Soft switch for Mac sound output When I'm alone, I unplug my headset and let the sound output from the load speaker of my iMac, and when there are other people around, I plug in the headset in order to not bother people around me. I found myself keep plugging and unplugging my headset. What's worse is the headset jack of the iMac is on the back side of the screen.



Now I'm hoping that I could keep my headset plugged in all the time, and there would be a software switch to control the sound should be output from either load speaker or the headset. But I don't know if it is possible with a Mac. It seems to be possible with Windows, but I'm not sure. Anyone has any idea will be greatly appreciated.
In Preferences->Sound, select "Show volume in menu bar". You should then see a little speaker icon in your menu bar.

If you option-click that (click while holding alt/⌥), you can select the audio output right there.

Update: Only works for audio devices connected via USB or DisplayPort/Thunderbolt, not for the Headphone port.