How to Enable or Disable Flash Screen During Audio Notifications in Windows 11

Sound Sentry is a tool that displays visual cues for system sounds. When it is on, your screen blinks whenever Windows 11 plays a sound alert. It is a built-in accessibility setting. It helps if you work in a loud room, wear headphones with the sound off, or have trouble hearing.

You can pick one of 3 flash styles: flash the active window, flash only the title bar at the top of the app you are using, or flash the entire display. The setting is in the Settings app ⚙️ under Accessibility, then Audio. It works the same on Windows 11 Home and Pro, and you do not need to restart or sign out for it to take effect.

Here is how to turn it on, pick a style, or turn it off:

1. Press Win+I to open the Settings ⚙️ app. You can also right-click the Start button and choose Settings.
2. Click Accessibility in the left-hand list. The accessibility categories appear on the right.
3. Scroll to the Hearing section and click Audio. You will see the audio options, including mono audio and the flash setting.
4. Find Flash my screen during audio notifications and use the drop-down menu next to it. This is where you choose how the screen flashes.
5. Choose one of these options:

   • Flash active title bar blinks only the title bar of the app you are working in. It is the least distracting option.
   • Flash active window blinks the whole window you are using.
   • Flash entire display blinks the whole screen. It is the easiest to notice, and it works well if you often have several windows open.
6. Play a system sound to test it. Pick a style and wait for the next notification, or trigger a sound yourself, for example by plugging in a USB device. You should see the flash at the same moment the sound plays.

To turn the flash off, go back to the same page and set the drop-down to None. The change applies straight away, so you can switch between styles and compare them without closing Settings.

Some things to know:

• The flash is tied to system notification sounds. Music or video playing inside an app will not make the screen flash.
• If you can’t find the setting, check that you are running a fully updated Windows 11. Menu layouts have shifted slightly between releases, so you may need to look around a little in the Accessibility pages on an older build.
• If you share your PC with someone who is sensitive to flashing lights, be careful with Flash entire display. The title bar option is the gentler choice, or you can turn the feature off.

Turn On or Off Flash Screen in Settings

1. Open Settings ⚙️ by pressing Win+I.
2. Click on Accessibility on the left side.
3. Click on AudioHearing on the right side.
4. Find the Flash my screen during audio notifications dropdown menu.
5. Choose one of these options:

   • Never (default)
   • Flash the title bar of the active window
   • Flash the active window
   • Flash the entire screen
6. You can now close Settings.

Option Two Open Audio settings

Turn On or Off Flash Screen in Control Panel

1. Open Control Panel 🎛️ and click on the Ease of Access Center icon.
2. Click on Use text or visual alternatives for sounds.
3. Follow the steps below for what you want to do.

Turn On Visual Notifications for Sounds

1. Check the box next to Turn on visual notifications for sounds (Sound Sentry).
2. Select what you want under Choose visual warning:

   • None
   • Flash active caption bar
   • Flash active window
   • Flash desktop
3. Click OK.

Turn Off Visual Notifications for Sounds

This restores the standard default behavior.

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1. Uncheck the box next to Turn on visual notifications for sounds (Sound Sentry).
2. Click OK.
3. You can now close Control Panel.

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\SoundSentry" /v Flags /t REG_SZ /d 2 /f
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\SoundSentry" /v WindowsEffect /t REG_SZ /d 0 /f

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\SoundSentry" /v Flags /t REG_SZ /d 3 /f
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\SoundSentry" /v WindowsEffect /t REG_SZ /d 1 /f

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\SoundSentry" /v Flags /t REG_SZ /d 3 /f
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\SoundSentry" /v WindowsEffect /t REG_SZ /d 2 /f

reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\SoundSentry" /v Flags /t REG_SZ /d 3 /f
reg add "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Accessibility\SoundSentry" /v WindowsEffect /t REG_SZ /d 3 /f