3 Ways to Fix the Notification Sound Not Working on Windows 11

Basic Fixes:

• Unmute your Windows PC: You might have muted your Windows PC and forgotten to unmute it after an important meeting or work hours. If your PC is on mute, change the sound profile to normal and start getting notification alerts without any problem.
• Check the sound output settings: If you have incorrect sound output settings on Windows 11, the PC won’t use the default speakers for notification sound. So, check and change the sound output on your Windows 11 PC accordingly.
• Disable Bluetooth: When your Windows laptop accidentally connects to your Bluetooth headphones, you start getting the notification sounds on the connected device, not your laptop. To prevent this, disable Bluetooth on Windows 11. 
• Disable DND: When you enable DND (Do Not Disturb) on Windows 11, the system sends notifications directly to the notification center without disturbing you with a banner or sound. In this case, disable DND and check again.

Fix 1: Troubleshoot Sound Output Devices

Windows 11 has a handy troubleshooting tool to fix issues with sound output devices. If the connected speaker has issues, run the troubleshooter to fix the problem. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Use the Windows + I key to open Settings > select System from the left sidebar > click Sound.

Step 2: Go to Troubleshoot common sound problems and click on Output devices in front of it.

Step 3: Select your output device from the following menu and hit Next. Wait for the troubleshooter to run and check the results.

Fix 2: Check Notification Sound Settings for a Specific App

Do you face notification sound issues only in a specific app? You should check notification settings for affected apps from the Settings menu. Here’s how to do it.

Step 1: Open the Settings app and go to the System from the sidebar. Select Notifications.

Step 2: Scroll down to installed apps and click on the relevant app.

Step 3: Enable the Play a sound when a notification arrives toggle. Repeat the same for all affected apps.

Also Read: How to change or disable notification sounds in Windows 11

Fix 3: Restart Windows Audio

You can restart Windows audio services to fix the notification sound not working problem. This will help refresh sound services on your Windows device. Follow the below steps to do it.

Step 1: Open the Services app and right-click on Windows Audio.

Step 2: Then, click on Restart.

Wait for Windows sound services to restart. Once done, check and see if notification sounds are working as expected on your Windows 11 device.