How to change Signal's notification sound on Mac

One message sound for the whole app; no per-chat tones on macOS.

In Signal

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

What Signal can't doOne message sound for the whole app; no per-chat tones on macOS.

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 Signal in the application list and click it.
  3. Turn off Play sound for notifications.
  4. Signal keeps showing banners and badges — just no audio.
macOS System Settings → Notifications → Signal
System Settings → Notifications → Signal → toggle off Play sound for notifications.

How Chirpy fills the gap

Chirpy reads the notification title and matches it against your rules. That means you can do things Signal 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 Signal notification.
  • Urgent channel: a louder sound when the notification contains #urgent or #critical.
  • Silence everything else: a rule that matches all other Signal notifications with no sound — banners still appear, your day stays quiet.

Want sounds that actually mean something?

Chirpy adds rule-based custom sounds on top of macOS notifications. One sound for Signal mentions, another for your calendar, silence for the rest.