Why am I not getting sound notifications when new emails come in?

Hey, for those having this issue, the only workaround I was able to come up with for myself was to create a Rule.

File -> Manage Rules & Alerts -> Start From a Blank Rule -> Apply Rule on Messages I receive

Rule Criteria

Apply this rule after the message arrives

on this computer only

Set it to play a sound (Windows Notify Email.wav)

Hi Shelby W_HC ,

Good day.

Thank you for posting to the Microsoft Community. We are glad to assist.

If you're experiencing issues with notification sounds in the New Outlook, it's important to ensure that all notification settings are correctly configured within the application and the operating system.

In Outlook, check the 'Options' under the 'File' menu and verify that 'Play a sound' is selected under 'Message Arrival'. Additionally, in Windows settings, navigate to 'System', then 'Notifications & Actions', and ensure that Outlook notifications are enabled, including the option to 'Play a sound when a notification arrives'. If these settings are correct and the issue persists, consider consulting the Outlook support forums for further assistance.

I hope this helps let me know if this is contrary to what you need, I would still be helpful to answer more of your questions.

Note*: Please understand that our initial reply may not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.*

Sincerely,

Eleni | Microsoft Community Moderator.

Everything is enabled OOB, but there are no sounds.

It is astonishing that in 2025, we have this sort of issue. For 30+ years this worked w/o us having to waste time looking into this mundane issue. But now, this requires an online investigation, whereas the right thing to do for MS would have been to drop all of their icon re-drawing activities and direct resources to fixing this.

No amount of blaming this on the user will help.

To save face, MS has to get this fixed, period. Outlook has to emit sounds when new emails arrive, period. Hundreds have the same question, and they are only those who did not roll their eyes or leave, having seen these threads. This means that millions have this same problem but do not bother bringing this up, having been fed up by MS's pushback on every mundane issue.

The amount of broken/screwed up functionality in MS's recent products is mind-boggling. This being one of the most glaring of them.

We are not interested in reading your page-long essays on how you are excited by the opportunity to help. We are sick of these essays. We need the basic, mundane functionality to work as expected. What is not clear about this?

Open New outlook click the Bell logo top right then click setting gear logo then click drop down arrow under mail then click play sound

I had the same problem. I had just setup a new windows 11 laptop, installed O365 including New Outlook, which I didn't like, so I switched to the Old outlook.

In the old outlook, I was not getting sounds even though all my settings were correct.

To fix this, I disabled the Desktop Alert option in outlook, then the sounds started working with new emails.

To do that in old outlook:

File > Settings > Mail > Message Arrival

Uncheck 'Display a Desktop Alert'.

Hopefully that's helpful for someone, as it worked for me.

Hi Shelby W_HC ,

Good day.

Thank you for posting to the Microsoft Community. We are glad to assist.

If you're experiencing issues with notification sounds in the New Outlook, it's important to ensure that all notification settings are correctly configured within the application and the operating system.

In Outlook, check the 'Options' under the 'File' menu and verify that 'Play a sound' is selected under 'Message Arrival'. Additionally, in Windows settings, navigate to 'System', then 'Notifications & Actions', and ensure that Outlook notifications are enabled, including the option to 'Play a sound when a notification arrives'. If these settings are correct and the issue persists, consider consulting the Outlook support forums for further assistance.

I hope this helps let me know if this is contrary to what you need, I would still be helpful to answer more of your questions.

Note*: Please understand that our initial reply may not always resolve the issue immediately. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.*

Sincerely,

Eleni | Microsoft Community Moderator.