How-To

How to Change the Notification Sound on Windows 11

By Brian Burgess

Published December 11, 2023

Notifications are a way to alert you to things happening on your PC, but you might want to change the notification Sound on Windows 11.

You probably rely a lot on notifications on your PC to stay updated with what’s happening on your computer. But, if you find the audio cue from the notifications you receive stale, you can change the notification sound on Windows 11.

You might be tired of the same notification sound playing when you receive an alert. Maybe you want to change things up or even change it to a custom sound.

On the other hand, if you appreciate what notifications offer but don’t want audio at all, you can turn off notification sounds on Windows. So, whether you wish to change or customize the sound experience, we’ll walk you through changing the notification sound in this guide.

Change Notification Sound on Windows 11

You can easily change the notification sound on Windows 11 from the classic Control Panel.

1. Press the Windows key and type Control Panel or CPL in the search field. Then select Control Panel from the Start menu result at the top.
2. When the Control Panel opens, select Hardware and Sound > Sound from the available options.
3. Select the Sounds tab, scroll down the Program Events section, and select Notification from the list.
4. Next, click the dropdown menu under Sounds and select the sound you want to use for the notification sound.
5. Click the Test button to hear a preview of how the notification from your PC will sound.
6. Once you’re happy with the notification sound you want to use, click Apply and OK to save the changes.

That’s all there is to it. Now, when you receive a notification, you will hear the new sound you selected.

How to Set a Custom Notification Sound

Windows offers several different sound options to set as the default for the notification sound. However, that may not be enough, or you prefer to use something more customized to your PC’s configuration.

For example, you can find free custom sound effects online from sites like archive.org or freesound.org. Provided the sound you use is in WAV format, you can use it as a custom notification sound on your system.

To Set a Custom Notification Sound

1. Open the Control Panel and head to the Hardware and Sound > Sound section.
2. Click the Sounds tab and select the Notification option under the Program Events section.
3. Under the Sounds section at the bottom, click the Browse button.
4. When File Explorer opens, navigate to the location of the custom sound file you want to use for the notification sound. Click Apply and OK to complete the change.

Changing the Notification Sound on Windows 11

If you want to manage the notification sound on your Windows 11 system, there are a few ways to do it. You can swap out the sound to something already built into the operating system or change it to something more custom.

Remember that when you want to set a custom sound, the audio file needs to be in WAV format for Windows to be able to use it.