How to manage and improve sound quality in Windows 10

Sound is not something that users often care about but in Windows 10 there are many options to adjust, manage and improve sound quality. This article will give you some tips and tricks to increase the audio experience on Windows 10.

1. Change sound effects

You can customize all sounds in Windows for a personal experience. To do this, press the Windows + I key combination to open Settings and navigate to Personalization> Themes> Sounds . Alternatively, you can access the Sound window by right-clicking on the speaker icon on the taskbar tray and clicking on Sounds .

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Windows 10 only comes with two audio settings: Windows Default and No Sounds . When you download multiple schemes and themes, it will be available in the Sound Scheme drop-down menu.

You can change each sound for each program on your computer by using the event list in the second drop-down menu. Select the original sound from the list or click Browse to select another audio file from the computer.

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After changing it, click Save As and rename this sound scheme.

Note : The sound used in Windows 10 operating system must be in WAV format. If you have an audio file saved in MP3, WMA or other format, you need to convert it to WAV before use.

2. Download the theme with Windows 10 audio

If you want to create a completely custom sound scheme in Windows 10, you need to change each sound to the desired output manually.

Perhaps the better way to customize sound on Windows 10 is to use a theme. Many themes in Windows 10 come with its own sound. You don't even need to use the rest of the theme (like wallpapers, colors and mouse pointer icons).

The easiest place to find themes with sound is in the official Microsoft archive. Navigate to the store in the browser and select With custom sounds from the menu on the left of the screen. Download the theme and double-click the file to extract it.

After installing the theme on the computer, the related sound scheme will be available in the Sound Schemes drop-down menu. You can delete other parts of the theme in Settings> Personalization> Themes .

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3. Adjust the sound for each application

Volume Mixer on Windows 10 has a number of redesigns since the operating system was released in 2015. To access Volume Mixer:

Right-click the speaker icon on the taskbar and select Open Volume Mixer :

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Or go to Settings> System> Sound> Other Sound Options> App volume and device preferences .

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If there are no other applications running, you will only see the slider for the speakers and the sound of the system. However, any other audio playback application will be displayed here, and you can edit individual volume levels for specific applications as a percentage of the main volume.

In the example below, you can see that Netflix and Chrome are also playing audio and so they appear in the Volume Mixer.

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If you want to adjust application sounds faster with the enhanced Windows interface, you can download EarTrumpet. After installation, open and it will automatically appear in the extended taskbar tray. Right-click and drag the icon to the taskbar so the application is here permanently.

If you want to remove the standard speaker icon and only use EarTrumpet, right-click the taskbar and click Taskbar settings , click Turn system icons on or off and slide the Volume to off.

4. Quickly convert audio equipment

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If there are multiple audio devices, such as speakers and headphones, need to constantly switch between them, you can do this by clicking on the speaker icon on the taskbar tray, then selecting the current audio device name. and it will appear a list of other options, just click on the audio device you want to change to convert.

In addition, there is another way to use a free and lightweight program called Audio Switcher. With this software you can assign audio devices to any key. This way of converting audio equipment faster, especially when using a full screen application. The Playback and Recording tabs of this software will display all your tabs, right-click them to make it set to Default Device or Set Hot Key .

5. Update the audio driver

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If you have problems with audio, you should try updating the audio driver. To update, press Windows + X and click on D evice Manager , double click Audio inputs and outputs . Then find the audio device to update, right-click it and select Update driver . Click Search automatically for updated driver software and follow the instructions.

If this doesn't work, repeat the steps above, but click Uninstall device instead of Update . If you still can't update it, go to the manufacturer's website and get the driver directly from here.

If after the driver update still does not fix the audio problem, you can right-click the speaker icon on the taskbar tray and select Troubleshoot sound problems . Follow the wizard and it will automatically resolve any problems found.

If it still doesn't fix the audio problem, see the Windows 10 audio troubleshooting guide for more advice.

6. Turn on the audio upgrade feature

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Windows has a number of integrated audio upgrades that users can use for their playback devices. To start, right-click the speaker icon on the taskbar tray and click on Playback devices . Double-click the playback device you want to change, switch to the Enhancements tab. For this application to be applied immediately, check the Immediate mode option.

Now, you can highlight the ability to enhance the sound you want to use, such as Virtual Surround or Loudness Equalization , if you don't know how to use it, just click on it to see the description.

1. This hidden Windows 10 feature will bring Virtual Surround sound technology

7. Adjust Equalizer audio on Windows 10

Windows 10 comes with the original audio Equalizer, although there are not many features but enough to adjust and manage audio on this operating system.

On the Properties window, access the Enhancements tab and select the Equalizer box. You can select the Equalizer effect from the Sound Effects Properties menu.

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8. Use software to enhance sound for Windows 10

Sound reinforcement software allows users to increase the speaker volume above the maximum level. And this only works when the speaker manufacturer gives you proprietary software.

There are some free options like using Chrome Volume Booster extension, but it only works for audio on the browser, can not adjust the sound for the system.

In addition, you can use a paid application, Lefasoft's Sound Booster, which costs $ 19.95 for a single user license.

Warning : Sound Booster can be used when your system sound is at 100% but the sound is very small. Too high audio settings may damage the speaker.

1. Maximize the computer volume with Sound Booster

9. Other Windows 10 audio settings

There are a few other audio settings that you should know. In Settings> System> Sound , you can select the output, input for the speaker, check the microphone and take troubleshooting steps.

In Settings> Ease of Access> Audio , you can turn on the mono input and select the audio warning display.

And another tip to improve sound is to buy new speakers

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One thing is for sure, if you want high quality audio you need a good speaker. A good speaker is not necessarily expensive, refer to the article Choosing a speaker is not easy.

See more:

1. Trick to turn on individual tab off sounds on Chrome
2. Fixed a bug with the speaker icon with a red X, the computer has no sound
3. Instructions on how to change the alarm when Logoff, Logon and shutdown on Windows 10