How to Add Mechanical Keyboard Sounds on Mac

macOS doesn't include a typing-sound option, so to get mechanical keyboard sounds on your Mac you need an app that listens for key presses and plays a click for each one. Install a keyboard-sound app (Mechvibes is free, Klack is a small paid app, and Gubb includes keyboard sounds as one of several tools), then turn the sounds on in the app. Finally, give the app permission to see key presses. For Gubb, that permission is Input Monitoring in System Settings > Privacy & Security. If you skip this step, the app looks enabled but stays silent.

We make Gubb, so weigh our view accordingly. If keyboard sounds are all you want, one of the dedicated apps below may suit you better.

Your options for keyboard sounds on Mac

Pick based on what else you want:

• Pick Mechvibes if you want it free, want to use community packs or make your own, or also want mouse-click sounds. It's on GitHub.
• Pick Klack if you want a small Mac-only menu bar app with separate key-down and key-up sounds and a shortcut to toggle it. Our details come from reviews, so check the current App Store listing.
• Pick Gubb if you also want a quick notes window, clipboard history, timers or break reminders in the same app, and you don't mind turning sounds on again each time you open it.

For more apps that do this, see our Klack alternatives roundup.

Turn on keyboard sounds in Gubb

Gubb plays a mechanical-keyboard click on every key press system-wide. That means it works in any app, not just inside Gubb.

1. Open Gubb.
2. Move the pointer to the right edge of the note window. A column of buttons appears.
3. Click Settings (the gear).
4. Click Keyboard Sounds in the sidebar.
5. Turn on Enable keyboard sounds. A message confirms "Keyboard Sounds Enabled".
6. If macOS asks for permission, allow it. If it doesn't ask and you hear nothing, follow the Input Monitoring steps in the next section.
7. Choose a pack from Sound Type and set Volume.
8. To close Settings, click outside the panel or click the close (X) button. Esc doesn't close Settings.

Keyboard Sounds settings

The 12 packs are: Default, NK Cream, EG Oreo, EG Crystal Purple, Cherry MX Black ABS, Cherry MX Black PBT, Cherry MX Blue ABS, Cherry MX Blue PBT, Cherry MX Brown ABS, Cherry MX Brown PBT, Cherry MX Red ABS and Cherry MX Red PBT.

Limits to know before you rely on it

• Nothing is saved between launches. Every time you open Gubb, sounds are off again, and the pack and volume go back to their defaults. You have to turn sounds on and pick your pack each session.
• Sounds play only while Gubb is running. Closing Gubb's window can quit the app. To get the window out of the way without stopping the sounds, left-click Gubb's menu bar icon. This hides the window, and another click shows it again.
• Only key presses make a sound. Releasing a key is silent.
• You can't import your own sound packs.

The help center also has a keyboard sounds section.

Allow Input Monitoring for keyboard sounds

To play a sound when you type in Safari, Mail or any other app, a keyboard-sound app has to see key presses outside its own window. macOS treats that as a privacy permission. For Gubb, the permission is Input Monitoring. Gubb's listener only listens: it notices that a key was pressed and doesn't change your keystrokes.

Gubb doesn't check whether it has this permission. If the permission is missing, Gubb shows no error and simply plays nothing. So if sounds are enabled but silent, check this first.

To grant it:

1. Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
2. Click Privacy & Security in the sidebar. You can also type "Input Monitoring" in the System Settings search field.
3. Click Input Monitoring.
4. Turn on the switch next to Gubb.
5. If Gubb isn't in the list:
   1. Click the + button below the list.
   2. Confirm with your password or Touch ID.
   3. Select Gubb in your Applications folder and click Open.
   4. Make sure Gubb's switch is on.
6. Quit Gubb: right-click the menu bar icon and choose Quit Gubb. macOS may offer to quit and reopen the app for you. Either way, restart it, because the permission may not take effect until you do.
7. Open Gubb again and turn on Enable keyboard sounds.
   To remove the permission later, turn off Gubb's switch in the same list, or select Gubb and click the − button.

Klack and Mechvibes also react to keys typed in other apps, so macOS will ask for a privacy permission for them too. Follow each app's own instructions for which permission it needs.

What Input Monitoring means for privacy

Input Monitoring lets an app see what you type in every app, so only give it to apps you trust.

Gubb has no analytics or crash reporting, and nothing about your typing is sent off your Mac. With keyboard sounds on, Gubb's debug logging prints key events to the app's own process console, and that output isn't sent anywhere. For details, see Gubb's privacy policy.

If keyboard sounds don't work

Sounds are enabled but you hear nothing

The most likely cause is that Input Monitoring is missing, or Gubb wasn't restarted after you granted it.

1. Check that Gubb's switch is on under Privacy & Security > Input Monitoring.
2. Quit Gubb from the menu bar icon and reopen it.
3. Turn on Enable keyboard sounds again.

Gubb is allowed in Input Monitoring but still silent

The permission entry can point to an older copy of the app, for example after you replace Gubb in Applications. To fix it:

1. Select Gubb in the Input Monitoring list and click − to remove it.
2. Add it again with +.
3. Restart Gubb.

If that doesn't help, reset Gubb's Input Monitoring permission from Terminal. This command clears the permission for the gubb.net version, so macOS asks you again:

tccutil reset ListenEvent com.gubbapp.direct

For the Mac App Store version, use com.gubbapp.release instead of com.gubbapp.direct. To undo the reset, grant Input Monitoring again using the steps above, then restart Gubb.

Sounds worked yesterday and stopped today

Gubb doesn't remember keyboard-sound settings. Each time you quit Gubb or restart your Mac:

1. Open Settings > Keyboard Sounds.
2. Turn on Enable keyboard sounds again.
3. Reselect your pack and volume.

Sounds stopped when you closed the window

Closing Gubb's window can quit the app, and that stops the sounds. Reopen Gubb and turn the sounds back on. Next time, hide the window by left-clicking the menu bar icon instead of closing it.

The volume is wrong, or there's no sound at any volume

Check Gubb's Volume slider first. It's set to 100 % at each launch. Then make sure your Mac isn't muted and that sound is going to the output you expect, such as headphones or speakers, in System Settings > Sound.

No sound when you let go of a key

That's expected in Gubb, because only key presses make a sound. If you want separate press and release sounds, Klack offers both, according to reviews.

FAQ

Do Gubb's sounds play in every app or only in Gubb?

They play in every app. The setting's description reads "Play sound effects for every keystroke system-wide", and it works in other apps once Input Monitoring is allowed.

Is there a shortcut to turn Gubb's keyboard sounds on and off?

No. Gubb has no global shortcuts, so you turn sounds on and off in Settings > Keyboard Sounds. Klack (⌘⌃K) and Mechvibes (Ctrl+Alt+M) both list a toggle shortcut.

Can I try Gubb's keyboard sounds before buying?

Yes, if you use the direct download from gubb.net. It includes a 7-day free trial with no account. The Mac App Store version has no trial. As of November 2026, Gubb costs $59 one-time, and a license covers the whole app on up to 3 devices.