Audacity for MAC
Free, open-source audio editor and recorder for podcasts, music and voice-overs.
Audacity Overview
Audacity is a free, open-source audio editor and recorder for Mac, Windows and Linux. It records from a microphone or audio interface, edits several tracks at once, cleans up noise and exports to all the common audio formats, which makes it a favourite for podcasts, voice-overs, interviews, music and digitising old recordings. Audacity is made by the Audacity Team and released under the GPLv3 license, with no ads or paid features.
Audacity 4 brings an updated interface, workspaces and many productivity improvements. On the Mac you can choose a Universal download for both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, or smaller downloads for one type of Mac.
Key Features
Audacity covers recording, editing and finishing audio in one app.
- Recording: record from microphones, audio interfaces and other inputs, with level meters and punch-in recording.
- Multi-track editing: cut, copy, paste, split and move clips across tracks, with unlimited undo.
- Effects: noise reduction, equalization, compression, normalization, reverb, pitch and tempo changes and many more, with real-time preview.
- Plugins: VST3, Audio Unit and Nyquist plugins add more effects and tools.
- Analysis: a spectrogram view to see frequencies, plus frequency analysis and Vamp analyzers.
- Labels: mark points and regions, then export each labelled region or each track to its own file.
- Import and export: WAV, AIFF, MP3, FLAC, Ogg and more, so it also works as an audio converter.
- Workspaces: arrange the interface for recording, editing or mixing, and switch between layouts.
What’s New in Version 4.0.1
Audacity 4.0.1 fixes problems found in Audacity 4.0 and adds a few features.
- Export multiple: export each track, or each labelled region, to its own file
- Restored missing Audacity 3 keyboard shortcuts
- Better keyboard navigation and screen reader support
- Fixed project corruption after a failed save, and problems converting .aup3 projects
- Fixed opening files and projects with non-English characters in their names
- Fixed VST3 settings being reset when playback starts
- A Liquid Glass app icon on macOS
Audacity FAQ
Is Audacity free for Mac?
Yes. Audacity is free and open source, released under the GPLv3 license. There are no ads or paid features.
Does Audacity run on Apple Silicon Macs?
Yes. The Universal download runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. There are also separate downloads for Apple Silicon and for Intel Macs.
Which Audacity download should I choose for my Mac?
Choose the Universal download. The separate Apple Silicon (ARM64) download is smaller but has no plugin support, and on macOS 10.14 or earlier you need the Intel-only download.
Which macOS version does Audacity need?
Audacity 4.0.1 is tested on macOS 14 and 15 and may also work on older versions. The Universal download needs macOS 10.15 or later.
How do I record audio from my Mac with Audacity?
Choose your microphone or audio interface as the recording device, then press the red Record button. To record the sound your Mac plays, such as a video call, you need an extra audio routing app, because macOS does not offer it as an input.
How do I remove background noise in Audacity?
Select a few seconds of noise only, open the Noise Reduction effect and get the noise profile, then select the whole recording and apply Noise Reduction.
Can Audacity save files as MP3?
Yes. Audacity exports to MP3, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, Ogg and other formats, and it can export each track or labelled region to its own file.
Is Audacity safe to install on a Mac?
Yes, when you download it from the official website, audacityteam.org, which is where the download button on this page leads. Audacity is open source, and its code is public on GitHub.
How do I update Audacity on my Mac?
Audacity can check for updates and tell you when a new version is out. Download it from audacityteam.org and replace the old copy in your Applications folder.
Where does the Audacity download on audacity.FULLMAC.app come from?
The download button leads to Audacity's official Mac download page at https://www.audacityteam.org/download/mac/. audacity.FULLMAC.app does not change or repackage the installer.
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