How to change Facebook Messenger's notification sound on Mac
Facebook Messenger gives you an on/off sound toggle on macOS and nothing more, so you cannot choose which sound it plays. To silence it, turn off “Play sound for notifications” for Facebook Messenger 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 honest answer: Facebook Messenger only gives you basic on/off controls. Your real options are the macOS-level method below, or Chirpy if you want per-notification customization.
In Facebook Messenger
Head to Settings → Notifications inside Facebook Messenger. The sound options live there, and you can turn them off. That stops Facebook Messenger's own audio, but macOS will still play its default sound on top. See the universal approach below to silence that too.
How do I mute Facebook Messenger 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 Facebook Messenger in the application list and click it.
- Turn off “Play sound for notifications”.
- Facebook Messenger keeps showing banners and badges, with no audio.
How Chirpy fills the gap
With Chirpy you can give Facebook Messenger's notifications a sound that matches their importance. For example: a quiet chime for routine updates, a louder bell for mentions, silence for the rest. All triggered by keywords in the notification text, with no plugin and no API access required.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change Facebook Messenger's notification sound on Mac?
Only partly. Facebook Messenger gives you basic on/off sound controls, but no way to pick a different sound and no way to vary it by sender or content. To assign a specific sound, mute Facebook Messenger at the macOS level and let a rule-based tool such as Chirpy play the sound instead.
How do I mute Facebook Messenger notifications on Mac without turning them off?
Open System Settings → Notifications, click Facebook Messenger in the list, and turn off “Play sound for notifications”. Facebook Messenger keeps showing banners and badges, so you stop hearing it without losing it.
Can I set a different sound for specific Facebook Messenger notifications?
Not with macOS or Facebook Messenger 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 Facebook Messenger 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 Facebook Messenger 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.