How to Enable or Disable Email Sound Alerts in Outlook

The new Outlook app for Windows 11 is a modern way to manage your emails and calendar. It includes many helpful tools like subscription management, email forwarding, setting default From address, backing up your mailbox, changing the reading pane, opening a new window for a message, language translations, turning text predictions on or off, switch primary account, sharing a calendar,  changing language, date and time format, public a calendar, show week numbers in Outlook calendar, deleting your search history, export your search history, add or remove events from emails to your Calendar, switch to dark mode, and link preview.

You can customize how you hear about new messages. This guide shows you how to turn sound alerts on or off.

Why change notification sounds?

You might want to turn on sounds to ensure you never miss an important email. Alternatively, you might want to turn them off to stay focused and avoid distractions while you work.

What happens when you are done?

Once you finish these steps, Outlook will either play a chime when an email arrives or remain silent, depending on your choice. Your computer will respect these settings whenever the app is open.

How to change notification sounds in Outlook

First, open the Outlook app from your Start menu or taskbar.

Click the Settings gear icon located at the top right of the window.

In the sidebar, click General, then select Notifications.

Look for the section labeled Notifications in the Outlook. Note: You must have Notification in Outlook enabled for these settings to work.

Click the arrow to see more options. Check the box for Allow notifications to play sounds to turn the sound on. Uncheck it to turn the sound off.

If you still do not hear sounds, check your system settings to ensure Outlook notifications are enabled in your Windows Notification settings, that Windows Focus settings are turned off, and that Battery Saver is turned off.

Summary

• Configuring sounds helps you personalize your Outlook experience.
• Turning sounds on keeps you updated on incoming mail.
• Turning sounds off helps you stay focused by removing distractions.
• If sounds do not work, check your Windows system notification settings.