Are you trying to give your system a slick new startup sound, only to realize there's no native way to change this sound in Windows 11? Like most features of Windows, this is something we can modify with a bit of elbow grease. Let's have a look at how to change the Windows 11 startup sound.

Can I Change the Windows 11 Startup Sound?

screenshot of the windows system sounds settings in windows 11

Almost everything in Windows can be customized, and this includes the sounds. Windows already has a robust tool for changing system sounds, and even though you can disable the Windows startup sound outright, you can't natively change it as easily as the others.

This is unlike past versions of Windows, and it's not exactly known why it was changed in Windows 11. Still, with a quick registry tweak, we're able to change the sound just like any other.

How to Remove the Registry Exclusion for the Startup Sound

screenshot of windows regedit screen

The reason we can't change the startup sound right away is because of a registry exclusion. To change this, we're going to need to start by opening regedit on Windows, also known as the Windows Registry.

With regedit open, start by navigating to the following path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER/AppEvents/EventLabels/WindowsLogon

This should show you a new screen with three different items listed. You'll want to double-click on the entry titled ExcludeFromCPL. Opening this will display a new screen. All you have to do here is change Value Data from 1 to 0.

Hit Ok, and close out of the registry editor. You've now removed the exclusion and made it possible to edit the startup sound.

How to Edit Windows Sounds

screenshot of changing the windows startup sound in system sounds

From here, you can change the startup sound exactly how you'd change any other sound for Windows 11. It's titled Windows Logon and can be changed to another system sound, or with an entirely customized sound effect.

It's worth noting that the registry exclusion may be reapplied upon a Windows update. In that case, any change to the startup sound will remain, though you won't be able to change it back. To rectify this, all you have to do is remove the exclusion again by following the above steps.

Changing the Startup Sound Is a Small Problem With a Quick Fix

While it would be a lot easier if Microsoft simply let us change the startup sound by default, it's fortunate that the option hasn't been removed entirely.

Changing the startup sound can impact your user experience significantly depending on what type of sound you're after, so keep this registry exclusion in mind next time you're trying to change it.