macOS Big Sur Brings Back Startup Chime

macOS Big Sur, the newest version of Apple's operating system designed for Macs, brings back the classic startup chime that was eliminated from the MacBook lineup in 2016.

macos big sur desktop
The sound was removed from the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pro models that were released in 2016, as those models booted up when opened or connected to a power source, making the sound unnecessary. There was a method for reenabling the sound through Terminal, but it was a hassle. In macOS Big Sur, the chime that sounds when starting up a Mac has returned, as demoed below.


The chime is the same as the chime that used to sound on older Macs, and those who were fond of the sound for diagnostic purposes or will be pleased about its return.

Though turned on by default, if the sound isn't working, macOS Big Sur users can make sure it's enabled by going to System Preferences > Sound and checking "Play sound on startup." Likewise, those who do not prefer the sound can turn it off here.

In other sound-related updates, as noted on the MacRumors forums, Macs with MagSafe connectors once again play a sound when the cable is connected to the Mac to signal a successful connection. USB-C Macs have long had this feature, but it has been missing for older Macs that use ‌MagSafe‌.


To go along with the redesign in macOS Big Sur, system sounds throughout the operating system have been redesigned to sound "more pleasing to the ear." Apple created the new sounds based on snippets of the original, so everything should sound familiar but fresh.

We'll have a hands-on look at macOS Big Sur and the new sounds later this week, so make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors.

Related Forum: macOS Big Sur

Popular Stories

apple oct 2024 mac tease

Apple Expected to Announce These Two to Three Products 'This Week'

Sunday October 12, 2025 7:05 am PDT by
Apple plans to announce new products "this week," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple's "Mac Your Calendars" teaser last October In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the products set to be updated this week include the iPad Pro, Vision Pro, and "likely" the base 14-inch MacBook Pro, with all three likely to receive a spec bump with Apple's next-generation M5 chip. Gurman...
Apple TV Plus Feature 2 Magenta and Blue

Apple TV+ Being Rebranded as Apple TV

Monday October 13, 2025 8:25 am PDT by
Buried in its announcement about "F1: The Movie" making its streaming debut on December 12, Apple has also announced that Apple TV+ is being rebranded as simply Apple TV. A single line near the end of the press release states "Apple TV+ is now simply Apple TV, with a vibrant new identity," though Apple's website has yet to be updated with any changes, so we're unsure on the details of the...
M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Announces New 14-Inch MacBook Pro With M5 Chip

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:07 am PDT by
Apple today updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, which is also available in updated iPad Pro and Vision Pro models. In addition, the base 14-inch MacBook Pro can now be configured with up to 4TB of storage on Apple's online store, whereas the previous model maxed out at 2TB. However, the maximum amount of unified RAM available for this model remains 32GB. Like...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

Apple Debuts New iPad Pro With M5 Chip, Faster Charging, and More

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple today announced the next-generation iPad Pro, featuring the custom-designed M5, C1X, and N1 chips. The M5 chip has up to a 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and six efficiency cores. It features a next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerator in each core, allowing the new iPad Pro to deliver up to 3.5x the AI performance than the previous model, and a third-generation ray-tracing ...
iOS 26

Apple Preparing iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones

Saturday October 11, 2025 6:59 pm PDT by
Apple's software engineers are internally testing iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will likely be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released within the next few weeks. Last month, Apple released iOS...
maxresdefault

Here's Everything Apple Announced Today

Wednesday October 15, 2025 3:54 pm PDT by
We didn't get a second fall event this year, but Apple did unveil updated products with a series of press releases that went out today. The M5 chip made an appearance in new MacBook Pro, Vision Pro, and iPad Pro models. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up our coverage and highlighted the main feature changes for each device below. MacBook Pro M5...
joz macbook tease

Apple Teases Upcoming M5 MacBook Pro Launch: 'Something Powerful is Coming'

Tuesday October 14, 2025 11:59 am PDT by
Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak today teased the launch of an upcoming product, saying "something powerful is coming" on social media. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. A short animation accompanying Joswiak's teaser reveals a brief glimpse of a MacBook Pro along with the words "coming soon." The shape of the MacBook Pro is a V, which is the Roman numeral...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday October 14, 2025 8:43 am PDT by
Apple's AirPods Max have now been available for almost five years, so what do we know about the second-generation version? According to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new AirPods Max will be lighter than the current ones, but exactly how much is as yet known. The current AirPods Max weigh 0.85 pounds (386.2 grams), excluding the charging case, making it one of the heavier...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

iPhone 18 Pro Already Rumored to Have These 6 New Features

Saturday October 11, 2025 10:10 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still nearly a year away, a handful of new features and changes have already been rumored for the devices. Below, we have recapped some of the early iPhone 18 Pro rumors so far. Smaller Dynamic Island The standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18 Pro, and iPhone 18 Pro Max will be equipped with a slightly smaller Dynamic Island, but the devices will...
Vision Pro M5 Announcement

Apple Updates Vision Pro With M5 Chip, Dual Knit Band, and 120Hz Support

Wednesday October 15, 2025 6:14 am PDT by
Apple today updated the Vision Pro headset with its next-generation M5 chip for faster performance, and a more comfortable Dual Knit Band. The M5 chip has a 10-core CPU, a 10-core GPU with Neural Accelerators, and a 16-core Neural Engine, and we have confirmed the Vision Pro still has 16GB of RAM. With the M5 chip, the Vision Pro offers faster performance and longer battery life compared...

Top Rated Comments

justperry Avatar
69 months ago
Also bring back the glowing Apple Logo, Magsafe connector, *amongst others.

*Edit, breathing sleep light.

Edited:Grammar
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
spymousetruck Avatar
69 months ago
Now that's something I truly missed! ?
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacFather Avatar
69 months ago
Deleted.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGimper Avatar
69 months ago
I miss the green/amber charging LED on my 16”
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sub150 Avatar
69 months ago
This fixes all the mistakes in 10.15. MacOS 11 can be as buggy as it wants.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SgtPepper12 Avatar
69 months ago

Am I the only person that finds this sound annoying? Just like the windows 7 startup sound.
Same, I can't stand it. I always forget about it just to be reminded when I start up my macbook in the library or similar settings. Sure, it's not the end of the world, but is your computer involuntarily playing loud sounds really a feature people request?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)