Where are my volume controls in the Mac menu bar? It's disabled by default, but we will show you how you can enable it in macOS.
Don't See Volume and Sound Controls in the Mac Menu Bar? Here's How You Enable it
It's rather strange that in macOS you never see any volume or sound controls in the menu bar by default. In macOS Monterey, Apple shows the option to set volume from the menu bar whenever you connect your AirPods to the Mac. But the moment you disconnect, the volume controls just goes away, which is rather strange. It's almost like Apple wants you to use the function keys, Touch Bar or Control Center to adjust the volume every single time. Thankfully, you can enable the sound option in the menu bar right away without going through too much trouble.
Tutorial
Step 1. Launch System Preferences.
Step 2. Now click on Sound.
Step 3. At the very bottom you'll see an option for Show Sound in menu bar. Make sure that is enabled and the drop-down dialog box set to Always. Refer to the screenshot below and you'll know what I'm talking about.
From now on, whether you have headphones or a Bluetooth speaker connected, or disconnected, the volume controls will stay in the menu bar, allowing you to make adjustments with a couple of clicks.
If you think this is something you do not want and need another way to adjust the volume on the Mac, but via software, then you can always take the Control Center route. It's the same thing, and it can prove to be as convenient at times.
I prefer adjusting the volume from the dedicated sound and volume controls in the menu bar instead of Control Center as it saves you a click, especially when you want to route the audio to an AirPlay-enabled speaker. In fact, connecting to AirPods is far easier this way as well. But if you are all about the minimal life then Control Center can prove to be more useful for you, as long as you don't mind an extra click.
For more helpful guides and tutorials, head over to this section.
