Disable The Ubuntu Login Sound (Ubuntu 10.04 through 11.10)

Since we just covered how to turn off the Windows Startup Sound in either Windows Vista or Windows 7 (in this article), it seemed only fair to show Ubuntu users how to accomplish the same thing. Unlike Windows, which has the same set of instructions for either Windows Vista or Windows 7, Ubuntu users will first need to select which version of Ubuntu they're using. Ubuntu 11.10 (the most recent version from October of 2011), has one set of steps (a single step, actually), while those still using version 10.04, 10.10 or 11.04 will have an additional step.

Ubuntu 11.10

We'll start with Ubuntu 11.10. As mentioned, there is only one step necessary.

First, open up the Dash and then search for Startup Applications.

The following window will soon appear (it may look different, of course, depending on how many startup applications you have, as well as your theme).

Simply look for the GNOME Login Sound entry and ensure its checkbox is not checked.

Unchecking the checkbox, as opposed to deleting the actual entry, will turn off the login sound, but still leave open the possibility of reactivating it at a later time, simply by checking the box. Once you've unchecked the box, close the Startup Applications window. You're finished! The next time you start up, you shouldn't hear anything.

Changing this setting not only stops the login sound from playing when your Desktop loads, but also the sound of drums that plays when the login screen is ready for you to enter your username and password.

Ubuntu 10.04, 10.10 and 11.04

In Ubuntu 10.04, 10.10 and 11.04, on the other hand, you'll need to tweak a couple things, as turning off the login sound as we just did only stops the login sounds that play when your Desktop loads, but not the drums mentioned above at the login screen itself.

Here's the procedure.

First, navigate to the System Menu, then to Preferences, and finally to the Startup Applications entry.

This will look nearly identical to the one we just showed; the main difference may be that your older versions of Ubuntu had more entries visible.

Just as before, uncheck the GNOME Login Sound entry.

Once this is done, there's one additional step, necessary to remove the drums sound at the login screen.

As before, go to the System menu, only this time find the Login Screen control panel under the Administration menu.

Once there, you'll see this window, with all options grayed out, as the settings are locked.

Go ahead and click the Unlock button.

Now enter your administrator password.

Finally, make sure the Play login sound entry is unchecked.

Finally, close all your windows. The next time you logout and back in, restart or boot up, the process will be silent.

And that's it! Older versions have a couple hoops to jump through in order to get a completely silent boot process, while newer ones have a procedure that's a bit more streamlined. Regardless, it's not too difficult, and booting up in public places, only to get annoyed looks at a loud bootup sound should be a thing of the past.