No sound from Keyslam? Here's how to fix it

The 30-second check

1. Open the menu. Click the keyboard icon in the menu bar. A filled icon means Keyslam is active.
2. Check the switch. The switch at the top right turns all sounds on and off.
3. Press Preview. It's next to SOUND. If you hear a short typing phrase, audio works and the problem is key input. If not, it's output or volume.
4. Check the Mac's sound. Make sure the Mac isn't muted and the right output is selected in Control Center › Sound.
5. Turn Keyslam up. Its volume slider starts at about half. Drag it to the right.

Input Monitoring

macOS only lets an app notice key presses in other apps after you allow Input Monitoring. Keyslam asks on first launch, as the install steps and requirements show. Until it's allowed, the menu shows an orange card: “Keyslam needs Input Monitoring”.

1. Click Open Settings in that card. It opens System Settings › Privacy & Security › Input Monitoring.
2. Switch Keyslam on. macOS may ask for your password.
3. Go back to the menu. If a Relaunch Keyslam button appears, click it. Keyslam shows it when the permission is on but macOS still won't deliver keys after a few seconds, which a fresh start fixes.

After a macOS update or a new copy of the app: if Keyslam is switched on in the list but the menu still asks for access, select Keyslam in the list, remove it with the minus (−) button, then quit and reopen Keyslam and allow it again. This clears a stale entry.

Keyslam's keyboard tap is listen-only: it can see that a key went down, but it can't type, change or block anything. More in what Input Monitoring lets an app see.

Output and volume

• Keyslam plays through the Mac's current output, the one picked in Control Center › Sound or System Settings › Sound › Output. When you plug in headphones or connect AirPods, it follows the switch on its own.
• The Mac's volume still applies. If the Mac is muted or turned all the way down, Keyslam is silent too.
• Keyslam's slider is a mix level on top. It starts at about half and goes to about twice that level at the right end, but it can't go past the Mac's own volume.
• Check where the sound is going. If the output is a monitor, dock or interface with nothing plugged in, you won't hear it. Pick the built-in speakers to test.

After a pause or sleep

After 3 minutes without typing, Keyslam switches its audio and the motion sensor off so your Mac can idle and sleep normally. The next key wakes them, so that first sound can be a little late while the audio device starts. When the Mac wakes from sleep, Keyslam reopens its audio and sensor on its own, or with your next key if they had already switched off. If it stays silent, turn the Sounds switch off and on again.

External keyboards and force sensing

• Every keyboard plays. Built-in, USB and Bluetooth keyboards all trigger sounds.
• Force sensing feels the MacBook's case, so keys on an external keyboard play at your usual strength rather than following how hard you hit them.
• No Force switch? If the FORCE section says force sensing needs a MacBook with the motion sensor, your Mac doesn't have one. Pick Soft, Medium, Hard or Slam instead. Which MacBooks have the sensor.
• Everything sounds soft? Drag Sensitivity to the right. Higher sensitivity makes the hard and slam bands easier to reach.

Keys that stay silent

• Password fields. macOS hides those keystrokes from all apps, so they make no sound.
• Secure Keyboard Entry. While an app has it on (Terminal has it in its app menu), macOS hides all keystrokes from other apps, and Keyslam goes quiet everywhere. Turn it off when you don't need it.
• Holding a key plays one sound, not a stream. Keyslam ignores auto-repeat.
• Mouse clicks don't make sounds. Keyslam only plays keyboard sounds.

The trial ended

After 7 days the menu says “Your free trial has ended” and the Sounds switch is greyed out. Buy a $3.99 lifetime license, or click I have a license key and paste your key. Lost it? Recover it on the contact page with your Stripe receipt number.

A custom pack is silent or missing

Custom packs live in ~/Library/Application Support/Keyslam/Packs. Open it from the menu with Packs Folder…. Each pack is a folder with a pack.json and its WAV, AIFF or FLAC files. Keyslam rescans the folder every time you open the menu.

• Not in the list? The folder has no pack.json, or it isn't valid JSON with formatVersion, id, name, kind and groups.
• Red “couldn't load” text? A file named in pack.json is missing or unreadable, a path points outside the folder, there's no usable key group, or the decoded audio is over 96 MB.
• A built-in board changed? A custom pack with the same id replaces the built-in one.
• Only one strength? That's fine. Missing bands fall back to the nearest one you provided, played a little softer or louder.

A minimal working pack.json looks like this (the "up" line is optional):

{
  "formatVersion": 1,
  "id": "my-board",
  "name": "My Board",
  "kind": "Linear",
  "groups": {
    "alpha": {
      "down": { "medium": ["key-1.wav", "key-2.wav"] },
      "up": ["up-1.wav"]
    }
  }
}

Group names are alpha, space, enter, backspace and modifier; missing groups use alpha. Band names are soft, medium, hard and slam.

Still no sound?

Send us a message with your macOS version, Mac model and the exact line under “Keyslam” in the menu. Common questions about calls, shortcuts and other Macs are in the FAQ.