How to Change or Disable Notification Sounds on Windows 11

Want to change or disable notification sounds on Windows 11?

Windows 11 brings extreme customization for a more personalized user experience. The possibilities are almost endless, from changing how the taskbar looks to adding desktop stickers. The new OS even lets you change or disable notification sounds on Windows 11.

Although the default sound alerts are pleasant in their own way, you may get tired of hearing them over time and would like to change them to something more exciting. Or maybe you work in a professional environment and don’t want to annoy your colleagues with continuous notification sounds and would rather disable it for some peace.

All this can be achieved by tweaking a few settings in Windows 11. If you’re new to this or just don’t know how to do it, we’re here to save the day. Read below for a detailed guide on how you can change or disable notification sounds on Windows 11.

So without further delay, let’s begin right away!

1. Change the Default Notification Sound From Settings.

Listening to the same sound all day, every day, can become pretty annoying. That’s why you should change the notification alert sound every once in a while for some change. Windows has a list of default sounds that you can choose from via the Settings app.

Here’s how you can access the list:

  1. To get started, click on the Start menu from the taskbar.
  2. Then, choose Settings.
  3. When the window opens, go to the System tab from the left pane.
  4. On the right, go to Sound.
sound in system settings
  1. In the Advanced section, select More sound settings.
more sound settings in sound settings
  1. This will open a Properties window. From there, go to the Sounds tab.
  2. Under Program Events, select Notifications.
sound properties windows 11
  1. Click on the drop-down menu for Sounds and choose the one you like.
  2. Click the Test button to hear the selected sound.
Change or Disable Notification Sounds on Windows 11
  1. To save these changes, first click Apply, then OK.

2. Add Custom Notification Sounds.

If you don’t like the default Windows notification sound library, you can always download an audio file from the internet. There are numerous websites like SoundBible, AudioMicro, freesound, FindSounds, etc. Where you can get the sound of your choice and turn it into a notification alert. Just keep in mind that the file needs to be in WAV format.

Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Start by navigating to the location where you downloaded the audio from the internet.
  1. Copy the file to the following folder where Window keeps all the system sounds.
C:\Windows\Media
  1. When the Destination Folder Access Denied dialog box pops up, click on the Continue button.
Change or Disable Notification Sounds on Windows 11
  1. In the User Account Control dialog box, click on Yes to proceed.
  2. Now, right-click on the speaker icon in the system tray and choose Sound settings.
  3. Then, click on More sound settings under the Advanced section.
  4. Go to the Sounds tab and choose Notifications under Program Events.
  5. Click on the drop-down menu under Sounds and choose the audio file you downloaded earlier.
notification in sound settings
  1. Finally, click on Apply and then OK to save these changes.

3. Disable All Notification Sounds From Settings.

If you get continuous notifications, listening to their alerts can be quite distracting and bothersome if you’re in a professional or public space. Fortunately, you can silence these notifications. One way to do so is from the Settings app. 

Follow the steps below to do so:

  1. Go to the Settings app by pressing the Win + i keys from your keyboard. 
  2. Then, select Notifications from the System tab. 
notifications in system settings
  1. Choose the drop-down menu icon beside the Notifications toggle. 
  2. Now, uncheck the box for Allow notifications to play sounds. By doing so, you won’t be disturbed by any notification sounds on Windows 11. 
Change or Disable Notification Sounds on Windows 11

4. Disable All Notification Sounds Via Control Panel.

If the Settings app is facing an issue or you simply don’t prefer using it, you can disable notification sounds from the Control Panel as well. You will be taken to the system Sound properties to modify it.

Below are the steps you must follow:

  1. Open the Run command box by pressing Win + R keys
  2. After that, type in ‘control panel’ and click on OK to launch the Control Panel
  3. Select Hardware and Sound.
hardware and sound in control panel
  1. Now, click on Sound to open a new window. 
sound in control panel
  1. From there, go to the Sounds tab at the top. 
  2. Under the Program events section, locate and click on Notification
  3. From the Sounds section, click on the drop-down menu icon and choose None
Change or Disable Notification Sounds on Windows 11
  1. Lastly, click on OK to save these changes.

5. Disable All Notification Sounds Via Registry Editor.

Another way to disable notification sounds on Windows 11 is via the Registry Editor. Making changes in the Registry Editor can be risky if you’re a beginner. But once you get familiar with it, this can be the easiest and quickest way to make changes in your system.

Here are the steps you should follow:

  1. Open the Run box by pressing Win + R keys simultaneously. 
  2. In the text field, enter ‘regedit’ and click on OK to access the Registry Editor
registry editor in run dialog
  1. Head to the following location: 
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Notifications\Settings
  1. Now, double-click on the REG_DWORD file named NOC_GLOBAL_SETTING_ALLOW_NOTIFICATION_SOUND
  2. Click on the Value data field and change it to ‘0’. 
registry editor windows 11

This should disable all notification sounds on Windows 11. 

6. Disable Notification Sounds for Individual Programs Via Registry Editor.

There can be situations where you may wish to get alerts from specific applications while disabling notifications from others. If that’s the case, Windows has just the right solution for you. There is a way to disable notification sounds for individual programs. One way to do so is via the Registry Editor.

Here’s how:

  1. Launch the Run dialog box by pressing Win + R keys
  2. Type in ‘regedit’ in the text box and press the Enter key to open Registry Editor
  3. Now, go to the following location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Notifications\Settings
  1. From the left pane, select Settings to expand it. 
  2. After that, click on the app you wish to turn off notifications sounds for. 
  3. From the right side of the screen, double-click on the SoundFile of type REG_SZ
  4. Remove the value entered in the Value data box and leave it empty. 
Change or Disable Notification Sounds on Windows 11
  1. Lastly, click on OK.

7. Disable Notification Sounds for Individual Programs From Settings.

Since not everyone can handle editing the registry keys, you can also use the Settings app to disable notifications for each app individually.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Win + i keys to launch Windows Settings
  2. From the System tab, select Notifications
  3. This will bring up the list of installed apps on your PC. Now, select the app for which you want to disable notification sounds.
notifications windows 11
Change or Disable Notification Sounds on Windows 11
  1. Then, turn the toggle off for the Play a sound when notification arrives option. This will disable the notification sounds for this specific app. 
  2. If you want to turn off notifications for any other apps, follow the same steps as above. 

This concludes our guide on how to change or disable notification sounds on Windows 11. In case of further queries or concerns, use the comments section below. We’ll be happy to provide further assistance. 

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Author

  • Aimen Choudhry

    Aimen Choudhry is an architecture student who has always been fascinated by science. She now finds her therapy researching and writing about the latest technology and the issues that come alongside. Otherwise, you’ll find her playing video games, listening to music, or watching fantasy/sci-fi movies.

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