Windows 8 In Depth

Controlling an Application’s Volume

Controlling the system volume is the easiest way to get the sound level you need, but in many cases it’s not the best way. For example, suppose you’re waiting for an important email message, so you set up Windows Live Mail to play a sound when an email message comes in. Suppose further that you’re also using Windows Media Player to play music in the background. If you get a phone call, you want to turn down or mute the music. If you mute the system volume, you mute the music playback but you also mute other system sounds, including Windows Live Mail’s audio alerts. So, while you’re on the phone, there’s a good chance that you’ll miss that important message you’ve been waiting for.

The Windows 8 solution to ...