How To Increase the Windows Volume

Introduction

You have more control over the volume in the Windows operating system than you may think. Normally, you control volume within a playback application by pressing an up or down symbol on a button. Some applications also have volume sliders, where you use the mouse cursor to pull a bar from the left to right to increase the volume. These simple actions of moving the volume control to the right or upward should satisfy increasing the sound level, but it often falls short of what most PC users expect.

The problem for most people may be if they have more than one application open in the Windows operating system. First, consider that Windows has its own volume settings, separate and apart from other installed applications. As you open an application, maybe to listen to music or watch a movie, Windows is responsible for both its sound settings as well as the sound settings from the other applications that you currently have open.

As an example of how complicated sound control can become on a PC, imagine that you are navigating to a video or file sharing website to look at someone's post, such as Youtube.com. When you play a video from a website, it is using both the installed Internet browser, as well as a plug in application, such as Adobe Flash Player, in order to play both the video and audio on the screen. The Windows OS can not adequately regulate the sound in so many sound-capable applications that are active on the screen.

If you are having trouble increasing the volume, you can follow a few general steps that will hopefully remedy the problem.

Step 1

Hover your mouse over the notification area icons on the taskbar at the bottom right hand corner of the Windows desktop. As you move over each icon you should see a "Volume" or "Sound" pop up from the taskbar. Double-click on this icon, which may open a new dialog box in the middle of the screen or simply open a larger menu that is rooted to the taskbar. The difference lies in which operating system you use, such as Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7.

Step 2

Drag the volume indicator to the highest level, if it is not already at the top or farthest to the right of the slider. This increases the volume in Windows for the most basic operating system functions.

Step 3

Move the slider up to increase the level for other applications that appear in the volume dialog box that appears on the screen. For example, if you are watching a video in Firefox or Internet Explorer, Windows might temporarily create a volume control for those applications while they are active. 

Step 4

Turn the dial on the frame of your laptop or desktop computer to increase the volume in Windows. Sometimes this physical volume control is independent of the controls in the OS.

 

Step 5

Increase the volume on your external speakers, if they have a volume control. Again, this control may be independent of Windows.

Tips

Be careful not to harm your hearing as you increase the volume in Windows.

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