How to View Battery Levels for Bluetooth Devices on macOS

To view a connected Bluetooth accessory’s battery on a Mac, open Control Center in the menu bar, expand Bluetooth, and check the device list. For AirPods, use Control Center > Sound and select them. A battery percentage appears only when the accessory and macOS make that information available.

Check a connected Bluetooth device

First, make sure the accessory is powered on, paired, and connected. If it is new to your Mac, open the Apple menu, choose System Settings > Bluetooth, and follow the accessory maker’s pairing instructions. The device should show as connected before you look for its charge level.

1. Click Control Center in the right side of the menu bar.
2. Move the pointer over Bluetooth.
3. Click the arrow beside Bluetooth to open the device list.
4. Look beside the connected accessory for a battery icon, level, or percentage. The exact display depends on the device and macOS version.

Apple documents this Control Center route for checking the charge on Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad. The Apple wireless-accessory guide describes opening Control Center, pointing to Bluetooth, and clicking its arrow. If Bluetooth is not shown in the menu bar, add it in System Settings > Control Center or the Menu Bar settings available in your macOS release.

On macOS 11 or 12, add Bluetooth from System Preferences > Dock & Menu Bar; on macOS 10.15 or earlier, use System Preferences > Bluetooth. These settings expose the menu but cannot enable unsupported battery reporting.

View AirPods battery on a Mac

For AirPods, Apple’s current instructions use the Sound control. Open the AirPods case or take the earbuds out, keep them near the Mac, then click Control Center > Sound and choose your AirPods. When supported, the menu shows charge information for the earbuds and case. See Apple’s AirPods charging and status instructions for model-specific details.

Why a battery percentage may be missing

Bluetooth pairing does not guarantee battery reporting. The accessory must send battery information in a format that macOS can read, and some devices expose charge data only through their own companion app. A device can appear as connected in Bluetooth settings without showing any battery number. Bluetooth Low Energy accessories and devices that use proprietary protocols can have additional limits.

If the accessory is missing from the Bluetooth list entirely, turn it on, bring it close to the Mac, and reconnect it from System Settings > Bluetooth. If it is connected but no charge value appears:

• Wake the accessory and reopen Control Center. Some devices report battery status only while awake or recently active.
• Check the manufacturer’s support app or the indicator on the accessory. A Mac utility cannot reliably display data the device does not send or macOS cannot read.
• For a mouse, controller, or headset using a USB receiver, use the manufacturer’s software; that connection may not expose a Bluetooth battery reading to macOS.

Use ToothFairy for a menu-bar reading

ToothFairy is a paid Mac utility that can put Bluetooth-device icons and available battery status in the menu bar. Its developer says it supports many device types, including headphones, mice, keyboards, and game controllers, but it cannot show battery levels for every model. Check the ToothFairy manual and your local App Store listing for current compatibility and price.

1. Pair the accessory in macOS Bluetooth settings first, then install and open ToothFairy from the Mac App Store or the developer’s site.
2. Open ToothFairy’s settings, click the + button, select the paired device, and click Select.

3. In that device’s settings, enable Show battery status in the menu bar.
4. Hover over the device’s menu-bar icon to see its precise percentage, or Control-click the icon to open its menu.

ToothFairy cannot bypass device limits. Its manual notes that some Bluetooth Low Energy devices may not provide a readable level. If both the built-in list and utility lack a percentage, use the maker’s app or hardware indicator.

Should you still install Akku?

Older instructions sometimes recommend Akku for third-party headsets. The project’s repository is archived, and its maintainer says development stopped after macOS Monterey added built-in support for third-party Bluetooth headsets. Akku was described as experimental and headset-focused, so do not treat its old download as a current all-purpose solution. See the archived Akku project for its status.

Start with Control Center, use Sound for AirPods, and try a menu-bar utility only if macOS receives battery data from the accessory.