How to change your Tesla lock chime

Changing your Tesla's lock chime means putting a single audio file named LockChime.wav at the root of a USB drive, plugging it into the car, and enabling it under Controls > Locks. The car then plays your sound instead of the stock horn chirp every time you lock it. The whole process takes about five minutes and doesn't require any software mods, subscriptions, or third-party hardware. This guide walks through the exact requirements, because the feature fails silently when any of them is off.

What are the file requirements?

Tesla is strict here, and there's no error message when you get it wrong. The car just ignores the file.

• Format: WAV. Not MP3, not M4A, not a renamed MP3.
• Length: 5 seconds maximum.
• Size: 1MB maximum.
• Filename: exactly LockChime.wav, and it's case-sensitive. lockchime.wav and LockChime.WAV don't work.
• Location: the root of the USB drive, not inside any folder.

The USB drive itself needs to be formatted as exFAT or FAT32 (ext3 and ext4 also work; NTFS does not). If the same drive records dashcam footage, that's fine, the lock chime rides along without conflict.

Where do I get a chime?

Three routes:

1. Download a ready-made one. FrunkLab's lock sounds library has 111+ Tesla-themed chimes, already in the right format. Tap download, rename to LockChime.wav if needed, done. Sounds are tagged, so if your wrap has a theme, there's probably a chime to match.
2. Trim your own audio. Any audio editor (Audacity is free) can cut a clip to 5 seconds and export WAV. Keep an eye on the export size: uncompressed WAV at high sample rates can pass 1MB fast. 44.1kHz mono usually lands comfortably under the cap.
3. Record something. Your dog, your kid, a synth stab. If it's under 5 seconds as a WAV, the car will play it.

What are the exact steps?

1. Format a USB drive as exFAT or FAT32 (or reuse your dashcam drive).
2. Copy your chime to the drive and make sure it's named LockChime.wav, sitting at the root.
3. Plug the drive into a USB port in the car. On most models the glovebox port works and keeps the drive out of sight.
4. On the touchscreen, open Controls > Locks and enable the custom lock sound option.
5. Get out, close the doors, and lock the car. You should hear your chime.

If you later want the stock sound back, either disable the option in Controls > Locks or pull the drive.

Why isn't my lock chime working?

Run down this list; one of these is almost always it.

• Wrong name. Case-sensitivity catches most people. It must be LockChime.wav exactly.
• File inside a folder. The root means the top level of the drive. A LockChime folder containing the file doesn't work.
• MP3 in disguise. Renaming chime.mp3 to LockChime.wav doesn't convert it. Re-export as WAV from an audio editor.
• Over the limits. Longer than 5 seconds or bigger than 1MB and the car skips it without complaint.
• NTFS drive. Windows formats large drives as NTFS by default. Reformat as exFAT.
• Setting not enabled. The file alone does nothing until you flip the option under Controls > Locks with the drive plugged in.

Can my lock chime match my wrap?

That's the fun part. A digital wrap and a lock chime ride the same USB drive: the wrap PNG goes in a Wraps folder, the chime sits at the root, and neither interferes with the other. Design a theme in the studio, pick a chime from the library that matches it, and load both in one trip to the car. If you're saving a design on FrunkLab, you can attach a sound to it directly so the pair stays together. The USB export walkthrough covers the wrap half of that trip.

Frequently asked questions

Does a custom lock chime void the warranty? No. It's an official Tesla feature, present in the software since the 2022 holiday update. You're using the car as designed.

Do all Teslas support it? All current Model 3, Model Y, Model S, Model X, and Cybertruck builds with a recent software version support custom lock chimes. If Controls > Locks shows no custom sound option, update the car's software.

Can I have more than one chime? One at a time. The car reads a single LockChime.wav. Keep a folder of favorites on your computer and swap the active one whenever you want.

Is this the same as Boombox? No. Boombox plays sounds on demand through the external speaker (those live in a Boombox folder on the drive). The lock chime is specifically the sound the car makes when you lock it.

Browse the lock sounds library and give your Tesla a voice to go with its wrap.