How to change Windows 10 startup/shutdown sound

by Vlad Turiceanu

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September 7, 2020

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In earlier Windows editions, users could change Windows 10 startup sound easily. Not only were users able to change the startup sound; we could also modify the sounds that played when we log out/in and shut down the system.

However, Microsoft sacrificed the sound settings for faster shutdown and startup in Windows 10.

In the following section, I’ll walk you through the steps for changing your Windows 10 startup/shutdown sound.

Note that the items in the next section are steps and not different methods of doing it. So, you have to follow the guide in the order that it’s presented.

How do I change the Windows 10 startup and shutdown sounds?

1. Disable fast startup

1. Right-click on the battery icon on your taskbar and select Power Options.
2. Select the Choose what the power buttons do option on the left.
3. Click on Change settings that are currently unavailable.
4. In Shutdown settings, unmark the checkbox beside Turn on fast startup (recommended).
5. Hit the Save changes button below.

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2. Turn on the startup sound

1. Press the Windows key + I combination.
2. Go to Personalization.
3. Select Themes from the left panel.
4. Click on Sounds.
5. Check the box beside Play Windows Startup sound.
6. Click on the OK button.

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3. Enable the startup and shutdown sounds from Windows Registry

1. Press the Window key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. In Run, type Regedit and press ENTER.
3. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER/AppEvents/EventLabels

At this point, the next step is to activate the startup and shutdown sounds.

Enable the startup sound

1. Find WindowsLogon and click on ExcludeFromCPL.
2. Modify the Value data to 0 from 1.
3. Hit the OK button to save it.

Enable the shutdown sound

1. Return to EventLabels.
2. Click on the SystemExit subkey
3. Double-click on ExcludeFromCPL.
4. Change the Value data from 1 to 0.
5. Click on OK.

Enable the log off sound

1. Go back to EventLabels.
2. Click on the WindowsLogoff subkey on the left.
3. Double-click on ExcludeFromCPL subkey.
4. Change the Value data from 1 to 0.

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4. Change the startup and shutdown sounds

1. Press the Windows key + I combination to open Settings.
2. Navigate to Personalization > Themes.
3. Click on the Sounds option.
4. Find the sound you want to customize from the Program Events list.
   1. For the startup sound, click on Windows Logon.
   2. For the shutdown sound, click on Exit Windows.
   3. For the logoff sound, click on Windows Logoff.
5. Select Browse.
6. Pick the music that you want to set as your new startup sound.
7. Hit Apply and then the OK button.

From the above steps, to change Windows 10 startup sound and that of the shutdown and log off, you need fast startup disabled.

Also, you have to activate the sounds from Windows Settings and the Windows Registry.

Once you do these, you can now pick a sound for the events. Note, however, that the sound you use for the Windows events must be in the WAV format.