How to Restore the Volume Icon to the System Tray

The system tray in the right-bottom portion of your screen in Windows displays not only the icons for currently running programs, but also a clock and a volume icon. Having the volume icon in the system tray area is very convenient when you need to increase the volume quickly. However, if you have accidentally deleted it or it's missing for some other reason, you can easily restore the volume icon using Windows features. These directions are for XP; for Vista and 7, see Tips below.

Instructions

1. Go to the "Start" menu and click on "Control Panel."

2. Double-click the "Sounds and Audio Devices" icon and click on the "Volume" tab.

3. Check the "Place volume icon in the taskbar" option, click on "Apply" and then "OK" to close the "Sounds and Audio Devices" window (if the option is already checked but the volume icon is not in the system tray then uncheck it, click on "Apply," check it back, click on "Apply" and then on "OK.")

Tips & Warnings

• You can also access the "Sounds and Audio Devices" window by going to "Start," clicking on "Run," typing "mmsys.cpl" and hitting "Enter."

• Update the sound card driver on your computer by contacting the manufacturer if the problem persists.

• In Windows Vista and 7 you can right-click on the "Start" menu, select "Properties," click on the "Notification Area" tab, check the "Volume" option and click on "OK."

References

• Online Tech Tips: Recover volume icon