In a bid to set apart the overall feel for how the desktop looks and sounds during the later hours of the day, Microsoft has decided to implement new sounds that better reflect the desktop’s appearance, alongside the taskbar and wallpaper utilizing darker colors. As Microsoft told BleepingComputer (opens in new tab) recently, the aim is to provide a calm experience while still being able to notify users of whatever they need to hear. “Windows 10 sounds were sharp, literally created with sharp wave lengths. In Windows 11, we have focused on making the technology calm. In order to do this, we needed to reevaluate our soundscape to also be calm,” explained Microsoft in the interview. The Microsoft spokesperson from the audio team went on to explain that, “the new sounds have a much rounder wavelength, making them softer so that they can still alert/notify you, but without being overwhelming…Just like we rounded UI visually, we rounded our soundscape as well to soften the overall feel of the experience.”
Windows 11 Dark Mode
When using Light Mode, you’ll get brighter and louder sounds while Dark Mode offers more quiet and subdued audio that offers a slight echo. The thinking is that ‘Dark Sounds’ help you stay in focus while ‘Light Sounds’ mean you’re always engaged. Windows 11’s launch date was recently announced as October 5 (opens in new tab) but we’ve spent much of the summer looking at the top 10 new features in Windows 11 (opens in new tab) as well as comparing the differences between Windows 11 vs Windows 10 (opens in new tab) so you know whether it’s worth upgrading or not. While a softer sounding Dark Mode might not seem like a killer feature just yet, it could be useful for those users trying to divide up their working environment. For instance, if you’re using your home computer (opens in new tab) for both working from home and for downtime in the evenings, psychologically, this could be exactly what you need to mentally unwind a bit more easily. We should know more about how effectively it works once Windows 11 is launched publicly on October 5.
