Keyslam
How the bell and Return work
On a real typewriter the margin bell rings a few characters before the end of the line, as a warning, and then you throw the carriage return. A Mac has no margin, so Keyslam rings on Return (and the keypad Enter key), the moment a line actually ends.
- Selectric: Return plays 2.5 s of an antique typewriter's bell and carriage return, from “Typewriter bell & carriage reset” by knufds. The Selectric in the main recording had a broken bell.
- Olivetti: Return plays a bell, 1.0 s long, from “Typewriter ding_near_mono.wav” by _stubb.
- Every Return rings. It's the same bell recording each time; pressing harder plays it louder, not differently. There's no setting to ring it after a set number of characters.
- Space and Delete use the same strikes as the letter keys.
- No key-up sounds. A typewriter key makes its noise on the way down, so both packs stay silent when you let go.
Selectric or Olivetti?
Pick the Selectric if you want an office electric. The motor does the striking, so its strikes vary less than the Olivetti's, and Return plays a bell followed by a carriage return.
Pick the Olivetti if you want the feel of a manual. Its strikes vary the most: the slam band plays 14.3 dB above the soft band, the widest range of the boards we measured. On a MacBook with the motion sensor, a light tap and a hard hit sound like two different keystrokes.
Typewriter sounds while you type, in any app
A typewriter sound effect file plays once. A typewriter app plays a strike for every key you press. Keyslam does that system-wide: in Pages, Word, Google Docs, Notes, Mail, a code editor or a chat window. It's how to make your keyboard sound like a typewriter without touching the keyboard.
- Install Keyslam from the download page, and open it from the menu bar.
- Allow Input Monitoring in System Settings › Privacy & Security. Keyslam only uses which key went down; it never stores or sends what you type.
- Choose Selectric or Olivetti in the Sound grid.
- Set the strength. On MacBooks with the motion sensor, keep “Feel how hard you type” on. On other Macs, pick Soft, Medium, Hard or Slam.
- Type. Press Return at the end of a line for the bell.
The two typewriters come with every other board in Keyslam, a keyboard sound app for Mac that runs on macOS 13 Ventura or later, Apple silicon or Intel. It makes no network connections and plays through your speakers or headphones.
Other ways to get a typewriter sound
- In your browser, free: both machines are in our online typewriter and keyboard simulator, no download.
- As files for video editing: see keyboard and typewriter sound effects.
- Other Mac apps: prices and features of the other apps we checked are in keyboard sound apps for Mac, compared.
- For recordings and streams: ASMR keyboard and typewriter sounds.
- A vintage computer keyboard instead: the Model F pack is an early-1980s IBM Model F XT, a buckling-spring keyboard from the company behind the Selectric.
Why writers like it
Many writers find that the strike, strike, ding of a typewriter makes progress audible, the way it did on paper. With headphones on, nobody else has to hear the draft being written.