Windows 11 is incredibly vocal. By default, the operating system plays a chime when you receive an email, a sharp ping when an error dialogue appears, a swoosh when you empty the recycle bin, and a ding when you plug in a USB drive. If you are working in a quiet office, streaming on Twitch, or simply prefer a completely silent computing environment, these constant audio alerts can be incredibly distracting.
While you could simply mute your entire computer, that prevents you from listening to music or hearing audio in your video games. Instead, you can completely disable the Windows 11 system sound scheme, forcing the OS to remain silent while allowing all your other applications to play audio normally.
How to Turn Off All System Sounds in Windows 11
You can mute the operating system through the classic Sound Control Panel.
- Click the Start button, type Change system sounds, and press Enter to open the classic Sound dialogue box.
- Ensure you are on the Sounds tab at the top of the window.
- Look for the drop-down menu labelled Sound Scheme: (it is usually set to “Windows Default”).
- Click the drop-down menu and select No Sounds.
- Optional: If you also want to disable the boot-up noise, uncheck the box labelled “Play Windows Startup sound” near the bottom of the window.
- Click Apply, and then click OK.
Windows 11 is now completely gagged. You will no longer hear error chimes, USB connection notifications, or generic notification pings. Your Spotify playlists, YouTube videos, and video games, however, will continue to output audio at full volume.