Yes, blue switches are loud; their click jacket and bump make a sharp click on press and release that carries in quiet rooms.
Blue switches are the archetype of a clicky mechanical switch. They fire a tactile bump and a crisp click on both downstroke and upstroke. The sound stands out in quiet spaces, which sparks the classic question many people type into search: are blue switches loud enough to bother people nearby? If you’re weighing a new board and asking “are blue switches loud” in daily use, here’s how to judge it.
What A Blue Switch Actually Does
Under each switch sits a tiny machine. In a “blue” switch, a plastic jacket snaps over a leaf to create a click the moment the bump passes. On the way back up, it clicks again. That two-stage sound is why a blue board cuts through room noise so easily.
Cherry’s version—a common baseline—labels MX Blue as “tactile and audible” and sets a light actuation with a firm bump. The exact feel and tone vary by brand, but the behavior is the same: a click by design. You can see the maker’s own summary on the CHERRY MX Blue page.
Many “blue” style clones follow that jacket mechanism. Some clicky lines swap in a metal click bar. Those use a small spring wire that the stem rakes across, which produces a brighter snap on press and release. Both paths end in a clear, intentional click. One leans plastic and hollow; the other rings like a tiny bell.
Are Blue Switches Loud For Office Use?
Short answer: yes, in shared spaces they tend to draw side-eye. The click arrives in short spikes that cut through open-plan chatter. Even with light typing, the press-and-release pair adds up. In a room with people on calls, the mic also picks up the transient peaks, which listeners hear as sharp ticks. Some teams shrug and carry on. Many ask for a quieter board.
There are edge cases. In a closed room with soft surfaces, a clicky board might pass. In a home setup with closed doors, it may not bother anyone. The line is set by the space, your mic gain, and how fast you type. If you want near-zero risk of complaints, pick a quiet route.
What “Loud” Means At A Desk
Two things drive the perception of noise: level and timbre. A steady hum at one level can fade into the background. A narrow, bright spike slices through. Blue switches create that spike by design. Review sites record it in different ways, so numbers jump around. What matters is the nature of the click and the objects that reflect it near your hands.
For context, hearing groups set guidance for safe exposure. NIOSH lists a recommended limit of 85 dBA averaged across an eight-hour shift and shows common sound levels for daily life. Normal conversation sits far below that bar. You can read the guidance on the NIOSH noise page. A keyboard at a desk rarely approaches those limits, but click spikes can still steal attention in quiet rooms and on mic.
Measuring at home is simple. Place a phone on the desk with a decibel app and type a paragraph. Then repeat with the phone one meter away. You will see short peaks when the click fires and the cap tops out. Treat the trend as relative, since phone mics vary. The take-home is the pattern: clicky switches produce quick, bright bursts that travel.
Factors That Change Blue Switch Noise
Every board is a system. The switch is only one link. These factors move the needle more than people expect:
- Case And Plate: A thin metal plate and a hollow case act like a tiny drum. A thicker plate and a damped case blunt resonance.
- Keycaps: Thicker PBT caps shift tone downward and mute top-out a bit. Thin ABS caps add clack.
- Stabilizers: Poorly tuned stabs rattle on larger caps. Lube and secure fit cut that rattle.
- Desk Surface: A hard desk reflects energy back at you. A desk mat cuts reflections and softens impact.
- Mounting Style: Gasket or top-mount frames can take the edge off. A stiff tray mount tends to ring.
- Typing Style: Bottoming out with force adds impact noise. A lighter touch reduces the extra clack.
- Mic Settings: Open mics with high gain will pick up every click. Push-to-talk or noise suppression can help.
How To Make A Blue Board Quieter
If you love the feel but need less noise, you have options. Start with the parts that bring the biggest drop for the least work, then move to mods that need patience.
Quick Wins
- Add A Desk Mat: Place a large mat under the board. It damps desk reflections and softens the slam when the case moves.
- Tune Stabilizers: Clip and lube stabs (or swap to pre-tuned units). The payoff on the space bar and Enter is huge.
- Thicker Keycaps: Swap to thick PBT. You’ll hear less sharp top-out and a lower pitch.
Deeper Mods
- Switch Films: Films tighten the gap between top and bottom housings. That reduces housing chatter.
- Light Lube On Springs: A thin coat on the spring ends kills ping without neutering the click. Stay off the click jacket or bar so you keep the sound.
- O-Rings Or Landing Pads: These cushion top-out. They do not quiet the click itself, but they shave the harsh edge when the cap hits the switch.
- Case Foam Or Tape Mod: Foam under the PCB or a layer of painter’s tape on the backplate absorbs case reverb.
- Software Noise Control: If voice chat is the blocker, use gate and suppression in your call app. Set a threshold so clicks stay below it.
Quiet Alternatives That Keep The Feel
Sometimes the better path is a switch swap. If you want tactile feedback without the sharp click, try a “brown” style tactile. The bump is still there, with no click jacket. If you want the softest sound, go linear. Boards with “silent” linears bake in internal dampers that cut both bottom-out and return noise. Cherry’s MX Silent Red is a solid point of reference for a low-noise linear. Cherry also markets office boards built for quiet typing with non-clicky switches and damped caps.
Prefer a crisp click but need less shrill tone? Click bars push more energy into the mid band and less into plastic chatter. That shift can sound smoother in a treated room, yet it’s still clicky. If the space is sensitive, skip clicky lines altogether.
Blue Switch Noise: Office, Rooms, And Mics
Here’s how blue switch noise plays out across common scenes:
- Open Office: Shared desks and phone calls make click spikes stand out. People two seats away will hear every press and release.
- Library Or Class: Quiet rules and close seating clash with clicky sound. Staff may ask for a change.
- Home Desk: With doors closed and soft furniture, a clicky board can be fine. Family near the desk will still hear it.
- Streaming Or Calls: Unfiltered mics exaggerate the click. A gate helps, but the sharp onset often slips through.
- LAN Or Gaming Café: Room noise masks some clicks. Neighboring players still hear them during lulls.
Quick Table: Quieten A Clicky Board
The table below sums up popular tweaks and what each one targets. Mix and match based on your time, budget, and patience.
| Method | Main Effect | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Desk Mat | Less desk reverb | Fast, cheap, pairs well with all mods |
| Stabilizer Tuning | Removes rattle on wide caps | High return for a short session |
| Switch Films | Reduces housing chatter | Needs disassembly; keep film size matched |
| Spring Lube | Kills spring ping | Use a light touch; avoid the click parts |
| O-Rings | Softer top-out | Does not mute the click; helps late-night typing |
| Case Foam/Tape | Damps case ring | Cheap materials; audible drop on hollow cases |
| Thick PBT Caps | Lower pitch, less clack | Swaps in minutes; wide style choices |
| Noise Gate | Hides clicks on mic | Set threshold to block peaks between words |
Why Blue Switches Sound The Way They Do
Back to the design itself: the click. A click jacket adds a snapping sleeve that rides the stem. When force reaches the bump, the sleeve slips past the leaf and smacks back. On return, it snaps again. That “two clicks per stroke” pattern makes a blue board sound busy. A click bar swaps the sleeve for a metal wire. The stem flicks the bar like a tiny ruler, which rings with a clean attack. To your ear the jacket leans hollow; the bar leans crisp.
The rest of the board decides how big those clicks feel. Thick plates, gasket frames, and dense cases soak up stray energy. Thin plates and empty shells throw it back at you. This is why two blue boards can land in different places on the loudness scale even with the same switches.
Picking The Right Path For Your Space
Start with your setting. If you share space or you live on calls, skip clicky lines. Go tactile without a click or go silent linear. If you work alone and like the typewriter vibe, a blue board can be a joy. You can lean into mods to shape the tone until it fits your room.
When noise rules are strict, a switch swap is the cleanest fix. Choose a tactile with a clear bump or a silent linear that ships with dampers. If you still want some snap, test a light tactile with a higher pitch cap set, then add foam under the PCB to stop the case from ringing.
Clear Takeaways On Blue Switch Noise
- Blue switches click by design. Press and release both make sound.
- In shared spaces they are heard across desks and on mics.
- You can trim noise with mats, stab work, films, lube, foam, and caps.
- If silence is the goal, pick tactile no-click or silent linear.
- For official specs, CHERRY’s MX Blue and NIOSH’s noise guides are helpful references.