Windows 11 hides several useful sound controls behind the expanded quick settings panel. Switching between headphones and speakers now takes several clicks, and the volume levels may be very different between devices. Is there a way to access the audio device selector or classic sound options more directly from the taskbar?
2 Answers
EarTrumpet is a handy solution for this. It adds a taskbar volume control that lets you quickly choose the output device and adjust volume for each device without digging through the full Windows quick settings panel.
You can create a shortcut to the classic sound control panel and pin it to the taskbar. Create a text file containing `mmsys.cpl`, save it with a `.bat` extension, and make a desktop shortcut to it. In the shortcut properties, change the target to `explorer "C:PathToYourFile.bat"`. After applying the change, right-click the shortcut and choose the option to pin it to the taskbar. You can remove the desktop shortcut afterward.
I use this too—it brings back a much more convenient audio switcher and makes changing between a headset and speakers nearly instant.