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 > System Settings, then click Sound 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.

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.

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.

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.

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