How to change Apple Messages's notification sound on Mac

Per-contact text tones on iOS; macOS uses a single global sound.

In Apple Messages

Head to Settings → Notifications inside Apple Messages — the sound options live there, and you can turn them off. That stops Apple Messages's own audio, but macOS will still play its default sound on top — see the universal approach below to silence that too.

Universal approach — mute at the macOS level

macOS lets you silence any app's sound without disabling its notifications. The full visual walkthrough lives on the universal macOS method page. The short version:

1. Open System Settings → Notifications.
2. Scroll to Apple Messages in the application list and click it.
3. Turn off Play sound for notifications.
4. Apple Messages keeps showing banners and badges — just no audio.

Apple Messages

How Chirpy fills the gap

Chirpy reads the notification title and matches it against your rules. That means you can do things Apple Messages can't on its own — different sounds per channel, per person, per keyword, per server. Three quick examples:

• Boss mentions only: a distinct chime when their name appears in any Apple Messages notification.
• Urgent channel: a louder sound when the notification contains #urgent or #critical.
• Silence everything else: a rule that matches all other Apple Messages notifications with no sound — banners still appear, your day stays quiet.