KeyslamMacBook typing sound app
MacBook typing sound app for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro
MacBook keys are quiet. Keyslam adds a real keyboard recording to every keystroke, and on MacBooks with Apple's motion sensor a light tap sounds light and a hard press sounds hard.
Updated
Short answer: Keyslam is a MacBook typing sound app: a small, native menu-bar app that plays a real keyboard or typewriter recording each time you press a key, in any app. It runs on any MacBook with macOS 13 Ventura or later. On MacBook Air and the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M2 or later, and on 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models from M1 Pro on, it also reads the built-in motion sensor and matches each sound to how hard you typed. $3.99 once after a 7-day free trial.
Check your MacBook
Keyboard sounds on Macs without the sensor · Full model list and how to check in Terminal
Hear it first
Try MacBook typing sounds in your browser
Pick a board and type in the box. On a MacBook with the sensor, the app picks the strength for you.
Tap the key, or type
Laptop
Butterfly · A 2018 MacBook Pro's butterfly keys, close-miked: soft and subtle.
Recorded by khenshom · 39 takes ↗Fifteen real boards
CC0 recordingsOn a MacBook the app reads how hard you actually hit. Here, pick a strength or let it vary.
Want a score? Take the typing test with sound: 15, 30 or 60 seconds on any of these boards.
MacBook typing sound app: what works on which MacBook
Every model below plays all 15 sound packs in Keyslam, the keyboard sound app for Mac. The difference is force sensing, which needs the motion sensor that Apple builds into newer Apple silicon MacBooks. Model families are from Apple's model guides; sensor support comes from public hardware information, and we test on a 14-inch MacBook Pro with M5 Pro.
MacBook Air
The M2 MacBook Air was the first Air with the sensor; iFixit found it in its 2022 teardown. Public reports list it in every Air since; the 2020 M1 Air doesn't have it.
| Model | Years | Keyboard sounds | Force sensing |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Air with M5, 13- or 15-inch | 2026 | Yes | Yes |
| MacBook Air with M4, 13- or 15-inch | 2025 | Yes | Yes |
| MacBook Air with M3, 13- or 15-inch | 2024 | Yes | Yes |
| MacBook Air with M2, 13-inch (2022) or 15-inch (2023) | 2022–2023 | Yes | Yes |
| MacBook Air with M1 | 2020 | Yes | No. You pick the strength |
| Intel MacBook Air | on macOS 13 or later | Yes | No. You pick the strength |
MacBook Pro
The 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro has the sensor from the 2021 M1 Pro and M1 Max models on. The 13-inch MacBook Pro has it only in the 2022 M2 version.
| Model | Years | Keyboard sounds | Force sensing |
|---|---|---|---|
| MacBook Pro with M5 Pro or M5 Max, 14- or 16-inch | 2026 | Yes | Yes (our test machine is the 14-inch M5 Pro) |
| MacBook Pro with M5, 14-inch | 2025 | Yes | Yes |
| MacBook Pro with M4, M4 Pro or M4 Max | 2024 | Yes | Yes |
| MacBook Pro with M3, M3 Pro or M3 Max | 2023 | Yes | Yes |
| MacBook Pro with M2 Pro or M2 Max, 14- or 16-inch | 2023 | Yes | Yes |
| MacBook Pro with M2, 13-inch | 2022 | Yes | Yes |
| MacBook Pro with M1 Pro or M1 Max, 14- or 16-inch | 2021 | Yes | Yes |
| MacBook Pro with M1, 13-inch | 2020 | Yes | No. You pick the strength |
| Intel MacBook Pro | on macOS 13 or later | Yes | No. You pick the strength |
MacBook Neo
The MacBook Neo (2026) uses Apple's A18 Pro chip. It meets Keyslam's requirements, but we haven't tested one, and whether it has the motion sensor isn't verified yet.
No sensor on your MacBook? Nothing is locked: you choose Soft, Medium, Hard or Slam and every key plays real strikes from that band. Read more about keyboard sounds on Intel Macs and the M1 MacBook Air, or check your exact model in which MacBooks have an accelerometer, with model identifiers and a Terminal command.
MacBook mechanical keyboard sound app: choosing a board
A MacBook's own keys are quiet, so any of the 15 packs will stand out. These five suit a MacBook especially well. Press one to hear it.
- Recorded on a 2018 MacBook Pro's butterfly keyboard. A short, soft tap that confirms each key without sounding like another keyboard.
- A muted tactile clack. Easy to live with in an office or a café.
- A deep, rounded thock from a Happy Hacking Keyboard. Soft on long writing sessions.
- The full clicky experience, if you want every key to be heard.
- An electric typewriter strike, with a recorded typewriter bell on Return.
Prefer step-by-step setup? Our guide shows how to make your MacBook sound like a mechanical keyboard.
Built-in keyboard, external keyboard, desk or lap
- Built-in keyboard: force sensing feels each key through the MacBook's case. How force sensing works.
- External keyboard: sounds play for any keyboard. The sensor can't feel keys that aren't on the MacBook, so they play at your usual strength rather than dropping to soft.
- Desk, lap or sofa: the reference adapts to your recent typing, so a softer surface doesn't leave everything stuck on soft.
- Speakers or headphones: Keyslam plays through your current output, including AirPods (Bluetooth adds its own delay). With headphones, only you hear it.
What it costs your MacBook
- App size
- About 16 MB installed (10.9 MB download), all packs included
- Audio buffer
- About 5 ms
- Motion sensor
- About 800 readings a second; off when idle
- Idle
- Audio and sensor off after 3 minutes
- Permission
- Input Monitoring, for key presses only
- Network
- None. License checked offline
MacBook questions
Why doesn't my MacBook keyboard click?
MacBook keys are built to be quiet: short travel and no click mechanism in the switch, so most of what you hear is a soft tap. Keyslam adds a real recorded click, clack or thock through your speakers or headphones. For what macOS itself offers (and doesn't), see how to turn Mac keyboard click sounds on or off.
Does Keyslam work on a MacBook Air?
Yes, on every MacBook Air that runs macOS 13 Ventura or later. On MacBook Air models with M2, M3, M4 or M5 it also feels how hard you type. The M1 MacBook Air (2020) has no motion sensor, so you pick the strength; see keyboard sounds on the M1 MacBook Air and Intel Macs.
Does force sensing still work with my MacBook on my lap?
It's designed to. Keyslam judges each keystroke against your own recent typing, the median of your last 96 felt keystrokes, so it re-learns what “medium” means when you move from a desk to your lap or a sofa. Give it about a hundred keystrokes to settle.
Which pack sounds most like a MacBook keyboard?
The Laptop pack. It is cut from a close-miked recording of a 2018 MacBook Pro's butterfly keyboard, so it sounds like a MacBook. Newer MacBooks use scissor keys, so it may not match yours exactly. Hear the MacBook keyboard sound test.
Give your MacBook keyboard a voice for $3.99.
Free for 7 days, no account. One license covers all the Macs you own.