MacPipAnswer
Do keyboard sounds work in Terminal, VS Code and every app?
Yes. Clacky’s keyboard sounds play in every app, Terminal, iTerm2, VS Code, Xcode and every browser included, because Clacky listens to key presses for the whole Mac, not inside one app.
The one exception is Secure Input. While a password field or a terminal’s Secure Keyboard Entry has it on, macOS stops sending key presses to apps like Clacky, and keyboard sounds pause everywhere.
Why it works in every app
Clacky doesn’t plug into each app. It uses one Mac-wide listener, the one macOS allows with the Input Monitoring permission, so native apps, Electron apps like VS Code and Slack, terminals and games all sound the same.
Keyboard sounds listen for key down/up only. Clacky never records, stores or sends which keys you type, and respects Secure Input. In practice that means Clacky knows a key was a letter, Space or Return, never which letter, so it can’t see your code or your commands.
Terminal, iTerm2 and Secure Keyboard Entry
Terminal and iTerm2 have a safety option called Secure Keyboard Entry. While it’s on and that window is in front, Secure Input is on for the whole Mac, so every keyboard sound app goes quiet. That is macOS doing its job.
- In Terminal, open the Terminal menu and look at Secure Keyboard Entry. In iTerm2 it’s in the iTerm2 menu.
- If it’s ticked and you want sounds while you type there, untick it. Leave it on if you prefer the extra protection.
- To see which app is holding Secure Input, run
ioreg -l -w 0 | grep SecureInputin Terminal. The number after kCGSSessionSecureInputPID is that app’s process ID, which Activity Monitor shows in its PID column.
A different sound, or none, in each app
- Per-app sounds (under More options in Clacky’s keyboard settings) give an app a different sound, or none, while you type in it. A short, quiet sound in VS Code and silence in Terminal, for example.
- Quiet in these apps silences clicks too, or just the ripples, in the apps you add.
- Keys always go to the app in front, so the sound follows whichever app you’re typing in.
If sounds stop in one app
Every other cause is in keyboard sounds not working on Mac.
- Check that app isn’t set to none in Per-app sounds or listed in Quiet in these apps.
- Check for Secure Input as above, especially in terminals and password managers.
- Check System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring still has Clacky switched on.
Questions
Does Clacky slow down typing in VS Code?
Can Clacky see the code or commands I type?
Do keyboard sounds work in the VS Code terminal?
Facts checked on 5 November 2026.
Related
- Keyboard sounds not working on Mac? 8 fixesKeyboard sound app silent on your Mac? Check Input Monitoring, Secure Input, the sound output and the app’s own quiet settings. Fixes for any app, Clacky too.
- What is Secure Input?Secure Input is the macOS shield that hides key presses from other apps in password fields, so keyboard sounds pause. How to find the app holding it.
- Can Clacky play sounds only in some apps?Yes. Add apps to Quiet in these apps, or flip the list to Only in these apps. Keyboard sounds can also use a different sound, or none, per app.
- Does Clacky work with an external keyboard?Yes. Clacky’s keyboard sounds play for any keyboard your Mac sees: USB, Bluetooth, Magic Keyboard or mechanical, as well as the built-in one.
- Do keyboard sound apps record what you type? How to check on a MacKeyboard sound apps need Input Monitoring, the permission a keylogger needs. What it allows, what Clacky does with a key press, and how to check any app.
- Keyboard SoundsTyping sounds as you type: 29 sounds in 9 families. Clacky listens for key down and up only and never records, stores or sends which keys you type. Password fields (Secure Input) stay quiet.
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