How do I mute the startup sound?

karlth · Aug 11, 2011, 07:02 PM

Sometimes booting the my Mac with the chime can be uncomfortable, for example in a public place. How can I turn off the startup sound?

Please don't tell me that I need to run a script to accomplish this??

old-wiz · Aug 11, 2011, 08:36 PM

Plug in headphones.
Or turn the sound off before shutting down.

MartiNZ · Aug 11, 2011, 09:10 PM

The startup sound hasn't played through headphones since about 2006, a sad loss to us all in cases of trying to be discreet.

Wow apparently even the other option above no longer works thanks to Lion. A little Googling got me to https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0

rtolboom · Aug 12, 2011, 02:38 AM

I always used this:

http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~arcana/S.../index.en.html

But have to admit I didn't bother installing it now as I rarely shut down my mac :P

karlth · Aug 12, 2011, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by old-wiz

Plug in headphones.
Or turn the sound off before shutting down.

I shouldn't have to remember to do that. :-/

baryon · Aug 12, 2011, 03:35 AM

Hold the MUTE button while you press the POWER button, this should mute the startup chime. It's not permanent, you have to do this each time you want to turn the sound off.

basher · Aug 12, 2011, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baryon

Hold the MUTE button while you press the POWER button, this should mute the startup chime. It's not permanent, you have to do this each time you want to turn the sound off.

Awesome info! You R O C K ! ! !

Tootles · Aug 12, 2011, 02:39 PM

Has Apple really made it impossible to startup your Mac in public without advertising its presence at maximum volume? I haven't had to restart/shutdown my Mac yet so, haven't experienced this annoyance yet. I can see it happening to people who aren't fortunate enough to have broadband at home. Anyone doing their updating at school or the public library - in a cubicle, to keep a low profile - now being pissed off by their Mac, as insult to injury. Bad move, Apple.

Steve's Barber · Aug 12, 2011, 02:51 PM

I don't understand the reports about StartupSound.prefPane version 1.1b3 not working in Lion.

It works for me.

Tootles · Aug 12, 2011, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve's Barber

I don't understand the reports about StartupSound.prefPane version 1.1b3 not working in Lion.

It works for me.

What's "StartupSound.prefPane version 1.1b3"?

sidewinder · Aug 12, 2011, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tootles

What's "StartupSound.prefPane version 1.1b3"?

Really? You couldn't do the Google search that would net this link as its first hit?:

http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/164...sound.prefpane

Scott

BiggAW · Aug 13, 2011, 07:55 AM

Just leave it in sleep mode?

phySi0 · Aug 13, 2011, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tootles

Has Apple really made it impossible to startup your Mac in public without advertising its presence at maximum volume? I haven't had to restart/shutdown my Mac yet so, haven't experienced this annoyance yet. I can see it happening to people who aren't fortunate enough to have broadband at home. Anyone doing their updating at school or the public library - in a cubicle, to keep a low profile - now being pissed off by their Mac, as insult to injury. Bad move, Apple.

It's not always at maximum volume, not for me anyway.

Besides, holding the mute button is one trick mentioned, which IMHO is how it should be. The sound is not to advertise its presence, it's to tell you that everything is working fine and the bootup process is good. Most of the time, you want this. Sometimes you don't. People aren't going to remember to make sure their bootup process went OK, they are going to remember to mute it when they need to be polite.

Cripps · Aug 14, 2011, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidewinder

Really? You couldn't do the Google search that would net this link as its first hit?:

http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/164...sound.prefpane

Scott

does this work under Lion for anyone?

Tootles · Aug 14, 2011, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phySi0

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tootles

Has Apple really made it impossible to startup your Mac in public without advertising its presence at maximum volume? I haven't had to restart/shutdown my Mac yet so, haven't experienced this annoyance yet. I can see it happening to people who aren't fortunate enough to have broadband at home. Anyone doing their updating at school or the public library - in a cubicle, to keep a low profile - now being pissed off by their Mac, as insult to injury. Bad move, Apple.

It's not always at maximum volume, not for me anyway.

Besides, holding the mute button is one trick mentioned, which IMHO is how it should be. The sound is not to advertise its presence, it's to tell you that everything is working fine and the bootup process is good. Most of the time, you want this. Sometimes you don't. People aren't going to remember to make sure their bootup process went OK, they are going to remember to mute it when they need to be polite.

I never wanted to listen to the startup chime while in public, which is where I had to do my updates, before recently getting satellite broadband at home. It wasn't just about being polite, it was also to be discreet. Apple could at least keep the speakers turned off when something is plugged into the audio output port, then you could discreetly hear it through earphones if you wanted. From what I've read here, that no longer happens with the startup chime. We shouldn't have to hold down a key to be discreet.

fisherking · Aug 14, 2011, 11:07 AM

since the startup chime can be essential in troubleshooting (reset PRAM anyone?)...it's not such a big deal to have to hold a key on startup...

fortheloveofmac · Aug 14, 2011, 12:38 PM

If my sound is off or at a specific volume, that's how it starts up.

karlth · Aug 15, 2011, 03:27 AM

There seems to be a difference in the way Windows and Mac OSX users react to "hardwired" preferences in the operating system.

If Microsoft introduced a startup sound that the user would have to remember to mute each time (while the wife was sleeping or in a café) they would be literally hanged.

Here on the other hand it seems to be almost considered a "user" problem.

digger1985 · Aug 15, 2011, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by karlth

There seems to be a difference in the way Windows and Mac OSX users react to "hardwired" preferences in the operating system.

If Microsoft introduced a startup sound that the user would have to remember to mute each time (while the wife was sleeping or in a café) they would be literally hanged.

Here on the other hand it seems to be almost considered a "user" problem.

That's the main difference between Apple and MS. With MS you get choices, with Apple you have to live by with what Steve Jobs says.

Head Unit · Nov 6, 2011, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fisherking

since the startup chime can be essential in troubleshooting (reset PRAM anyone?)...it's not such a big deal to have to hold a key on startup...

Actually the chime still comes out under those types of circumstances, so the comment doesn't really apply.

Plus, who needs the chime to tell you if your startup was OK? I think most people use an alternative technique called "look at the screen after startup and if it looks weird, something is wrong."

It's not a big deal...unless, like many many people, it is something you will often forget to do, and end up making noise in a quiet house or library or whatever.

There should be a preference to turn the damn thing off. End of story. Maybe now that Steve is dead they can "allow" it.

jim468 · Nov 15, 2011, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baryon

Hold the MUTE button while you press the POWER button, this should mute the startup chime. It's not permanent, you have to do this each time you want to turn the sound off.

For some reason this does not work on my Mac. I am using Lion 10.7.2 on my Macbook Air.

Can anyone confirm this? Thanks.

mikhail911 · Nov 21, 2011, 03:29 PM

Hy guy, I hade a same problem on MacBook Air OSX 10.7, this page helped:
http://my.opera.com/mereh/blog/2011/...omment75289542

davidlv · Dec 25, 2011, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cripps

does this work under Lion for anyone?

Working here on a Mac mini running Lion 10.7.2

chrf097 · Dec 25, 2011, 07:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MartiNZ

The startup sound hasn't played through headphones since about 2006, a sad loss to us all in cases of trying to be discreet.

Wow apparently even the other option above no longer works thanks to Lion. A little Googling got me to https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0

The second works just fine for me. I have my computer muted and the chime is muted. 13" MacBook Pro if it means anything.

Nameci · Dec 25, 2011, 08:30 AM

The chime is not accomplished thru the OS. It is on the firmware, unless you want to hack the firmware. It is on the boot up process before even the system starts the OS.

The chime is needed to tell the operator that the boot up is normal and nothing wrong with the hardware and its peripherals.

I you don't want to hear the chime, don't shutdown your macbook, let it sleep it will wake up and there is no chime.

Aug 11, 2011, 07:02 PM	#1
karlth macrumors regular Join Date: Apr 2010	How do I mute the startup sound? Sometimes booting the my Mac with the chime can be uncomfortable, for example in a public place. How can I turn off the startup sound? Please don't tell me that I need to run a script to accomplish this?? __________________ iPhone and iPad developer. Digital White Knight
	0

Aug 12, 2011, 03:35 AM	#6
baryon macrumors 68020 Join Date: Oct 2009	Hold the MUTE button while you press the POWER button, this should mute the startup chime. It's not permanent, you have to do this each time you want to turn the sound off. __________________ Sent from my iPod Shuffle
	5

Aug 13, 2011, 07:55 AM	#12
BiggAW macrumors 68020 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Connecticut	Just leave it in sleep mode? __________________ MBP 15", 2,2 i7, 8GB ram, 10.7.x 160GB OCZ Vertex 2 in Optibay (Boot), 640GB HDD (storage) Black iPhone 4S 64GB AT&T 6.1 JB'ed, 2GB Data Pro SGS III, White VeriPad 3 32GB 6.1 JB'ed
	1

Aug 14, 2011, 11:07 AM	#16
fisherking macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jul 2010	since the startup chime can be essential in troubleshooting (reset PRAM anyone?)...it's not such a big deal to have to hold a key on startup... __________________ mbp@10.8.3 • 4S@6.1.1JB
	0

Aug 14, 2011, 12:38 PM	#17
fortheloveofmac macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2011	If my sound is off or at a specific volume, that's how it starts up. __________________ 15 inch MacBook Pro, purchased 7/11/11, currently running OS X Lion, 2 GHz Intel Core i7, 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 Also using: Verizon iPhone 4 - 16GB
	0

Aug 11, 2011, 08:36 PM	#2
old-wiz macrumors 603 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: West Suburban Boston Ma	Plug in headphones. Or turn the sound off before shutting down.
	0

Aug 11, 2011, 09:10 PM	#3
MartiNZ macrumors 6502a Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Auckland, New Zealand	The startup sound hasn't played through headphones since about 2006, a sad loss to us all in cases of trying to be discreet. Wow apparently even the other option above no longer works thanks to Lion. A little Googling got me to https://discussions.apple.com/thread...art=0&tstart=0
	0

Aug 12, 2011, 02:38 AM	#4
rtolboom macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2009	I always used this: http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~arcana/S.../index.en.html But have to admit I didn't bother installing it now as I rarely shut down my mac :P
	1

Aug 12, 2011, 02:39 PM	#8
Tootles macrumors member Join Date: Jun 2011	Has Apple really made it impossible to startup your Mac in public without advertising its presence at maximum volume? I haven't had to restart/shutdown my Mac yet so, haven't experienced this annoyance yet. I can see it happening to people who aren't fortunate enough to have broadband at home. Anyone doing their updating at school or the public library - in a cubicle, to keep a low profile - now being pissed off by their Mac, as insult to injury. Bad move, Apple.
	0

Aug 12, 2011, 02:51 PM	#9
Steve's Barber Banned Join Date: Jul 2011	I don't understand the reports about StartupSound.prefPane version 1.1b3 not working in Lion. It works for me.
	0

Aug 15, 2011, 03:27 AM	#18
karlth Thread Starter macrumors regular Join Date: Apr 2010	There seems to be a difference in the way Windows and Mac OSX users react to "hardwired" preferences in the operating system. If Microsoft introduced a startup sound that the user would have to remember to mute each time (while the wife was sleeping or in a café) they would be literally hanged. Here on the other hand it seems to be almost considered a "user" problem. __________________ iPhone and iPad developer. Digital White Knight
	1

Nov 21, 2011, 03:29 PM	#22
mikhail911 macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2011	Skript Hy guy, I hade a same problem on MacBook Air OSX 10.7, this page helped: http://my.opera.com/mereh/blog/2011/...omment75289542
	0

Dec 25, 2011, 08:30 AM	#25
Nameci macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Mi Casa, Las Islas Filipinas	The chime is not accomplished thru the OS. It is on the firmware, unless you want to hack the firmware. It is on the boot up process before even the system starts the OS. The chime is needed to tell the operator that the boot up is normal and nothing wrong with the hardware and its peripherals. I you don't want to hear the chime, don't shutdown your macbook, let it sleep it will wake up and there is no chime. __________________ - PowerMac G5 Quad, Quadro FX4500 512MB, 16GB RAM, 60GB SSD Boot Drive, Airport Extreme, 23" Alu ACD, Apple KB and MM, iSight, M-Audio AV-40
	1

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