Keyboard sounds not working on Mac? 8 fixes
Updated 30 October 2026
Short answer: when a keyboard sound app goes silent on a Mac, it is usually one of four things: the app lost its Input Monitoring permission, another app has Secure Input on, the sound goes to the wrong output, or one of the app’s own quiet settings is on. Check them in that order.
These fixes work for any keyboard sound app (Klack, Thock, Keeby, Klakk, Clacky and others). We make Clacky, so its own settings are named where they matter.
The short version
- Input Monitoring: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring. The app must be there and switched on. Remove old copies.
- Secure Input: a password field or Terminal’s Secure Keyboard Entry stops key sounds everywhere until it’s closed.
- Output: check the volume and which device the Mac plays through, AirPods included.
- Quiet settings: many apps go quiet during calls, in chosen apps, or when headphones are out.
1. Check Input Monitoring
A keyboard sound app needs a permission to see key presses in other apps: usually Input Monitoring, sometimes Accessibility (Thock, for one). Without it, the app may still click inside its own window and nowhere else.
- Quit the app.
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring (and Accessibility, if the app is listed there).
- Find the app and switch it on. If it’s listed twice, or an old copy is there, select each entry and remove it with the minus button below the list.
- Keep only the copy in Applications. Open it and allow Input Monitoring when macOS asks, then quit and reopen it once.
This one fix solves most "it only works in its own window" problems, often after an update or after moving the app.
Clacky explains Input Monitoring before macOS asks
Clacky’s setup shows what the permission is for before macOS asks, and tells you when keyboard sounds need it. Hear every sound first on clacky.app and in the typing test. Free for 3 days, no card, then $4.99 once.
2. Look for Secure Input
When an app turns on Secure Input, macOS stops sending key presses to every other app, keyboard sound apps included. It’s a privacy feature: password fields do it while you type a password. Some apps leave it on by mistake, and Terminal’s Secure Keyboard Entry keeps it on while Terminal is in front.
- Close any password prompt and click out of password fields.
- In Terminal, check the Terminal menu: if Secure Keyboard Entry is ticked, untick it or switch to another app.
- To see which app holds it, run this in Terminal and look for a number after kCGSSessionSecureInputPID; that’s the process ID of the app, which Activity Monitor shows:
ioreg -l -w 0 | grep SecureInputA good keyboard sound app respects Secure Input. Clacky does: Keyboard sounds listen for key down/up only. Clacky never records, stores or sends which keys you type, and respects Secure Input. Mouse click sounds keep playing meanwhile.
3. Check the sound output
- Turn the volume up and check that the Mac isn’t muted.
- Open Control Center → Sound and check which device it plays through. If AirPods or a Bluetooth speaker are connected, the sound goes there.
- Took your AirPods out and put them back? Some apps keep playing on the old device until you reopen them. Clacky follows them back on its own (2.7.15 and later).
- A keyboard sound over Bluetooth arrives a little later than on the built-in speakers or wired headphones. If the sound feels late, try the Mac’s speakers to compare.
4. Turn off the app’s quiet settings
Many keyboard sound apps go quiet on purpose. In Clacky:
- Quiet during calls (on by default): silent while a call app or your browser uses the microphone (on macOS before 14.4, any app using it).
- Quiet in these apps: silent in the apps you added.
- Only with headphones: silent on the speakers, by design.
- Check the Keyboard sounds switch itself, and the main Clacky switch in the menu bar.
Other apps have their own versions, so look through their settings for "pause", "mute" or "quiet".
5. Check your macOS version
Keyboard sound apps need a recent macOS. Klack needs macOS 15, Klakk and Kiiwi macOS 14, Thock 13.5, and Clacky macOS 13 or later. Some older free apps stay silent on recent macOS: see Mechvibes not working on Mac.
6. Run one keyboard sound app at a time
Two keyboard sound apps at once play two sounds per key, or fight over the same permission. Quit the one you don’t use, and check System Settings → General → Login Items (Login Items & Extensions on macOS 15 and later) so it doesn’t come back at startup.
7. Check the trial or the licence
A paid app may go quiet when its trial ends. Clacky’s trial lasts 3 days; after that it stops playing until you buy it ($4.99 once) and paste your licence key.
8. Restart the app, then the Mac
If nothing above helps, quit the app and reopen it, then restart the Mac. Still silent? Write to the app’s maker with your macOS version and what you tried. For Clacky, use Support & feedback or email hello@clacky.app.
Questions
Why does my keyboard sound app only work in its own window?
It has lost its permission (Input Monitoring for most apps, Accessibility for some, Thock among them), or macOS is checking an old copy of the app. Quit it, remove every entry for it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring (and Accessibility), keep only the copy in Applications, open it and allow the permission again.
Why do keyboard sounds stop in password fields?
Password fields turn on Secure Input, which hides key presses from every other app, keyboard sound apps included. That is on purpose. Clacky respects it: Keyboard sounds listen for key down/up only. Clacky never records, stores or sends which keys you type, and respects Secure Input.
Why are my keyboard sounds delayed?
Bluetooth headphones and speakers add a short delay to every sound. The Mac’s built-in speakers or wired headphones play them right away.
Why did my keyboard sounds stop during a call?
Many apps go quiet on calls on purpose. In Clacky, Quiet during calls (on by default) keeps it silent while a call app or your browser uses the microphone. Turn it off in Clacky’s settings if you want sounds on calls.
Do keyboard sound apps work on macOS Sequoia and Tahoe?
The current ones do. Clacky runs on macOS 13 Ventura or later, Sequoia and Tahoe included; Klack needs macOS 15 or later. If an older app stays silent, check its page for a newer version.
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New to Clacky? It’s a cozy Mac menu-bar app with click and keyboard sounds, a screen recorder, screenshots and a little harbour town that grows while you work. See every tool · Try it free for 3 days
Checked on 30 October 2026. Something changed, or something here is wrong? Email hello@clacky.app.