Mechvibes Has No Sound? A Checklist for Windows, Mac and Linux

Mechvibes is open, a pack is selected, and nothing plays. This is the most common question we get, and it nearly always comes down to one of a handful of causes. Work through the checks below in order: each takes under a minute, and the first ones solve most cases.

These steps are for Mechvibes 3. If you still run Mechvibes 2 or MechvibesDX, update from the download page first, because many old problems are already fixed there.

1. Sounds are switched off

Mechvibes has one switch that silences everything, Enable all sounds on the Home page. Ctrl+Alt+M flips it, so it is easy to turn off by accident. The setting is saved, so it stays off after a restart. When sounds are off, the tray icon shows it. Press Ctrl+Alt+M once and type again.

2. No pack, or a pack at zero volume

On the Home page, check that a keyboard pack is selected and its volume slider is not at zero. The mouse has its own pack and its own slider, so a silent mouse with a working keyboard usually means the mouse slider or pack.

3. The sound goes to the wrong device

Open Settings and look at the output device. If you use headphones, a dock or a virtual audio device, Mechvibes may be playing to a device you are not listening to. Pick the right one; the change works without a restart.

If you plug in or unplug headphones while Mechvibes runs, it does not always follow the new default device yet (issue #83). Choose the device again in Settings, or restart Mechvibes.

4. Your system blocks keyboard access

This is the most common cause on Linux and macOS, where the window opens normally but the app cannot hear your keys.

• Linux: your account must be in the input group, and you must log out and back in after adding it. See Mechvibes not working on Linux.
• macOS: Mechvibes needs both Accessibility and Input Monitoring, and a relaunch after granting Input Monitoring. See Mechvibes not working on Mac.

5. Silent in one program only (Windows)

If sounds play everywhere except in one program, check whether that program runs as administrator, as Windows Terminal, some games and installers do. Windows does not let a normal program hear keys typed into an elevated one. Running Mechvibes as administrator fixes it, but then "Start at login" stops working; Startup, tray and settings problems shows how to get both.

6. Every key plays twice

Two copies of a keyboard sound app are running, usually Mechvibes 2 left over next to Mechvibes 3. On Windows, run the Mechvibes 3 installer again and click Yes when it offers to remove Mechvibes 2, or uninstall Mechvibes 2 from Settings > Apps. Mechvibes 3 itself only ever runs one copy.

7. Sounds stop after sleep

Some people find sounds stop after the computer wakes from sleep or hibernation (issue #115). Until that is fixed, quit Mechvibes from the tray and open it again.

8. A custom pack is silent

If built-in packs play but your own pack does not, the pack itself is the problem. Sound pack not loading lists what Mechvibes checks when it imports a pack.

Still silent?

Open Settings > Debug and click Export logs. The keys you press are never written to the log, and your user name is hidden in the export. Open an issue with the log, your system and its version, and whether the silence happens everywhere or only in some programs. That is usually enough to find the cause quickly.