EarTrumpet: I Installed It Just for This One Simple Volume Task

One-sentence solution: Playing a game and want to turn down the music without alt-tabbing out? EarTrumpet lets you adjust each program’s volume individually from the taskbar — ten times more convenient than Windows’ built-in tool.

You know the situation: you’re in a video conference and background music suddenly blasts in your ears; or you’re gaming and your teammates’ voices mix with game sounds making everything unintelligible.

Windows’ built-in volume mixer exists, but it’s buried deep and cumbersome to use. You have to right-click → open volume mixer → find the right app → slowly drag the slider every time.

EarTrumpet makes this as simple as slicing vegetables.

What is EarTrumpet?

EarTrumpet is a lightweight volume control tool that completely replaces the Windows taskbar volume icon. Click it and you’ll see a clean list: every app currently producing sound is listed with its own independent volume slider.

The core problem it solves: adjust the volume of different applications individually, and do it fast.

What Makes It So Good?

Click the EarTrumpet icon on the taskbar (replacing the speaker icon), and you’ll see something like this:

• Chrome —— 🔇 Muted
• WeChat —— 40%
• Music Player —— 20%
• System Sounds —— 100%

One slider per app, crystal clear. You can lower the browser volume while keeping your music app playing normally.

Keyboard shortcut: Scroll the mouse wheel over the EarTrumpet icon to adjust the overall volume of the currently playing app. No need to click, no need to find a slider.

Per-device switching: If you have both headphones and speakers connected, EarTrumpet can control app volumes independently for each output device.

Comparison with Similar Tools

Feature	EarTrumpet	Windows Built-in	VoiceMeeter
Per-app volume control	✅ Quick & easy	✅ But cumbersome	✅
Taskbar quick operation	✅ Scroll to adjust	❌	❌
Per-device control	✅	❌	✅
Software size	Tiny (~5MB)	System built-in	~50MB
Learning curve	Zero	Low	High
Free	✅	✅	Free for personal

EarTrumpet is what Windows’ volume controller should have been — simple, direct, and usable.

Pros and Cons Summary

Pros

• Clean, intuitive interface with zero learning curve
• Mouse wheel scroll to adjust overall volume, super convenient
• Independently control or mute each app’s volume
• Supports independent control of multiple audio devices
• Open source and free, continuously updated

Cons

• Occasionally incompatible after Windows updates (but developers fix quickly)
• Some UWP apps may not show up
• Cannot adjust certain system background processes

Download and Installation

• Microsoft Store (recommended): https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9nblggh516xp
  • Simplest installation via Store, auto-updates
• GitHub Releases: https://github.com/File-New-Project/EarTrumpet/releases

Tip: Install from Microsoft Store for convenient automatic updates.

Quick Start

1. After installation, the taskbar volume icon automatically becomes EarTrumpet’s icon
2. Click to open, you’ll see a list of all currently playing apps
3. Drag the slider to adjust individual app volumes
4. Click an app icon to mute/unmute it directly
5. Scroll the mouse wheel over the taskbar icon to adjust overall volume