Download Airfoil for Mac

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Airfoil is a Mac utility for sending audio from your computer to remote devices, whether that is an Apple TV, a HomePod or another speaker across the house.

What it does — Captures audio from any application and streams it to devices on your network. You can send music from Spotify, a video from Safari, or a game’s sound to a different room.

Who it is for — Anyone who wants audio where the computer isn’t. Photographers playing music from the editing suite to the studio floor. People with a MacBook plugged into a monitor but no speakers nearby. Home users with a mix of AirPlay and Bluetooth gear.

Version 5.13 — Runs on macOS 14.4 and later, 64-bit only. The big fix in this release is restored support for Apple TV and HomePod, which had been broken in earlier versions. It also keeps the automatic start-on-launch feature for streaming straight to a chosen device.

Airfoil Satellite — A companion app family that extends streaming to more devices and lets you control playback from your phone or another Mac.

How Airfoil fits with other apps and macOS features

Airfoil works alongside your existing audio setup rather than replacing it. On a Mac, sound normally goes to one output at a time — the built-in speakers, a pair of headphones or a single Bluetooth speaker. Airfoil sits on top of that system, capturing audio from any app and sending copies to multiple devices at once. You can keep your Mac’s local sound playing through its own speakers while the same audio streams to an Apple TV in the living room and a Google Cast speaker in the kitchen.

The app works well with macOS’s own AirPlay implementation but goes further. Where macOS lets you send audio to one AirPlay device at a time, Airfoil can push to several AirPlay, Bluetooth and Chromecast devices simultaneously. It also handles the audio encoding in Apple Lossless, which keeps the quality high when you are sending music to a proper stereo setup.

For photographers and video editors, this means you can play a client slideshow on the main screen while the audio fills a different room, or route a tutorial video’s sound to a pair of wireless headphones without unplugging anything. It does not interfere with screen recording or screen mirroring, so you can present from a MacBook and still send the audio where it needs to go.

Captures audio from Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube

One common question is whether Airfoil works with streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube. Yes — it captures audio at the system level, so it picks up whatever the app is playing, regardless of the service. It is not tied to any particular music player.

Another is about latency. Because Airfoil sends audio over the network, there is always a slight delay compared to wired headphones. For music listening and casual video watching, that delay is not an issue. For live audio or real-time monitoring, wired connections are still the better choice. Airfoil does not claim to be a low-latency solution for live performance.

People also ask if Airfoil needs extra hardware. It does not — the app uses your existing network and the devices you already own. If a device supports AirPlay, Google Cast or Bluetooth, Airfoil can likely send audio to it. The companion Airfoil Satellite apps are free and turn a phone, tablet or another computer into a receiver, so you do not need dedicated speakers either.

One more: can Airfoil stream to devices on a different Wi-Fi network? The app is designed for local network use. Devices need to be on the same subnet for reliable streaming. For remote access outside the house, you would need a VPN or other network bridging.

Best for homes with mixed-brand speakers

Airfoil is most useful for anyone with more than one audio device in their home or workspace. That includes:

• Home users with mixed-brand speakers — If you have an AirPort Express in one room, a Google Nest Mini in another and a Bluetooth speaker in the kitchen, Airfoil is the single way to send audio to all of them at the same time. Without it, you are switching outputs or playing music on separate devices.
• People who work on a Mac with a monitor — A lot of external monitors have no speakers or very weak ones. Airfoil lets you keep the monitor’s display and route audio to a proper speaker without plugging in a cable every time.
• Photographers and creatives who present work — When showing a portfolio or a slideshow on a projector or a TV via AirPlay, the audio often stays on the Mac. Airfoil sends it to the same display or to a separate speaker, so the room hears what you hear.
• Anyone with a HomePod or Apple TV — Since version 5.13 restored support for these devices, they are back on the list of reliable destinations. If you have one of those and a Mac, Airfoil makes them useful for more than just Apple Music.

It is not a tool for everyone. If you only ever use headphones plugged into the Mac, you do not need it.

New this release

• Restores audio streaming to Apple TV and HomePod devices.

Mac it needs

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