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Remember, you must credit us/provide attribution when using our sounds/music in your work. An example would be:

Sound from Zapsplat.com

Remove the credit requirement and get more when you upgrade for just £4

• Quicker downloads (no more delays)
• Removal of the attribution requirement
• Higher quality sounds (get the wavs too)
• Thousands of extra sounds
• Lists, more results per page & ad free

Basic members can only download 3 sounds every 10 minutes to save bandwidth

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The 5 Best Free Sites to Download Windows Sound Effects

Learn how to change your Windows 10 sound scheme. Here are some of the best free sites to download Windows sound effects.

Windows will play a sound when you log on if your battery is running low and if you encounter an error. But what if you want to mix things up a bit and change the sound scheme for your computer?

Most people will change their wallpaper or screensaver, but let’s take it one step further by altering sound. A lightsaber swoosh when you receive an email? A famous movie quote when you shut down? The sky is the limit!

This guide will briefly walk you through how to change your sound scheme and point you to some of the best places to download alternative audio.

How to Alter Individual Sounds or Set a Scheme

It’s simple and quick to customize sound on Windows 10. You can edit specific sounds or build an entirely new sound scheme. To begin, press Windows key + I to open Settings and go to Settings > System > Sound > Sound control panel and switch to the Sounds tab.

Click a Program Event from the list, then click Browse. to locate the sound file. Repeat this for all the Program Events you want to change. When done, beneath Sound Scheme, click Save As. to name your scheme.

For more detail on how to set your sounds, check our customizing your Windows sound effects guide.

Top Resources for Windows Sound Downloads

Now you know how to customise your sound schemes, it’s just a case of picking out those perfect audio files. If you don’t have any suitable choices, take a gander at the list below for some free resources.

It’s important to note that you can only use .wav files for your audio files. If you’re using your own clips, rather than those from the specialized sites below, it’s likely they’ll be in .mp3 format or similar. Don’t fear, it’s not a problem—you’ll just need to convert your audio files before Windows will let them be used. Happily, you can use a handy free and online tool called media.io to convert your files.

These are some of the top resources we found, but be sure to visit the comment section below to add your own suggestions.

1. FindSounds

There’s a load of variety on offer at FindSounds because it searches all over the web to hunt down the audio. Whether you want your computer to play a different guitar chord for every event, fancy some animal noises to get you in the jungle spirit, or want a Simpsons makeover, FindSounds has got you covered.

FindSounds has been going strong for over 15 years and it continues to grow. Just type in what you’re looking for and click Search or you can view their list of examples to get the inspiration flowing.

2. Freesound

Freesound is incredibly active and new sounds are constantly being added from users all over the globe. There are over a quarter of a million sound effects and counting, making it a hugely varied source. There’s the standard stuff that you can expect, like nature noises and drum beats, but there are also more unusual choices like the ambient noise inside a walk-in freezer.

You don’t even have to convert anything since you can sort all the results by file type, meaning you can pick out the .wav files that’ll keep Windows happy. Also, there’s a feature that allows you to follow specific users or tags. You’ll then be notified whenever these are updated through weekly emails, which is great for those who like to keep their sounds fresh.

3. freeSFX

Sound effects and music tracks aplenty are on offer at freeSFX. Grab a comical squish, the chug of a train or the fax modem signal (just in case you miss the olden days.) There are even very specific, specialized noises, which make freeSFX a unique place.

There’s also a variety of royalty free music, should you want to opt for some lengthier tunes to accompany your Windows actions. You might want to use this as your log in sound in order to start the day with a track you enjoy—opting for smooth jazz, for example, is a sure-fire way to keep calm!

4. SoundBible

There are thousands of free sound effects for you to grab from SoundBible, with more added every week. A slot machine, race car, and ice cubes in a glass are just some of the sounds that you can download from their site.

If you can’t find a specific sound you want, they have a Patreon that you can pay to join and request something. Though chances are you’ll be able to find it in their archives already, or from one of the other sites suggested here.

5. BBC Sound Effects

The BBC has been broadcasting on the radio since the 1920s, which is probably longer than you’ve been alive. In that time they’ve collected together a vast array of sounds. Over 16,000, to be more precise.

Everything you can dream of—and more—can be found here, to an insanely specific measure. Interior noises at a seafood restaurant? Sure. Someone wiping a bar? Yes. The sound of acid blobs? I bet you want to know what that sounds like. Handily, you can easily find all of this and more through the categories and search box, then download straight to your computer.

Enhance Your Sound on Windows 10

Go forth and edit your Windows sound schemes to your heart’s content. You can make as many as you like, allowing you to switch things up when different moods strike.

Looking for even more audio advice? We’ve got you sorted, with our nifty sound enhancements for Windows 10.

Need to restore your Samsung Galaxy phone back to its factory settings? Here’s how to do it.

Joe was born with a keyboard in his hands and immediately started writing about technology. He has a BA (Hons) in Business and is now a full-time freelance writer who enjoys making tech simple for everyone.

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How to Customize Sounds on Windows 10 (And Where to Download Them)

Customize the sounds on Windows 10, find new sounds themes and schemes, and improve the sound quality of your computer.

Like any operating system, Windows 10 is full of little sounds and jingles. They’ll let you know if you make an error, receive a notification, complete a download, or when any other number of events occur.

Many people never bother to change their sound scheme. However, it’s quite straightforward to do.

We’re going to show you how to customize the sounds on Windows 10, how to find new sounds themes and schemes, and how to improve the sound quality on your machine.

Customize Audio Using Windows 10 Sound Settings

Firstly, let’s look at how you customize the audio using Windows 10 sound settings.

Despite an increasing number of options jumping over to the Settings app with every new release of the operating system, the menu for customizing sounds is still part of the Control Panel.

You can access the menu in two ways. Either head to Settings > System > Sound > Related settings > Sound control panel or open the Control Panel and click on Sound.

Whichever method you use, you should end up with the same window on your screen. Once it’s open, click on the Sound tab.

Windows 10 only comes with two native sound schemes: Windows Default and No Sounds. When you download more schemes and themes, they will become available in the Sound Scheme drop-down menu.

You can change individual sounds on a case-by-case basis for each program on the computer by using the list of events in the second drop-down menu. Choose a native sound from the list or click on Browse to select another sound file on your computer.

Once you’ve made your desired tweaks, click on Save As and give your new sound scheme a name.

Note: Sounds used within the Windows 10 operating system must be in the WAV format. If you have a custom sound file saved as MP3, WMA, or something else, you need to convert it into WAV before you can use it.

Download Windows 10 Sound Themes and Schemes

If you want to create an entirely customized sound scheme in Windows 10, you will need to change each sound to the desired output manually.

Perhaps a better way of customizing sounds on Windows 10 is to use a theme. Many of the themes in the Windows 10 store also come with their own sounds. You don’t even need to use the rest of the theme (such as wallpapers, colors, and mouse cursors).

The easiest place to find themes with custom sounds is in Microsoft’s official repository. Navigate to the store on your browser and select With custom sounds from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen.

There’s a large number to choose from; they cover everything from popular games to tranquil environments.

Download the theme and double click on the file to unpack it.

Once the theme is installed on your machine, the associated sound scheme will become available in the Sound Schemes drop-down menu that we discussed previously. You can remove the visual parts of the theme in Settings > Personalization > Themes.

Some other sites offer sound schemes, but due to changes in the Windows 10 architecture, you will need to download the WAV files then change each sound individually.

Save the new WAV files into C:\Windows\media, then click on Browse in the Sounds menu to choose the corresponding output. Save the scheme once you’ve finished.

How to Improve the Sound Quality on Windows

There’s no point in having an awesome sound scheme if the audio itself resembles something recorded off the radio in the 1990s.

Luckily, there are a few ways you can customize and improve the sound quality on Windows.

Method 1: Sound Equalizer on Windows 10

Windows 10 comes with a native sound equalizer. It’s somewhat primitive but will suffice for most people.

To use the tool, locate the speaker icon in the taskbar, right-click on it, and select Sounds. Next, select the Playback tab, find your speakers, right-click on them, and choose Properties.

On the Properties window, go to the Enhancements tab and mark the checkbox next to Equalizer on the menu.

You can select the equalizer effects from the menu in the Sound Effects Properties section.

Method 2: Sound Booster for Windows 10

A sound booster lets you increase your speaker’s volume above their maximum. Unless your speaker manufacturer has supplied you with proprietary software, you won’t have access to one.

There are very few free options available. You could try the Chrome extension Volume Booster, but it will only work for audio on the browser; it is not system-wide.

Arguably the best paid app is Lefasoft’s Sound Booster. The app costs $19.95, for a single-user license.

Warning: Sound boosters should be used for audio that is too quiet when your system’s audio is already at 100 percent volume. Setting the volume too high could irreparably damage your speakers.

Method 3: Windows 10 Sound Mixer

Today, there are two separate ways to view the same information, each of which has a different layout.

To access the Volume Mixer, either:

Right-click on the speaker icon in the taskbar and select Open Volume Mixer:

Or go to Settings > System > Sound > Other Sound Options > App volume and device preferences.

If you don’t have any other apps running, you’ll only see sliders for your speakers and the system sounds. However, any other apps playing audio will also show up on here, and you can edit their volume levels individually for specific apps as a percentage of the master volume.

In the example below, you can see Netflix and Chrome are also playing audio, and thus they appear in Volume Mixer.

Other Windows 10 Sound Settings

There are a few other sound settings you should know about. In Settings > System > Sound, you can choose your input and output speakers, test your microphone, and perform troubleshooting steps.

In Settings > Ease of Access > Audio you can enable mono output and choose to show audio alerts visually.

Indeed, the Ease of Access menu is full of other settings that all users will find useful. Check out our guide to the Ease of Access options on Windows if you would like to learn more.

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Dan joined MakeUseOf in 2014 and has been Partnerships Director since July 2020. Reach out to him for inquires about sponsored content, affiliate agreements, promotions, and any other forms of partnership. You can also find him roaming the show floor at CES in Las Vegas every year, say hi if you’re going. Prior to his writing career, he was a Financial Consultant.

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