Have you ever been listening to music at a comfortable volume while working, only to have a notification chime from your email client absolutely blast through your speakers? Or perhaps you are in a voice call and the game you are playing is so loud you cannot hear your friends. By default, the master volume slider on your Windows 11 taskbar turns everything up or down simultaneously. However, Windows 11 includes a powerful, built-in Volume Mixer that allows you to independently adjust the audio levels for every single application currently running on your PC.
Using the Quick Settings Volume Mixer
The fastest way to adjust individual app volumes in Windows 11 is through the new, enhanced Quick Settings panel.
- Ensure that the application you want to adjust is currently open and running. If an app is closed, it will not appear in the Volume Mixer.
- Click the Volume/Network/Battery icon cluster located in the bottom-right corner of your taskbar.
- This opens the Quick Settings panel. Locate the main master volume slider at the bottom.
- Look to the right of the master volume slider. You will see an icon that looks like a speaker with three vertical sliders next to it.
- Click this Mixer icon.
A new “Volume Mixer” menu will slide up within the Quick Settings panel. You will see your master volume at the top, and below it, a list of every application currently capable of producing sound (e.g., Google Chrome, Spotify, Discord, System Sounds).
Simply click and drag the horizontal slider next to a specific app to lower its volume independently of the master system volume. If you want to completely mute an app, click the small speaker icon to the left of its slider.
Using the Advanced Volume Mixer in Settings
If you prefer a larger interface or need more granular control (such as assigning specific apps to different output devices), you can use the main Settings app.
- Right-click the Volume icon in the bottom-right corner of your taskbar.
- From the small context menu, click Open volume mixer. This will instantly launch the Settings app and take you to the correct page.
- (Alternatively, press
Windows Key + I> System > Sound > Volume mixer). - Under the “Apps” section, you will see a list of all running applications.
- Use the slider next to any app to adjust its individual volume level.
Bonus Tip: In this advanced menu, you will also see a dropdown menu labelled “Output device” next to each app. This allows you to force a specific app to play through a specific device. For example, you could route your Spotify music to your desktop speakers while routing your Discord voice chat directly to your headset.