How to Disable the Startup Chime Sound on Your Mac

The Mac startup chime is iconic — and occasionally embarrassing. Boot your laptop in a quiet library, a meeting, or next to a sleeping baby, and that confident “bong” announces you to the whole room. The good news is that on most modern Macs you can turn it off completely in Settings, in about ten seconds. On some older models the option is missing, but there are still workable tricks. This guide covers the official setting, what to do when it is not there, and the related sounds you might also want to tame.

Quick Answer

To disable the startup chime on a Mac, open System Settings, click Accessibility, then Audio, and untick “Play sounds on startup.” On macOS versions where that option does not appear, the chime follows your volume: muting the Mac or turning the volume down before shutting down makes the next startup quiet or silent. Macs from 2016 to 2020 without the setting can also use a Terminal command on some system versions, but the Accessibility option is the safe, supported method wherever it exists.

How to Turn Off the Startup Sound in Settings

1. Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
2. Click Accessibility in the sidebar.
3. Scroll to the Hearing section and click Audio.
4. Untick the box labelled “Play sounds on startup.”
5. Close Settings. The change takes effect immediately — your next restart or power-on will be silent.

This setting was added because so many people asked for it, and it works on Apple Silicon Macs and recent Intel models running modern macOS. While you are in the Audio section, notice the related options: you can also make the screen flash instead of playing alert sounds, and route audio to mono if you use one earbud. Apple describes the startup sound option in its support article on turning the Mac startup sound on or off, including which models support it.

If Your Mac Does Not Have the Setting

Some Macs — mainly models released between 2016 and 2020 — play the chime with no official off switch in Settings, and the newest systems removed the old workarounds. Before reaching for hacks, try the volume trick: the chime’s loudness follows your output volume at shutdown. Lower the volume or press the mute key before you turn the Mac off, and the startup sound will be quieter or silent next time. It is not glamorous, but it works on every Mac ever made with a chime. Older macOS versions (Catalina and earlier) accepted a Terminal command — “sudo nvram StartupMute=%01” — to silence the chime and “%00” to bring it back. On newer systems this variable is ignored, so do not be surprised if forum advice from years ago does nothing on your machine. Avoid third-party “chime killer” utilities entirely; they are not needed and often bundle junk.

Why the Chime Exists at All

The startup sound is not pure decoration. Historically it signalled that the Mac’s power-on self-tests had passed basic checks — a Mac that chimed was a Mac whose core hardware was alive, while silence or sad tones meant trouble. Modern Macs run their diagnostics far more quietly, and the chime survives mostly as a brand signature and a handy audible cue that a restart you triggered remotely actually began. Knowing this explains a diagnostic tip from our other guides: when troubleshooting a Mac that shows a black screen on startup, hearing the chime (if enabled) tells you the machine itself is powering on even when the display is not.

Related Sounds You Might Want to Adjust

• Alert sounds: In System Settings under Sound, lower the alert volume or choose a gentler alert sound so warnings stop shouting.
• Interface sounds: On the same Sound screen, untick “Play user interface sound effects” to silence Trash whooshes and screenshot clicks.
• Screenshot sound: Covered by the interface sounds toggle above — handy for quiet offices.
• Startup apps’ noises: Video and chat apps that open at login can make their own sounds; trimming your login items keeps boot-ups quiet as well as fast.

Turning the Chime Back On

Changed your mind — or troubleshooting and want the audio cue back? Return to System Settings, Accessibility, Audio, and tick “Play sounds on startup” again. If you used the old Terminal method on an older system, set the variable back with “sudo nvram StartupMute=%00” or simply delete it. And if you used the volume trick, just turn the volume back up; the chime returns at full voice on the next boot.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Looking in Sound settings for the startup option. It lives under Accessibility, then Audio — not in the main Sound pane. That is why so many people miss it.
• Trusting decade-old Terminal commands. They are ignored on recent macOS versions. Check for the official setting first.
• Installing chime-disabling utilities. Unknown system utilities are a common source of adware. The built-in setting or the mute trick is all you need.
• Expecting silence to fix a no-boot Mac. Turning off the chime changes nothing about startup health; it only removes the sound.

Special Situations: Shared Macs, Offices, and Classrooms

The chime matters most in shared spaces. If you manage or share a Mac at work, switching the startup sound off is common courtesy — a row of Macs restarting after a power cut can sound like an orchestra tuning up. Parents often disable it on a family Mac in the living room so a late-night restart does not wake the house. Teachers do the same on classroom machines. None of this hides anything from an administrator, by the way: the setting only affects the sound, not logs or security, so feel free to change it on your own machine without worrying that it looks like tampering.

One more scenario deserves a mention: remote restarts. If you ever restart a Mac in another room or another building — after an update, say — the chime used to be your only confirmation that the machine really came back. With the sound off, rely instead on the machine reappearing on your network, answering a screen-sharing request, or showing up in Find My. If hearing that confirmation matters to you, that is a genuine reason to leave the chime on for that particular Mac while silencing the laptop you carry into meetings. The setting is per machine, so each of your Macs can behave differently — silent on the road, audible at home, or the other way round.

Conclusion

Silencing your Mac’s startup is a ten-second job once you know the setting hides in Accessibility, under Audio: untick “Play sounds on startup” and every boot becomes discreet. Older models without the option can fall back on muting before shutdown. Either way, no more announcing yourself to the library every time your laptop restarts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off the startup chime affect other sounds?

No. It only silences the boot sound. Music, videos, calls, and alert sounds behave exactly as before, controlled by their own settings.

Why is there no “Play sounds on startup” option on my Mac?

A few Intel models from 2016 to 2020 never offered it. Updating macOS is worth trying; otherwise use the mute-before-shutdown method to keep startups quiet.

Can I change the chime to a different sound?

No. macOS offers the standard chime or silence — there is no supported way to substitute a custom sound.

My Mac plays no chime even though the setting is on. Why?

If the volume was muted or very low at shutdown, the chime follows it. Raise the volume, restart, and it should return. A persistently silent Mac that also misbehaves may have a speaker or hardware issue.

Does the chime play on restart as well as power-on?

Yes, restarts count as startups. With the setting off, both restarts and cold boots are silent.