How to Change Event Sounds in Windows 11

Unless you constantly have your Windows computer set to mute, you’ll have noticed that every notification is accompanied by a bright, audible sound. Some of these are chimes, some are short melodies, and others are alarms, prompting you to take notice, for example, when your laptop battery is dying.

If you’re tired of hearing the same sounds all the time, you can actually change event sounds in Windows 11 by heading into the Control Panel section of your computer. It’s a very simple process, and there are literally dozens of sounds you can choose from to assign to different events.

Read on to discover how to change Windows event sounds and customize your Windows experience.

Change Event Sounds in Windows 11: Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1. Go to your Windows search bar at the bottom of your home screen and type “Control Panel.”

Step 2. Click “Open,” then “Hardware and Sound.”

Step 3. Look for the Sound option. Under this, you should be able to see “Change system sounds.” Click here.

Step 4. You will now see a list of Windows program events, such as calendar reminders and battery-related alerts. For this example, the user is changing the sound for the critical battery alarm.

Step 5. Click the drop-down menu under “Sounds” to see the available sounds for the selected event. You’ll now see a long list of possible sounds to choose from. Click the one you want to apply.

Step 6. Press “Test,” which will play the sound you’ve chosen. If you’re happy with this, press “Apply.” Or you can go back into the list and try a different sound. There are dozens to choose from. Once you’ve applied the sound changes you want to make, press “OK” to close this window.

Note: You can only change Windows event sounds, not sounds controlled by games or third-party apps. Also, if your laptop or desktop has sounds built in that are independent of Windows, such as “power on” beeps or chimes, you can’t adjust these either.

Pro Tip: Before you make your changes, take a note of what the default sound is. That way, if you want to change any of the sounds back, you can restore them individually without resetting your other Windows settings. For a quieter experience, you can also select “No Sounds” under the Sound Scheme, which will turn all notification sounds off. You can change this back at any time.