Fix Missing Audio Devices After a macOS Update in Roon

Fix Missing Audio Devices After a macOS Update in Roon

If your audio devices disappeared from Roon after a macOS update, this article walks you through the steps that can help restore them.

Try each section in order. If your devices return, you can stop there. Otherwise, move on to the next section.

Before You Begin

Before troubleshooting, try these quick checks:

  1. Check that the device works outside Roon. If other apps on your network can't find it either, the issue may not be specific to Roon.
  2. Make sure Roon is up to date. You can check the current production version in our Software Release Notes.
  3. Restart your Mac. If you haven't restarted since updating macOS, try that first. This may be enough to restore your devices.

For other macOS permissions Roon needs, including Full Disk Access and firewall access, see FAQ - Setting Up Roon on macOS.

Check Roon's Local Network Permission

Info
macOS controls which apps can find devices on your network through a permission called Local Network access. After some macOS updates, Roon or Roon Server may lose this permission.

  1. Open the Apple menu and select System Settings.
  2. Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar.
  3. Click Local Network.
  4. Check whether Roon and Roon Server are both listed and turned on.
  5. If they're already on, turn each one off, then back on.
  6. Restart your Mac.
  7. Open Roon and check Settings > Audio again to see if your devices appear.
System Settings Privacy and Security Local Network panel showing Roon and Roon Server toggles

If Roon Isn't Listed Under Local Network

If Roon or Roon Server doesn't appear in the Local Network list, there won't be a permission available to toggle.

  1. Quit Roon and Roon Server completely.
  2. Open Roon Server first, then open Roon.
  3. If macOS asks whether Roon or Roon Server can find devices on your local network, click Allow.
  4. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network and check whether both now appear and are enabled.

Make Sure Roon Is Installed in Applications

If you opened Roon directly from the downloaded installer instead of moving it to your Applications folder, move it to Applications before continuing.

  1. Quit Roon and Roon Server completely.
  2. If the installer window is still open, drag the Roon icon into your Applications folder.
  3. Eject the installer disk image.
  4. Open Roon from your Applications folder.
  5. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network and turn Roon and Roon Server off, then back on.
  6. Restart your Mac.

Try Launching Roon Server Directly

If your devices are still missing, try starting Roon Server directly instead of letting Roon launch it automatically.

  1. Quit Roon completely.
  2. Quit Roon Server from the macOS menu bar.
  3. Open your Applications folder.
  4. Right-click Roon and select Show Package Contents.
  5. Open Contents, then open RoonServer.app.
  6. Open Roon normally and check Settings > Audio again.

macOS 27: Try the Network Workaround

If you're running macOS 27 and your devices are still missing after trying the steps above, use the workaround below.

Find Your Network Address

  1. Open Terminal. You can find it under Applications > Utilities, or press Command + Space and search for Terminal.
  2. Copy and paste the command below, then press Return. This command only checks your network settings and won't change anything: 
    ifconfig | grep "inet " | grep -v 127.0.0.1
  3. Look for a line similar to this: 
    inet 192.168.1.42 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.1.255
    Find the address immediately after inet. Change the last number to 0 and add /24. For example, 192.168.1.42 becomes 192.168.1.0/24.

Alert
If you see a netmask other than 0xffffff00, please contact Technical Support with the Terminal output instead of continuing.

Apply the Workaround

Warning
The following steps change a network setting for your entire Mac, not just Roon. The change is reversible using the steps below.

  1. Copy and paste each command below into Terminal, one at a time. Replace 192.168.1.0/24 with the address you found above. Do not change 224.0.0.0/4. 
    sudo defaults write com.apple.network.local-network AllowedEthernetLocalNetworkAddresses -array "192.168.1.0/24" "224.0.0.0/4"
    sudo defaults write com.apple.network.local-network AllowedWiFiLocalNetworkAddresses -array "192.168.1.0/24" "224.0.0.0/4"
  2. Terminal will ask for your Mac password. You won't see anything appear while you type your password. This is normal. Press Return when you're done.
  3. Run both commands, even if you only use Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
  4. Restart your Mac.
  5. Open Roon and check Settings > Audio to see if your devices are back.

Check That the Workaround Was Applied

Copy and paste the following command into Terminal and press Return. It only checks the setting and won't make any changes.

defaults read com.apple.network.local-network

You should see your network address and 224.0.0.0/4 listed for both Wi-Fi and Ethernet.

Undo the Workaround

If you need to remove the workaround later, run these two commands in Terminal:

sudo defaults delete com.apple.network.local-network AllowedEthernetLocalNetworkAddresses
sudo defaults delete com.apple.network.local-network AllowedWiFiLocalNetworkAddresses

Restart your Mac after running them.

If Your Devices Are Still Missing

If none of the steps above resolved the issue, please submit a Technical Support Request and let us know which troubleshooting steps you've already tried. We'll take it from there!