Every Mac user knows the volume up/down/mute keys. Press them and the system volume changes. But macOS has several hidden keyboard tricks for audio control that most people never discover — plus third-party shortcuts that make volume management dramatically faster.
Built-in shortcuts everyone should know
Fine-grained volume adjustment
Hold Option + Shift and press the volume up or down key. Each press adjusts the volume by one quarter of a normal step, giving you 64 levels instead of 16. This is essential for finding the right headphone volume late at night, or when the jump between two normal steps is too large.
Silent volume adjustment
Hold Shift and press volume up or down. The volume changes but the audible feedback "pop" sound is suppressed. Useful when you're adjusting volume during a call or presentation and don't want the pop sound broadcasting to everyone.
Jump to Sound settings
Hold Option and press any volume key to open System Settings → Sound directly. Faster than navigating through System Settings manually.
Quick output device switch
Hold Option and click the Sound icon in the menu bar to see a list of all available output (and input) devices. Click one to switch instantly. No need to open System Settings.
What macOS keyboard shortcuts can't do
All of the shortcuts above control the system volume — one slider that affects every app equally. There are no built-in keyboard shortcuts for:
- Adjusting the volume of a specific app
- Muting one app without muting everything
- Switching between saved volume configurations
- Toggling a volume mixer panel
macOS simply doesn't have per-app volume control, so there are no shortcuts for it.
Per-app volume keyboard shortcuts with SoundDial
SoundDial adds two global keyboard shortcuts that extend what macOS can do:
Toggle the volume mixer: Control + Option + S
Press ⌃⌥S from anywhere and SoundDial's popover opens in the menu bar, showing every app with its own volume slider. Adjust what you need, press the shortcut again (or click away) to close it. You never leave your current app.
Mute all apps: Control + Option + M
Press ⌃⌥M to instantly mute every app's audio. Press it again to unmute everything, restoring each app to its previous volume. This is an "instant silence" button that's faster than reaching for the mute key — and unlike the system mute key, it restores per-app volumes when you unmute.
The keyboard-driven workflow
With SoundDial's shortcuts enabled, you can manage all your audio without touching the mouse:
- ⌃⌥S — open the mixer
- Use arrow keys or the mouse to adjust individual sliders
- ⌃⌥S — close the mixer
- ⌃⌥M — instant mute when someone walks into the room
- ⌃⌥M — unmute when they leave, everything back to normal
Combined with volume profiles (saved configurations you switch with one click), you can manage the audio of a dozen apps without ever needing to open any of them individually.
Get SoundDial on the Mac App Store — €14.99 one-time purchase, no subscription, macOS 14.2+.