There are a few ways to mute the speakers on Linux. One way is to use the “mute” command. Another way is to use the “speaker-mute” hotkey.
If your version doesn’t have the easy option you can still do the same thing in many versions of Linux with a simple command line.
Setting the Hotkey on Ubuntu
Simply go to System \ Preferences \ Keyboard Shortcuts and then assign a hotkey to the Sound \ Volume mute item.
Once you use the hotkey you’ll see a little dialog pop up to show you what the current volume state is (You can quickly hit the hotkey again to toggle back and forth)
Using the Command Line / Scripts
Alternatively, you can assign a shortcut key to a script that uses the amixer utility to toggle the mute state. To test this out, just open up a terminal window and then use this command:
You’ll see the output right there in the console, telling you whether it’s now set to off or on:
And your volume icon should show that the volume has now been muted.
You can create a shortcut to run this command by right-clicking anywhere and using Create Launcher, adding in the full command from above into the Command box.
If you are running Gnome and want to add a shortcut key, you can use this article to assign one. If you are running an older version of KDE, then you’ll want to create a shortcut in the KDE Menu Editor and assign the hotkey there.
