TypeNote

Your keyboard still types. It just sounds different now

TypeNote lives in your menu bar and changes what your keyboard sounds like. Piano, ocean waves, or something you've never tried — 128 sounds, one for every mood.

Download Free See how it works

Try the keyboard sounds

Interactive preview

128 sounds. One for every mood

Bring your own melody.

Paste in a numbered melody, import a MusicXML file, or drop in a MIDI — and your keystrokes follow the notes in sequence. A quiet way to hear a song you've been thinking about.

Three formats, zero friction

Jianpu numbered notation, MusicXML from MuseScore or Sibelius, and standard MIDI files. Or type notation directly in the built-in editor — no import needed.

Sounds

Full General MIDI — piano, strings, brass, woodwind, synth. Import SoundFont (.sf2) files to add more.

Lives in your menu bar

No windows, no modes to enter or exit. Open it to change the sound, close it, keep working.

Write notation in seconds

The built-in editor uses Jianpu — a numbered system where 1–7 map to Do through Si. No staff lines. No music theory required.

1–7Scale degrees Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si

0Rest — silence for one beat

1'Apostrophe = up one octave

1,Comma = down one octave

1-Dash = extend note by one beat

1_Underscore = half the duration

#1 / b1Sharp or flat

Try it — Twinkle Twinkle:

1 1 5 5 6 6 5 - 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 -

Private by design

TypeNote never collects your data. Everything stays on your Mac.

No data collected

TypeNote captures no personal data, telemetry, or usage statistics. Not now, not ever.

No tracking or analytics

TypeNote collects no analytics, telemetry, or personal data. The only outbound request is a periodic update check via Sparkle — no account, no tracking.

All processing on-device

Audio synthesis, score parsing, and key detection all happen entirely on your Mac using native macOS APIs. Nothing leaves your device.

FAQ

What permissions does TypeNote need?

Input Monitoring is required so TypeNote can hear keystrokes in other apps. Accessibility permission is optional — enable it only if you want Smart Mute, which silences TypeNote when a text field is active. Both can be granted from System Settings without reinstalling.

What sheet music formats are supported?

Jianpu (.txt) for numbered notation, MusicXML (.xml, .musicxml) exported from MuseScore, Sibelius, or Finale, and MIDI (.mid, .midi) files. You can also write Jianpu notation directly in the built-in score editor — no file needed.

Will TypeNote interrupt my regular typing?

No — keystrokes are always passed through to apps normally. TypeNote plays a note alongside each keystroke without consuming it. With Smart Mute enabled, TypeNote plays only when a text field has focus (code editor, notes, chat), and stays silent everywhere else so global shortcuts and games are never triggered.

How do I actually play a song?

Click the TypeNote icon in your menu bar, select a score from the library, and grant Input Monitoring permission. Then press any key — each keystroke plays the next note in sequence. Eight demo scores are included.

One keyboard.
Infinite sounds.

Free for macOS 14 Sonoma and later. No account. No subscription. Just a different sound.

Download for macOS View on GitHub

Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Zero third-party dependencies