91

Is there a hotkey I can use or configure to mute the mic on a 13" MacBook Pro (MPB)?

I would prefer an icon or notification to confirm that it is set (even if I need to toggle the option).

1

9 Answers 9

21

You can simply Alt-Click on Sound/Speaker icon in the menubar, then select Line In as Input Device to mute the mic.

When you want it back, just select Internal microphone again.

lineine

4
  • 36
    On my Macbook Pro I don't have this option. The only input device available is the internal microphone.
    – Steven
    Mar 10, 2015 at 17:14
  • 7
    I don't have this option either. And this isn't a hotkey to toggle the mic. This requires clicking with the mouse.
    – Akrikos
    Aug 18, 2016 at 13:29
  • 18
    The OP specifically asked for a hotkey, as opposed to a mouse-based solution.
    – Reb.Cabin
    Dec 14, 2017 at 23:30
  • no longer true for latest OS versions Jan 12 at 14:37
38

Here are instructions to save a script as a service in Automator and assign a hotkey to it in System Preferences.

And here's the script to mute / unmute with a display notification (extended from tkneis's answer).

on run {input, parameters}

    set inputVolume to input volume of (get volume settings)
    if inputVolume = 0 then
        set inputVolume to 100
        set displayNotification to "Microphone Unmuted"
    else
        set inputVolume to 0
        set displayNotification to "Microphone Muted"
    end if
    set volume input volume inputVolume

    display notification displayNotification
    delay 1

    return input
end run
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  • This worked very well for me on OS 10.11.6
    – Akrikos
    Aug 17, 2016 at 21:32
  • 1
    It turns it down to 0 but then something automatically brings it back up. This is on El Capitan...UPDATE:: Found it, had to turn off auto volume on WebEx and Skype
    – tik27
    Oct 19, 2016 at 18:06
  • medium.com/macoclock/… - Detailed steps. Oct 26, 2022 at 10:30
29

This works best, especially if you want to assign this script to a Hotkey:

set inputVolume to input volume of (get volume settings)
if inputVolume = 0 then
    set inputVolume to 100
else
    set inputVolume to 0
end if
set volume input volume inputVolume

This method doesn't require you to activate the System Preference GUI, or to go through the volume settings of whichever app is active. Instead it is getting the system's volume settings, and then checking to see if the input volume is already 0--if it is it will set the input volume to 100, and if it isn't it will mute the input volume.

Works like a charm.

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  • 2
    This worked for me -- added a hotkey for it via Alfred screencast.com/t/6d1wfz97mjfj -- now i just need some kind of visual key on what the current status is Jun 26, 2012 at 14:05
  • 3
    Relevant link: github.com/pborenstein/togglemic
    – spuder
    Jan 13, 2015 at 16:30
  • 1
    This doesn't work entirely for me (at least on OSX 10.8). It only seems like it has muted it (displaying zero on the sound preferences input panel), but it actually is just a low threshold, and if I tap on my computer, or speak with a somewhat raised voice, it still picks up sound.
    – kenny
    Mar 19, 2015 at 18:30
  • This was apparently fixed sometime since 10.8. On OSX 10.11.6 setting inputVolume to 0 mutes as expected. I tested by tapping vigorously on the case right above the mic while recording in QuickTime. Not a peep.
    – Akrikos
    Aug 18, 2016 at 13:28
  • Take a look at Scottie's answer though: works like this but notifies you which way you just toggled.
    – Akrikos
    Aug 18, 2016 at 13:28
26

This can also be accomplished with a simple AppleScript:

tell application "System Events" to set volume input volume 0

Reverse the process:

tell application "System Events" to set volume input volume 100

EDIT

By the way, Soundsource is a free application that gives you nice easy sliders to toggle Speaker/Microphone levels from the menu bar, without the need for pesky extra dialogs.

5
  • Soundsource seems awesome
    – wag2639
    Aug 10, 2010 at 16:34
  • 4
    Soundsource isn't available from rogueamoeba any more and even if y0u can get it from other sites, it hasn't been updated for Mac OS X 10.9 so doesn't run. :-(
    – RobG
    Feb 25, 2015 at 13:20
  • SoundSource is back up and current, free trial, pay $10 for license. May 30, 2018 at 18:43
  • 2
    Setting the input volume to 100 may be way too high -- you do not want to defeat the automatic gain control that applications such as WebEx provide. With this method, everything you say will be distorted and very loud for the first few seconds. Great way to present yourself in a teleconference...
    – cabo
    Oct 18, 2018 at 4:55
  • can you add this to touchbar? Jan 20, 2021 at 19:42
10

Finally I got a perfect solution to mute my mac,

What I did was to install this MuteMyMic , Just to know when having visual representation if the microphone is muted or not all the time.

Then I found this Shush! workflow for Alfred , and then to have an easier access I added a shortcut to rise this Mute/Unmute action, then to turn mic on / off is easier as raising the shortcut, and I know if it's on or off by the MuteMyMic icon on the bar.

I hope this helps anyone else. Enjoy

4

Try MuteMyMicFree. It sits in the menu bar so you can adjust the input mic level from zero to max. It takes two clicks (one to open the control and another to set the level), but it's free and does the job less obtrusively than other suggestions.

The Alfred workflow might be good, but you have to buy the power pack on top of the free application to load or even create workflows.

3

The AppleScripts are great! Using them as a global keyboard shortcut also provides the ability to purchase (or build) a foot pedal for keyboard/click-less muting.

For people reading this question that have touchbar Macs, consider MuteMe - it adds a button in the global touchbar area for mute/unmute (and the button turns red when muted). If you don't have a touchbar Mac, you can still use it either from the system tray or as a global keyboard shortcut. It is free.

2
  • MuteMe no longer exists.
    – Whitecat
    May 5, 2020 at 13:16
  • Replaced with mutify.app
    – Gh0sT
    Nov 1, 2020 at 9:13
2

Just tried MuteKey on macOS Big Sur and it did the job very well. On my default installation, the hotkeys were ⇧ Shift+⌘ Command+W; I had to select Device > All Input Devices to get it working globally.

enter image description here

-1

If you have multiple mic sources, you might try to use this.

Screenshot of Audio MIDI Setup

Audio Midi Setup in Mac, while sounding antiquated, will give you the desired outcome to mute your mic system wide in case you feel a cough coming on.

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  • 1
    Does this have a keyboard shortcut? Because that is what the OP is asking for.
    – Burgi
    Jan 17, 2020 at 10:41

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