Every time you turn on your PC, Windows 11 plays a bright, orchestral chime the moment the lock screen appears. While Microsoft designed this signature startup sound to feel welcoming, it can be incredibly disruptive if you are booting up your laptop in a quiet library, a crowded classroom, or early in the morning while your family is sleeping.
Unlike standard application notifications, you cannot silence this specific chime simply by turning your master system volume down before shutting down the computer. The startup sound bypasses standard volume controls, meaning it will play out loud even if you left your PC on mute the night before.
To silence your computer permanently, you must disable the startup sound deep within the Windows theme settings.
How to Turn Off the Startup Sound
Because the startup chime is technically considered part of the “Visual Theme” of the operating system, the toggle switch is hidden inside the Personalisation menu.
- Press the Windows Key and click on the Settings app (the gear icon).
- In the left-hand sidebar, click on Personalisation.
- In the main panel, click on Themes.
- Look near the top of the Themes page for a row of rectangular buttons (Background, Colour, Sounds, Mouse cursor). Click on the button labelled Sounds.
- A classic, older-style Windows settings box will pop up on your screen.
- Look near the bottom-left corner of this small window for a checkbox labelled Play Windows Startup sound.
- Click the checkbox to completely uncheck it.
- Click Apply, and then click OK to close the window.
The change is applied immediately. The next time you restart or power on your computer, it will boot up in complete silence, regardless of what volume level your speakers are set to.
How to Re-enable the Sound
If you ever miss the classic chime, or if you are using it as an auditory cue to know when a slow computer has finally finished booting, you can easily turn it back on.
Simply navigate back to Settings > Personalisation > Themes > Sounds, and re-check the “Play Windows Startup sound” box.