Apple Sound Museum
Mac Startup Sound Museum: From the square-wave beep of the Macintosh 128K in 1984 to the Apple Silicon era, listen to the evolution of Mac startup sounds. Includes 18 Mac startup sounds and 8 death chimes.
18Sounds · Mac Startup
Apple II1977–1989
The Apple II series first introduced a startup beep, a simple square-wave tone marking the dawn of personal computing.
Apple IIc1984
The Apple IIc was the portable version of the Apple II series, inheriting its startup sound design.
Macintosh 128K1984
KeyThe original Macintosh startup sound was programmed by Andy Hertzfeld using a 600Hz square wave beep, marking the beginning of Mac startup sound history.
Apple IIGS1986
The Apple IIGS was the 16-bit enhanced version of the Apple II series, introducing richer audio capabilities.
Macintosh II1987
KeyThe Macintosh II first introduced a chord-based startup sound, programmed by Mark Lentczner. This began the 'chord era' of Mac startup sounds.
Macintosh LC1990
The Macintosh LC, LC II, and Macintosh Classic II do not use the iconic Reekes chime, instead producing a simple 'ding' in F major.
Macintosh Quadra 700/8001991
KeyJim Reekes created this chord in his home studio using a Korg Wavestation EX synthesizer, playing a C major chord with both hands stretched wide. He replaced the previous tri-tone chime because it was too associated with the death chimes, sneaking the new sound in without Apple's permission.
Macintosh Quadra 840AV1993
KeyThe Quadra 840AV first introduced Reekes' iconic 'bong' startup chime, which later became the standard startup sound for most Macs.
Power Macintosh 61001994
The first-generation Power Macintosh did not use the Reekes chime, instead featuring a chord strummed on a Yamaha 12-string acoustic guitar by jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan.
Power Macintosh 5200/53001995
The Power Macintosh 5200-6300 series (except 5400/5500) used a unique chime also featured in Power Macintosh and PowerBook TV commercials from 1995-1998.
PCI Power Mac1995
PCI-based Power Macs used a lower-pitched version of the Reekes bong chord, which continued until the iMac G3.
PCI Power Mac (Variant)1995
An alternative variant of the PCI Power Mac startup chime with subtle differences.
20th Anniversary Macintosh1997
The 20th Anniversary Macintosh used a unique startup sound, a poppy remix of the classic bong chime.
eMate 3001997
The eMate 300 was an educational PDA from Apple based on the Newton platform, using a unique startup sound similar to the Newton MessagePad.
Pre-T2 Mac (from iMac G3)1998–2017
KeyStarting with the iMac G3, all Macs used an F# major chord startup sound, derived by pitch-shifting the 840AV sound. This became Mac's most recognizable audio signature, featured in films like WALL-E.
T2 Security Chip Mac2018–2020
Macs with the T2 security chip use a lower-pitched startup chime, disabled by default and requiring a terminal command to enable.
Mac mini (2020)2020
The 2020 Mac mini (M1 chip) restored the startup chime, which can be enabled or disabled in System Settings.
MacBook Air M1 (2020)2020
The M1 MacBook Air, like other Macs of its era, restored the startup chime, becoming an iconic sound of the Apple Silicon era.