Can't turn off startup sound on my Macbook Pro

you can try opening terminal (in Applications > Utilities) and copy and paste "sudo nvram StartupMute=%01" without the quote marks into terminal window and press "return". enter your mac's admin password when prompted and press "return". then restart your mac to test.

carolquper wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion - I had found that article but just doesn't apply to Catalina unfortunately.

Actually, it does; however, it was a bit more indirect than I thought and I should have given you the direct link instead. Sorry!

In that article, it had a link "sold between 2016 and 2020" which would take you to a How-To Geek page that pretty much offered you the same solution as jefferythefrog gave you. It was in the "How to Disable the Mac Startup Chime" section. I just thought you may benefit from a screen shot of the command.

Apple made this easy with macOS Big Sur, but with earlier versions, give this article a try:

• How to Enable or Disable the Startup Sound on Mac - How-To Geek

before i posted, i checked my catalina boot drive. as the OP mentioned, the "play sound on startup" option is not available, hence the terminal command i provided. :)

Your reply to the OP was spot on! I just offered an article for their reference.

sorry if i sounded combative. i just thought you missed the "not available". i mean, we all miss things every now and then, right? :)

Didn't take it that way at all. No problems. Glad to have you here, and appreciate any comments.

you're welcome. happy to help.

You're very welcome!