This guide walks you through how to put Ring Doorbell on silent using the Ring app, motion settings, and Do Not Disturb mode. You’ll also learn how to mute notifications temporarily or permanently while keeping your security system active.
Key Takeaways
- Silencing your Ring Doorbell doesn’t disable security: You can mute chimes and notifications while still receiving alerts and recordings.
- Use Do Not Disturb mode for temporary silence: Perfect for naps, meetings, or nighttime without turning off motion detection.
- Customize motion zones to reduce false alerts: Limit notifications to specific areas like your front walkway, not the sidewalk.
- Adjust chime settings in the Ring app: Turn off indoor chimes while keeping mobile alerts active.
- Schedule quiet hours automatically: Set recurring silent periods so you don’t have to remember to mute it daily.
- Test settings after changes: Always verify your doorbell still records and sends alerts even when silent.
- Know when to re-enable sound: Regularly check that important alerts aren’t missed during silent periods.
How to Put Ring Doorbell on Silent: A Complete Guide
If you’ve ever been woken up by your Ring Doorbell chiming at 2 a.m. because a raccoon triggered the motion sensor, you’re not alone. While Ring Doorbells are excellent for home security, their constant notifications and loud chimes can become overwhelming—especially during quiet hours, family gatherings, or work meetings. The good news? You don’t have to disable your doorbell entirely to enjoy some peace and quiet.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to put Ring Doorbell on silent without compromising your home’s safety. Whether you want to mute the indoor chime, silence mobile notifications, or set up automatic quiet hours, we’ve got you covered. By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly how to customize your Ring Doorbell’s sound settings to fit your lifestyle.
We’ll cover everything from basic muting to advanced scheduling, troubleshoot common issues, and answer frequently asked questions. Let’s dive in and help you reclaim your peace—without sacrificing security.
Why You Might Want to Silence Your Ring Doorbell
Before we get into the steps, it’s important to understand why silencing your Ring Doorbell can be helpful. Here are some common scenarios where turning off the sound makes sense:
- Nighttime peace: You don’t want the chime waking up your family when a delivery arrives after dark.
- Work or study focus: Constant notifications can disrupt concentration during remote work or online classes.
- Guest visits: When hosting a party or dinner, you may not want every motion alert to interrupt the conversation.
- Pets and wildlife: Animals walking by can trigger frequent alerts, leading to “notification fatigue.”
- Vacation mode: You might want to mute alerts while away, especially if someone else is checking your home.
The key is to silence the sound—not the security. Your Ring Doorbell can still record video, detect motion, and send alerts to your phone, even when the chime is off. That way, you stay informed without the noise.
How to Silence the Ring Doorbell Chime
The most common reason people want to silence their Ring Doorbell is to stop the indoor chime from ringing. This is the physical sound that plays when someone presses the doorbell or when motion is detected (if chime alerts are enabled). Here’s how to turn it off:
Step 1: Open the Ring App
Launch the Ring app on your smartphone or tablet. Make sure you’re logged into the account linked to your doorbell.
Visual guide about How to Put Ring Doorbell on Silent
Image source: silentguardiansecurity.com
Step 2: Select Your Device
Tap on the Devices tab at the bottom of the screen. Then, select your Ring Doorbell from the list of devices.
Step 3: Go to Device Settings
Tap the gear icon (⚙️) in the top-right corner to access your doorbell’s settings.
Step 4: Find Chime Settings
Scroll down and tap on Chime Settings. Here, you’ll see options for both the doorbell chime and motion chime.
Step 5: Turn Off the Chime
Toggle off the Chime Active switch. This will silence the indoor chime for both doorbell presses and motion alerts.
Tip: If you only want to silence motion alerts but keep the doorbell chime active, toggle off Motion Chime instead.
Step 6: Confirm the Change
Exit the settings and test the doorbell by pressing it. The indoor chime should no longer sound, but you should still receive a notification on your phone.
Note: If you have a Ring Chime or Chime Pro connected, you’ll need to silence it separately through its own settings in the app.
How to Silence Ring Doorbell Notifications
Even if you turn off the indoor chime, your phone may still buzz or beep when someone rings the doorbell or motion is detected. To fully silence your Ring Doorbell experience, you’ll want to manage your notification settings.
Step 1: Open the Ring App
Go back to the Devices tab and select your doorbell.
Step 2: Access Notification Settings
Tap the gear icon to open settings, then scroll down and select Notifications.
Step 3: Adjust Alert Types
Here, you can customize which events trigger notifications:
- Doorbell Press: Toggle this off to stop alerts when someone rings the bell.
- Motion Alerts: Disable this to stop motion-based notifications.
- Live View: Turn off if you don’t want alerts when someone starts a live view.
Step 4: Save Your Preferences
Once you’ve made your changes, exit the menu. Your phone will no longer receive alerts for the disabled events.
Pro Tip: You can also adjust notification sounds directly in your phone’s settings. Go to Settings > Notifications > Ring and choose “None” for the alert sound.
Using Do Not Disturb Mode for Temporary Silence
If you only need silence for a short period—like during a nap, meeting, or movie night—Do Not Disturb (DND) mode is your best friend. This feature temporarily mutes all Ring alerts without changing your permanent settings.
Step 1: Open the Ring App
Go to the Devices tab and select your doorbell.
Step 2: Enable Do Not Disturb
Tap the Do Not Disturb toggle at the top of the device screen. It will turn blue when active.
Step 3: Set a Duration (Optional)
Tap the clock icon next to the DND toggle to set a timer. You can choose 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or custom time.
Step 4: Confirm Activation
Once enabled, your doorbell will stop sending notifications and chimes until the timer ends or you manually turn DND off.
Bonus: You can also enable DND from the Ring app’s home screen by tapping the moon icon in the top-right corner.
Setting Up Quiet Hours for Automatic Silence
Do Not Disturb is great for one-time use, but what if you want your Ring Doorbell to be silent every night from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.? That’s where Quiet Hours comes in.
Step 1: Open the Ring App
Go to the Devices tab and select your doorbell.
Step 2: Access Quiet Hours
Tap the gear icon, then scroll down and select Quiet Hours.
Step 3: Enable Quiet Hours
Toggle on Quiet Hours Active.
Step 4: Set Your Schedule
Choose the days of the week and the start and end times. For example:
- Monday to Sunday
- Start: 10:00 PM
- End: 7:00 AM
Step 5: Choose What to Silence
Decide whether to mute:
- Chime – Stops the indoor sound
- Motion Alerts – Blocks motion notifications
- Doorbell Press Alerts – Silences doorbell ring alerts
Step 6: Save and Test
Exit the settings. Your doorbell will now automatically enter silent mode during your scheduled hours.
Tip: You can create multiple Quiet Hours schedules if your routine varies (e.g., weekdays vs. weekends).
Customizing Motion Zones to Reduce False Alerts
Sometimes, your Ring Doorbell chimes or sends alerts because it’s detecting motion in areas you don’t care about—like a busy sidewalk or a tree swaying in the wind. Instead of silencing everything, you can customize motion zones to focus only on important areas.
Step 1: Open the Ring App
Go to Devices and select your doorbell.
Step 2: Access Motion Settings
Tap the gear icon, then select Motion Settings.
Step 3: Edit Motion Zones
Tap Motion Zones and toggle on Custom Motion Zones.
Step 4: Draw Your Zones
Use your finger to draw boxes around areas you want to monitor, such as your front walkway or porch. Avoid areas like streets or neighbor’s yards.
Step 5: Adjust Sensitivity
Set the motion sensitivity to Low, Medium, or High. Lower sensitivity reduces false alerts from small movements.
Step 6: Save and Monitor
Exit the settings and observe your alerts over the next few days. Adjust zones or sensitivity if needed.
Example: If your doorbell keeps alerting you to cars passing by, draw a motion zone that excludes the street and focuses only on your driveway.
Using Ring Modes for Smart Automation
Ring Modes allow you to automate your doorbell’s behavior based on your daily routine. For example, you can set your doorbell to “Home” mode during the day (with full alerts) and “Night” mode in the evening (with chimes off).
Step 1: Enable Ring Modes
In the Ring app, go to More > Modes and toggle on Modes.
Step 2: Create Custom Modes
Tap Add Mode and name it (e.g., “Night,” “Away,” “Party”).
Step 3: Set Actions for Each Mode
For the “Night” mode, you might:
- Turn off chime
- Disable motion alerts
- Enable motion recording
Step 4: Activate Manually or Automatically
Switch modes manually in the app, or set them to activate based on time, location, or other triggers.
Pro Tip: Use geofencing to automatically switch to “Away” mode when you leave home and “Home” mode when you return.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Even with the best settings, you might run into problems. Here’s how to fix the most common issues when trying to silence your Ring Doorbell.
Issue 1: Chime Still Rings After Turning It Off
Solution: Make sure you’ve disabled both Chime Active and Motion Chime in the app. Also, check if a Ring Chime device is connected—it may need to be muted separately.
Issue 2: Notifications Still Come Through
Solution: Verify that Do Not Disturb or Quiet Hours is active. Also, check your phone’s notification settings for the Ring app and ensure alerts are muted.
Issue 3: Doorbell Doesn’t Record When Silent
Solution: Silencing the chime or notifications doesn’t affect recording. Go to Motion Settings > Motion Recording and ensure it’s turned on.
Issue 4: Quiet Hours Not Working
Solution: Confirm the schedule is set correctly and that the time zone in your Ring app matches your location. Also, ensure your phone’s time is accurate.
Issue 5: App Crashes When Changing Settings
Solution: Update the Ring app to the latest version. If problems persist, restart your phone or reinstall the app.
Best Practices for Using Silent Mode
To get the most out of your Ring Doorbell while keeping things quiet, follow these best practices:
- Test after changes: Always press the doorbell or walk in front of it to confirm alerts and recordings still work.
- Check battery levels: Low battery can affect performance. Charge or replace batteries regularly.
- Update firmware: Keep your doorbell’s software up to date for the latest features and bug fixes.
- Review recordings: Even when silent, check your event history to stay informed about activity.
- Re-enable alerts periodically: Don’t leave your doorbell silenced for too long—important visitors or deliveries could be missed.
Conclusion
Putting your Ring Doorbell on silent doesn’t mean giving up on security—it means taking control of your notifications and sounds. Whether you’re silencing the chime, muting phone alerts, using Do Not Disturb, or setting up Quiet Hours, Ring gives you flexible options to customize your experience.
By following the steps in this guide, you can enjoy a quieter home without compromising on safety. Remember to test your settings, adjust motion zones, and use automation features like Modes and Quiet Hours to make your life easier.
Your Ring Doorbell is designed to protect your home—not disrupt your peace. With the right setup, you can have both.