Windows 11 brought back a classic feature that had been missing by default in Windows 10: the startup sound. Now, every time you boot up your PC or wake it from hibernation, you are greeted by a modern, orchestral chime before the login screen appears.
While Microsoft designed this sound to be soothing and to signal that the operating system has successfully loaded, it can be incredibly disruptive. If you are booting up your laptop in a quiet library, a crowded lecture hall, or late at night while a roommate is sleeping, a loud, unexpected chime blaring from your speakers is the last thing you want.
Fortunately, you can easily silence your PC by turning off the Windows startup sound entirely.
How to Turn Off the Windows 11 Boot Sound
You can disable the startup audio directly from the personalization settings.
- Open the Settings app on your PC (press Win + I on your keyboard).
- In the left-hand sidebar, click on Personalization.
- Scroll down the right pane and click on Themes.
- Near the top of the Themes page, you will see a button labeled Sounds (it will likely say “Windows Default” underneath it). Click on this button.
- A small “Sound” control panel window will pop up. Ensure you are on the Sounds tab.
- Look near the bottom of this window for a checkbox labeled Play Windows Startup sound.
- Uncheck this box.
- Click Apply, and then click OK.
That is all it takes! The next time you restart your computer, it will boot up in complete silence, allowing you to log in without announcing to the entire room that you just turned on your PC.