Windows plays a startup sound and other sound effects regularly, and they tin can get obnoxious. They're specially annoying on Windows 7, where Windows plays a click sound every time y'all switch folders in Windows Explorer. You can disable them entirely—or even fix custom sound effects, if you adopt.

Update, eleven/12/21: Looking to disable the startup sound on your Windows 11 PC?

RELATED: How to Disable the Startup Sound on Windows xi

How to Disable All Sound Effects

To open up the Sound control panel, right-click the speaker icon in your system tray and select "Sounds". You can as well but navigate to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound.

On the Sounds tab, click the "Audio Scheme" box and select "No Sounds" to disable sound effects entirely. If you lot too want to disable the sound that appears when you lot sign into Windows, uncheck the "Play Windows Startup sound" checkbox.

You tin also choose to disable audio effects for specific events. For example, you might desire to disable "Notification" sound effects while leaving "Critical Bombardment Warning" sound furnishings enabled. To do this, select a audio effect in the listing, click the "Sound" box at the bottom of the window, and click "(None)".

Click "OK" to save your changes when you lot're washed. You can always return hither and set the sound scheme back to "Windows Default" to restore the default sound furnishings.

How to Disable the Windows Explorer Click Sound

If you're using Windows seven, you may be specially annoyed by the sound effect that plays when you navigate to a new folder in Windows Explorer. This particular sound effect is disabled by default on Windows 10, and for good reason.

To disable only this sound, whorl down in the list and select the "Start Navigation" sound outcome. Click the "Sounds" box at the lesser of the window and select "(None)". Click "OK" to save your changes.

How to Customize Sound Effects

If you like the sounds instead, you tin customize them from here. Select an event and use the "Sounds" box to cull a sound file for it. You lot tin can click "Test" to hear a preview of the different sound effects here.

To utilize a custom sound file, click the "Browse" push button. Your custom sound effect file must be in the .wav file format.

To save your settings as a sound scheme, click the "Save As" push button at the top of the window and provide a name. You tin then cull your saved sound scheme from the list here in the time to come.

Why Do Sounds Proceed Turning Back On?

You lot may find that sound effects automatically re-enable themselves when you customize your desktop. This occurs when you change your desktop theme using either the erstwhile Control Panel interface on Windows 7 or the new Settings interface on Windows 10. That'due south because desktop themes tin can include sound schemes as well as desktop groundwork images, colors, and mouse cursor themes. Withal, most themes just specify the "Windows Default" audio scheme, re-enabling it if you've disabled it.

RELATED: How to Install Desktop Themes on Windows 10

After changing to a new theme, you'll have to head back to the Sounds window to disable sound effects, if you don't desire to hear them.

Irresolute your organization sound settings will disable them in some—but not all—desktop applications. If an application continues playing sound effects even after you lot disable them in the Sounds command console, you'll need to disable sound effects in that application'due south settings window.