TapNoiseSome people say that hearing each key as they type helps them stay on task. Others find the same sounds distracting. I have not found research I can point to that settles it, so this post is reasoning and personal experience, not findings. Treat it as a reason to test it, not a promise.
Why it might help
A few ideas come up again and again.
A steady sound can cover sudden noise. A quiet, regular sound can sometimes make a sudden noise, like a door or a notification, less noticeable. This is often called sound masking. It works for some people and not for others, and a loud sound can just add a new distraction.
Each key confirms the key landed. Typing on a flat, silent keyboard can feel like guessing. A click or a soft thock tells you the key went down, which some people find makes typing feel more deliberate.
A sound can be a small ritual. Turning on the same sound each time you start work can mark the start of a session. This is subjective, but it is a common reason people give.
Why it might not
For many people, any extra sound is a distraction. If music or background noise pulls your attention, a constant clicking sound will likely do the same. Noise is also easy to overlook when you are in a shared room: the people around you hear it too, even if you find it helpful.
Testing it yourself
You can run a simple test over a few days, without any special tools.
- Use the same work for each day. Try to make the tasks similar, so the comparison is fair.
- Notice what you do, not how you feel. Note how often you stop, check your phone, or lose your place in a document.
- Try a quiet sound and a louder one. A soft sound and a clicky one will likely feel different.
- Switch sounds off on the days you want silence. Compare the results.
macOS has built-in options that help with the distractions around the sound. Focus modes, in Control Center, can silence notifications while you work. You can use them with or without any typing sound.
Where TapNoise fits
TapNoise is a menu bar app that plays a sound for each key you press. It has 20 sounds, and you can turn them all off with one switch in Settings > General, under “Sounds on”. It also has “Quiet during calls”, which makes it go silent while Zoom, FaceTime or any other app is using your microphone.
I make TapNoise, so I am not a neutral judge of it. I would not claim that it improves focus. It is a tool for people who like the sound of typing, and it is easy to turn off if it is not for you.
Practical tips
- Use headphones if the people around you would not enjoy the sound. AirPods work, though TapNoise can play through the MacBook speakers to avoid Bluetooth delay.
- Start quiet. A soft sound is easier to ignore than a loud one.
- Turn it off for calls and meetings. Quiet during calls handles this automatically.
- Give it a fair test. One session tells you very little. A few days of similar work tells you more.
If you find the sound helps, keep it. If you find yourself listening to it instead of working, turn it off. Either answer is a good result.