SoundGate iconSoundGate for Mac

Your monitor has speakers.
Your Mac won't let you turn them up.

Plug a monitor with built-in speakers into a Mac and sound doesn't reliably go there — and when it does, the volume keys stop working. SoundGate fixes both, and gives you control over every app's sound.

Download for Mac
Free · macOS 14.2 or later · Apple silicon
Notarized by Apple Runs entirely on your Mac No account needed Syncs between your Macs
Why SoundGate exists

Made for the one job Apple left out

Without SoundGate
  • Sound stays on your Mac's speakers until you dig into System Settings
  • The volume keys do nothing for your monitor
  • Changing the volume means fumbling with buttons on the back of the display
  • Unplug and replug the monitor, and you start all over again
With SoundGate
  • Sound switches to your monitor automatically when it's connected
  • Your keyboard's volume keys control the monitor's own speakers
  • An on-screen indicator shows the level, just like the built-in one
  • It remembers your choice every time you reconnect

“This app was created to let people send sound to their external monitor and control its volume. Why Apple doesn't provide this as a basic feature is baffling.”

— Mark Hydar, creator of SoundGate

Once that worked, SoundGate kept growing — volume for every app, an equalizer tuned to your hearing, and spatial audio for headphones.

Sync between Macs

Your sound, on every Mac

Most Mac sound apps keep your settings on the Mac you set them up on. SoundGate takes them with you — tune your sound once, and every Mac you use sounds the same.

  • Your custom EQ profiles and saved presets
  • Each speaker's and headphone's own sound — your AirPods sound the same on every Mac
  • Optionally everything: priorities, per-app volumes and appearance
  • Changes arrive on your other Macs on their own, usually within a minute

Your settings live in your own cloud — iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox. No account, and never on a SoundGate server.

Not in the App Store — on purpose

It does what App Store apps aren't allowed to

Apple requires Mac App Store apps to run in a sandbox and use only public interfaces. Those rules keep the store safe — and they also stop an app from reaching your monitor's hardware. That's the one job SoundGate was built for.

An App Store sound app
  • Can only turn the sound signal down — your monitor's own speakers stay at whatever level they're set to
  • Never louder than the monitor's own setting, so you're back at the buttons behind the screen
  • Can't take over your keyboard's volume keys for the monitor
  • Often paid, or a subscription
SoundGate
  • Changes the monitor's own volume over the display cable — exactly like pressing its buttons
  • The full range, from silent to the speakers' maximum — the monitor's own on-screen menu shows the new level too
  • Your volume keys control the monitor, with the familiar on-screen indicator
  • Free — no subscription, no account
Checked by Apple all the sameEvery version is signed with a verified Developer ID and notarized — scanned by Apple for malware — so it opens without warnings.
Updates itself, safelyNew versions install automatically, and SoundGate only accepts ones signed by its developer and notarized by Apple.
Private by designNo account, no analytics. Your sound is processed live on your Mac and never leaves it.
Features

Everything your Mac's sound settings are missing

SoundGate lives in your menu bar and quietly takes care of where your sound goes and how it sounds.

Sound on your monitor

Route audio to your display's speakers automatically when it's connected, and switch back when it isn't.

Volume keys that work

macOS can't change a DisplayPort monitor's volume. SoundGate can — with your keyboard's volume keys and an on-screen indicator.

Volume per app

Turn one app down, mute another, or send it to a different device — music on the speakers, calls in your headphones.

Equalizer, simple or expert

Quick presets and a 10-band EQ, or a parametric Expert EQ with up to 16 bands you drag right on the graph.

A hearing test for your EQ

A few minutes of beeps in each ear finds what you hear less well — and builds a personal EQ, with a before/after to prove it.

Spatial audio for headphones

Hear music from speakers in front of you instead of inside your head — and with AirPods, they stay put when you turn.

Device profiles & priorities

Every speaker and headphone keeps its own sound, and your favourite connected device is always chosen first.

Control Center & menu bar

Quick volume buttons in Control Center, and everything else one click away in the menu bar.

Sync between Macs

Your custom EQ profiles, presets and device sound follow you to every Mac — through iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive or Dropbox.

Hearing test

An EQ tuned to your ears

Everyone hears a little differently — and every pair of headphones sounds different too. SoundGate measures both at once.

  • Short beeps in each ear find the quietest sound you can hear at each pitch
  • A personal EQ gently lifts what you hear less well
  • Compare before and after on speech or music, at matched loudness
  • Results are saved and named for your headphones

Not a medical test — it tunes your sound, it doesn't diagnose.

Your results
×××××× 2505001k2k4k8k Hz
× Left○ Rightlower = harder to hear
Your personal EQ Treble Lift
▶ Before▶ AfterSpeech · Music · Your own song
Mixer & EQ

When you want to fine-tune

Open the full window for volume, boost and balance knobs, an app mixer, spatial audio settings and a parametric equalizer.

SoundGate's Mixer & EQ window: volume, boost and balance knobs, an app mixer, spatial audio settings and a parametric equalizer
Spatial audio

Never heard of spatial audio? Perfect.

A one-minute guided setup plays music while you listen and choose. No jargon, no wrong answers.

Speakers in front of you

Switch between normal headphone sound and virtual speakers, and keep the one you like.

How wide

Narrow, normal or wide — like desk speakers or a home theatre.

Turn your head

With AirPods, the sound stays where your screen is — just like real speakers.

Add a room

A touch of natural echo, from a small room to a concert hall — or none at all.

Install

Up and running in a minute

Download

Get SoundGate.dmg and open it.

Run the installer

Double-click Install SoundGate and follow the steps. It opens when it's done.

Find it in the menu bar

Click the SoundGate icon near the clock. Closing the window keeps it running.

Permissions macOS will ask for — and why

AccessibilitySo your keyboard's volume keys can control your monitor's speakers.
System Audio RecordingSo SoundGate can change each app's volume, EQ and spatial audio. Sound is processed live on your Mac — never recorded or sent anywhere.
Motion & FitnessOnly for AirPods head tracking.

Your sound stays on your Mac

SoundGate has no account, no analytics and no servers. All audio processing happens on your Mac in real time — nothing is recorded, stored or uploaded. Its only network request is a daily check for new versions on GitHub, which you can turn off. If you turn on Sync, your settings go to a cloud folder you choose — your own iCloud Drive, Google Drive or OneDrive — never to SoundGate's developer.

FAQ

Questions

Is SoundGate free?

Yes.

Which Macs does it run on?

Macs with Apple silicon running macOS 14.2 (Sonoma) or later. Control Center buttons need macOS 26 or later.

Does it work with my headphones?

Any headphones get spatial audio's speakers-in-front effect. Head tracking needs AirPods (3rd generation or later), AirPods Pro, AirPods Max or supported Beats. If your AirPods already use Apple's “Spatialize Stereo”, turn that off in Control Center so the sound isn't processed twice.

My monitor's volume keys don't do anything on a Mac. Will this fix it?

Usually, yes. Most monitors let SoundGate change their speaker volume directly over the display cable (DDC). If yours doesn't, SoundGate tells you so in the app.

Why does it need System Audio Recording?

That's the macOS permission that lets an app process other apps' sound — needed for per-app volume, the EQ and spatial audio. SoundGate only processes the sound live; nothing is recorded.

How does SoundGate stay up to date?

It checks this site's releases about once a day and lets you know when a new version is out — install it with one click from the menu bar. Turn on Install updates automatically to have SoundGate download and install updates itself (macOS asks for your password to update an app in Applications). Every update is checked to be signed by SoundGate's developer and notarized by Apple before it's installed. You can switch off update checks entirely under Devices & Settings → About.

Can I use the same settings on another Mac?

Yes. Turn on Devices & Settings → Sync on each Mac and pick the same cloud folder — iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox or any folder your cloud app syncs. Your custom EQ profiles, saved presets and each device's sound stay in step; turn on Also sync all settings to include priorities, per-app volumes and appearance. The most recent change wins, and a Mac that joins later keeps its own saved presets.

Your settings are saved as SoundGate › SoundGate Settings.plist inside the cloud folder you pick — for example iCloud Drive › SoundGate › SoundGate Settings.plist. SoundGate shows the exact location under Sync, with a Show in Finder button.

How do I uninstall it?

Quit SoundGate from its menu, then drag SoundGate from Applications to the Trash. To also remove its settings, run defaults delete com.markhydar.SoundGate in Terminal.

Troubleshooting

Something not working?

Most problems come down to a macOS permission. Here's how to fix the common ones.

The volume keys don't change my monitor's volume

SoundGate needs Accessibility permission to read the volume keys — if it's missing, the menu bar panel shows a warning with a Grant… button.

  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
  2. If SoundGate is already in the list, select it and click − to remove it. (macOS ties the permission to one exact copy of the app, so an entry left over from an older or reinstalled copy can look switched on but no longer apply.)
  3. Click +, choose Applications → SoundGate, and switch it on.

No restart needed — the keys start working within a couple of seconds and the warning disappears.

The keys work, but the monitor's volume doesn't change

SoundGate changes the volume over the display cable (DDC). Make sure DDC/CI is turned on in the monitor's on-screen menu, and that its speakers aren't muted there. Some docks, hubs and adapters don't pass DDC through — try connecting the monitor directly with a USB‑C or DisplayPort cable. If your monitor doesn't support it, SoundGate says so in the app.

Sound doesn't come out of my monitor

The menu bar panel shows where sound is playing (“Playing through …”). In Devices & Settings → Output Priority, move your monitor to the top and turn on Automatically use the highest-priority output. Also check the monitor's own menu — some monitors have a separate audio-source or speaker setting.

Per-app volume, the EQ or spatial audio have no effect

These need System Audio Recording permission. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording, and under System Audio Recording Only switch on SoundGate. If it's already on but nothing changes, remove it with −, add it again with +, then quit and reopen SoundGate.

Head tracking doesn't follow my head

Head tracking needs supported AirPods or Beats, worn and connected, and the Motion & Fitness permission (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Motion & Fitness). Turn off Apple's “Spatialize Stereo” for your AirPods in Control Center so the sound isn't processed twice, and use Re-centre to reset which way is forward.

I can't find SoundGate in the menu bar

On Macs with a notch, menu bar icons can be hidden when there are too many — quit an app or two to make room. On macOS 26 and later, check that SoundGate is allowed under System Settings → Menu Bar. You can always open SoundGate from Applications to bring up its window, and switch Show SoundGate in to include the Dock.

Settings don't sync to my other Mac

Both Macs need SoundGate 1.0.3 or later with Sync on and the same cloud folder chosen, and the cloud app (iCloud Drive, Google Drive, OneDrive…) has to be running and signed in to the same account on both. Changes usually arrive within a minute — click Sync Now to check straight away. If macOS asks whether SoundGate may access files in your cloud folder, click Allow.

An update didn't install

Download the latest version from the button at the top of this page and run the installer — your settings are kept. If SoundGate says an update “isn't signed by SoundGate's developer”, it refused to install a download it couldn't verify; downloading it fresh from here fixes that.

Still stuck? Report a problem — say which Mac, macOS version and monitor or headphones you're using.

Ready to hear the difference?

Download for Mac
Release notes & previous versions