Works in every app
A Windows keyboard hook hears each key press across your whole PC, in your editor, browser, chat and terminal. You don't need to switch to Clackwell to hear it.
Clackwell 1.7 for Windows is here
A little character for every keystroke.
Clackwell is a free keyboard sound app for Windows. It plays a mechanical switch sound each time you press a key, in every app on your PC. 28 switches, 16 originals, and low latency native audio.
SOUND PREVIEW
ButterLinear switch
Fair play checks on
Press and hold to hear itPress fast for a combo. Swipe or use the arrows to change switch.
- 28mechanical switches
- 16Clackwell originals
- ~10msfrom key to speaker
- 3.9MBsingle portable file
Go on, type something.
This is the same sound engine the app uses, running in your browser. Press keys on your keyboard, or tap the board.
Typing challenge
Fair play checks on
60seconds0wpm100% accuracy
Start typing to begin. You have 60 seconds.
Clackwell
Last key Ready
Find your sound. Start with these four.
Deep, clean, ticking or clicky. Press a card to hear it and choose it for the demo keyboard above.
Small app. Carefully made.
Clackwell runs quietly in the background and stays out of your way.
Low-latency native audio
Sounds play through a native audio stream that never sleeps, rather than the browser engine, so the click lands with your finger.
Clackwell~10 ms
Web Audio~50 ms
Feels natural
Every key has its own sound, from its row and its place on the board, with a touch of drift on each press. Space, Enter and Shift sound bigger, like a real board.
Lives in your tray
Minimize or close the window and your sounds keep playing. Right click the tray icon to pause, drag the volume, or pick a sound from your favorites.
One small file
A 3.9 MB portable executable that uses the web runtime already built into Windows 11. Nothing to install, and it updates itself in one click from About.
Tune it to taste
Set the volume, star your favorite sounds, pause from any app with a shortcut you choose, turn natural pitch variation and key release sounds on or off, and choose whether Clackwell starts with Windows. Light and dark themes included.
Up and clacking in under a minute.
- 1
Download
Grab the portable
.exeand run it. No setup wizard and no account. - 2
Pick a switch
Press the cards in the sound studio until one feels right, then set the volume.
- 3
Type anywhere
Close the window. Clackwell keeps playing from the tray in every app you use.
Privacy
It hears keys, never words.
The keyboard hook passes only which physical key moved and how big it is. No typed text or key history is saved or sent anywhere. Clackwell only goes online when you check for updates or choose to install one.
- Only the key code and its size reach the app
- Preferences saved locally as
settings.json - Every sound is synthesized on your PC, with no recordings
K
You press a keyin any app
KeyK · key
Keyboard hookcode + size only
< 1 ms
Native mixerstraight to your speakers
Questions, answered.
Is Clackwell free?
Yes. Download the executable and use it as long as you like.
Which versions of Windows does it support?
Windows 10 and 11. It uses a web runtime that comes with Windows 11 and is already on most Windows 10 machines.
Does it record what I type?
No. Only the physical key code reaches the app, so it can give each key its own sound. Nothing typed is saved or transmitted.
Windows says the file is unrecognized. Is that expected?
Yes. The build is unsigned, so Windows may warn you the first time. Choose More info, then Run anyway.
Why don't I hear sounds on the Windows login or UAC screen?
Windows blocks global keyboard input on secure desktops such as the login and User Account Control screens. Sounds resume as soon as you're back.
How do I quit it completely?
Right click the Clackwell icon in the notification tray and choose Quit Clackwell. Windows may tuck the icon into the tray overflow menu.
How do I update Clackwell?
Open About Clackwell and press Check for updates. If a new version is out, press Update: Clackwell downloads it, checks it, and restarts with your settings intact. It only goes online when you ask it to, or once a day if you turn on update notices in Preferences. To see what changed, or to grab the latest version, visit the update page.
Make your keyboard sound the way it feels.
Free for Windows. One file, 3.9 MB. Enjoying it? You can help keep it that way.