You must’ve heard the startup sound that the Mac plays whenever it is switched on. However, the Macs sold between 2016 and 2020 do not have this sound during boot. So, if you are looking to get rid of this Startup sound from your Mac, you can try out several methods as mentioned in this guide.
To turn off Startup sound on Mac you can start by opening System Preferences. Then click on the Sound option and simply uncheck the box beside Play Sound on the Startup option. This will eventually disable the startup chime on your Mac every time you start your system.
This article guides you on how to turn off your Mac’s startup sound with more detail.
How to Turn Off Startup Sound on Mac?
1. Disabling Mac’s Startup Sound
You can easily disable the startup sound on your Mac. However, it must run on macOS Big Sur and later versions. Refer to the instructions provided below to see how it is done.
- Power on and sign in to your Mac.
- Head over to the System Preferences from the Menu bar or the dock.
- Click on the Sound tab.
- Now, uncheck the box next to the Play sound on the startup option, and the sound will be disabled.
2. Using Terminal
Suppose you do not have the option to turn off the startup and chime in system preferences on your Mac. You can also use the terminal application to disable it. Refer to the instructions provided below to know more.
- Power on your Mac and sign in to it.
- Open a Finder window and head to the Applications tab from the sidebar.
- Open the Utilities folder and double-click the terminal application to open it.
- Now type in “ sudo nvram StartupMute=%01 “ without quotation marks and hit the return key.
- You will be asked for your password, enter it and reboot your system.
- The startup sound should now be disabled. If you want to enable the sound once again, open the terminal application, type in “ sudo nvram StartupMute=%00” and press the return key.
- There are several other commands you can use if that does not work. For starters, use the “ sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=%80” command and check if it works.
- If that does not work you can try “ sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=%01 “, “ sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=%00 “ or, “ sudo nvram SystemAudioVolume=’ ‘ “.
- Keep in mind that all of these commands need to be entered without quotations.
- If you notice something is wrong and want to reset the settings, use the “ sudo nvram -d SystemAudioVolume “ command.
How to Change the Startup Chime Volume on Mac?
You can change the startup sound volume as well as the volumes of other alerts on your Mac. Refer to the instructions provided below to see how it is done.
- Power on your Mac and sign in to it.
- Before moving on with this method, make sure to remove any speakers or headphones connected to your Mac via the jack or Bluetooth.
- Head over to the System Preferences from the Menu bar, or use the shortcut on the dock.
- Open the Sound tab.
- Click on the Output tab, and you should see an option labeled as Internal speakers under the Select a device for the sound output section.
- Use the slider next to the Output volume option to adjust the volume of the system alerts and the startup chime.
How to Change Alerts on Mac?
Macs running on macOS Big Sur can later change the alert sounds in their systems using system preferences. Refer to the instructions provided below to see how to do it.
- Power on and sign in to your Mac.
- Open System Preferences and head over to the Sound tab.
- Make sure you’re in the Sound Effects section.
- You can choose from fourteen sound effects under the Select an alert sound section.
- Furthermore, you can also use the slider beside the Alert volume option to adjust the volume of the alerts.
Frequently Asked Questions
It might be due to an output issue if you’ve connected an external device like speakers or headphones and can’t seem to hear anything. You can check if the output device is set to your connected device.
If this is not set to the right option, you might hear the sound from your Mac instead of the headphones or speakers. Click on the Control Center icon on the Menu bar and open the Sound tab; from here, select your device’s name under the Output devices section, and your issue should be resolved.
You must’ve noticed that you cannot record any sounds that might be playing using the native screen recording options. For this, you need to use a third-party screen recorder as mac’s native applications don’t allow you to do so. We recommend using applications like Loom, Captivate, ClickUp, etc., to screen record with sound on your Mac. However, some of these applications might be behind a paywall.
In the earlier version of macOS, Apple removed the startup sound. There is no obvious reason why Apple took the step since it was a huge part of Mac booting up as soon you start the system. One of the reasons could be because the team was hoping to give it the same start as you find on iPhones and iPad that remains quiet while restarting.
Conclusion
That’s all for this article, folks; now you know how to disable the startup sound on your Mac. You can easily do this by following the simple steps mentioned above. Moreover, you can try out certain commands as well on the terminal for this that might be a little complicated, but if you are into tech, you may find it interesting.
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Robert is a tech expert (with more than 10 years of experience in using mac os and iPhone) who loves to help others learn about the Mac operating system and iPhone. He provides helpful tutorials on how to use Mac OS, tips and tricks for getting the most out of your Mac operating system, iPhone tips and tricks, and more. He’s always up for a challenge and enjoys learning new things about his favorite OS. When he’s not helping people get the most out of their technology, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two cats. Check out more.