How To Make a Mechanical Keyboard Quieter?

Do you love the sound of typing on a mechanical keyboard? Unfortunately, many people find the noise to be too loud and distracting.

Fortunately, there are ways to make your mechanical keyboard much quieter.

This article will discuss some of the most popular methods for reducing noise from your mechanical keyboard.  

Also Read: Best Quiet Keyboards on the Market

Ways On How to Make Mechanical Keyboard Quieter

Mechanical keyboards are so noisy.

 They sound like an old typewriter.

But don’t fret – there’s a way to make your keyboard quieter and more pleasant to use.

Below are simple and practical DIY methods you can utilize to make a mechanical keyboard quieter.

Luckily for you, I’ve tried several of these hacks, and they seem to work.

1. Install Rubber O-Rings

Install one O-ring on each keycap stem to provide a barrier between the metal and plastic parts of the keyboard.

My recommended ones are ThreeBulls 120Pcs Clear Rubber O-Ring Switch Dampeners.

The rubber will create friction, which will reduce the noise made by keys bottoming out.

The rubber O-rings need to be cut to the size of each keycap stem.

There are a few ways this can be done: scissors, an X-acto knife, or a sharp pair of wire cutters.

Create one horizontal slit for every two keys on the keyboard and then place the ring over the top with enough room left at both ends so that it doesn’t slip off when pressed down onto its designated keycap.

You should create four slits per letter row (QWERTY has 12 rows).

For example, if your QWERTY keyboard has 24 rows, there would be 48 total slots where rings could go.

Also Read: How to Fix a Hard Drive Making Noise

2. Try Foam Pads (Optional)

If you want to reduce the noise, even more, try adding a layer or two of foam on top.

This will help absorb some of the sound produced by typing and make it feel much nicer.

The type that I highly recommend is the Dualplex Neoprene Sponge Foam.

 It comes with self-adhesive backing, so they’re easy to stick onto your desk mat.

Again, these are optional, but if you intend for your mechanical keyboard to be used at home where there may not always be other people around, they could definitely do wonders.

3. Replace Your Switches

The first step to making your keyboard quieter is replacing the switches that create all of the noise.

There are six types of switches, and each one has its own pros and cons.

The common three being Clicky Tactile (Cherry MX Blue), Linear Analog (Cherry MX Brown), or Noisy Digital.

You may be wondering why we suggest using these different types, so I’ll tell you why:

*A Clicky tactile switch will result in a louder sound when activated due to the clicking motion and provides plenty of feedback because you can feel the keypress.

*A Linear analog switch is quieter but has less feedback than clicky tactile switches because you don’t get any sound or feeling when activated.

Also Read: Quietest Hard Drive on the Market

Linear analogs are also more challenging to use for rapid-fire typing and gaming due to their lack of response time which means they won’t always work correctly in these scenarios.

*Digital ones provide great responses, so they’re perfect for quick action scenes like fighting games, as well as high-speed typing since there’s no delay with them at all and can even be used for both left and right hands if necessary.

They make a loud clicking noise, though, so this should be something that someone willing wants before using them on the keyboard.

Also Read: How to Fix a Noisy Laptop Fan

The next step is to replace the keys on your keyboard with quieter ones to cut down on some of the noise created by each keystroke.

4. Use a Desk Mat

This is the most common and easiest mod to make your mechanical keyboard quieter.

Your desk mat will act as a buffer between you and the hard surface of your desk, preventing it from vibrating with every keypress.

It’s also far less likely that any sound produced by typing on a soft surface like this would be picked up – which could help prevent other people in the office from noticing or getting annoyed by the noise coming from your area when there are others around too.

In this case, some of my most recommended desk mats is the GDBT Large Gaming Mouse pad with Stitch Edges and YSAGi Multifunctional Office Desk Pad.

5. Lube Your Switches

The primary way to reduce the noise made by your mechanical keyboard is to lube up its switches.

There are two types of lubricant you can use: silicon-based and petroleum jelly-based.

Silicon-based lubricants, such as Arctic Silver’s AS5400 Nano Aluminum Grease conduct electricity more efficiently than other materials used in switch manufacture.

This means that less dust will contact the electrical components inside the switch when using them.

Petroleum jelly (e.g., Vaseline) doesn’t have this benefit but has been shown through empirical evidence from various users on online forums like Geekhack to help dampen keystrokes better than if no lubricant were used at all – it also lasts much longer.

If it’s already too noisy and you want less resistance on keypresses, then petroleum jelly is the way to go.

Some people like using a combination of both to get the best results.

Final Thoughts on How to Make Mechanical Keyboard Quieter

The best way to make a mechanical keyboard quieter is by installing dampening foam on the inside of your case.

This will reduce sound waves that bounce off the interior and get sent out through your speakers.

If you don’t want to install new casings, try using something soft under where you place your hands while typing.

Use thick cloth or bubble wrap for padding between keys, which can also help reduce noise levels.

Also Read: How to Fix MacBook Making Whirring Noises