Windows 10: Volume Mixer is coming to Windows 11's Quick Settings Panel, here's how to try it

Microsoft released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25281 to the Dev Channel today. While the update brought some changes to how Spotlight works, it also has a hidden feature, the Volume Mixer.


Now, this isn't a new feature per se, it has existed in many versions of the operating system. You may be aware that the Windows Game Bar (Win + G) has a refined set of options for controlling the audio. But the implementation of Volume Mixer in Windows 11 is about to change.

Volume Mixer is coming to Windows 11's Quick Settings Panel


The feature, which was spotted by Rafael Rivera of Stardock software, will soon allow users to access the Volume Mixer right from the Quick Settings Panel. It's slightly different to the legacy version.

You can try it if you want to by following these steps.

How to enable the Volume Mixer in Windows 11 Insider Preview


1. Install the latest Preview Build, which is 25281.

2. Download ViveTool and extract the archive to a folder. I'll be using the C:\ViveTool in this example.

3. Open PowerShell (or Command Prompt) with elevated rights, i.e. run as administrator.

4. Switch to the folder where ViveTool.exe is present. e.g. C:\ViVeTool

5. Paste the following command to enable the velocity feature for the Volume Mixer, and hit Enter.

.\vivetool /enable /id:42106010



6. Now, either reboot the computer, or kill the Explorer process from the Task Manager, and restart the process.

That's it, the feature has been enabled. To access it, click on the Volume icon on the Taskbar to bring up the Quick Settings panel. Click the icon next to the volume slider. You will notice that in addition to displaying your Sound output devices, this panel now has a new section called the Volume Mixer. It displays a slider for your primary output device, and a slider for every running application that is capable of audio output, such as your music player, video player, browser, screen recorder, etc.



Instead of turning down (or up) the main volume of your computer, you can use these sliders to control the sound level of each program. Click on an application's icon to mute it or unmute it.

It is quite similar to how EarTrumpet works, but a native feature would probably be better. I would argue that EarTrumpet still has a slight advantage because it supports shortcuts, and they are customizable to some extent.



I think the new design looks better than the old Volume Mixer. You can still right-click on the volume icon on the system tray and select Volume Mixer, it takes you to the corresponding section in the Settings app. But the new method is better, as you can not only access it faster, but allows you to change the settings without opening an app window.

The new Volume Mixer does not display the volume levels next to the sliders. So, in order to find out the current level, you need to mouse over the circle icon, which then shows a pop-ip with the number in it. This could be slightly annoying, and it's hopefully something that would be addressed before the feature begins rolling out to users. Speaking of which, we could see an official way to enable Experimental Features in Windows 11.

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Volume Mixer is coming to Windows 11's Quick Settings Panel, here's how to try it appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

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volume mixer in taskbar in WIndows 10

Hi Caroline,



The requirement of pinning Volume mixer to the taskbar is currently not available in Windows 10. However, you can view Volume mixer from the volume control icon located in the system tray.



Before we assist further, I would like to ask you a few questions:

• 
  Are you not able to see volume icon or the volume mixer on the computer?
  
• 
  If volume icon, have you enabled the option to show in the system tray?
  

If you want to view Volume mixer on the PC and have enabled volume icon on the system tray, follow the steps below and check if the issue is resolved.

• 
  Right click on the volume icon and select
  Open Volume Mixer from the context menu.
  
• 
  Check if the window is accessible on the computer.
  

Note: The option to pin Volume mixer to the taskbar is not currently available on the computer.



Write to us with the status of pinning Volume mixer on taskbar in the same post for further assistance. Your reply is most important for us to ensure we assist you accordingly.



Thank you.

 

Issues with the Volume mixer on windows 10.

Hi Margit,

I appreciate if you could answer few questions to narrow down to the issue.

1. What is the exact issue that you are facing?

2. Did you receive any error message?

3. Does that mean that the Volume mixer icon is not present on the desktop?

4. Are you facing this sound issue on any specific application, since you had mentioned Skype?

If the Volume mixer icon is missing from the desktop, this issue may arise when the notification for the Volume mixer is not turned on in the settings.

Please follow the below steps and check if that helps to resolve the issue.

• 
  Type Notifications in the Searchbar and select Notifications and action center.
  
• 
  Select the option “Select which icons appear on the taskbar”.
  
• 
  Make sure the Volume icon has been turned on from the settings.
  

If the issue still persists, I suggest you to download and install any pending updates that needs to be installed on the computer through Windows update and check if it helps to resolve the issue.

Hope that the information helps. Please do let us know whether you are able to retrieve the icon to the Action center. If the issue still persists, we will be glad to assist you.

Thank you.

 

Volume Mixer

Hi,

We would like to know more about your concern.

1. Are you getting an error message when using volume mixer with mic?

2. Have you made any changes to your computer?

You may also follow the steps below:

• Can you right click on Speaker Icon - Playback Properties -
• Click in blank area in box -
• Check show disabled devices & show disconnected devices - look around in there.

We suggest that you disable the Icon try to reboot your PC and then enable the icon. You may also need to reinstall your sounds driver.

Let us know the outcome.