Preview macOS System Sounds with afplay
Play the built-in alert sounds (Ping, Funk, Glass…) from the Terminal or inside scripts.
Run afplay /System/Library/Sounds/Funk.aiff to hear an alert sound; list all of them with ls /System/Library/Sounds.
01Command
Command
$ afplay /System/Library/Sounds/Funk.aiff02What it does
macOS keeps its alert sounds as AIFF files in /System/Library/Sounds, and afplay plays any of them instantly. This is handy for auditioning which alert to pick in System Settings, and even handier inside scripts — a completion chime at the end of a long build or backup. All the classic sounds are there: Basso, Blow, Bottle, Frog, Funk, Glass, Hero, Morse, Ping, Pop, Purr, Sosumi, Submarine, Tink.
03Risk
!Warning: afplay blocks until the sound finishes; append & to play it in the background of a script. Sound volume follows the system output volume, not a per-call setting.
04Undo
✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.
05Sources
- afplay - audio file playEvidence: Documents afplay for playing audio files, including AIFF system sounds, from the command line.
Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: Media