Replace Windows Alert Sounds with Visual Cues [How To]

If your hearing isn’t what it used to be or you’re in a noisy environment, you may find you’re not hearing audible notifications when you’re using Windows. If, when a sound would normally notify you, you’d like to be visually notified, you can turn on visual cues alongside audio cues.

Enable Visual Cues for System Notifications

To enable visual cues alongside audible notifications:
1. Click the Start button, type ease, and click Ease of Access Center

2. Click Use text or visual alternatives for sounds

3. Check Turn on visual notifications for sounds (Sound Sentry), choose to flash the caption bar, active window, or desktop:
Note: You can also use text captions for spoken dialogue

Now, when you trigger an alert sound, your desktop (or window or caption bar) will flash:

To disable queues, simply uncheck the Turn on visual notifications for sounds (Sound Sentry) option and click OK.

Customize which Sounds/Visual Cues You Use

You may want to adjust sound settings to stop audio cues when you’re browsing through Windows Explorer for example (it can be annoying browsing folders with the screen constantly flashing.) To customize the sounds and visual cues used:
1. Click the Start button, type sound and click Change system sounds
2. On the Sounds tab, click the sound you want to disable and select (None)

3. Click OK to save changes

Create a Shortcut to a Program or Folder on Your Desktop or Start Menu [Beginner Tip]

Most programs put a shortcut on your start menu or desktop when they’re installed. However, if you accidentally remove this shortcut or need to create a shortcut to a commonly used folder, this guide will show you the basics:

• Create a shortcut on your desktop
• Create a shortcut on the start menu

Hint: If you’re not sure where the program or folder is located, use the search box in Windows Explorer (Start > Computer or Windows Key + E)

Create a Shortcut on Your Desktop

Here are two easy ways to create a shortcut on your desktop:

Method 1: Send to Desktop (Create Shortcut)

1. Open Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E) and navigate to the desired program or folder
2. Right click the program or folder and click Send to > Desktop (create shortcut)

Method 2: ALT Key and Drag and Drop

1. Minimize all current Windows (Windows Key + D)
2. Open Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E) and navigate to the desired program or folder
3. Hold the ALT key, click the program/folder, and drag it over your desktop:

Note: You do not need to hold ALT to create a shortcut for programs but it’s good practice so you don’t relocate any files by accident

Create a Shortcut on the Start Menu

Here are two ways to create a shortcut on your start menu:

Method 1: Pin Program to Start Menu (Windows 7 only)

1. Open Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E) and navigate to the desired program or folder
2. Right click the program and click Pin to Start Menu

Method 2: ALT Key and Drag and Drop

1. Open Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E) and navigate to the desired program or folder
2. Hold the ALT key, click the program/folder, drag it over the Start button (wait for the menu to pop up), hold the icon over All Programs (wait for all Programs to show), and drop the icon on the start menu: