Features
Everything Menu Bar Controller does to make Sonos feel native on your Mac. Click any feature below to jump directly to it.
Always in Reach
Menu Bar Controls
Full Sonos control one click away — without switching apps or opening a window.
Click the menu bar icon to open the Menu Bar Controller's main window. Play, pause, skip, change rooms, adjust volume, and browse music — all without leaving what you were doing.
The icon itself can show what's playing at a glance if you choose an Icon Style with song title. You can change the Icon Style in Settings -> Menu Bar Icon.
Hidden Feature
Menu Bar Icon Interactions
With the large icon style enabled, different parts of the icon act as separate buttons — left side to lower volume, center to play/pause, right side to raise volume. No click to open needed for basic controls.
macOS Widgets
See what's playing right on your desktop or in Notification Center — and control it without opening the app.
MBC widgets show album art, track info, and transport controls. Available in multiple sizes to fit your layout. Works in the Notification Center widget gallery and directly on the macOS desktop.
How to Add The Notification Center Widget
1
Click the date and time in the menu bar to open Notification Center
2
Scroll to the bottom and click "Edit Widgets"
3
Search for "Menu Bar Controller"
4
Drag your preferred size onto the widget panel
5
Click "Done"
No Mouse Required
Keyboard Shortcuts
Control volume, playback, and track selection from anywhere — even when MBC is not focused.
MBC supports fully customizable global hotkeys. Assign any key combination to show the app, play/pause, skip, seek forward or back, raise/lower volume, or mute. The shortcuts work system-wide — in any app, in full-screen games, even with the MBC window closed.
How to Change Keyboard Shortcuts
1
Open MBC and go to Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts
2
Click the field next to the action you want to assign
3
Press the key combination you want to use
4
Done — the shortcut works immediately, system-wide
Your Desktop, Your Way
Floating Mini Player
A compact now-playing window that sits on your desktop when you want it and disappears when you don't.
The mini player gives you persistent at-a-glance visibility: album art, track name, artist, and transport controls in a compact window. Position it anywhere on screen. Configure whether it floats above other windows or stays in the background.
Hidden Feature
Bring to Front After Song Change
Enable this in Mini Player settings to have the window surface automatically whenever a new track starts — without keeping it permanently on top. Great for passive track awareness while multitasking.
Level UP
Sonos Sleep Timer
Set your music to stop automatically after a set amount of time.
Pick a duration and MBC handles the rest — no need to remember to pause before falling asleep or leaving the room. Active timers are visible and cancellable from the same controls.
Voice Message Intercom
Record a voice message and broadcast it to any Sonos speaker in your system.
Like the Apple HomePod's intercom feature — for your whole Sonos system. Record up to 30 seconds of audio and play it on any room or group. The message automatically pauses current playback, plays the announcement, then resumes where it left off.
How to Send a Voice Message
1
Select the room or group you want to reach
2
Click the Voice Message element to start recording
3
Speak your message
4
Click again when finished — it plays immediately on the selected speakers
Microphone permission required. Grant it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone if you didn't allow permission when the Menu Bar Controller first asked.
Automate Everything
Apple Shortcuts & Siri
Build automations that control Sonos based on time, network, messages, Focus mode, or any other trigger macOS supports.
MBC exposes a full set of actions to the Shortcuts app — playback control, volume, grouping, guest mode, intercom, and more. Chain them with any other Shortcuts action to create powerful routines. Run them manually, via Siri, or as automatic triggers.
How to Create a Shortcut
1
Open the Shortcuts app on your Mac
2
Create a new shortcut with the + button
3
Search for "Menu Bar Controller" in the action library
4
Add MBC actions and configure group, volume, or playback options
5
Run manually, add to menu bar, or set an automation trigger
Example Automations
When Work Focus Starts
Pause Sonos in the Living Room
Menu bar button
One-tap "dinner music" shortcut
Every weekday at 7:30am
Play Morning Jazz in the kitchen
AppleScript
Script-based control for advanced Mac workflows — integrate Sonos with any tool that supports AppleScript.
MBC is fully scriptable via AppleScript and supports a URL scheme for quick command dispatch. Use it with Script Editor, Automator, BetterTouchTool, Keyboard Maestro, Alfred, or any automation tool that can run scripts or open URLs.
AppleScript Examples
—- Play/Pause the currently active group
tell application "Menu Bar Controller for Sonos"
playPause currentGroup
end tell
—— Skip to the next track in the currently active group
tell application "Menu Bar Controller for Sonos"
nextSong currentGroup
end tell
—— Set volume of the currently active group to 35%
tell application "Menu Bar Controller for Sonos"
set currentVolume of currentGroup to 35
end tell
Works With Your Setup
Sonos S1 and S2 Support
Full compatibility with both the modern S2 platform and the legacy S1 platform — including seamless switching between the two.
In 2020, Sonos split their platform in two. Speakers released before a certain point — the Play:1, Connect, Playbar, and others — could not support the new S2 software. They stayed on S1. Newer speakers launched on S2. The two systems are completely separate: they cannot share rooms, groups, or be controlled from the same session.
If you have both S1 and S2 speakers, both systems show up as separate systems in MBC. Switch between them in Settings -> Sonos System without logging out or back in.
Both systems must use the same Sonos account. Sonos S1 and Sonos S2 remain separate platforms — Sonos requires this — but as long as they're registered to the same account, MBC can access and switch between both.
Guest Mode
Control any Sonos system on your current Wi-Fi — without logging in.
Connect to a friend's speakers, a vacation rental, or an office system without signing into their Sonos account. Guest Mode uses local network discovery to find speakers and lets you control them directly. No credentials needed, nothing saved after you leave.
Note that Sonos Favorites and music browsing aren't available in Guest Mode — those require a full account login.
How to Enable Guest Mode
1
Open the MBC's Settings -> Sonos System
2
Enable the Guest Mode toggle
3
Done — MBC discovers speakers on your local Wi-Fi
Family Sharing & License Sync
One purchase covers your whole family — and follows you to any new Mac.
MBC offers a Single license for one Apple Account and a Family license that supports Apple's Family Sharing. When any member of your Family Sharing group purchases the Family license, everyone gets access automatically — no extra purchase needed on each Mac. Your license also syncs across your own machines via your Apple Account, so migration to a new Mac is seamless.
How to Set up Family Sharing
1
Enable Family Sharing and Purchase Sharing in System Settings → [Your name] → Family Sharing
2
Each family member installs MBC from the Mac App Store using their own Apple Account
3
The purchase syncs automatically — no code or extra steps needed
Even More to Explore
Additional features that make MBC the most liked Sonos controller on macOS
