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One of the most common complaints people have about mechanical keyboards is how loud they can be. However, mechanical keyboards aren’t necessarily that much louder than any other keyboard. It all depends on what kind of switches you have installed on your board and how hard you hit the keys. Some people are just loud typists and there’s no shame in that, however annoying it may be. Let’s examine what can make a mechanical keyboard sound louder.

Switch Movement

The difference between mechanical and non-mechanical keyboards lies in the different mechanisms used to register individual keypresses. Most cheaper keyboards you find on the market use a rubber or silicone membrane treated with electrically conductive paint to register keypresses. Mechanical keyboards use a matrix of individual switches that register keypresses using the springs inside the switch chambers. Thus, there are functional differences between the mechanisms that contribute to the overall sound profile of the keyboard.

Mechanical Switch Sounds

Unless you have clicky switches, which have a click sleeve that makes an audible “click” noise when the key is pressed, the majority of sounds in a mechanical keyboard come from the movement of the switch components with the keys are pressed. Mechanical keyboard switches use a mobile stem inside a chamber that puts pressure on a spring inside the chamber. The spring both completes the circuit on the PCB to let the computer know what key was pressed and also returns the key to the upright position.

Switches are usually made of plastic and when you press them down, the plastic and metal bits inside can rub together, causing a subtle scraping noise. This scraping is the primary noise caused by mechanical keyboards.

Click Sleeve

Some mechanical switches, known as clicky switches in the community, have a sleeve installed in the chamber. When compressed, the sleeve makes a “click” sound. This haptic feedback can be helpful for users, but it results in the keyboard being extra loud compared to a standard membrane keyboard.

Bottoming Out

Additionally, the switch stem can bottom out when a person presses on it too hard. Mechanical keyboard switches don’t need to be pressed all the way down to actuation. When a switch is pressed all the way down, the stem will hit the PCB. This contact isn’t damaging to any components, but it can make a “thunk” noise that contributes to a more prominent noise profile.

Keycaps Hitting the Backplate

When someone presses a mechanical switch, the keycap can also hit the backplate of the keyboard. The backplate is the sheet of plastic or metal that separates the external components of the keyboard from the internal ones. Membrane keycaps normally can’t be pressed far enough to touch the backplate, but mechanical ones often can. Thus, people who hit the keys really hard will hear thunking noises when the keycaps hit the backplate.