Jul 05, 2017 How do I turn off the annoying sounds when I send a message or create a new email in Office 365/2016 Outlook? This also happens when I switch folders. I only experienced this recently so these sound effects must have been added in the June 2017 update of Office 365. Turn the notification sound when new messages arrive on or off. On the Tools menu, click Options. On the Preferences tab, click E-mail Options, and then click Advanced E-mail Options. Under When new items arrive in my Inbox, select or clear the Play a sound check box.
Enable or disable the Microsoft Outlook 2016 email notification sound setting using these steps.
Windows Settings
Go to “Control Panel” > “Hardware and Sound” > “Sounds“. From there, you can select “Desktop Mail Notification” and “New Mail Notification” in the list, then use the “Sounds” dropdown menu to select a desired sound. You can also select “Browse…” to select almost any WAV formatted sound.
Outlook 2016 Client Settings
Fix 1 – Main Setting
From Outlook, select “File” > “Options“.
Select “Mail” in the left pane.
In the “Message arrival” area is a setting for When new messages arrive. Check or uncheck the “Play a sound” box.
Also ensure the “Show New Mail Desktop Alert” selection is chosen. Check by right-clicking the Outlook icon in the taskbar (near the time).
Fix 2 – Mail Rules
From Outlook, select the “Home” tab.
Select “Rules” > “Manage Rules & Alerts“.
Ensure all rules listed here are set to play a sound. A speaker will show on the line for that rule if the rule is set to play a sound. If there is no speaker, select the rule, then choose “Change Rule” > “Play a Sound…” then choose the sound you wish to play.
Windows Volume Setting
Ensure the sound is working on your computer. Right-click the speaker icon down by the time, then choose “Open Mixer Volume“. from there, make sure “System Sounds” is turned up where it can be heard. Also make sure it is set to use a valid WAV file, and that your speakers are plugged in and powered on.
Also ensure that Outlook is turned up where it can be heard.
Outlook Web Access (OWA)
Login to your Outlook Web Access site.
Select the gear icon located at the upper-right corner, then choose “Options“.
Select “Settings” on the left pane.
Scroll down to the “message options” section, and select or de-select “Play a sound when new items arrive” as desired.
FAQ
I don’t have these options. Why can’t I find this setting?
You are probably using an older version of Outlook like 2007 or 2003. Under those versions you go to “Tools” > “Options“ > “Preferences”> “E-mail Options“ > “Advanced E-mail Options“ > “When new items arrive in my Inbox“ > “Play a sound”.