Toggle Bluetooth Power with blueutil

Turn Bluetooth on or off from the macOS command line using blueutil.

macOSbluetoothTerminalLow risk

blueutil --power toggle

01Command

Command

$ blueutil --power toggle

02What it does

blueutil is a CLI for Bluetooth on macOS. The --power option sets the Bluetooth power state, and the special value `toggle` flips it — handy for scripting or switching off Bluetooth without opening System Settings. Install it with `brew install blueutil`. You can check the current state with `blueutil --power`, which prints 1 (on) or 0 (off).

03Risk

RiskLow risk

RequirementsInstall via Homebrew: brew install blueutil

!Warning: blueutil refuses to run as root by default; if needed, use `sudo BLUEUTIL_ALLOW_ROOT=1 blueutil …`. Opening the Bluetooth preference pane may also change discoverability in ways blueutil does not report.

04Undo

Undo

$ blueutil --power toggle

05Sources

GitHub - toy/blueutil: CLI for bluetooth on OSX: power, discoverable state, list, inquire devices, connect, info, … · GitHub
github.com · vendor-doc · 2026-09-21
Evidence: -p, --power STATE set power state ... STATE can be one of: 1, on, 0, off, toggle ... CLI for bluetooth on OSX: power, discoverable state, list, inquire devices, connect, info, …

Last verified: 2026-09-21 · Category: System & Settings

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