When you power on a Windows 11 computer and reach the lock screen, the operating system plays a distinct, melodic start-up chime. While Microsoft intended this sound to be a pleasant auditory cue that your computer is ready to use, it can be incredibly disruptive if you are turning on your laptop during a quiet meeting, in a library, or late at night. Rather than constantly remembering to mute your speakers before shutting down, you can permanently disable the start-up sound within the Windows settings.
How to Disable the Start-up Sound
Unlike older versions of Windows where this setting was buried deep in the Control Panel, Windows 11 allows you to toggle the start-up sound directly from the modern Settings application.
- Right-click on the Start button (the Windows logo on your taskbar) and select Settings from the power user menu. Alternatively, press Windows Key + I on your keyboard.
- In the left-hand sidebar of the Settings window, click on Personalization.
- In the right-hand pane, click on Themes.
- Look near the top of the Themes page for the Sounds button (it will likely display “Windows Default” underneath). Click it.
- A small, classic Sound control panel window will pop up. Ensure you are on the Sounds tab.
- Look near the bottom of this window for a checkbox labelled Play Windows Startup sound.
- Click the checkbox to uncheck it.
- Click Apply, and then click OK to close the window.
The next time you reboot or turn on your Windows 11 PC, it will boot up in complete silence.
Re-enabling the Sound
If you ever miss the chime or want it back as an auditory cue that your PC has successfully booted past the BIOS screen, you can easily reverse the process. Simply follow the exact same steps outlined above and re-check the “Play Windows Startup sound” box in the Sound control panel.