How do I change the sound notification in Outlook?

Outlook allows users to set up sound notifications for different events like new email messages, calendar reminders, and meeting requests. By default, Outlook uses the same default sound for all notifications. While convenient, some users may want to customize the notification sounds to make certain alerts stand out or match their preferences.

There are a few reasons why users may want to change the default notification sounds in Outlook:

• Make important emails and calendar events more noticeable with unique sounds
• Use subtle, quieter sounds for less critical alerts
• Personalize Outlook’s sound palette to match their tastes
• Reduce notification fatigue from the same sound repeatedly
• Separate notifications from different accounts or message types

Outlook provides flexibility in customizing notification sounds on both desktop and mobile. This guide will cover how to change the default sound, add new custom sounds, customize sounds for individual accounts, and manage sound volumes.

Locating Notification Settings

To access the configuration settings for Outlook notifications, you will need to open the Outlook desktop application. The desktop application provides the most customizable notification options for both Outlook accounts as well as system notifications.

To open the Notification Settings, follow these steps:

1. Open the Outlook desktop application on your computer
2. Click on the “File” menu option in the top navigation bar
3. Select “Options” from the File menu
4. This will open up the Outlook Options dialog box
5. Select the “Mail” tab on the left side of the Options dialog box
6. In the Mail options, scroll down and locate the “Message Arrival” section
7. The Message Arrival section contains the notification settings for new email alerts

From the Message Arrival section you can configure your desktop, audio and visual notifications for new emails arriving in your Outlook inbox. This is also where you can customize sounds for different accounts.

Changing Default Notification Sound

Outlook comes with a default notification sound that plays whenever a new email arrives in your inbox. The default sound is called “New Mail Notification” and can be found under the Windows section within the Sound dialog box in the settings.

To change the default new email notification sound in Outlook:

1. Go to the File tab and click on Options
2. On the Mail tab, under Message arrival, click on Select a sound
3. This will open the Sound dialog box. Go to the Sounds tab at the top
4. Under Program events in the Windows section, click on New Mail Notification and then click Browse
5. Select the new sound you want from the available options
6. Click on Apply and then OK to save the changes

The selected notification sound will now play by default whenever you receive a new email in Outlook. The sound will apply to all your email accounts configured in Outlook.

Adding New Notification Sounds

Outlook allows you to use custom sound files for email notifications instead of the default Windows notification sounds. To add a new sound file in Outlook:

1. Exit Outlook and open the Control Panel.
2. Click on the Sound option.
3. In the Sound dialog box, click the Sounds tab.
4. Under Program Events, scroll down and click on New Mail Notification.
5. Click the Browse button.
6. Navigate to and select the sound file you want to use.
7. Popular sound formats like .wav and .mp3 files will work for notifications.
8. Click OK and the sound file will be added to the notification options.

Now when you receive new email in Outlook, your selected custom sound will play. You can follow these steps again at any time to change the sound file used for notifications.

For reference, see: Change the sound played when an email message arrives

Notification Sounds for Specific Accounts

Outlook allows you to set custom notification sounds for individual email accounts. This means you can configure different sounds to play when you receive new mail from specific accounts. For example, you may want a special sound for emails from your boss or important clients.

To set custom sounds per account in Outlook:

1. Open the Outlook desktop application and go to File > Options > Mail.
2. Under Message Arrival, click the Sound button.
3. Under Email account, select the account you want to change.

   For example, if you have separate work and personal accounts set up, you would see them listed here.

4. Under Sounds, click the down arrow and select a sound from the dropdown list. Click Browse to add a custom .wav file if needed.
5. Click OK when finished to save the sound setting for that account.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 for any other accounts you want to configure custom notification sounds for.

Now when you get new mail for each account, Outlook will play the sound you selected so you can easily tell which account has received new messages.

Muting Notifications

The Mute Notifications option in Outlook allows you to stop sound notifications temporarily or indefinitely for different accounts or notification types. From the notification settings, click the Mute button to stop receiving sound notifications.

To mute notifications temporarily, choose a time frame such as For 2 hours or Until tomorrow. For indefinite muting, select Stay muted next to the account you wish to silence.

The Mute function is useful during meetings, while working or sleeping, or any situation where sound alerts would be disruptive or unwanted. To unmute notifications, simply click Unmute when you want to hear sounds again.

Managing Notification Volumes

You can adjust the volume levels for email notifications in Outlook independently of the overall system volume. This allows you to set notifications to be louder or quieter compared to other sounds on your device.

To manage notification volumes in Outlook, follow these steps:

1. Go to Control Panel. Select the Sound icon. This will open your Sound Settings.
2. On the Sounds tab, find the sound effect named “New Mail Notification” under Program Events.
3. Click the “New Mail Notification” sound effect and then click the Properties button.
4. In the Sound properties dialog box, you will see a slider under Sound volume. Drag the slider left or right to decrease or increase the notification volume.
5. Click OK to apply the notification volume change.

With this technique, you can set email notifications to be loud enough to grab your attention even if the overall system or device volume is turned down.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you are having issues with Outlook notification sounds not working properly, here are some troubleshooting tips:

Notifications Not Appearing

If Outlook notifications are not appearing at all, first check that the “Show New Mail Desktop Alerts” option is enabled in Outlook’s notification settings (File > Options > Mail > Message Arrival). Additionally, make sure Outlook is not in offline mode, which can prevent notifications (source).

Notifications Have No Sound

If notifications are appearing but have no sound, verify if notification sounds are muted in Outlook or in your Windows sound settings. Also check that a sound is actually assigned to new email notifications in Outlook’s sound options (File > Options > Mail > Message Arrival) (source).

Incorrect Notification Sound

If the wrong notification sound is playing, make sure the intended sound is assigned to new emails within Outlook’s notification sound options. Check that the assigned sound file actually exists on your computer and plays correctly outside of Outlook.

Outlook Mobile App Sounds

Outlook has apps available for both Android and iOS devices that mirror some of the functionality of the desktop version of Outlook. Configuring notification sounds in the mobile Outlook apps is done through the phone’s sound and notification settings rather than in the Outlook app itself.

On iOS devices, go to Settings > Notifications > Outlook to manage notification and sound preferences. You can toggle both Allow Notifications and Sounds on or off for fine-tuned control. Custom notification tones can also be selected from this menu.

For Android devices, open the Settings app and go to Apps & Notifications > See all apps > Outlook. Notification preferences like importance levels, categories, and sound options can be configured from here. As with iOS, custom notification sounds can be applied just for Outlook notifications.

If notification sounds in Outlook mobile apps stop working, check to ensure notifications permissions have not been revoked for the app. Force quitting and reopening Outlook can also resolve intermittent sound issues.

Conclusion

To summarize, here are the key steps we covered for customizing notifications in Outlook:

1. Go to Settings > Notifications > Customize notifications to access sound and visual notification settings
2. Select a default notification sound or add custom sound files
3. Use Rules to set up unique notification settings for specific accounts or senders
4. Adjust notification volumes or mute notifications as needed
5. Access notification settings directly within the mobile Outlook apps for additional customization

For more help customizing Outlook to optimize notifications and productivity, check out Microsoft’s guide on the new Notifications pane in Outlook. You can also explore Outlook’s built-in notification settings and customization options. With some tweaking, you can have Outlook notifications working exactly the way you want.