Answer

Does Clacky play a sound when I click the trackpad?

Yes. Clacky plays a click sound for every press and release of your MacBook trackpad or Magic Trackpad, tap to click included, in every app.

You pick the sound from 37 click sounds in 8 families, and Clacky can also add a soft tick as you scroll with two fingers. It does the same for any mouse.

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Clacky scroll settings: nine scroll styles from Match click to Silent, density, a Trackpad slider and Speed pitch

Why a Mac trackpad needs help to make a sound

macOS has no setting for a click sound. A MacBook trackpad does not really move when you press it: a small motor taps back to fake the feel (the blog post on why the trackpad clicks without moving explains it). Tap to click makes no sound at all.

Clacky listens for the press and the release of the click, as macOS reports them, and plays a short sound for each one. It never sees what you click on, and the sound is made on your Mac, so no two clicks sound exactly alike.

How to turn on trackpad click sounds

It takes about a minute. Click sounds are on as soon as Clacky opens.

Download Clacky from clacky.app and open it. The 3-day free trial starts by itself, with no card.
Clacky asks for Input Monitoring and explains why first. Allow it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring. On recent macOS versions clicks often work before you allow it, but keyboard sounds always need it.
Click or tap your trackpad. You hear the default sound, Crisp.
Open Clacky's Sounds place and rest the pointer on a sound card to hear it. Click one to use it.
Want quieter clicks? Try the Studio family (Hush, Tap, Felt, Whisper, Thock), which is soft enough to leave on while you record.

Trackpad settings worth knowing

The menu-bar menu also has quick switches for Release, Scroll and Ripples, so you can flip one without opening Settings.

Setting	Where	What it does
Release sound	Settings → Sounds	A lighter click as you let go. Turn it off for one sound per click
Right click	Settings → Sounds → More options	A different sound for the other button (on a trackpad, usually a two-finger click)
Scroll ticks	Settings → Sounds	A soft tick as you scroll, in 8 styles
Trackpad	Settings → Sounds → More options → Scroll	How much scrolling makes one tick on a trackpad or Magic Mouse
Stereo	Settings → Sounds → More options	The click follows the pointer from left to right across your screens
Volume	Settings → Sounds, or the slider in the menu	Clacky's own level, apart from your other sounds

If you hear nothing when you click

Check that Clacky is on: the switch at the top of its menu-bar menu.
Check your Mac's volume and where sound is going. Clacky plays through your current output unless you picked another one in Settings → Sounds → Output.
Quiet during calls is on by default. While a call app uses your microphone, Clacky stays silent, and the menu shows Play Sounds Anyway.
If Only with headphones is on, nothing plays on the speakers.
Still silent? The guide to keyboard sounds not working on a Mac walks through every check.

Questions

Does Clacky work with a Magic Trackpad?

Yes. Clacky hears clicks from the built-in trackpad, a Magic Trackpad and any mouse, and plays the same sounds for each.

Can I hear the click sounds before I install Clacky?

Yes. Click anywhere on clacky.app or open the sound library to hear every click sound in your browser.

Does Clacky show my trackpad clicks in screen recordings?

Yes. Clacky can draw a ripple under the pointer on every click. It is drawn on your real screen, so any recorder or screen share shows it.

Can I make trackpad clicks quieter?

Yes. Lower the volume slider in Clacky's menu, turn off Release sound, or pick a sound from the soft Studio family.

Facts checked on 5 November 2026.

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