Audacity
Audacity Team • Multimedia
Also Download For
Audacity is a powerful and free open-source audio editor that gives you full control over your audio files. It is extremely popular because of its rich set of features that are accessible to everyone, regardless of their experience.
The software handles all popular audio formats, including MP3, Ogg/Vorbis, WAV, MIDI, AIFF and others. Audacity provides many tools for editing and manipulating sound, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking for a free yet powerful and feature-rich audio editor.
In This Post
The Winning Edge
Quick Start: Recording Your First Audio
- Launch Audacity and select the correct audio device from the Device Toolbar
- Click the Record button (red circle) or press Ctrl+R
- Speak or play audio into your microphone/input
- Click Stop when finished, then use Edit menu for cleanup
Reason To Do This: Recording is Audacity’s core function, and mastering it quickly lets you capture podcasts, voice memos, or musical performances with professional results.
Noise Reduction Settings for Cleaner Audio
- Select a portion of audio containing only background noise
- Go to Effect > Noise Reduction and click Get Noise Profile
- Select the entire audio track (Ctrl+A)
- Open Noise Reduction again and adjust Sensitivity to 6.0, Frequency Smoothing to 3
- Click OK to apply noise reduction
Reason To Do This: Removing background noise dramatically improves audio quality for podcasts and voice recordings, making your content more professional and easier to listen to.
Exporting High-Quality MP3 Files
- Complete your edits and go to File > Export > Export as MP3
- In the dialog, set Quality to 320 kbps (highest)
- Choose Stereo mode for music or Mono for voice
- Save the file with your desired name and location
Reason To Do This: Proper MP3 export settings ensure your audio maintains quality while remaining compatible with all devices and platforms for sharing.
Download Audacity
File size: 50.0 MB
OS support: Windows
Windows
Download Audacity 4.0.2 for Windows – Installer x64 (Msi)
Download Audacity 4.0.2 for Windows – x64 (Archive)
Key Features
- Recording and Playback: Audacity has a built-in function to record sound in real time from a microphone or other source, and includes playback capabilities for reviewing recordings.
- Import and Export Support: Supports import and export of various audio formats, making it easy to work with files of any origin. Handles MP3, Ogg/Vorbis, WAV, MIDI, AIFF and more.
- Advanced Editing Tools: Allows editing using standard operations like cut, copy, and paste. Features unlimited undo operations, giving users freedom to experiment without risk.
- Multi-track Mixing: Enables mixing of tracks and working with multiple audio layers, perfect for creating podcasts or music projects with professional-quality results.
- Noise Removal: Built-in noise removal tool helps improve recording quality by eliminating background noise and unwanted audio artifacts.
- Effects and Plugins: Includes numerous built-in effects like equalizers, bass boost, reverb, and supports LADSPA and VST plugins as well as Nyquist scripts for expanded capabilities.
What’s New in Latest Version
- Fixed project corruption when loading projects with empty clips, copying between projects, and replacing projects during Save As.
- Fixed duplicate.aup4 extensions and incorrect pitch/clip loss when moving clips across tracks with different sample rates.
- Fixed crashes related to sample snapping, Repeat Last Effect, and unset Split shortcuts.
- Restored automatic saving during recording, and trim/clear/zoom shortcuts, adding PgUp/PgDown timeline scrolling.
- Fixed missing metadata and incorrect title/artist fields in certain file formats.
- Fixed NTSC frame snapping, point label linking, and context menu access on collapsed clips.
- Improved playback latency from input meter display and status bar layout in narrow windows.
- Linux: Fixed File > Import returning no files and incorrect handling of CJK characters during text trimming.
Changes in 3.7.9 (2026-09-02)
- Enabled ASIO support for Windows builds, with playback and recording device selection now remembered per host
- Added FFmpeg 9 support
- Fixed several sources of project corruption and data loss, including low-disk situations, disconnected drives after project close, and unsaved recovered projects
- Fixed crashes while a realtime effect editor is open; master track effect changes can now be undone
- Fixed a freeze when double-clicking the timeline while a MIDI track is present
- MIDI playback now starts from the set position instead of the beginning
- Fixed a crash after a failed recording attempt
- Fixed clips having the wrong tempo after opening a project
- Fixed a freeze on startup on systems with an incorrect font configuration
Product Specifications
| Software Name | Audacity |
|---|---|
| Version | 4.0.2 |
| License | Free |
| File Size | 50.0 MB |
| OS Support | Windows |
| Language | English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, and many more (Multi-language) |
| Developer | Audacity Team |
| Homepage | https://www.audacityteam.org/ |
| Changelogurl | https://www.audacityteam.org/changelog/ |
| Last Updated | November 2, 2026 |
Setup Instructions
Installation Steps
- Click the download button above to get the installer for your operating system
- Locate the downloaded file and double-click to run the installer
- Follow the on-screen installation wizard to complete setup
Compatibility: Compatible with Windows 7 and later versions
Fix Common Problems
- Issue: Installation fails → Solution: Run as administrator
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Audacity really free?
Yes, audacity is completely free and open-source software licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL).
What operating systems does Audacity support?
audacity works on Windows 7 and later, macOS 10.13 or later, and Linux distributions.
Can Audacity edit MP3 files?
Yes, audacity supports importing and exporting MP3 files along with many other popular audio formats.
Discover more from Softwares Wave
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.