If you’re like most people, you probably have a few different alert sounds set up on your Mac. Some of them are default, while others you may have set up yourself. Here’s how to change them all:

  1. Open the System Preferences panel and click on the General tab.
  2. In the Alert Sounds section, select one of the alert sounds that is default for your Mac.
  3. Click on the OK button to close the System Preferences panel and return to your normal work environment.

When you try to do something that isn’t allowed on your Mac, it responds with a loud, annoying alert sound. Don’t worry, you can change the alert sound and its volume using System Preferences on your Mac.

To get started, click the Apple icon from the menu bar and choose the “System Preferences” option.

Navigate to the “Sounds” section.

Here, from the “Sound Effects” tab, take a look at the “Select an Alert Sound” section.

You can select between 14 different sound effects. Select a sound effect to switch to it. We found the “Submerge” effect to be a good balance between playful and soothing.

Next, you can also decrease the alert volume so that the alert sound will not be as jarring.

From the “Alert Volume” section, drag the slider to the left to decrease the alert volume.

And that’s it. You’re done. Next time you try to click a grayed out button, you won’t be shocked by the loud noise coming from your Mac’s speakers (or worse, directly into your AirPods).

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