How-To Geek
Turn Off Windows Explorer Click Sounds in Windows 7 or Vista
The Windows Explorer click sounds are enough to drive you crazy after a while. You’d think that the configuration option to turn them off would be a checkbox saying “Stop Annoying Me”, but that’s just not the case.
To open up the sounds configuration panel quickly, just type in mmsys.cpl into the start menu search box, and hit enter. You could also go to the Sounds and Audio devices in Control Panel, or even type Sound into the search box.
Click the Sounds tab and then browse down in the list to “Start Navigation”
You’ll see that the dropdown box has “Windows Navigation Start.wav” selected. Change this to (None) at the top of the list.
Hit OK and your annoyance is over with.
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Comments (77)
Programmer by day, geek by night, The Geek, also known as Lowell Heddings, spends all his free time bringing you fresh geekery on a daily basis. You can follow him on Google+ if you'd like.
- Published 02/10/07
Thank you!!! I just bought a new Dell notebook loaded with Windows Vista Home Premium and I kept worrying that my hard drive was about to crash. I kept hearing this annoying clicking and just assumed that it was my hard drive. I knew it didn’t sound like a normal hard drive so I was actually thinking of calling Dell and complaining. I had no idea the sound was being generated by Windows. You saved my nerves!!
Very helpful, thank you!
@Dwayne
That’s hillarious!
thank good its now gone it was driving me mad
This didn’t work for me. It’s driving me mad. When i go to empty the junk folder in mail i still get the beeps.
Hi,
This didn’t work for me either. There’s a “None” on all the settings in my Sounds, however, that annoying click is always present whenever I open any window in any program, or when a new tab or window opens in IE, or in control panel, or any other program whatsoever. I had just installed the Windows Vista Basic Home.
Any hints will be appreciated!
Thanks!
I just installed Firefox 3 & the click came back just for Firefox. I figured it out. FF has a hidden setting that enabled the click. Go to:
About:Config
in the FF navigation bar
Then search “sound”
Then delete the setting for “browser.link.click_sound_url”.
Restart FF & you’re set.
Thank you! That noise was driving me nuts.
Thanks,
did not realize the annoying clicks were also in my recordings from mixer -wave input.
I routnely delete ALL wav files ona new install. There are NO default msft sounds I care to hear.
Thank you. That got rid of the annoying clicking sound.
All hail The How-To Geek.
That is great!
FYI, after removing the sound for “start navigation”, in vista you may still have to configure “complete navigation” … hope that helps ….
I’m running Vista 32 bit. I’m still getting those annoying beeps when
selecting, opening and deleting emails. Any additional advice?
How do you configure Vista “complete navigation”?
Thanks…. I can use Internet Explorer Again!!!
You can also just mute “Windows sounds” on your volume mixer… I did that after 10 minutes dealing with the little noises.
Thanks so much! When my music is playing loud, the overpowering clicks are just ridiculous!
If you cannot turn this sound off due to a group policy restriction, you can replace or rename the .wav file in the c:\windows\media\ directroy.
This did not work for me. Every time I click on anything, I hear an annoying clicking sound. It seems to be coming from my mouse. Any ideas?
Thanks you soooo much for this quick fix. I found it via a google search of these terms: “vista annoying click sound” Just confirms my belief that microsoft is completely nuts.
thanks !!! Strange setting “start navigation”…oh well, it worked
Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you BLESS YOU MY CHILD thank you thank thank you…..!!!
Thanks so much!
I had looked in there before but didn’t identify start navigation as the culprit!
YES YES YES !!!!!!
Thank You!
AAAAHHHHHH!!!!
I use vista business and keep turning windows sounds off (like i used to with XP) but every time I reboot they are tuned back on. Is this something to do with not having full user rights for a reg key?
Thanks,
Thanks, is was especially annoying when having a popup blocker turned on and getting eight on nine “clicks” seemingly out of nowhere, glad I found this.
Thank you!!! I have had this computer for a while (it’s XP) and it didn’t make the noise until just today, I looked up this and did this in XP, and finally got rid of the annoying sound!
Thanks very much that was doing my head in im on windows 7 :)
Thanks so much for the help!!! It is very much appreciated!!!!
Mmmm, have chose none ‘ok’ & or ‘apply’ but it still clicks …gah…so annoying am going to go on ‘search’ and delete all wav files…will it fix it? I shall report back.
Well I went ‘search’ and lost my nerve to delete all and the windows tour sounds are really trancey! Anyway I listened to them all and the closest was a quieter (maybe the media player volume was lower) wav file ‘Windows xp start’ (4.00kb) I thought it was an ‘xpmenu’ one so very similar. Anyway have surfed around since deleting without CLICKING….Hurrah, though it is a bit disconcerting at first. One more tip…. I thought it was possibly the ‘xpmenu’ wav at first and kicked it out of the recycle bin so have lost that one IF you are unsure dont delete the sound will not play as I found out with the culprit ‘windows xpstart’ once it is in the bin.
P.s Obviously delete from recycle bin once you have nailed the varmint
On ‘search’ I went on files and folders and went .wav
very helpfull thanks !
Thanks to you and god , i was mad and was thinking that there are trojan and virus in my computer dropping cookies all the time even though i have top #1 antivirus software installed on my windows 7 pro updated till date, i still hear the sounds which drove me crazy….and disturbing..your tip helped me . Thanks to you again and Happy New Year , may god bless you with all the success this year. :)
These short tips are so sweet. Thanks
Thank you!!!
Handy hint to stop that annoying noise!
:D
THANK YOU !!!!!!!
Wow, less than a day after upgrading from XP to Win7, and I was about to lose my mind with that beep! Thanks so much!
God, THANK YOU. I was about to smash my computer to little pieces.
Thanks, that click sound annoyed the hell outta me
Thank You Very Much . It has indeed been a great help .. God Bless You . Keep the good work going on brother !
Turning sounds off did not remove the explorer click sound for me (xp sp2).
I made a sub folder in C:\Windows\Media\ called Sounds Off and moved all the .wav files there.
The system can’t find the files so the sounds are gone.
Thank you, Budgie, for the idea.
I want to daily email check help to me.
God bless you!
Thank you so much. Just about to beat my head against my desk if I had to listen to that noise one more time….You’ve saved me…:)
Thank you!!!!!
Thank You!!!!!!
I have been looking for that “THING” forever….
Cheers
Gale
i just removed that particular “windows start navigation.wav” file from C:\Windows\Media\ …..& its gone….just delete it…n dat annoying sound will b away frm your life…!!!!!!!!!! Relaxed…..
Thanks …much nicer …
Thanks soo much, click! I made a folder and moved the sounds there like you said and voila!!! Great stuff…
Haha I put tada.wav. ;)
Now I’m going to kill myself !!
bless you my son ;-}
i am free of the god-forsaken noise.
do you think bill does things like that on purpose?
you know, to get back at the world because he was an abused nerd in high school.
anyway, thank you for your help.
Even after doing all that has been suggested above…..I am STILL getting this ‘ticking/clicking’ – even after moving .wav files that sounded even remotely similar to it. (HELP!!! IT’S DRIVING ME INSANE)
Does anyone have any other suggestions? I just noticed it yesterday. I’m getting ready to submit a ticket to our IT group, but if I can fix it – I’d rather do that then have them think I’m nuts!!
OMG! Thank you, not sure how it got turned on but if you’re a moron and enjoy that noice then you probably need a life!! thanks for the help here bud/bud-ette’s.
Wow, that is so annoying. Thanks for helping me from going insane!
thank god. i was going crazying hearing things
A massive thanks to LAWRENCE! i tried that selecting “NONE” in the settings but found windows just kept turning it on? so i found the file in C:\WINDOWS\Media and just deleted it, then emptied the recyle bin, hey presto it shut up!!
Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnnnnkkkkkkkkkkkkkk You.
Gracias mi amigo
Turn Off Windows Explorer Click Sounds in Windows 7 or Vista
Thanks a lot
Thankyou so much,that was really helpfull :0)
Ahhhhhhh – much better. Thanks – much more zen like now!!!!
thank god for that. i was about to launch my new laptop
My name says it all!!!
Thank you.
selecting “NONE” in the settings would not work for me either-windows just kept turning it on. so I took Paul Johnson’s suggestion and found the file in C:\WINDOWS\Media and just deleted it and it did the trick. thxs Paul!
ok,the sound is disabled,but what’s the reason??
this doesn’t fix the problem-we just can’t hear it,but it’s still here…
Thank it works. gre, you have disabled sound, You cant delete sound. People who cant find none is not looking hard enough, clikc dropdown menu and at top is None.
Thanks. This was really helpful. For those of you who are trying to turn off the sounds in the list one at a time, and it gives you errors, go to the top of the list, click the name of the list, and select “no sound.”
Cheers mate that was really easy and helpful
greatly appreciated – majorly annoying : ) i had found the sound location section but didn’t get that it was listed as “start navigation.”
Seriously, why would windows apply a sound for navigation on Windows Explorer. That is such an annoying sound. They should fire the guy who thought it’ll be a great idea to remind people they have go to another folder. Stupid windows.
Steve said:
AAAAHHHHHH!!!!
I use vista business and keep turning windows sounds off (like i used to with XP) but every time I reboot they are tuned back on. Is this something to do with not having full user rights for a reg key?
I’m having the exact same problem, but i’m using Windows XP Pro SP3, has anyone found a solution to this annoyance ?
Nvm i found a solution elsewhere, was too simple to think about xD
“Find the sound file and delete it. You can find it in C:\WINDOWS\Media Just look for the name of the sound you don’t want and rename the file or delete it with vengeance as i did.”
Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thankyou,spent hours trying to turn sound off until i found you.
OMG! Thank you so much! I tried everything I could think of to get rid of that annoying sound. Finally, something that works and was so easy to do. I new the problem was in sound but no idea which one on the list was the source of the problem. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! :)
HAAAAA !! What a relief ! Thanks you !
Thanks, windows is NOT user-friendly, but you are!!