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How to Disable Startup Sound on Mac: Every time an Apple Macintosh computer is turned on, it plays a sound called the “Startup Sound.” On Macintosh computers, you can use the Happy Mac, Sad Mac, or Chimes of Death launch sounds. In the past, all versions of macOS had different sounds. There are many reasons why you might not want the computer’s startup sound to play every time you turn it on.
You might work late and don’t want the noise to wake up your family. Or maybe you are in a meeting and don’t want everyone to see you turn on your computer. Or for anything else. If you have an older version of Mac and don’t want the startup sound to play every time you turn it on, there are some simple tricks you can use. With these hacks, you can put it on mute for a short time or for good.
How to Disable Startup Sound on Mac
Turn off Mac Startup Sound by the Mute Key
To entirely silence your Mac’s boot sound and any other sound, press the “F10” key (sometimes known as the “Mute key”) on your keyboard.
Turn off the Mac Startup Sound Temporarily via Preferences
- Step 1. Go to the desktop screen’s upper left corner and select the “Apple menu” to open it.
- Step 2. On the screen, there will be a drop-down menu. Navigate to the drop-down menu and select “System Preferences…”
- Step 3. An additional window will open. Select “Sound” in the newly opened window.
- Step 4. Now select the “Sound Effects” option from the top menu bar. Then uncheck the option for Play sound on startup.
- Step 5. Additionally, by merely dragging the cursor over the volume range on the same screen, you can change the “output volume.”
Turn Off Mac Startup Sound Permanently
Even if your volume is set to the lowest when you shut down, using a terminal command is necessary if you want to permanently disable the startup sound so that you won’t hear it during the startup. It is quite easy to permanently turn off Mac startup sound using the Terminal app on Mac.
- Step 1. Open the Terminal app from Launchpad -> Others -> Terminal. Or open Spotlight search by pressing Command + Space, then type “Terminal” and hit the Return key.
- Step 2. In the terminal window, enter the following command:
- sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=%80
- Step 3. When asked, enter your “password,” and press Ruturn. You won’t hear the sound till you restart your Mac.
- Step 4. Run the following “command” to remove your modification and restore the startup chime to its normal state the next time your Mac boots
FAQs
Your Mac is set to make the iconic chime at startup. You can disable the startup sound in Sound settings in System Preferences. 1. Click the Apple logo from the left side of the Mac Menu bar and choose System Preferences from the Apple Menu.
The Macintosh startup chime is played on power-up, before trying to boot an operating system. The sound indicates that diagnostic tests run immediately at startup have found no hardware or fundamental software problems.
Some Apple products have vents that let fans bring in cool air and expel hot air. Make sure that the vents aren’t blocked to allow your device to perform at its best. Use your device on a hard, flat surface like a table or desk for optimal temperature control.
At the time, Apple didn’t say anything about why it was removing the sound you hear when you start up a Mac. Most likely, removing the startup chime was a signal that the Mac is like the iPhone or iPad in that they’re essentially always on.