How to Add a New Mail Sound for Gmail

Hear a sound notification when new Gmail messages arrive

By
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
  • University of Vienna
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
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Updated on April 10, 2023
Reviewed by
Jon Fisher
Jon Fisher headshot
Reviewed by Jon Fisher
  • Wichita Technical Institute
Jonathan Fisher is a CompTIA certified technologist with more than 6 years' experience writing for publications like TechNorms and Help Desk Geek.
lifewire's editorial guidelines

What to Know

  • With Notifier for Gmail installed, select Extensions next to the Chrome navigation bar.
  • Choose Options and select Play alert sound for new emails in the Notifications section.
  • Change the sound in the drop-down menu and exit.

This article explains how to enable Gmail sound notifications using the Notifier for Gmail extension for Chrome. It includes information for enabling a pop-up notification for Gmail and sound notifications for other email providers.

How to Enable a New Mail Sound for Gmail

If you want to hear a new email sound when you use Gmail in your desktop web browser, you can make that happen—just not in Gmail itself.

Since Gmail doesn't support pushing sound notifications through a web browser, you must install a third-party program like Notifier for Gmail (a Chrome extension).

If you're using the Notifier for Gmail Chrome extension:

  1. Select Extensions next to Chrome's navigation bar, then select More actions (three vertical dots) and choose Options.

    Options menu item for Notifier for Gmail.

  2. Scroll down to the Notifications section and make sure Play alert sound for new emails is selected.

    Play alert sound for new emails.

  3. Change the sound using the drop-down menu.

    Notifier for Gmail settings screen highlighting Play alert sound for new emails and Default sound notification drop-down menu

  4. Exit the window when you're done. The changes are saved automatically.

You can also change your notification sounds on Android or change the new mail sound on iOS to achieve a similar effect in those mobile apps.

If you use Gmail through a downloadable email client like Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird, or eM Client, you make the sound change from within those programs.

How to Enable a Pop-Up Notification

You can set Gmail to display a pop-up notification when new email messages arrive in Chrome, Firefox, or Safari when you are signed in to Gmail and have it open in the browser. Just turn on that setting in Gmail by selecting the Settings icon then choosing See all settings and going to General > Desktop Notifications. The notification is not accompanied by a sound. 

How to Change Gmail Notification Sounds in Other Email Clients

You can turn on notification sounds for Outlook email messages in the FILE > Options > Mail menu, with the Play a sound option from the Message arrival section. To change the sound, open Control Panel and search for "sound". Open the Sound Control Panel applet and modify the New Mail Notification option from the Sounds tab.

Mozilla Thunderbird users can go through a similar process to change the new mail alert noise.

For other email clients, look somewhere in the Settings or Options menu. Remember to use an audio file converter if your notification sound isn't in the correct audio format for the program.

FAQ
  • How do I turn on notification sounds for Gmail?

    To turn Gmail notification sounds on and off, open the Gmail app and tap Menu > Settings > your email > Email notifications. 

  • Can I get a Gmail notification when a specific person emails me?

    No, but you can set your email notifications to High priority only. You can then mark messages as high priority to get notifications when you receive emails from certain senders, but you can't set different notifications for specific senders.

  • How do I set up Gmail notifications on my desktop?

    To get Gmail notifications on your PC's desktop, go to Settings > See all settings > General. Under Desktop Notifications, choose an option, and select Click here to enable desktop.

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