Some system sounds not playing.

Question

Primarily concerned with "Windows Logon" and "Windows Logoff" sounds, but there are others that also don't play. I've followed all the guides I could find, and changed it so that they now show up in the list. However, even though they play properly when I click "test" and, yes, I've checked the box that says "Play Windows Startup sound," they won't play when I actually log on or off.

Answer 1

Hello Joe Bunt,

Honestly the reason it tests fine but never fires for real isn't something on your end. Since around the Windows 8/10 era Microsoft stopped having the OS actually trigger the Windows Logon and Windows Logoff sound events at sign-in/out, even though the entries themselves still exist. The registry trick most guides point at (flipping ExcludeFromCPL to 0 under HKCU\AppEvents\EventLabels\WindowsLogon / WindowsLogoff) only unhides them in the Sounds list so you can assign a wav and Test it — but it doesn't bring back the OS firing them. So what you're seeing is basically the expected state now.

Note that the "Play Windows Startup sound" checkbox is a separate event (the boot chime), not the Logon sound. And on most setups Fast Startup will skip that chime on normal shutdowns, so it can stay silent for unrelated reasons.

If you really want sounds on logon/logoff, the workaround most people land on is Task Scheduler:

• Create a task with trigger At log on that runs a small VBS or PowerShell which plays your wav from C:\Windows\Media.
• A second task with trigger On workstation lock (or sign-out, depending on what fits) for the logoff sound.
• Untick Start the task only if the computer is on AC power so it fires on laptops too.

That route reliably works on current Windows 11. Let me know if you need any help.

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Answer 2

Windows system sounds such as Windows Logon, Logoff, and some other classic events are handled as sound events that are mapped to registry entries and played by the system using APIs like PlaySound. However, the context only documents how these events are defined and played programmatically, not how to force specific events (like Logon/Logoff) to trigger in current Windows versions.

The available information explains that:

• System sounds are sound events associated with registry keys such as SystemStart, SystemExit, etc.
• PlaySound and sndPlaySound can play these events when they are triggered by the OS or an application.
• Users can assign sounds to events via the Sounds control panel (which is what has already been done, as they play correctly when using Test).

There is no additional supported guidance in the context on why specific events like Windows Logon/Logoff might not fire in Windows 11 or how to re-enable them beyond assigning sounds and testing them.

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References:

• Using PlaySound to Play System Sounds
• Surface sound, volume, and audio accessories