How to Make Your Keyboard Quieter: 6 Quick Fixes

The persistent tapping of a noisy keyboard can turn even the simplest tasks into a jarring experience. You’re not alone in seeking a quieter typing environment, whether it’s for late-night work sessions or shared office spaces.

In this article, we delve into practical and effective solutions to transform your keyboard into a haven of quiet efficiency, enhancing both your focus and comfort. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

Using O-Rings

O-rings are tiny, circular rings, typically made from rubber or silicone, designed to fit on the stems of keyboard keycaps. Their main function is to dampen the noise created when a key is pressed and hits the switch beneath it.

By acting as a cushion, O-rings significantly reduce the clacking sound, leading to a quieter typing experience.

Pro tip: When choosing O-rings for an RGB keyboard, clear O-rings are a great option. They allow the keyboard’s lighting to shine through, maintaining the visual appeal of RGB lighting. This is a useful tip for those who want to retain the aesthetic aspect of their keyboard while reducing noise.

Switching to Silent Key Switches

Switching to silent key switches is another effective way to reduce your keyboard noise. These switches are designed with internal dampening mechanisms to minimize the sound of keystrokes.

There’s a range of silent switches available, offering different types of feedback, like tactile or linear, so you can find the ones that best suit your typing preferences.

If you have a hot-swappable mechanical keyboard, replacing your current switches with silent ones is straightforward and doesn’t require soldering. You can simply remove the old switches and plug in the new silent switches.

However, if your keyboard isn’t hot-swappable, replacing the switches involves desoldering the old ones and soldering in the new silent switches.

Installing a Desk Mat

Another popular method to reduce keyboard noise is by installing a desk mat. Just as switching to silent key switches offers a direct approach to noise reduction from the keyboard itself, a desk mat works by absorbing the sound externally.

A thick desk mat placed under your keyboard can significantly dampen the noise produced during typing.

Desk mats come in various materials, like rubber or cloth, and their cushioning effect not only reduces sound but can also enhance the overall aesthetic of your workspace.

This method is particularly effective when used in combination with other noise-reducing solutions like silent switches or O-rings, creating a quieter and more pleasant typing environment.

Lubing the Switches

Adding to the list of effective methods, lubing the switches is another excellent way to make your mechanical keyboard quieter.

Just as silent key switches and desk mats play a role in reducing noise, lubricating the switches targets the source of the friction and noise within the keyboard.

Lubing the switches not only reduces noise but also enhances the smoothness of each keystroke, contributing to a more comfortable typing experience.

This method is particularly beneficial for those who’ve already tried external solutions like desk mats and are looking to refine their keyboard’s sound and feel.

Modify Your Stabilizers

Modifying your stabilizers is a critical step in reducing keyboard noise, much like switching to silent key switches addresses the sound of individual key presses.

The stabilizers on a keyboard are used for larger keys, such as the spacebar and enter keys. These stabilizers can often produce rattling noise, which contributes significantly to overall keyboard noise.

By lubricating and potentially swapping out these stabilizers for higher-quality ones, you can reduce the rattling sound that occurs when these larger keys are pressed.

This method is particularly effective for those who’ve already addressed the noise from individual keys through switch modification but are still experiencing excess sound from their larger keys.

Keyboard Foam Modding

Last but definitely not least is keyboard foam modding, another effective technique for reducing keyboard noise.

Inserting foam inside the keyboard case helps dampen the sound that echoes within the keyboard’s hollow spaces. This echo often amplifies the sound of typing, so by filling these spaces with foam, you can significantly reduce the overall noise.

The foam absorbs vibrations and sound waves, leading to a quieter and more muted typing sound.

Conclusion

We hope this guide has led you to the perfect solution for reducing your keyboard noise.

We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to drop a comment sharing which method you chose and how it has transformed your keyboard.