MacPipAnswer
How do I turn off keyboard sounds on a Mac?
macOS doesn’t make typing sounds by itself, so keyboard sounds on a Mac come from an app, an accessibility setting or the alert beep, and you turn them off where they come from.
In Clacky, switch off Keyboard sounds in Sounds to stop the typing sounds and keep the clicks, or use the switch in Clacky’s menu-bar menu to silence everything.
Find what you’re hearing
| What you hear | Where it comes from | How to turn it off |
|---|---|---|
| A sound on every key, in every app | A keyboard sound app (Clacky, Klack, Mechvibes and others) | The app’s own switch, or quit it |
| Two sounds per key, then a pause before the letter appears | Slow Keys | System Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard → Slow Keys |
| A beep when a key does nothing | The alert sound | System Settings → Sound → Alert volume |
| A voice reading out the keys | VoiceOver | Press ⌘F5, or System Settings → Accessibility → VoiceOver |
| Clacks from the keyboard itself | A mechanical keyboard | No setting. Quieter switches or a different keyboard |
Turn off keyboard sounds in Clacky
- With Keyboard sounds off, Clacky stops listening for key presses altogether. It only asks macOS for key events while that switch is on.
- To stop only the typing sounds, open Clacky → Sounds and switch off Keyboard sounds. Click and scroll sounds keep playing.
- To silence everything at once, open Clacky’s menu-bar menu and flip its switch off. Switch it on again the same way.
- For one switch on your keyboard, set an on/off shortcut in Settings → Shortcuts. Clacky has none until you pick one.
- To keep sounds out of one app only, give it No key sounds in Per-app sounds, or add it to Quiet in these apps.
- To keep sounds off your speakers, turn on Only with headphones.
Turn off the macOS sources
- Slow Keys: Apple menu → System Settings → Accessibility → Keyboard, then switch off Slow Keys (or only its Use click key sounds option).
- Alert beep: System Settings → Sound, then lower the Alert volume slider.
- VoiceOver: press ⌘F5 to turn it off, or switch it off in System Settings → Accessibility → VoiceOver.
Can’t tell which app it is?
- Look along the menu bar for a keyboard sound app’s icon, then quit it from there.
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring. Every app that can see key presses is listed. Switching one off stops its keyboard sounds.
- Check System Settings → General → Login Items (called Login Items & Extensions on newer macOS) for apps that start by themselves.
- If sounds stopped when you didn’t want them to, see keyboard sounds not working on Mac.
Where these facts come from
Apple: Change Keyboard settings for accessibility on Mac. Checked on 5 November 2026.
Questions
Do my Clacky settings stay if I turn keyboard sounds off?
Yes. Switching Keyboard sounds off keeps your sound, volume and every other setting for when you switch it back on.
How do I stop Clacky’s sounds during a Zoom call?
Quiet during calls does it for you and is on by default: Clacky stays silent while a call app or your browser uses the mic.
How do I remove a keyboard sound app completely?
Quit it and drag it from Applications to the Trash. For Clacky, also remove it from Input Monitoring and delete its folder in ~/Library/Application Support, as the uninstall page explains.
Facts checked on 5 November 2026.
Related
- How do I pause or turn off Clacky quickly?Click Clacky in the menu bar and flip the switch at the top. Or set an on/off shortcut, mute one sound type, or let Quiet during calls do it for you.
- 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 a MacBook have a keyboard click sound setting like the iPhone?No. macOS has no keyboard click setting like the iPhone. The only built-in key sound is part of Slow Keys. For typing sounds, use an app like Clacky.
- How do I uninstall Clacky?Quit Clacky, drag it to the Trash, remove it from Input Monitoring and Screen Recording, then delete its support folder and preferences file.
- 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.
- 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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