How to Make a Mechanical Keyboard Quieter: 9 Fixes That Work
Updated
The fastest ways to make a mechanical keyboard quieter are: put it on a desk mat, stop bottoming out so hard, tune the stabilizers, add foam, and, for the biggest change, switch to silent or linear switches. Clicky switches are the loudest by far, so if yours click, replacing them matters more than anything else.
Where keyboard noise comes from
Most of the noise comes from three places:
- Bottom-out: the keycap and stem hitting the bottom of the switch.
- Top-out: the stem snapping back up when you release the key.
- Extra noise: clicky mechanisms, stabilizer rattle, spring ping and hollow case echo.
Each fix below targets one or more of these.
9 ways to quiet a mechanical keyboard
1. Use a desk mat
A thick desk mat absorbs vibration that would otherwise go into the desk. It's free if you have one already, and it noticeably softens the overall sound.
2. Type more lightly
Most noise comes from slamming keys to the bottom. Keys register partway down, so a lighter touch is quieter immediately.
3. Tune the stabilizers
Rattling spacebars and Enter keys are some of the loudest, most annoying noises on a board. Lubing the stabilizer wires and housings fixes most of it.
4. Add case foam
Foam fills the hollow space under the PCB and cuts echo. Many keyboards come with a slot for it or a little already.
5. Swap clicky switches
Clicky switches are designed to make noise. On a hot-swap board, replacing them with linear or tactile switches is a big reduction.
6. Use silent switches
Silent linear and silent tactile switches have rubber dampeners that cushion both bottom-out and top-out. They're the quietest switches you can buy.
7. Lube the switches
Lube reduces spring ping and scratch. It won't silence a switch, but it removes a lot of the small high-pitched noises that make a board seem loud.
8. Try thicker keycaps
Thick keycaps don't make a board silent, but they lower the pitch and make the noise less piercing. See do keycaps affect sound.
9. O-rings, with a caveat
Rubber O-rings on the keycap stems cushion bottom-out, but they shorten travel and can feel mushy. Silent switches usually do the job better.
Quiet isn't the same as muted, but they're close
On RateMyKeyboard the community votes on descriptors like Muted and Subtle, which is the closest thing we have to a loudness score. Here's what builds voted muted have in common:
Frequently asked questions
What are the quietest mechanical keyboard switches?
Silent linear and silent tactile switches, which have rubber dampeners on the stem to soften both bottom-out and return. Clicky switches are the loudest.
Do O-rings make a keyboard quieter?
They soften bottom-out noise by cushioning the keycap, but they also shorten key travel and can make typing feel mushy. Silent switches usually work better.
Is a mechanical keyboard too loud for an office?
A clicky board often is. A board with silent or lubed linear switches, a desk mat and foam is usually quiet enough for most shared spaces.
Do silent switches feel mushy?
Some people find the dampened bottom-out softer than a normal switch. Newer silent switches feel much closer to regular ones than older designs did.
