Microsoft introduced this sound with Windows 11 in 2021 as part of the operating system's calmer, more modern redesign, replacing the sharper startup sounds of earlier Windows versions. It plays when the system boots up, and its soft tone quickly became familiar to millions of PC users around the world. Online, creators began using it outside its original purpose, in tech videos, setup tours and nostalgic edits, where a few seconds are enough to signal a Windows computer starting up.