ShowSounds: Display Captions for Speech and Sounds

ShowSounds is an accessibility feature which instructs programs that usually convey information only by sound to also provide all information visually, such as by displaying text captions or informative icons. This procedure tells you how to turn on ShowSounds through Accessibility Options in Control Panel.

Mouse actions

Keyboard actions

On the Start menu:

Select Control Panel

Display the Start menu by pressing CTRL+ESC (or the Windows logo key ).

Select Control Panel by pressing C.

In Control Panel:

Be sure you are in Classic View (all Control Panel icons are showing).
If not, under Control Panel in the left pane, select Switch to Classic View.
Select Accessibility Options.

In Control Panel:

Be sure you are in Classic View (all Control Panel icons are showing).
If not, under Control Panel in the left pane, select Switch to Classic View by pressing TAB.
Press ENTER.
Press the RIGHT ARROW key, and then the LEFT ARROW key to select Accessibility Options.
Press ENTER.

In the Accessibility Options dialog box:

Select the Sound tab.

In the Accessibility Options dialog box:

Select the Sound tab by pressing CTRL+TAB.

On the Sound tab:

To turn on ShowSounds:

Select the Use ShowSounds check box.
Select OK.

Note To turn off ShowSounds, clear the Use ShowSounds check box.

On the Sound tab:

To turn on ShowSounds:

Select the Use ShowSounds check box by pressing H.
Press ENTER.

Note To turn off ShowSounds, clear the Use ShowSounds check box by pressing H.

To close Control Panel:

Select the Close button.

To close Control Panel:

Press ALT+F, C.

Control Panel: Accessibility Options: Sound tab: Use ShowSounds