How to change Slack's notification sound on Mac
Slack lets you change its own notification sound in its settings, but every Slack notification still sounds the same. To silence it, turn off “Play sound for notifications” for Slack 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.
In Slack
Head to Settings → Notifications inside Slack. The sound options live there, and you can turn them off. That stops Slack'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 Slack 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 Slack in the application list and click it.
- Turn off “Play sound for notifications”.
- Slack keeps showing banners and badges, with no audio.
How Chirpy fills the gap
Chirpy reads the notification title and matches it against your rules. That means you can do things Slack can't on its own: different sounds per channel, per person, per keyword, per server. Three quick examples:
- Boss mentions only: a distinct chime when their name appears in any Slack notification.
- Urgent channel: a louder sound when the notification contains
#urgentor#critical. - Silence everything else: a rule that matches all other Slack notifications with no sound. Banners still appear, your day stays quiet.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change Slack's notification sound on Mac?
Slack has its own notification sound settings under Settings → Notifications, so you can change or disable the sound it plays. You cannot set a different sound for different notifications, though. Every Slack alert uses the same one. For that you need a rule-based tool such as Chirpy.
How do I mute Slack notifications on Mac without turning them off?
Open System Settings → Notifications, click Slack in the list, and turn off “Play sound for notifications”. Slack keeps showing banners and badges, so you stop hearing it without losing it.
Can I set a different sound for specific Slack notifications?
Not with macOS or Slack 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 Slack 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 Slack 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.