How to Manage Alert Sounds in Ubuntu Linux

Alert sounds in Ubuntu Linux are the short beeps and chimes your computer plays for system events and pop-up messages. These sounds run on a separate volume track from your music and videos, so you can turn them off without affecting your media playback.

Before you start: the steps in this guide apply to the default GNOME desktop in current Ubuntu LTS releases (24.04 and 26.04). Flavors such as Kubuntu use a different desktop and different settings, so the menus and names below won’t match what you see there.

Ubuntu 22.04 LTS and newer releases have dedicated controls for this in the main Settings app. You can lower the alert volume, mute it, or pick a different alert sound. The changes apply as soon as you make them, so you don’t need to restart or log out.

How to mute the alert Sound in Ubuntu Linux

If you only want the beeps to stop, this is the quick version. The steps after it show each screen in more detail.

1. Open Settings from the app menu. The Settings⚙️ window opens.
2. Click Sound in the list on the left. The sound options open on the right.
3. Find the System Sounds slider under Volume Levels. On some releases, the alert volume control sits under a Sound Effects heading instead.
4. Drag the slider all the way to the left. The alert sounds are now muted.

To bring them back, drag the slider to the right again. Nothing else on the system changes.

Ubuntu keeps most of its settings in one place, the Settings app (also called System Settings). You can manage everything from sound and display options to user accounts and updates there, so it is the first place to look for any option in this guide.

1. Click the system menu in the top-right corner of the screen. The panel drops down.
2. Select Settings from the menu. The Settings⚙️ window opens.

If you can’t see the Sound entry, scroll down the list or use the search icon at the top of the window and type “Sound”. If there is no Sound entry at all, check that you are on the default GNOME desktop. Other flavors, such as Kubuntu, keep their sound options elsewhere.

1. Click the Sound tile or entry inside the Settings⚙️ app.
2. Wait for the panel to open. You should see the output volume, a Volume Levels section, and the alert sound options.

Now you can adjust the alert sounds. In Settings › Sound, the slider you want is the one for system sounds. The same panel also has an Alert Sound option, which lets you choose a different sound instead of just changing the volume.

1. Look for Volume Levels in the Sound panel.
2. Drag the System Sounds slider to the volume you want. Move it all the way to the left to mute alerts completely.
3. Open the Alert Sound option and choose a sound from the list. Clicking an entry plays it once so you can hear how it sounds.

If you hear nothing when you click an alert sound, check that the System Sounds slider is not at zero. The preview only plays while the alert sound is unmuted. Also check that your speakers or headphones are the selected output device and that the main output volume is up.

Changing the volume or muting System Sounds will not affect the volume of music, movies, or other sound files. Each of those apps has its own level, so your media keeps playing at the volume it had before.

Because of this, you can keep alerts quiet in a shared office or at night and still listen to music at your normal level. To undo any change, return to Settings › Sound and move the slider back or pick another alert sound.

If you want to silence notifications for a while without touching the Sound settings, use Do Not Disturb. It stops notification sounds and the pop-up banners together.

1. Click the date and time at the top of the screen to open the notification area🔔.
2. Switch on Do Not Disturb. Notification sounds and banners stop appearing.

To turn notifications back on, open the same area and switch Do Not Disturb off again.

Conclusion:

• Ubuntu Linux allows you to easily customize alert sounds for notifications and system events.
• You can independently adjust the volume for alert sounds in the System Settings panel.
• Disabling or muting the alert sound will not impact the volume of music, movies, or other sound files on your system.