DEV Community

nasir shahbaz
nasir shahbaz

Posted on

I built a free open-source app that adds mechanical keyboard sounds system-wide on Windows

Hey DEV community! 👋

I just released MonkeySounds a free, open-source Windows app that plays
satisfying mechanical keyboard and mouse click sounds system-wide, for every
application on your PC.

Demo

Why I built it

I loved the browser extension that adds keyboard sounds while typing, but I
wanted it everywhere not just in the browser. So I built a native Windows
app in C++ that hooks directly into the input system.

What it does

  • 🎹 Plays realistic mechanical switch sounds on every keystroke
  • 🖱️ Plays click sounds on every mouse button press
  • 🔇 Independent mute and volume control for keyboard and mouse
  • 🎨 Ships with 16 built-in profiles (Cherry MX Blue/Brown/Black, Holy Panda, Alpaca, Typewriter, and more)
  • 🛠️ Create your own profiles from any audio files with the built-in wizard
  • 📦 Portable or installed your choice
  • ⚡ Zero performance impact runs silently in the system tray

Tech stack

  • C++ / Win32 API
  • miniaudio (WASAPI backend)
  • NSIS installer
  • GitHub Actions for CI

Links

Would love to hear your feedback! What switch profile should I add next?

Top comments (1)

Collapse
 
nstechbytes profile image
nasir shahbaz

I built this because I wanted the satisfying mechanical keyboard sounds from the popular browser extension, but system-wide for every app on Windows, not just the browser. It's a lightweight tray app built in C++ with no runtime dependencies. Supports 16 built-in profiles (Cherry MX, Holy Panda, Alpaca, etc.) and lets you create custom profiles from any audio files. Happy to answer questions.