How to change Google Drive's notification sound on Mac
Google Drive has no notification-sound settings of its own on macOS. To silence it, turn off “Play sound for notifications” for Google Drive in System Settings → Notifications. To give it a different sound, or a different sound per channel, person, or keyword, you need a rule-based app such as Chirpy, which reads macOS notifications locally and plays the sound you assigned.
The short answer: Google Drive doesn't expose notification-sound customization. Use the macOS-level method to mute it, or let Chirpy give it a custom sound.
How do I mute Google Drive notifications on a Mac?
macOS lets you silence any app's sound without disabling its notifications. The full visual walkthrough lives on the universal macOS method page. The short version:
- Open System Settings → Notifications on your Mac.
- Scroll to Google Drive in the application list and click it.
- Turn off “Play sound for notifications”.
- Google Drive keeps showing banners and badges, with no audio.
Chirpy works with any macOS notification, including Google Drive's. Create one rule, pick a sound, and save.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change Google Drive's notification sound on Mac?
Not inside Google Drive, which exposes no notification-sound settings of its own. macOS offers a single system alert sound shared by every app. To give Google Drive its own sound you need a third-party tool such as Chirpy, which matches macOS notifications against rules you write and plays the sound you chose.
How do I mute Google Drive notifications on Mac without turning them off?
Open System Settings → Notifications, click Google Drive in the list, and turn off “Play sound for notifications”. Google Drive keeps showing banners and badges, so you stop hearing it without losing it.
Can I set a different sound for specific Google Drive notifications?
Not with macOS or Google Drive alone, because neither can read the content of a notification and act on it. Chirpy matches the notification text against rules you write, using a name, a channel, a keyword, or a combination with AND/OR, then plays the sound you assigned to that rule.
Does muting Google Drive in System Settings also hide its banners?
No. “Play sound for notifications” only controls audio. Banners, the Notification Center list, and Dock badges are separate toggles on the same screen.
Want sounds that actually mean something?
Chirpy adds rule-based custom sounds on top of macOS notifications. One sound for Google Drive mentions, another for your calendar, silence for the rest. It is a native menu bar app. $19.99 as a one-time purchase, requires macOS 13 or later, and runs entirely on your Mac.