What Is a Tesla Lock Chime? (LockChime.wav Explained)

The Tesla lock chime is the short audio tone your car plays through its external speakers when you lock or unlock it. You hear it every time you walk away — which means you hear it a lot. Most owners never think about it until they realize they can change it to anything they want.

Here's what the lock chime is, how the LockChime.wav file works, and how to swap it out.

What Is a Tesla Lock Chime?

When you lock a Tesla — via the phone app, the key card, or by walking away — the car plays a brief audio tone through the external pedestrian-warning speakers mounted on the body. That tone is the lock chime.

Tesla added support for custom lock chimes in its 2023 Holiday Update (software 2023.44). The feature is available on:

If your Tesla isn't on current software, the option won't appear in the menu. Update via Controls → Software, then look for Controls → Safety → Customize Lock Sound.

What Is LockChime.wav?

LockChime.wav is the filename Tesla looks for on your USB drive. It must be:

The full path Tesla expects is:

USB Drive (root)
└── Boombox/
    └── LockChime.wav

For clean playback, the recommended spec is 44.1 kHz sample rate, 16-bit depth, under 1 MB. These are best-practice numbers — not official Tesla requirements — but any sound in our library already meets them, so you don't need to think about it.

The Boombox folder name is case-sensitive. A folder named boombox or BOOMBOX will not be recognized.

How Do You Change Your Tesla Lock Chime?

The install takes about two minutes once you have a sound file.

Step 1: Download a LockChime.wav file

Go to the Tesla lock sound library and preview any sound in your browser. Every file downloads as LockChime.wav — already named correctly, already in the right format. Browse 1,282+ options and pick one.

Step 2: Format a USB drive and add the file

Your USB drive must be formatted as FAT32 or exFAT (not NTFS, not APFS). Create a Boombox folder at the drive's root and drop LockChime.wav inside it.

Step 3: Plug in and activate

Connect the USB to your Tesla's front USB data port — the rear ports are power-only. On the touchscreen, go to Controls → Safety → Customize Lock Sound, select your file, and confirm. Lock the car from the app to hear it immediately.

If the sound doesn't appear in the menu, check the folder name (Boombox, capital B), the file name (LockChime.wav, exact casing), and the USB format. See the full installation guide if you get stuck.

Browse the LockChime Library

Every sound in our library is free to preview in your browser, Tesla-ready on download, and compatible with all supported Tesla models.

FAQ

What does "lockchime" mean?

It's shorthand for the Tesla custom lock chime feature — specifically the LockChime.wav file that Tesla reads from a USB drive. The two terms are used interchangeably in the Tesla owner community.

Where does LockChime.wav go on the USB?

Inside a folder named Boombox at the root of the drive. The full path is Boombox/LockChime.wav. The Boombox folder name is case-sensitive.

Does the lock chime play on both lock and unlock?

You can configure it independently. Tesla lets you set separate sounds for locking and unlocking under Controls → Safety → Customize Lock Sound. One LockChime.wav file covers both unless you set them differently.

What file format does Tesla need?

A WAV file named exactly LockChime.wav. Every sound downloaded from TeslaLockSound.com is already in the correct format — no conversion or renaming needed.

Which Tesla models support a custom lock chime?

Model 3 (built September 2019 or later), Model Y (all years), Model S and Model X (2021 refresh and later), and Cybertruck (all deliveries). The requirement is an external pedestrian-warning speaker — older S and X models don't have one.