Cannot Seem to Change Email Notification Sound

Further research? I'm looking to change a ringtone on my computer--how difficult was that designed to be?

These instructions don't work--the sound doesn't change.

It appears that the sounds are overridden by the system notification settings. If Outlook notifications are set to "On with Sounds" that is the sound that plays--the desktop notification sound. However, if the sound is turned off in system notifications, it plays NO SOUND. The settings within system sounds and Outlook are not respected.

Hello Sean Quallen

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community! We are happy to assist.

Based on your description, You have a wav file that you want to use to be Outlook Notification sound. Feel free to correct me if I misunderstood.

Here are the steps to Change the sound played when an email message arrives | Microsoft Support

You would need to do this for both New Mail Notification and Desktop Mail Notification

Change the new mail sound

Sound appears in different Control Panel locations depending on the version of the Microsoft Windows operating system that you are using, the Control Panel view selected, and whether you are using a 32- or 64-bit operating system or version of Outlook.

1- Exit Outlook.

2- Open Control Panel.
Note: The easiest way to find Sound is to open Control Panel in Windows, and then in the Search box at the top of window, type Sound.

3- On the Sound dialog box, on the Sounds tab, under Program Events, under Windows, click New Mail Notification OR Desktop Mail Notification

4- Click Browse, and then select a different audio file.
**Note:**Only .wav audio files are supported. Other audio file formats such as .mp3 or .aac can’t be used. Your favorite sound editing program might be able to convert other audio file formats to a .wav file.

5- Click OK.

We are happy to provide any further assistance if needed. So do not hesitate to reach out!

Best regards

Microsoft Community

Hello Sean Quallen

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

After thorough research and consultations, it has been concluded that the .WAV file has to be in certain folder

C:\Windows\Media

We did test having a wav file in some other folders, it did not work.

To be able to move files into this C:\Windows\Media folder, you may need administrative privileges, therefore you might need to reach out to the IT administration.

Please try that and let us know how it goes

We are happy to provide any further assistance if needed. So do not hesitate to reach out!

Best regards

Microsoft Community

You changed the Desktop Mail Notification sound in System Sounds? (That's the one Outlook uses.)

If you choose one of the windows sounds, does it work? I've had issues in the past using other wav files.