How to use custom sounds on Windows 11 24H2?
How to use custom sounds on Windows 11 24H2?
Hello. First post here. Can't seem to solve this one. Looking at Windows 11, given Windows 10's demise is on the horizon.
For familiarity/recognition, enhanced user experience and a smaller learning curve for people I'm updating PCs for I would like to use the sounds from Windows 7 for several of the Windows sound events.
I've been doing this on Windows 10 for years and it works fine, but on Windows 11 it just ignores the custom sounds and plays the default ones.
I've tried this through the sounds GUI and also editing the registry directly. I've tried with the sounds in %userprofile%\Media (for no particular reason just to place them somewhere outside the windows folder), and in %windir%\Media. Nothing seems to work.
I've been through many websites about this, many of which are just plain junk, and seen several tutorials, none of which work.
The sounds are device connect, fail and disconnect, Windows startup sound, Windows notify and exclamation.
Here's an example of the registry tweaks;
(This is for %userporofile% but %windir% yields the same outcomes).
Code:
REG ADD "HKCU\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\.Default\DeviceFail\.Current" /ve /d "%USERPROFILE%\Media\Windows Hardware Fail.wav" /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /f
REG ADD "HKCU\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\.Default\DeviceFail\.Modified" /ve /d "%USERPROFILE%\Media\Windows Hardware Fail.wav" /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /f
REG ADD "HKCU\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\.Default\DeviceConnect\.Current" /ve /d "%USERPROFILE%\Media\Windows Hardware Insert.wav" /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /f
REG ADD "HKCU\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\.Default\DeviceConnect\.Modified" /ve /d "%USERPROFILE%\Media\Windows Hardware Insert.wav" /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /f
REG ADD "HKCU\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\.Default\DeviceDisconnect\.Current" /ve /d "%USERPROFILE%\Media\Windows Hardware Remove.wav" /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /f
REG ADD "HKCU\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\.Default\DeviceDisconnect\.Modified" /ve /d "%USERPROFILE%\Media\Windows Hardware Remove.wav" /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /f
REG ADD "HKCU\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\.Default\Notification.Default\.Current" /ve /d "%USERPROFILE%\Media\Windows Notify.wav" /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /f
REG ADD "HKCU\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\.Default\Notification.Default\.Modified" /ve /d "%USERPROFILE%\Media\Windows Notify.wav" /t REG_EXPAND_SZ /f
I've tried with the user name (eg. C:\Users\test\), rather than a variable, and with REG_SZ instead of REG_EXPAND_SZ.
Why can't I get this to work?
WIndows 11 26100.3323 24H2 on I5-14600KF/MSI Z790 Tomahawk mobo.
thank you.
Discovered a solution.
Regardless of my actions or methods, the custom sounds still wouldn't play. Therefore, I changed the names of the wav files. I renamed Windows Hardware Insert.wav to xWindows Hardware Insert.wav, and it functions correctly. It appears that as long as the file name matches the standard, the Windows 11 default will be applied irrespective of the location or settings adjustments.
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
Curious about your migration path? Did you upgrade from Windows 10 using the internal upgrade route? If yes, you might want to rebuild your bootable USB installer for Windows 11, format the drive by removing all other partitions except the one you plan to install, and reinstall Windows 11.
I've also noticed that adjusting the registry in Windows 10 can often lead to instability, as many updates from Microsoft have been incomplete or problematic—24H2 is a prime example, which has caused issues for many users, including me.
Thank you for the friendly greeting.
I always start from the beginning and set up a brand new boot drive, installing it on a clean system as recommended.
I've noticed W11 runs much slower compared to W10 even on the same hardware.
I'm quite familiar with the registry after using it for a long time. Of course, I've made some mistakes before, but that's part of the learning process.
I share your view on updates—remembering the last time Microsoft released an update without issues is hard to forget.
Automatic updates are problematic; they prevent stable testing environments.
Since I have another PC, I conduct all tests there. At this point, I don't think it's practical to run W11 on production systems.
Regarding the audio, navigating through the control panel or settings GUI also doesn't help.
Discovered a solution.
Regardless of my actions or methods, the custom sounds still wouldn't play. Therefore, I changed the names of the WAV files. I renamed Windows Hardware Insert.wav to xWindows Hardware Insert.wav, and it functions correctly. It appears that as long as the file name matches the standard, the Windows 11 default will be applied irrespective of where the WAV file is placed or how settings are adjusted.