Revealed: Why Microsoft turned off Windows 10 startup sound by default
With every Windows release, Microsoft nixed quite a bit of famous features, and apparently that included startup sound. When the brand new Windows 10 or Windows 8 device power on, they don’t make the familiar startup chime we’ve come to know and love in previous versions, such as Windows 7 and XP.
Jensen Harris, who worked as the director of the Windows User Experience (WUE) team, recently explained why the company turn off the startup sound on Windows 8 and Windows 10 by default.
The startup sound is still included on Windows 10, but it’s disabled by default. According to a former Microsoft employee, Jensen Harris, startup sound was axed because modern Windows devices work a little differently now – they can be used anytime and anywhere, and that startup sound can disrupt a meeting or class while trying to restart a computer.
Mostly, this was the result of the transition into a new world where PCs are more like your mobile device—always on, ready to go and can be used anywhere.
