If you’ve always wanted to use two headphones on your PC but fail every time, you’re not alone. It can be frustrating when you want to watch a movie with your loved one but can’t enjoy it with a single headphone.
Yes, using two headphones on a PC doesn’t come easy, but you can still do it with various workarounds here and there.
However, the process isn’t that simple; you might face some severe bummers throughout the process.
The most prominent one is that most PCs have only one headphone port. And even if you connect a headphone via it, you still have to play around with your computer’s settings to get good quality audio.
Anyway, the exciting thing is that you can now learn multiple ways to use two headphones on your PC without any hassle.
This guide will ease all the troubles you face with your device’s audio settings. So let’s get started!
Why Is It So Hard to Use Two Headphones on a PC?
As mentioned above, most computers come with only a single audio jack or mini-stereo output. However, some might have more than one audio jacks or ports.
That’s mainly because they have more efficient and powerful audio cards than the former ones.
But generally speaking, most Windows PCs and even Macs have only one headphone port. In addition, as the newer models are coming, we can see that the devices are getting slimmer, but the single jack configuration is still the same.
Honestly, there is no harm in that. Some people like to keep it to themselves only and don’t want to share their favorite song or video with anyone else.
Besides, we primarily use and carry our laptops with us when we are either traveling or working, and a single headphone jack sounds fine for this.
Also, a single headphone jack is a good thing for people who aren’t very technogeeks. A single audio port eliminates all the problems you might face when you indeliberately change your computer’s default audio settings.
Maybe that’s why the developers didn’t think of upgrading their PC’s configuration with two or more headphone jacks.
Why Do You Want to Use More Than One Headphone?
Before jumping onto the techniques, let’s look at why people desire to use more than one headphone on their PCs.
Mostly, when someone wants to listen to music or enjoy a movie with another person without disturbing anyone else, they need two headphones for that. Plus, what could be better than experiencing a cinema-like audio experience at home?
Moreover, if a person wants to show someone else a media clip in private, he needs another headphone connected to their PC for that.
Precisely, no matter what the reason is, you can now easily listen and share your favorite songs, videos, and games with anyone you want by connecting two headphones to your PC.
Additionally, you can also attend your online classes in a group with the same PC without disturbing people around you. Let’s know-how!
How Can You Connect Two Headphones to a PC?
You have three ways to connect multiple headphones to your PC, including:
- Changing the audio settings on your PC
- Using a headphone splitter as a sound-splitting hardware
- Using third-party software, like audio mixers.
Changing the Audio Settings on Your PC
If you don’t want to get into details, you can start with adjusting the audio settings available on your PC. This is the fastest way to get results without making extra efforts.
You can find the audio settings in the Control Panel of your PC, and if you’re using a Mac, it’s available in the System Preferences.
It’s relatively more complicated to use two headphones on your PC than on a Mac. So if you’re using a Windows PC, you might need to step up your game a little.
Using a Headphone Splitter As a Sound-splitting Hardware
The first method might be the fastest, but this method is the easiest. You can smoothly use two or more headphones on your computer via a headphone splitter.
All you have to do is buy a USB port or mini-stereo and plug two headphones into it, connecting with your computer. This technique splits the audio equally between all the devices.
However, there is one thing you should watch out for when buying a headphone splitter. First, ensure that your computer supports that sound-splitting hardware, and then invest your money into it.
Using Third-party Softwares, Like Audio Mixers
Audio-mixers are third-party software that allows you to manage multiple audios simultaneously and then choose channels. It’s like you’re mixing and matching different sounds and transforming them into a single soundtrack.
You can detect many headphones through an audio mixer and select the ones you want to connect to your computer from within the program.
How To Use Two Headphones on One Computer?
Using two headphones on a PC is a piece of cake if the device already has two or more audio ports or if you want to connect a wired headphone and a Bluetooth headset at the same time.
But if you’re willing to use two pairs of wired headphones or two pairs of Bluetooth headphones at once, that’s where the complexity arises.
But it’s not impossible to do so; you need some software and hardware to get there.
Connecting Two Wired Headphones on a PC
If you have a Windows 10 PC, you can use two wired headphones on it through:
- Setting Stereo Mix as Default Device
- A headphone splitter
- Managing sound output by an audio mixer
Setting Stereo Mix as Default Device
You have to adjust a few settings in your device’s Control Panel if you want to pass on the splitter and audio mixer option.
Here is how you can do that:
- Go to the Control Panel.
- Click on Sound.
- Then, select the Recording tab.
- Now, right-click on Stereo Mix and set it as Default Device.
- Head toward the Listen tab.
- Click on Listen to this device.
- Lastly, choose your headphones.
However, if you’re unable to find the ‘Stereo Mix’ option, you can simply open the ‘Recording’ tab and right-click anywhere inside it. Then find ‘Show disabled devices’ and ‘Show disconnected devices,’ and tick the boxes there.
If your problem persists, likely, your PC doesn’t support multiple headphones at all.
A Headphone Splitter
As you now know, a headphone splitter is a USB port that splits the audio into multiple places.
So, you will have to buy a good quality headphone splitter to get the best and most precise audio possible. Y-splitter is one of the widely-used audio splitters so far. Evident from its name, a Y-shaped port splits the headphone jack into two audio outputs.
This gives you access to connect and use two headphones at once.
However, if you’re looking for something more, you can go for a multi-splitter. It splits the headphone jack into more than two audio outputs.
You can even enjoy the added value of multi splitters; they allow you to plug devices into your computer other than your headphone, like a microphone.
Managing Sound Input and Output by an Audio Mixer
You can manage the sound input and output on your PC through a simple audio mixer interface. It allows you to tweak the sound to get the perfect audio and even choose the channels.
You can choose one or more devices through an audio mixer to use two headsets on your PC without buying a splitter.
Here are some popular audio mixing software:
- Adobe Audition: It’s Adobe’s one of the most advanced audio recording and editing software, having the easiest way to use and send audio to multiple headphones on your PC.
- Voicemeeter: If you don’t want to spend a single dime on any software, you should go for Voicemeeter. It is free software that allows the users to connect and use two headphones on their PCs (having Windows 10 or below).
- Audacity: It is another free and open-source software for audio editing and recording. You can use it on your Windows PC and even on Mac.
Connecting Two Bluetooth Headphones on a PC
If you’re thinking of connecting two Bluetooth headphones to your PC, technically and practically, it’s not possible through the Control Panel.
However, you can tweak your PC’s settings and connect one wired headphone pair and one Bluetooth headphone pair at a time.
But if you still want to connect two pairs of Bluetooth headphones to your PC, you can do that by:
- Using audio-mixer software.
- Using a Bluetooth adapter.
Using Audio-mixer Software
Connecting multiple Bluetooth headphones to your PC through audio-mixer software is the best way to achieve a good-quality dual headphones audio setup.
‘The software detects and shows you all the connected Bluetooth headphones. You can then choose the headphones you want to use. Plus, it also lets you adjust the EQ settings.
You can go for the same audio-mixer software that we mentioned before.
Using a Bluetooth Adapter
A Bluetooth adapter allows you to connect more than seven Bluetooth audio outputs to your PC. What can be better than that?
You have to plug your one Bluetooth headphone into a USB port and follow the installation steps. The adapter will then notify you when your PC detects and accepts it.
Now, connect and use multiple Bluetooth headphones on your PC.
The Bottom Line
You can now perform multiple tasks with your partner, like playing video games, conducting a live Zoom session, or streaming a movie through two headphones connected to a single PC.
All of the above-mentioned methods are very easy and functional, so don’t sweat just by looking at them.
Opt for any of them and bring a cinema to your home!
