Mac keyboard sounds: where they come from, and how to turn them off or on

Short answer: macOS has no everyday key-click setting for the Mac's keyboard like the iPhone's Keyboard Feedback; its only built-in key click comes with Slow Keys. If your MacBook makes a sound when you type, something added it: a keyboard sound app in the menu bar, Slow Keys click sounds, VoiceOver or Speak typing feedback, a Sticky Keys beep, the alert sound for a key the app can't use, or a browser's own keyboard sounds. Each one has its own off switch.

Find the source in under a minute

1. Press the mute key, then type. If the sound stops, it's software and the rest of this page applies. If you still hear it with the Mac muted, it's the keys themselves.
2. Type in TextEdit, then in your browser. Sound only in the browser points to Opera GX's keyboard sounds or a browser extension. Sound in both points to something on the Mac.
3. Look at the menu bar. A keyboard icon, or any icon you don't recognize near the clock, could be a keyboard sound app. Click it.
4. Match the sound to the table below. A click, a voice and a beep each have a different cause.

How to turn off keyboard sounds on a Mac

A keyboard sound app (clicks, clacks or a typewriter)

Apps such as Keyslam, Klack, Mechvibes, KeyEcho and Haptyk play a sound for each key in any app you use. Look for its icon in the menu bar or its window; quitting the app stops the sound. To stop one opening by itself, go to System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions (just Login Items on macOS 13 and 14), select it in the list and click the Remove button (−) below it. Apple's steps.

In Keyslam: press ⌃⌥⌘K in any app, or click the keyboard icon and flip the switch at the top right of the menu. The status line reads “Off” and the menu bar icon changes from a filled keyboard to an outline. Choose Quit to close it, and untick Open at login to keep it closed after a restart.

Slow Keys click sounds

Open System Settings › Accessibility › Keyboard. Turn off Slow Keys, or click the Info button (ⓘ) next to it and turn off Use click key sounds. Slow Keys also waits for an acceptance delay before each key types, so if your typing suddenly feels sluggish, this is the one. Option-Command-F5 (or three quick presses of Touch ID) opens the Accessibility Shortcuts panel, which can switch Slow Keys too. Apple: keyboard accessibility settings.

VoiceOver typing echo

Press Command-F5 to turn VoiceOver off, or hold Command and press Touch ID three times quickly. Apple: turn VoiceOver on or off. To keep VoiceOver but stop it reading keys, open VoiceOver Utility (VO-Fn-F8 while VoiceOver is on), choose Verbosity › Text and set While typing speak to Nothing. Apple: Verbosity Text settings.

Speak typing feedback

Go to System Settings › Accessibility › Read & Speak and turn off Speak typing feedback. On macOS 15 and earlier the pane is called Spoken Content. Its options choose whether the Mac echoes characters, words, selection changes or modifier keys. Apple: Read & Speak settings.

Sticky Keys beeps

In Accessibility › Keyboard, click the Info button next to Sticky Keys and turn off Beep when a modifier key is set. If Sticky Keys keeps coming back, turn off Press the Shift key five times to toggle Sticky Keys in the same place.

The alert sound

When you press a key and the app in front has nowhere to put it, macOS plays its alert sound. Click into the text and it stops. To make it quieter, open System Settings › Sound and drag Alert volume down under Sound Effects. The Play user interface sound effects switch covers other system sounds, such as dragging an item to the Trash. Apple: Sound settings.

Sounds only in the browser

In Opera GX, go to Settings › Mods › Keyboard Sounds and disable or mute them (Opera's instructions). In Chrome, choose More › Extensions › Manage extensions and click Remove on the typing-sound extension. More in Opera GX keyboard sounds on Mac.

How to turn keyboard click sounds on

macOS has one built-in way to click on each key press: Slow Keys with Use click key sounds. It's designed for people who press keys by accident, so every key waits for the acceptance delay before it types. You can shorten the delay, but for everyday typing it still gets in the way. Speak typing feedback and VoiceOver speak rather than click.

1. Open System Settings. Choose Apple menu › System Settings, click Accessibility in the sidebar, then Keyboard.
2. Turn on Slow Keys. Then click the Info button (ⓘ) next to it.
3. Turn on Use click key sounds. Apple describes it as “Have keys make a sound when pressed.” Set Acceptance delay as short as it goes.

For a real mechanical click, clack or typewriter strike without that delay, you need a keyboard sound app. Here's how to make your MacBook sound like a mechanical keyboard, step by step.

MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro: the same answer

Every setting on this page works the same on MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini and Mac Studio, because it's part of macOS, not the hardware. The one difference shows up with keyboard sound apps that read the motion sensor to follow how hard you type. Only some MacBooks have it: see which MacBooks have an accelerometer.

Still hear it with everything off?

If the Mac is muted and you still hear a click, a squeak or a rattle, it's mechanical. Dust or a damaged key can make a MacBook key noisy. That's a repair question, not a setting.