winget install --id=xmn.BetterTrumpet -e BetterTrumpet is a refined fork of EarTrumpet, the beloved Windows volume mixer. Features include enhanced volume control, a slick music overlay, fully customizable colors, and a cleaner interface.
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Per-app volume control for Windows that actually feels good to use. A polished fork of EarTrumpet, with app rules, presets, a media popup, themes and a CLI.
Install · Features · CLI · Privacy · Build · Community
The Windows volume mixer is two clicks too deep and forgets everything. BetterTrumpet lives in the tray and keeps it simple:
It started as a fork of EarTrumpet and keeps what made it great.
| Method | Command / link |
|---|---|
| Installer or portable zip | GitHub Releases |
| Winget | winget install --id xmn.BetterTrumpet |
| Chocolatey | choco install bettertrumpet |
Requires Windows 10 (1809 or later) or Windows 11. The settings window uses the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime, which ships with Windows 11 and up-to-date Windows 10.
> Windows Defender or SmartScreen complaining? The builds aren't code-signed yet, so new releases sometimes trip a machine-learning heuristic (a false positive). Each release ships a release-checksums-X.Y.Z.txt so you can check the SHA-256 of what you downloaded. Signing is on the roadmap.
Ctrl+click an app to solo it, Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y to undo and redo volume changes, Ctrl+P to pin the flyout open.Rules follow an app across restarts and reboots:
Save the current setup and bring it back in one click, from a hotkey or from the CLI. A preset can switch your default output and microphone, set device volumes and set app volumes, in any combination. Cycle through your presets with the next/previous shortcuts.
Hover the tray icon to see what's playing: play/pause, skip, seek, shuffle, repeat and the app's own volume. Expand it to show the cover art.
<img src="assets/Windows.png" alt="Windows theme" width="240" />
Default: follows your Windows accent
<img src="assets/Spotify.png" alt="Spotify theme" width="240" />
Spotify
<img src="assets/readme/theme-custom.png" alt="Custom colors" width="180" />
Your own colors
Optional: the tray icon can show the kind of output you're on (speakers, headphones or a monitor) and animates while something plays. Coming in the next release.
A modern settings window with search: type "mute" or "startup" and jump straight to the right option. The classic window is still there if you prefer it.
BetterTrumpet comes with a bt command (the installer can add it to your PATH). It talks to the running app and answers in JSON, so it's easy to script.
bt help # everything it can do
bt volume discord 40 # set an app's volume
bt toggle-mute spotify
bt set-default "Headphones" # switch the default output
bt save gaming # save the current setup as a preset
bt gaming # ...and apply it later
bt preset next # cycle through presets
bt doctor # quick health check
The full reference lives in docs/CLI.md.
Details in PRIVACY.md.
You need the .NET 8 SDK and Node.js (npm builds the settings UI during the build). The app is x86.
git clone https://github.com/xammen/BetterTrumpet
cd BetterTrumpet
dotnet build EarTrumpet\EarTrumpet.csproj -c Release -r win-x86 --self-contained -p:Platform=x86 -p:OutputPath="..\Build\Release"
The app lands in Build\Release\BetterTrumpet.exe. build-portable.ps1 makes the portable zip, and installer.iss builds the installer with Inno Setup 6.
| Area | Stack |
|---|---|
| App | C# / WPF on .NET 8 |
| Audio | Windows Core Audio, Windows media sessions |
| Settings | React + Fluent UI in WebView2 |
| CLI | Named pipe to the running app |
| Packaging | GitVersion, Inno Setup, portable zip, Winget, Chocolatey |
Built on EarTrumpet by David Golden, Rafael Rivera and Dave Amenta.
♬⋆.˚ ✩°｡⋆⸜ 🎺 ⸝⋆｡°✩ ˚.⋆♬
made with volume ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚