How to TURN ON/OFF Background Sounds On MacBook (Tahoe)

🗓️ July 17, 2025, By ✍️ Karly Wood

According to Apple, this technology enables soothing noises, like the ocean or rain, to cover up unpleasant ambient noise and reduce distractions. On the Mac, background noises may be enabled under the System Settings app’s Accessibility > Audio section. You may select the background sound to play from this menu, change the background sound volume independently of the system volume, and, if you’d like, disable background noises when your Mac is sleeping or in screensaver mode.

Background sound will stop automatically while the screen saver turns on or on the lock screen.

Turn on/off background sounds on Mac (Any MacBook or Mac)

Step 1: Click on the Apple logo in the top menu, then select “System Settings.”

how to open system settings on mac computer Macbook pro or macbook air

Step 2: Now, select Accessibility > Audio.

MacOS Audio Accessibility settings

Step 3: Scroll to the background sounds section, then on the toggle to start background sounds, choose a background sound.

Turn on Background Sounds and Check Timer you set

Step 4: That’s it. To turn it off, keep the toggle off. In macOS Tahoe, Mac users can set the timer for background sound to automatically stop by selecting “Set timerafter an amount of time or at a specific time. Click OK to apply the changes and start the timer.

Background Sounds After Timer ends

Step 5: To stop automatically for these timer settings, keep “Always use these settings” is enabled.

That’s it.

Change Background Sounds & Volume Level on Mac—Rain, Ocean

You can modify the background sounds feature in macOS Ventura by following the instructions provided below. Make your office or home a peaceful atmosphere. Enable the background sound and play with the built-in speaker on Mac or a connected sound system or headphones/AirPods.

Step 1: Launch the System Settings app under the Apple logo from the top menu on your macOS.

system-settings-on-macos-ventura-on-mac

Step 2: Click on Accessibility. Tap Audio under Hearing Section.

audio-settings-on-mac-for-background-sound

Step 3: Toggle the background sounds. To turn on background sounds, tap the switch.

backgroud-sounds-settings-for-mac

Step 4: To select a sound effect, tap Sound.

change-choose-different-backgroud-settings-on-mac

Step 5: Select from Ocean, Rain, Stream, Bright Noise, Dark Noise, and Balanced Noise. The next time you use the app, you can play the sound effect offline after it has been downloaded from the internet.

select-backgroud-sounds-on-mac

Step 6: Other important settings are changing the background sounds volume level using the slider.

change-backgroud-sound-volume-level-on-mac-in-ventura

Step 7: Turn on & turn off background sounds when your Mac is not in use [with lock screen and screen or screen saver mode].

turn-off-background-sounds-when-your-mac-is-not-in-use

Unfortunately, we can’t turn on and turn off background sound on Mac from the control center or using other keyboard shortcuts.

Ensure you have an internet connection since your device needs to download individual sound effects the first time you play them. Still, after that, you may listen to the background music whether or not you’re connected to the internet.

Types of Background Sounds Volume on Mac

save-backgroud-sound-offline-on-mac (1)
save-backgroud-sound-offline-on-mac (1)

There are six different ambient sounds for background sound, including rain, stream, and ocean noises, as well as bright, balanced, and dark noise, which are various frequencies of white noise, available in background sounds. These may be played alone on Mac or within any podcast, music, or video streaming application using the option to change the background sound volume.

Turn off background sounds when your Mac is not in use

This option is fantastic; while you are not working or active on your Mac, stop the background sound automatically after enabling this option from your Mac system settings. This option also helps save battery energy consumption by a speaker on a MacBook.

To turn off background sound automatically:

  1. Open System Settings under the apple logo from the top menu.
  2. Next, select Accessibility > Audio > Enable the toggle “Turn off background sounds when your Mac is not in use.” To Turn off background sounds automatically with lock screen and screen saver modes.turn-off-background-sounds-when-your-mac-is-not-in-use
  3. That’s it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I set a custom background sound on Mac?

No, at the moment, that function is not introduced in the Mac. In future updates, there may be a chance to set the custom background sound on Mac.

Q. Can I turn off the background sound when the media is playing?

There is no option on Mac settings like the iPhone, but it automatically adjusts and slows down.

Q. How to Set Background Sound Timer on Mac?

On the Mac, there is currently no option to set up a timer for the background noise. You may search the App Store to see if there is a third-party app that will give you that functionality.

Q. Background Sound Not Working on Mac

The Background Sound setting is built-in on Mac systems updated with macOS Ventura. Make sure and check the Mac OS version. If it’s fine then, on your first attempt to play background sound, your Mac will download sound from the internet, so make sure your Mac is connected with an active internet connection. And Click on the Down Arrow icon Under the Choose. button to Save it offline and play anytime.save-backgroud-sound-offline-on-mac

Q. Background Sound Won’t turn off on Mac

If the settings for background sound on your Mac aren’t functioning as expected, please review the steps and try following them once more. Still, the background sound is playing continuously, so force quit all the running apps on your Mac or restart your Mac. Also, make sure your Mac is updated to the latest macOS version.

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Karly Wood
Karly Wood

Karly Wood is a journalist based in Ohio who specializes in covering Apple and technology trends. With a varied experience in reporting on public safety, government, and education, her insights bridge multiple disciplines, providing readers with a well-rounded perspective on today's technological advancements. If you need to contact me, you can reach me at karlywood.ohio@gmail.com or through (Facebook)

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