Get the old Windows volume mixer back in Windows 10

Related Articles

Alienware m18 Review: A Big and Bold Gaming Beast

April 4, 2023

Remarkable Type Folio Review: Works Well, but Not in the Dark

April 4, 2023

Best E Ink Tablets for 2023: Devices Made for Reading and Writing

March 2, 2023

In Windows 10, everything looks just a little bit different — including the icons and pop-ups from the system tray. There’s a new calendar, a new “Action Center,” and a new volume mixer — one that slides horizontally instead of vertically.

If you find yourself missing the old vertical volume mixer from Windows 8.1 and earlier, I have good news for you: Getting the old-school volume mixer back is just a quick Registry tweak away.

Warning: This trick involves editing the Windows Registry, and misediting the Registry can cause your computer to stop functioning. So if you are not completely comfortable editing the Registry, I suggest sticking with the Windows 10 volume mixer for now.

1. Go to Start > All apps > Windows System > Run. Type regedit in the Run textbox and press Enter. This will open the Registry Editor.

2. Inside the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows NT > CurrentVersion > MTCUVC. If you do not see MTCUVC, right-click on CurrentVersion and choose New > Key. Name the new key MTCUVC.

3. Right-click MTCUVC and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Name this new DWORD EnableMtcUvc and leave the Value data at 0.

4. Log out of your Windows account and log back in. Click the speaker icon in your system tray and you should see your old-school Windows mixer. (You may not need to log out to see this; for many users it works instantly.)