IDE plays sounds when the caret moves: Sound Signals in 2026.3

Problem

Starting with version 2026.3, IntelliJ IDEA and other JetBrains IDEs can play short alert sounds (beeps, chimes) when the caret moves with the arrow keys. The sounds play in the editor, in the diff viewer and in console views, for example the Console tab of the Git tool window. Different lines produce different sounds.

Common triggers:

• The caret moves onto a line with folded code. In the Git console, every git -c ... <command> line has a folded -c ... placeholder.
• The caret moves onto a line with an error or a warning.
• The caret moves onto a line with a gutter mark, such as a breakpoint or a changed line.
• A progress indicator in the status bar advances.

Cause

Version 2026.3 adds Sound Signals, an accessibility feature that reports the editor state with sounds. A signal without an explicit setting is on when Support screen readers is selected. On macOS, the IDE can select Support screen readers automatically when it detects that VoiceOver is enabled. The editor signals also apply to console views, so arrow-key navigation through Git console output plays them.

Resolution

Turn off the signal group that plays the sound:

1. Open Settings | Appearance & Behavior | Accessibility.
2. In the Sound Signals section, clear the checkbox of the group that plays the sound. For folded-code lines, such as the Git console lines, clear Editor code folding.
3. Click OK.

Every group except Status bar progress also lists its signals as separate checkboxes, so one signal can be turned off and the rest of the group kept.

If no screen reader is in use, clearing Support screen readers in the same settings page also turns off every signal without an explicit setting. This option also changes other screen reader behavior and requires an IDE restart, so clearing a single group is the preferred fix.

Related issue: Unwanted alert sounds in Git console when moving caret to certain command line; sounds cannot be disabled