When you power on a Windows 11 computer, it plays a distinct, swooshing “Startup Sound” just before arriving at the lock screen. While this audio cue lets you know the operating system has finished loading, it can be highly disruptive.
If you are booting up your laptop in a quiet university library, a late-night meeting, or in bed while your partner is sleeping, that sudden blast of audio is the last thing you want. You can easily mute the Windows 11 boot sequence so your computer starts up in absolute silence.
How to Turn Off the Windows 11 Boot Sound
You can disable the startup audio through the Personalization settings.
- Click the Start button and select the Settings gear icon (or press Windows Key + I).
- In the left-hand navigation pane, click on Personalization.
- In the main window on the right, click on Themes.
- Near the top of the Themes menu, click on the Sounds button (it usually says “Windows Default” beneath it).
- A classic Windows dialogue box titled “Sound” will appear.
- Look near the very bottom of this small window. You will see a checkbox labelled Play Windows Startup sound.
- Click the checkbox to deselect it.
- Click Apply, and then click OK.
The next time you shut down and power on your PC, it will boot directly to the lock screen without making a single noise. This setting only affects the boot sequence; your normal system sounds, video playback, and music volume will remain completely unaffected.