Windows has frequently made managing multiple audio devices a hassle. Over the years, Microsoft has tried to improve the experience in a few ways. In 2021, for example, the company simplified how Windows 10 categorized Bluetooth devices. In spite of those efforts, it often feels like the OS doesn’t make switching between audio outputs and managing sound levels as easy as they should be.
For instance, I wish Windows 11’s Quick Setting panel would allow me to adjust audio levels on a per-app basis. Thankfully, Microsoft is finally preparing to solve that minor annoyance for Windows users. This week, the company detailed the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview and it just so happens to include a redesigned Quick Settings volume mixer.
The updated interface element not only allows you to switch between audio devices but you can also use it to enable spatial sound and adjust volume output on a per-app basis, two things you can’t do with the current design. What’s more, Microsoft has added a dedicated shortcut to make accessing the feature faster. Once you have access to the volume mixer, press the Windows, Ctrl and V keys on your keyboard at the same time to open it.
Testers need to open the Quick Settings panel to access it after clicking the volume icon in the Windows tray or use the new global keyboard shortcut (WIN + CTRL + V) for even faster control. “The updated audio quick settings experience brings a modern volume mixer that allows for quick customization of audio on a per-app basis, with additional control to swap devices on the fly,” the Window Insider team said.
“With this change, you can now tailor your audio experience better with more control and fewer clicks to better manage your favorite apps.” While Redmond just announced it, the feature has been available since at least January (as discovered by Windows Insider PhantomOcean), and it could be enabled using the ViVe tool developed by Windows enthusiast Albacore. If not yet obvious, Microsoft’s implementation is very similar to the highly popular EarTrumpet volume control utility for Windows, but it’s still lacking an audio visualizer.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about the new volume mixer. Prior to Microsoft’s official announcement, the feature leaked last month after it was discovered within an experimental flag of a Windows 11 test build. It may also look familiar to anyone who’s used EarTrumpet — a third-party volume control app for Windows created almost five years ago to “fill a number of gaps in the audio management experience on Windows 10.”
There’s currently no word on a public release date for the Windows volume mixer. Microsoft says it isn’t even available to all Insiders in the Dev Channel “just yet,” allowing the company to monitor feedback before making the feature more widely available. Still: better late than never for Microsoft to catch up to third-party options.
