Windows 10 sound settings

Get virtual surround sound on your headphones, choose which speakers play what, use your PC as a PA system, and turn on karaoke mode

Switch on surround sound

The Windows 10 Creators Update (released in April 2017) introduced a feature to replicate surround sound played through headphones. It’s disabled by default, so to give your ears a treat, right-click the speaker icon in the notification area at the bottom right of your desktop, then select ‘Open Sound settings’.

Make sure your speakers are selected in the ‘Choose your output device’ section, then click the blue ‘Device properties’ link. In the window that appears, click the ‘Spatial sound’ tab, select ‘Windows Sonic for Headphones’ from the list (see screenshot below), then tick the ‘Turn on 7.1 virtual surround sound’ box. Click OK.

The enhanced audio is best experienced with a set of over-ear headphones and gives extra depth to movie soundtracks and games, creating a virtual surroundsound effect. You won’t notice much difference when listening to music, though. Once set up, the feature can be switched on or off by right-clicking the speaker icon in the notification area.

Pick speakers for each program

It’s not uncommon to have multiple speakers connected to your computer. For example, you may have headphones attached, along with the speakers in your monitor and a Bluetooth headset. You can tell Windows which speakers you want each program to use by right-clicking the speaker icon in the notification area of your desktop and selecting ‘Open Sound

settings’. Scroll down to ‘Other sound options’, then click ‘App volume and device preferences’.

In the window that appears, you’ll see the ‘Master volume’ at the top (adjusting the slider changes the volume of all audio). The Output and Input boxes to the right let you choose the default speaker and microphone devices.

In the App section, you can select the speakers (and their volume) for each program you have open. Click the Reset button to set all programs to full volume on your default speakers.

You can only change settings for programs currently playing audio, but the levels and default speakers will be saved so you only need to change them once.

Mute all other audio when you take a call

Windows will automatically drop audio by 80 per cent when it detects you’re using your computer to make or receive a call. If you prefer to have complete silence while you’re on a call, right-click the speaker icon in the notification area, select Sounds, then click the Communications tab. Next, select the ‘Mute all other sounds’ option, then click OK. You’ll now be able to take calls without being disturbed by Windows system sounds, music or any other audio.

Turn your PC into a loudspeaker

To play audio from an external source (such as an old cassette player)

through your computer speakers, right-click the speaker icon in the notification area, then select Sounds. In the resulting window, select the Recording tab to see all input devices. Depending which socket you’ve plugged your sound source into, right-click either Line-in or Microphone, then select Properties. Next, in the Listen tab, tick the ‘Listen to this device’ box (see screenshot below), then click OK. When you press play on your sound source, the audio will be played through to your computer’s speakers.

To turn your computer into a PA system, select Microphone and turn on ‘Listen to this device’. To avoid drowning in a sea of feedback, ensure the speakers aren’t too close to the microphone (Bluetooth speakers are ideal).