How to play Beep sound through Console in C#?

The Console.Beep() method in C# is used to play a beep sound through the system speaker. This method is particularly useful for providing audio feedback in console applications or alerting users to specific events.

Syntax

The Console.Beep() method has two overloads −

Console.Beep();

Console.Beep(int frequency, int duration);

Parameters

• frequency − The frequency of the beep in hertz (Hz). Must be between 37 and 32767.

• duration − The duration of the beep in milliseconds.

Using Console.Beep() Without Parameters

The parameterless Console.Beep() method plays a default beep sound −

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main(string[] args) {
        Console.WriteLine("Playing default beep sound...");
        Console.Beep();
        Console.WriteLine("Beep sound played successfully!");
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Playing default beep sound...
Beep sound played successfully!

Using Console.Beep() with Frequency and Duration

You can specify custom frequency and duration to create different beep sounds −

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main(string[] args) {
        Console.WriteLine("Playing custom beep sounds...");
        
        Console.WriteLine("Low frequency beep (200 Hz, 1000ms)");
        Console.Beep(200, 1000);
        
        Console.WriteLine("High frequency beep (2000 Hz, 500ms)");
        Console.Beep(2000, 500);
        
        Console.WriteLine("Medium frequency beep (800 Hz, 300ms)");
        Console.Beep(800, 300);
        
        Console.WriteLine("All beeps completed!");
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Playing custom beep sounds...
Low frequency beep (200 Hz, 1000ms)
High frequency beep (2000 Hz, 500ms)
Medium frequency beep (800 Hz, 300ms)
All beeps completed!

Creating Musical Beeps

You can create simple melodies by using different frequencies that correspond to musical notes −

using System;

public class Demo {
    public static void Main(string[] args) {
        Console.WriteLine("Playing a simple melody...");
        
        // C note (261.63 Hz)
        Console.Beep(262, 400);
        
        // D note (293.66 Hz)
        Console.Beep(294, 400);
        
        // E note (329.63 Hz)
        Console.Beep(330, 400);
        
        // F note (349.23 Hz)
        Console.Beep(349, 400);
        
        Console.WriteLine("Melody completed!");
    }
}

The output of the above code is −

Playing a simple melody...
Melody completed!

Common Use Cases

• Error Notifications − Alert users when an error occurs

• Task Completion − Signal when a long-running process finishes

• User Input Validation − Provide audio feedback for invalid input

• System Alerts − Create attention-grabbing sounds in console applications

Important Notes

• The beep sound plays through the system speaker, not through headphones or external speakers in some systems.

• The method may not work on all platforms or in all environments (like some virtual machines).

• Frequency values outside the range of 37-32767 Hz will throw an ArgumentOutOfRangeException.

• Duration must be a positive value, otherwise an exception will be thrown.

Conclusion

The Console.Beep() method provides a simple way to generate audio feedback in console applications. You can use the default beep or specify custom frequency and duration values to create different sounds for various scenarios in your C# programs.