You Can Try the New Windows 11 Volume Mixer Before It’s Released
You have multiple audio sources running at any given time on your PC, but there’s no convenient way to manage them all. Yes, Windows has a lot of advanced audio settings , and there is a volume mixer, but none of them are available, which has led many people to use third-party solutions. It looks like Microsoft is no longer happy with this arrangement and is now testing a new volume mixer that can be accessed from anywhere.
How Microsoft’s new volume mixer works in Windows 11
Microsoft announced the new Volume Mixer as part of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25309 on Thursday, March 2nd. The updated mixer is now in the quick settings on the taskbar, accessible at any time by pressing the volume button or the new keyboard shortcut. , VIN+CTRL+V . This is a big improvement over the current location of the volume mixer , which can be found by right-clicking on the volume icon and selecting “Open volume mixer”.
But the improvements don’t end there. While you certainly have access to each audio source and their respective volume levels, you’ll also find all available audio outputs in case you want to quickly switch from your PC’s speakers to your headphones. You will also see the spatial audio settings here, if available.
However, if you have a favorite third-party solution, you can continue to use it. As Tom Warren of The Verge tweeted , these improvements are welcome, but not as good as something like EarTrumpet , which makes it easy to assign different audio outputs to different programs.
How to try out the new Windows volume mixer
To try out the updated Volume Mixer sooner, you’ll need to become a Windows Insider. Specifically, you’ll need to sign up for the Dev Channel, which Microsoft uses to distribute the latest features and changes to Insiders. Because the Dev Channel is at the forefront of Windows, you’re at greater risk for bugs and other issues with unfinished software. Unfortunately, Microsoft is not yet making the volume mixer available on the Beta Channel or the Windows Release Preview channel, so if you’d like to try it out, check out the Dev channel.
Microsoft is also releasing Volume Mixer, so it may not hit your computer right away. However, since this feature was announced yesterday, the sooner you get into the dev channel, the better your chances of getting the mixer.
[ Fringe ]