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Change Sound settings on Mac
On your Mac, use Sound settings to change sound effects, adjust the volume, and select a different sound input or output device.
To change these settings, choose Apple menu in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
Sound Effects
Option | Description | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alert sound | Choose a sound to play when you receive an alert. The alert plays when you select it so you can hear how it sounds. | ||||||||||
Play sound effects through | Choose a sound output device to play sound effects. | ||||||||||
Alert volume | Adjust the alert volume. The alert volume is relative to the output volume of your Mac, so if you lower your Mac volume, alert sounds also play more quietly. | ||||||||||
Play sound on startup | Hear the startup chime when you restart your Mac. | ||||||||||
Play user interface sound effects | Play sound effects when you perform certain actions, such as dragging an item to the Trash. | ||||||||||
Play feedback when volume is changed | Play a sound when you change the volume so you can hear the new volume. |
Output Options
Option | Description | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
List of sound output devices | Select the device you want to use for sound output. | ||||||||||
Output volume | Adjust the output volume. To stop sound output, select the Mute checkbox. | ||||||||||
Balance | Adjust the output volume balance between the left and right channels. |
Input Options
Option | Description | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
List of sound input devices | Select the device you want to use for sound input. | ||||||||||
Input volume | Adjust the input volume. If you’re recording sound through your computer’s sound port, you can adjust the input volume to compensate for the sound source being too loud or quiet. | ||||||||||
Input level meter | See a visual representation of the sound input level. | ||||||||||
Use ambient noise reduction | Capture less background noise when using your computer’s built-in microphone. This option does not appear if a 4-channel built-in microphone format is selected in Audio MIDI Setup, on a Mac with Apple silicon, or on Mac models with an Apple T2 chip. |