Whenever you empty the Trash on a Mac, you hear a distinct crunching paper sound. When you take a screenshot, you hear a loud camera shutter click. If you try to drag a file to a folder where it does not belong, you hear a dull ‘bop’ noise.
These audio cues are designed to provide helpful feedback confirming that the operating system has registered your action. However, if you are working in a quiet office environment, or if you simply prefer a silent, distraction-free workflow, these constant system sound effects can become incredibly irritating.
Fortunately, macOS provides a single toggle switch to disable all of these non-essential interface noises globally.
How to Disable UI Sound Effects
You can silence these system sounds without muting your entire Mac. You will still be able to hear audio from videos, music, and Zoom calls perfectly fine.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of your screen.
- Select System Settings from the drop-down menu.
- In the left-hand sidebar, scroll down and click on Sound.
- Look at the very first option under the “Sound Effects” section. You will see a toggle switch labelled Play user interface sound effects.
- Click the toggle switch to turn it Off.
The change takes effect instantly. You can test it immediately by taking a screenshot (Command + Shift + 3) or by dragging a file into the Trash and emptying it. Your Mac will perform the action entirely silently.
How to Disable the Volume Change Beep
While you are in the Sound settings menu, you may also want to disable the loud “pop” noise that occurs every time you adjust the volume using your keyboard keys.
- Directly below the UI sound effects toggle, locate the option labelled Play feedback when volume is changed.
- Toggle this switch Off as well.
Your Mac will now adjust its volume smoothly and silently without announcing every single volume increment to the room.