How to Turn Off Typing Sounds on Windows 11

Silencing the On-Screen Keyboard

Unlike traditional desktop computers, many Windows 11 devices—such as the Microsoft Surface Pro or Lenovo Yoga series—feature touchscreens. When you detach the physical keyboard from a Surface tablet and tap into a text field, an on-screen virtual keyboard slides up from the bottom of the screen, operating exactly like an iPad or Android tablet.

By default, Windows 11 plays a small, artificial “click” sound every single time you tap a letter on this virtual keyboard. This audio feedback was designed to reassure you that the screen successfully registered your touch. However, if you are working in a quiet library, a coffee shop, or taking notes during a university lecture, that rapid-fire clicking noise can be incredibly distracting to everyone around you.

If you want to type in total silence without having to mute your entire computer’s audio (which would also silence your notification chimes or background music), you must disable the typing sounds specifically within the Windows 11 keyboard settings.

How to Turn Off the On-Screen Keyboard Clicks

Disabling the typing sounds is a simple process, but the setting is slightly hidden within the “Time & language” menu rather than the main audio controls.

1. Click the Start button on your taskbar (the Windows icon).
2. Click on the Settings app (the gear icon). Alternatively, press the Windows Key + I on a physical keyboard if one is attached.
3. In the left-hand sidebar of the Settings window, click on Time & language.
4. On the right side of the window, click on Typing.
5. Look for the section labelled Touch keyboard and click anywhere on that row to expand the menu.
6. You will see a checkbox labelled Play key sounds as I type.
7. Click the checkbox to remove the checkmark.

The change takes effect immediately. The next time you tap a text field and the virtual keyboard appears, you will be able to type in complete silence.

What About Physical Keyboards?

It is important to clarify that this setting only affects the virtual, on-screen touch keyboard.

If you are using a physical laptop keyboard or an external USB keyboard, Windows 11 does not generate artificial typing sounds. Any noise you hear while typing on a physical keyboard is simply the mechanical sound of the plastic switches clicking under your fingers.

If your physical keyboard is too loud for an office environment, no software setting in Windows 11 can fix it. Your only option is to purchase a different, “silent” keyboard designed specifically for quiet environments (such as membrane keyboards rather than mechanical ones with “blue” switches).

Additional Touch Keyboard Customisations

While you are in the “Touch keyboard” settings menu (Settings > Time & language > Typing > Touch keyboard), you might want to adjust a few other settings to improve your tablet experience:

• Capitalise the first letter of each sentence: Ensure this is checked so you do not have to manually hit the shift key after every full stop.
• Add a full stop after I double-tap the Spacebar: This popular smartphone feature allows you to type much faster on a tablet.
• Show text suggestions as I type: Similar to a smartphone, this displays a row of predicted words above the keyboard, allowing you to tap the entire word rather than typing it out letter by letter.