the system's selected output again if reconnecting a cable changes the destination.

If a device is missing in both Sound settings and the island, investigate its connection or pairing first. If Sound settings lists it but the island does not, record that distinction and try reopening the tool. This gives support a useful boundary between a system device problem and the picker display.

For repeated desk changes, test the sequence you actually use: disconnect the dock, use the MacBook speakers, reconnect and select the desk output. Verify sound after each change instead of assuming an earlier choice persists. The Spotify guide and Apple Music guide cover the player-specific side of this setup.