How to Control Notification Sound Volume on Mac

A reminder fires and the alert sound blasts out over the music you were enjoying. You lower the Mac's volume, and now the music is too quiet. Turning on Do Not Disturb fixes the noise, but you also miss the alerts you actually need.

There's no single "notification volume" control on a Mac, but there are several pieces you can combine. Here's how.

Two kinds of notification sounds

It helps to know where a sound comes from:

1. macOS alert sounds: the sounds that standard macOS notifications and system alerts play. These follow the alert volume setting.
2. Sounds an app plays itself: many apps, such as Slack, Discord, chat apps and browser tabs, play their own notification sounds. These play at the app's volume, which normally just follows the Mac's main volume.

The fix depends on which kind is bothering you.

Fix 1: Lower the alert volume

Open System Settings > Sound. Under Sound Effects you'll find an Alert volume slider. Lower it and macOS alert sounds get quieter while your music stays at the same level.

In the same place you can choose the alert sound and which device plays sound effects. More on this for headphone users: Mac notification sounds too loud in headphones.

The limit: this slider covers all macOS alerts together, and it doesn't affect sounds that apps play themselves.

Fix 2: Turn off sounds for specific apps

Open System Settings > Notifications, select an app, and turn off Play sound for notification. You still see the banner, just silently. Use this for apps whose alerts you want to see but not hear.

Fix 3: Use the app's own sound settings

Apps that make their own sounds usually have their own options. In Slack, Discord and most chat apps, look for notification sound options in the app's settings: you can often pick a softer sound or switch sounds off. Browser sites that send notifications can be managed in the browser's site settings.

Fix 4: Use Focus for deep work

A Focus mode (Do Not Disturb or a custom Focus) silences notifications from the apps and people you choose. It's good for focused work, but it's on or off: it doesn't make alerts quieter, and it doesn't touch sounds that aren't notifications, like a Slack huddle or a video.

Fix 5: Give noisy apps their own volume

For apps that play their own sounds, the most direct fix is to lower that app's volume while everything else stays where it is. macOS doesn't offer that, so you need a per-app volume mixer.

SoundDial adds one to your menu bar: each running app gets its own slider and mute button. Because the app's notification sounds come from the app, lowering its slider lowers them too.

A calm setup might look like this:

• Slack: around 15%, a subtle ping instead of a jolt
• Discord: low, for background awareness
• A chat app you check on your own schedule: muted
• Music or browser: wherever you like it
• Call app: 100%, or boosted above 100% (up to 200%) if people sound quiet

You keep hearing alerts, just at a level that informs without startling, and your music doesn't change. More on this: mute one app on Mac and how to mute everything except one app.

Note that standard macOS notification sounds are played by the system rather than by the app, so for those, the alert volume slider in Fix 1 is the right control. SoundDial works per app, not per browser tab.

Putting it together

1. Lower the Alert volume in System Settings > Sound for macOS alerts.
2. Turn off sounds in System Settings > Notifications for apps you only want to see.
3. Lower or mute chatty apps that play their own sounds with a per-app mixer.
4. Use Focus when you want no interruptions at all.

SoundDial, a per-app volume mixer for Mac, needs macOS 14.2 or later and costs €14.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store, no subscription. See how per-app volume control on Mac works.

Get SoundDial on the Mac App Store.