How to Change Windows Startup Sound
Want to change out your boring Windows startup sound? While it was easy to do in Windows XP, Microsoft has made the process much less straightforward in newer versions of Windows. In order to change the sound, you will need to download a...
Method 1 of 3:
Windows 8, 7, and Vista Startup Sound
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Picture 1 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Download the "Startup Sound Changer" program. This is a utility created by Windows enthusiasts, as there is no easy way to change the Windows 8, 7, or Vista startup sound normally. You can download the utility from Winaero. -
Picture 2 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Extract the utility. Double-click the downloaded ZIP file and drag the StartupSoundChanger.exe file onto your desktop. -
Picture 3 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Run the utility. You will be shown a small menu of options. -
Picture 4 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Click "Replace" and browse your computer for a replacement sound. It must be in WAV format.- You can restore the original sound by running the utility and clicking "Restore".
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Picture 5 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Open the Control Panel. You can search for this or find it in the Start menu. -
Picture 6 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Select "Sounds" and then click the .Sounds tab. -
Picture 7 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Check the "Play Windows Startup sound" box and click .Apply.- Note: You won't be able to hear the startup sound in Windows 8 unless you perform a full shutdown (see next section).
Method 2 of 3:
Windows 8 Logon Sound
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Picture 8 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Understand what has changed in Windows 8. Microsoft made a lot of changes to the underlying Windows architecture in order to boost performance for Windows 8. One of the features that got cut was the sounds that plays when Windows starts up and shuts down. You can re-enable these using the Windows Registry, but thanks to another Windows 8 feature (Fast Boot), you'll only hear them when you perform a full manual shutdown.- Note: This method will only change the Logon sound.
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Picture 9 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Open the Windows Registry Editor. You can do this by pressing the ⊞ Win key and typing regedit. -
Picture 10 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Use the directory tree on the left to navigate to .HKEY_CURRENT_USER → AppEvents → EventLabels. -
Picture 11 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Find and open the .WindowsLogon folder. -
Picture 12 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Double click the .ExcludeFromCPL key. -
Picture 13 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Change the value from .1 to 0. Click OK. -
Picture 14 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Repeat this for any other disabled sounds you want to re-enable. This includes WindowsLogoff and SystemExit. -
Picture 15 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Open the Control Panel. You can search for it or press ⊞ Win+X and select it from the menu. -
Picture 16 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Select the "Sounds" option and click the .Sounds tab. -
Picture 17 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Scroll down and select the "Windows Logon" entry. -
Picture 18 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Click .Browse... to search your computer for a replacement sound. It must be in WAV format. -
Picture 19 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Perform a full shutdown. In order to hear your logon sound, you must boot up from a full shutdown. Performing a regular shutdown will enable Fast Boot when you turn your computer on again, skipping the sound.- Press ⊞ Win+X
- Select "Shut down or sign out" → "Shut down"
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Picture 20 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Boot your computer up. You should hear your new logon sound once the computer logs into Windows.
Method 3 of 3:
Windows XP Startup Sound
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Picture 21 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Click the Start menu and select "Control Panel". -
Picture 22 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Open "Sounds and Audio Devices". -
Picture 23 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Click the "Sounds" tab. -
Picture 24 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Scroll down and select the "Start Windows" entry. -
Picture 25 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Click the "Browse" button to search your computer for a new sound. It must be in WAV format. -
Picture 26 of How to Change Windows Startup Sound Click "Apply" to save your changes.
Update 04 March 2020
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