If you prefer a serene environment for your own work and leisure, having a quiet keyboard can help you achieve “serenity now.” But it’s not just a gift of solitude for yourself: If you buy one of the quietest keyboards, no one around you may even realize you're typing. That can be a welcome relief if you get nasty looks for loudly clacking on your current keyboard.
The quietest keyboards use foam pads and other built-in features to dampen your typing.
Illustration: Forbes / Photo: Retailer
Most of the best quiet keyboards use membrane switches, since a rubber dome is quieter than a mechanical switch. But that's not always the case. There are some very quiet mechanical keyboards too, like the Skyloong SK61S. If that's too pricey, there's our favorite quiet keyboard, the Logitech K380, and for Mac users, there's the always-excellent Apple Magic keyboard to consider. And the good news is that many of these ultra-quiet models aren't even as expensive as some of the best keyboards overall. Whatever kind of quiet keyboard you're after, though, there's sure to be one for you. Here are some of the quietest keyboards you can buy.
For a keyboard that isn't just quiet—it's silent—there are few that can match the Logitech K380. This membrane keyboard is compact, wireless, with extensive battery life and an attractive, soft look to its keycaps. It works with Windows PCs, Macs, Android and iOS devices, and can even connect to up to three systems at once, so you can swamp them as needed. It uses standard AA batteries, so after the two years of charge runs dry, you can simply pop some new batteries in and start working again—no recharge time required.
As a 60% keyboard, this model lacks the numpad and Insert, Delete, and other associated keys. It has arrow keys though for those niche uses, and it has all the most important keys for day to day typing. This model has a Mac layout, but there are other layout options available at the store link. Every configuration enjoys media keys and dedicated switching keys, and you can connect this keyboard to your laptop for a better typing experience.
Pros:
Completely silent
Comfortable switches
Long battery life
Cons:
Lacks precision of mechanical boards
No backlighting
Quietest Keyboard For Professionals
Affordable, Accurate And Versatile
Amazon
Logitech K780
Size: Full | Switch type: Membrane | Connection: 2.4GHz wireless, Bluetooth | Battery life: 24 months
Best for: Quiet typing across multiple devices.
The Logitech K780 is a quiet, versatile keyboard for home and office use. It has extensive battery life and can connect to multiple devices at once. It even includes a handy device stand that runs the length of the keyboard, perfect for supporting a tablet or smartphone. The keycaps have a unique, round look, but underneath are classic membrane switches with supremely quiet actuation.
This is a full-size keyboard, so you get the full complement of keys, including a full-size number pad, and function key row with media playback controls. There are Mac and Windows key commands printed on the relevant keys, and it works with Mac, Windows, Chrome OS, Android and iOS—making this a great quiet keyboard if you’re a cross-platform user. This keyboard connects with up to three devices via either Bluetooth or the pre-paired Logitech Unifying USB receiver (which creates a 2.4GHz wireless connection between the keyboard and a device). Switch among devices by tapping one of three dedicated buttons off-set in white at the top left of the keyboard. This is great for using it as a standard keyboard with your desktop while also supporting and interacting with your smartphone or tablet.
Pros:
Affordable
Multi-device support
Quiet, membrane switches
Cons:
Lacks the precision of mechanical keyboards
Quietest Mechanical Keyboard
Double Dampening Makes A Big Difference
Amazon
Keychron Q6
Size: Full | Switch type: Gateron Red/Blue/Brown | Connection: USB-C
Best for: Gamers and typists who want to be able to fully customize their keyboard.
The Keychron Q6 is a super quiet, super customizable keyboard that comes with everything you need for gaming or typing quietly right out of the box. It features two different layers of sound dampening foam, so despite the fact that it uses full mechanical switches, they don't make a loud noise when they bottom out on the board. It also has a dual gasket design, which further dampens the sound of each keypress, making this keyboard exceptionally quiet for a mechanical board. The Gateron Red and Brown options are the quietest switches, with the blues adding a clicky effect to the actuation which anyone chasing a silent keyboard is unlikely to enjoy.
If you don't like the standard switch options, however, you can swap them out to any compatible 3pin and 5pin MX switch options, or you can buy the keyboard barebones and add your own switches and keycaps later, exactly to your tastes. In either case, each switch is RGB lit for nuanced backlighting, and the board is entirely reprogrammable. There's also a programmable, versatile dial that you can set to any command you like. The detachable USB-C cable makes replacing it quick and easy, and the board is easier to transport without an attach cable.
The Logitech MK295 is a brilliant budget quiet gaming keyboard combo, since it comes with both a wireless mouse and keyboard. They're both great, but the keyboard in particular is impressive, with its near-silent membrane switches and extreme battery life. It uses a pair of AAA batteries for power, so there's no recharging, but with three years of charge time, you'll never have to worry about this keyboard not having power. It comes with a 2.4Ghz wireless dongle so you can quickly and easily connect it to your computer, for a lag-free typing experience.
This is a full size keyboard so if you use your PC for data entry, you'll love the numpad inclusion. The full size keys give plenty of room for larger hands, too. The keyboard features eight media key and shortcuts, too. It's also quite durable, with high quality plastic construction, and it has strong water resistance, so spills aren't a concern with the Logitech MK295.
Pros:
Very affordable price with bundled mouse!
Extensive battery life
Full size keyboard with numpad
Cons:
Membrane isn't as accurate as mechanical
Quietest Gaming Keyboard
All The Fun Of Mechanical Keyboards, Without The Noise
Amazon
Corsair K55 RGB PRO XT
Size: Full | Switch type: Membrane | Connection: USB
Best for: Gaming without making a sound.
The Corsair K55 is one of the best affordable gaming keyboards you can buy, and though it doesn't have the mechanical switches of its more expensive contemporaries, it's super quiet and comes with just about every other feature you could ask for. It's great for gaming, comfortable for typing, has fancy RGB lighting driven by the excellent Corsair Utility Engine software, heaps of media controls, a comfortable wrist rest and the ability to reprogram every single key on the board for customized gaming.
The RGB lighting has many options for different colors and lighting effects, but the lighting is only zone-based, so you can't personalize it to a granular level. It also features an IP42 rating for some slight moisture and dust resistance—useful if you spill the odd drink on your keyboard when in the middle of a game.
Pros:
An affordable gaming keyboard
Quiet membrane interface
Attractive RGB lighting
Cons:
Lighting is zone-based
Lacks precision and responsiveness of mechanical switches
Quietest Mechanical Keyboard For Programming
Amazon
Ducky One 3 Mini Aura Clear Cherry MX Silent Red
Size: Full | Connection: USB | Switch type: Membrane
Best for: Extensive programming sessions without annoying your co-workers.
Programming takes just as much typing as writing—if not more so—so having a quiet keyboard can keep your co-workers happy, whether they're office co-workers, or home-office co-habitants. The Ducky One 3 is a great choice for programmers, with its durable keycaps and ergonomic design, and in this case, the super-quiet Cherry MX Silent Red switches ensure it's whisper quiet. These are compounded by the keyboard's silicon and EVA foam sound dapeners, helping to keep this keyboard super quiet even under heavy typing load.
This keyboard is great for gaming too in your downtime, with its fast and accurate switches proving great for fast-paced competitive games, and more sedate cinematic experiences. It has a detachable, braided USB-C cable which can be swapped out if needed, and there's per-key programmable RGB lighting which looks great once you play around with it. All the keycaps are replaceable so you can customize this board how you like, and the Ducky One 3 comes pre-fitted with a range of keycap options, so shop around if you want something different from the get go.
Pros:
Super quiet switches and keyboard frame design
Lots of customization for switches and keycaps
Excellent RGB lighting
Cons:
Wire tether isn't to everyone's tastes
Quietest Keyboard For Mac
The Apple Classic
Amazon
Apple Magic Keyboard
Size: 60% | Switch type: Scissor | Connection: USB, Bluetooth | Battery life: 30 days
Best for: Quiet typing on Apple devices.
Apple's iconic Magic Keyboard is an icon for a reason: It's excellent. Built on the same scissor-switch design that has made MacBook keyboards from the past couple of generations so lauded, this keyboard is comfortable to type on, supremely accurate and impressively quiet, all in one package. It looks good, feels good and you won't hear much out of it more than a muted tap with every keypress. It connects to your PC over a Bluetooth connection and has about a month of battery life for each charge, though you can also plug it in via USB-C cable as well.
It's compatible with Mac desktop PCs, MacBooks, iPad and iPhone devices, though if your PC has a Bluetooth connection it will work just fine with Windows, too. It has media commands mapped to the function keys, giving you the features of a large board in this compact style, and it has simple backlighting to make it easy to use in the dark. There's no per-key mapping or RGB though, so don't expect a wide range of lighting options.
Best for: Gaming and typing quietly in a smaller space.
If you have little space but want the same quality and customization of the larger Keychron Q6, then the compact Q2 is a great alternative. It features the same high-quality switches and multi-layered dampening, to make the actuation for each switch supremely quiet, with the additional gaskets further reducing noise output. You get a choice of three default switches from the Gateron G Pro line, though Brown and Red are preferable for reduced noise levels. You can also swap them out for MX switches if you prefer.
This keyboard has per-key RGB lighting, and the lighting illuminates the whole key. It has a solid build, and it can withstand the wear-and-tear of heavy-duty typists. And if the switches ever start to misbehave, you can swap out the problematic ones without affecting the rest of the keyboard. The compact design and detachable cable also make this a great keyboard for carrying with you.
Best for: Prioritizing ergonomics in your quiet setup.
The Logitech Wave is the latest offering from Logitech and features an ergonomic “wave” that’s designed to keep your wrists and hands resting in more natural position. The result is you get a more comfortable posture when typing, making it so you can type for hours while easing any wrist or hand pain. The quiet keys use membrane switches with some resistance to give a punchy feel to the keys.
A single battery lasts a couple years, and you can connect to your setup via Bluetooth or the included USB-C dongle. Currently, it’s available in two colors, graphite and off white.
What our editors say: Deputy editor Dave Johnson says, “The Logitech Wave is a very good compact keyboard for the right kind of user. This keyboard's gentle ergonomic curve accommodates the natural angle your hands and made me miss the days when I regularly used an ergo keyboard on my desk (these days, my choice is a beefy mechanical keyboard that has an authoritative clack under each fingertip, but at the expense of less comfort overall due to the rectangular shape).”
We type on keyboards for a living, so we're well used to a wide range of keyboard types—including quiet ones. We combined our first-hand knowledge of a wide range of keyboards, both membrane and mechanical, with the opinions of our fellow tech writers here at Forbes, thoughts of colleagues throughout the industry and robust research.
We've have hands on time with some of these models in person, so we well know their build quality and features, and we've performed extensive comparisons between third-party and user reviews to find the keyboards that everyone says are great—not just the professionals.
You can rest assured, these are the best quiet keyboards you can buy in 2023.
What Features Contribute To A Keyboard Being Labeled As "Quiet"?
A keyboard is labeled as "quiet" based on several features. The main factor is the type of switches it uses, membrane or mechanical. Membrane switches tend to be quieter than mechanical switches. Additionally, keycap material plays a role, with keyboards featuring soft materials like silicone or rubber contributing to a quieter typing experience. The overall design, including key stabilization and typing force, also influences noise levels.
Are There Specific Switch Types Known For Being Quieter Than Others?
Certain switch types are known for being quieter. Membrane switches are generally quieter than mechanical switches. Many associate keyboard noise with mechanical switches, but not all mechanical switches produce the same level of noise. Within mechanical switches, Cherry MX Reds are often considered quieter due to their linear nature without tactile bumps or audible clicks.
Do Keyboard Accessories, Like Dampeners Or O-Rings, Effectively Reduce Typing Noise?
If you are in love with your keyboard but don’t like the distracting noise, keyboard accessories such as dampeners and O-rings can be effective in reducing typing noise. Dampeners are often placed beneath keycaps to absorb the impact of key presses, while O-rings are added to the keycap stems to dampen the bottoming-out noise. These accessories are popular among users who want to modify their existing keyboards to achieve a quieter typing experience.
Why Trust Forbes Vetted
The Forbes Vetted tech team is well-versed in all things digital, having written hundreds of articles in the category. A couple of staffers, including Dave Johnson, our deputy editor, have even authored a number of books on the subject. The tech vertical is overseen by Rebecca Isaacs, the consumer tech and electronics editor at Forbes Vetted.
Jon Martindale, the writer of this story, is a regular Forbes Vetted tech contributor. He has bylines in digital publications including Digital Trends and PCGamer, and formerly ran his own PC hardware review website. We’ve collectively conducted extensive research and testing on the quietest keyboards to create this extensive list.
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