How to adjust a Mac’s overall sound volume and alert volume<div id="link_wrapped_content">
<body><section class="wp-block-bigbite-multi-title"><div class="container"></div></section><p>macOS has two distinct volume control options in the Sound preference pane that affect how a Mac produces sound.</p>
<ul><li>At the bottom of the Sound preference pane, you can drag an “Output volume” slider left or right to decrease or increase sound output. You can also opt to use a keyboard’s volume control keys (if you have those keys) or through the Control Center or Sound menu item.</li><li>In the Sound Effects tab in the Sound preference pane, a separate slider next to “Alert volume” controls how loud sounds made by the system are to indicate an action or due to a notification.</li></ul><div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage center"><div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="
https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/mac911-sound-output-levels-bordered.png?w=1200" alt="" class="wp-image-617713" width="1037" height="837" srcset="
https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/mac911-sound-output-levels-bordered.png?quality=50&strip=all 1340w,
https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/mac911-sound-output-levels-bordered.png?resize=300%2C242&quality=50&strip=all 300w,
https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/mac911-sound-output-levels-bordered.png?resize=768%2C620&quality=50&strip=all 768w,
https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/mac911-sound-output-levels-bordered.png?resize=1200%2C969&quality=50&strip=all 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption>The Alert volume slider in the middle controls sound effect and notification volume; the Output volume slider at the bottom affects overall audio output.</figcaption></figure></div></div>
<p>Some people never adjust the Sound Effect tab’s Alert volume and are blasted by pings, plinks, and boops that are substantially louder than the sound they’re listening to through speakers, headphones, or earbuds. You can also find the level is so low or disabled that you’re missing important audio feedback for your actions or those of an app.</p>
<p>Note as well that the “Play sound effect through” popup menu lets you split audio feedback to any selected sound output device instead of routing it through the output destination selected in the Output tab in the Sound preference pane.</p>
<p>If you need more granular control or want to clear up or manage other aspects of the Mac audio system, Rogue Amoeba’s <a href="
https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=111346X1569486&url=https://rogueamoeba.com/soundsource/&xcust=1-1-617710-1-0-0&sref=https://www.macworld.com/feed" rel="nofollow">SoundSource[/url] ($39) provides an extensive set of options in a system menu.</p>
<div class="extendedBlock-wrapper block-coreImage center"><div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" src="
https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/mac911-soundsource-main-bordered.png?w=1200" alt="" class="wp-image-617715" srcset="
https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/mac911-soundsource-main-bordered.png?quality=50&strip=all 1338w,
https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/mac911-soundsource-main-bordered.png?resize=300%2C257&quality=50&strip=all 300w,
https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/mac911-soundsource-main-bordered.png?resize=768%2C657&quality=50&strip=all 768w,
https://b2c-contenthub.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/mac911-soundsource-main-bordered.png?resize=1200%2C1026&quality=50&strip=all 1200w" width="1200" height="1026" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption>SoundSource provides volume control, equalization, and per-app level settings, among other features.</figcaption></figure></div></div>
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How to adjust a Mac’s overall sound volume and alert volume
