To disable or enable the startup sound, open Settings via Win I, go to System > Sound, click More sound settings, select Windows Startup under Program Events, set Sound to None to disable or browse a .wav file to customize, and ensure the "Play Windows startup sound" checkbox is checked; 2. To silence all system sounds including startup, right-click the taskbar speaker, choose Sounds, go to the Sounds tab, check "Mute all sounds," and click OK; 3. For advanced control, use Registry Editor by navigating to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\EventLabels\WindowsLogon to modify ExcludeFromCPL, or go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps.Default\WindowsLogon.Current and leave the value blank to disable the sound, then restart to apply; 4. To use a custom startup sound, follow step 1 but select a compatible .wav file (uncompressed PCM, 16-bit, under 1MB) using the Browse button; note that Fast Startup may prevent the sound from playing, so disable it via Power & sleep settings in System to ensure the sound plays on every full boot.

Windows 11 doesn’t have a built-in option to easily change or disable the startup sound like older versions of Windows did, but you can still manage it through a few workarounds. Here’s how to control the startup sound in Windows 11, whether you want to disable it, customize it, or re-enable it later.

1. Disable or Enable the Startup Sound via Sound Settings

The most straightforward way to manage the startup sound is through the system sound settings.

Steps:

• Press Win I to open Settings.
• Go to System > Sound.
• Scroll down and click on More sound settings (this opens the classic Control Panel sound window).
• In the Sounds tab, look for Windows Startup under the "Program Events" list.
• If you want to disable the sound:
  • Click on Windows Startup, then set Sound to None.
• If you want to enable or change the sound:
  • Select Windows Startup, click Browse, and choose a .wav file.
• Click Apply > OK to save changes.

?? Note: This only works if the system is set to play system sounds. Make sure "Play Windows startup sound" is checked in the same window (bottom-left checkbox).

2. Mute System Sounds to Silence Startup Noise

If you don’t want to deal with individual sounds, you can mute all system sounds, which includes the startup chime.

Steps:

• Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar and select Sounds.
• Go to the Sounds tab.
• Check the box that says "Mute all sounds" (or uncheck it to restore sounds).
• Click OK.

This disables all system sounds — alerts, notifications, and startup sound — which may be overkill if you only want to silence startup.

3. Edit the Registry (Advanced Option)

If the startup sound persists or isn’t showing up properly, a registry tweak can help. Use this if the GUI method doesn’t work.

Warning: Editing the registry can affect system stability. Back up the registry before proceeding.

Steps:

• Press Win R, type regedit, and press Enter.
• Navigate to:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\EventLabels\WindowsLogon
• In the right pane, double-click ExcludeFromCPL.
• Set its value to 1 to hide it from Sound control panel (optional), or delete the value to restore default behavior.
• To disable the sound entirely, go to:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\.Default\WindowsLogon\.Current
• Double-click the field and leave it blank to disable the sound.

You may need to log out and back in (or restart) for changes to take effect.

4. Replace the Startup Sound with a Custom One

Want a personalized chime when Windows starts? You can replace the default sound.

Requirements: A .wav audio file (must be uncompressed PCM, 16-bit, stereo/mono, under 1MB recommended).

Steps:

• Open Sound settings as described in Step 1.
• In the Sounds tab, select Windows Startup.
• Click Browse and select your .wav file.
• Click Apply.

Windows doesn’t play MP3 or other formats here — only .wav files work.

Final Notes

• Microsoft has simplified sound management in Windows 11, so some legacy options are less visible.
• The startup sound may not play if Fast Startup is enabled (due to hibernation-like state), since full boot doesn’t occur on restart.
• To ensure the sound plays every time, disable Fast Startup:
  Settings > System > Power & sleep > Power mode > Additional power settings > Choose what the power buttons do > Change settings that are currently unavailable > Uncheck "Turn on fast startup".

Basically, while Windows 11 hides some sound options, you can still fully control the startup sound with a few clicks or tweaks. It’s not gone — just quieter in more ways than one.

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