- What you can do with Audacity
- Getting started: record your first track
- How to edit audio in Audacity
- Effects worth knowing
- The catch: saving and exporting aren't the same thing
- Which Audacity version am I using?
- A simple podcast editing workflow
- Tips for better results
- Where Audacity fits with other tools
- My verdict
- Frequently asked questions
To use Audacity, select your microphone under Audio setup, press the red Record button and speak. Then select parts of the waveform to cut, trim or apply effects like Noise Reduction and Amplify. Save your work as a project, and use File, then Export Audio, to make an MP3 or WAV file.
Audacity is a free audio editor that's been the go-to for podcasters, course creators and voiceover artists for years. It can record, cut, clean up and export audio without any of the complexity of professional studio software. Here's how to use it for the jobs business owners usually need.
What you can do with Audacity
| Job | How Audacity helps |
|---|---|
| Record a podcast or voiceover | Records straight from your microphone |
| Edit out mistakes | Select and delete parts of the waveform |
| Clean up background hiss | Noise Reduction and Noise Gate effects |
| Even out volume | Amplify and other effects |
| Export for sharing | MP3, WAV and other formats |
Getting started: record your first track
- Plug in your microphone.
- Go to Audio setup, then Recording devices, and choose it.
- Press the red Record button and speak.
- Watch the level meter. Normal speech should sit around -18 to -12 dB.
- Press Stop and play it back.
How to edit audio in Audacity
Your recording appears as a waveform. Loud parts are tall, silence is a flat line, which makes it easy to spot pauses and mistakes.
- Click and drag across the waveform to select a section.
- Press Delete to cut it out, for example a cough or a fluffed line.
- Use Ctrl + Z (Cmd + Z on a Mac) to undo if you cut too much.
- Zoom in to make precise cuts between words.
- Play back across each edit to check it sounds natural.
Cut at the flat, quiet points between words, and your edits will be almost impossible to hear.
Effects worth knowing
| Effect | Use it to |
|---|---|
| Noise Reduction | Remove constant hiss or a fan humming |
| Noise Gate | Silence the gaps between sentences |
| Amplify | Make a quiet recording louder |
| Notch Filter | Remove electrical hum |
Effects live in the Effects menu. Select the audio first, then choose the effect. For noise, select a few seconds of just background noise and click Get noise profile inside Noise Reduction before applying it to the whole track.
The catch: saving and exporting aren't the same thing
This confuses almost every new Audacity user. Saving a project creates an .aup3 file that only Audacity can open, which keeps your edits and effects adjustable. Exporting creates an audio file, such as MP3 or WAV, that you can upload, share or put in a video. If you only save, you can't upload the result anywhere. If you only export, you can't easily go back and change your edits.
| You want to | Use |
|---|---|
| Keep editing later | File, Save Project |
| Upload a podcast or send a voiceover | File, Export Audio |
| Back up with versions | File, Save to Cloud (needs an audio.com account) |
Do both: save the project while you work, and export when it's finished.
Which Audacity version am I using?
Audacity's support site now covers Audacity 4, with separate documentation for Audacity 3.x. Some menu names and layouts differ between versions, so if a menu here doesn't match your screen, check which version you have under the Help menu and use the matching guide.
A simple podcast editing workflow
- Record with a few seconds of silence at the start.
- Remove the big mistakes and long pauses.
- Apply Noise Reduction gently using that silent section as the profile.
- Use Amplify so the overall level is consistent.
- Add your intro music on a separate track.
- Export as MP3 and listen to the whole thing once on your phone.
If you'd like to make the most of each episode once it's live, my guide to podcast SEO covers getting found, and my roundup of podcast editing software compares Audacity with other tools.
Tips for better results
- Record in a quiet, soft-furnished room.
- Use a USB microphone rather than your laptop mic.
- Keep the project on your computer's main drive while you work.
- Learn the shortcut for undo; you'll use it constantly.
- Keep a lossless master (WAV or FLAC) as well as the MP3.
Where Audacity fits with other tools
Audacity is an audio tool, not a video editor. If you record a talking-head video, you can pull the audio into Audacity to clean it up, export it and bring it back into your video editor, but for most quick social clips that's overkill. Where Audacity shines is audio-first content: podcasts, voiceovers for slideshows, audio lessons for courses and guided meditations. For those jobs it's every bit as good as many premium apps, and you can learn the basics in an afternoon.
My verdict
Audacity is free, reliable and covers everything most business owners need for audio: record, cut mistakes, clean up noise, even out the volume and export. Remember the difference between saving a project and exporting audio, record at around -18 to -12 dB, and keep effects gentle. If you're comparing it with other audio tools, see my list of AI voice tools for what the newer options can do.
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Frequently asked questions
Does Audacity work on Mac and Windows?
Yes. Audacity runs on Windows, Mac and Linux.
What file types can Audacity export?
MP3, WAV, OGG and more. Audacity suggests Opus or M4A for better quality than MP3 at the same size, and FLAC for lossless files.
Is Audacity free?
Yes. Audacity is a free audio editor and recorder.
How do I cut audio in Audacity?
Click and drag across the waveform to select it, then press Delete.
What is the difference between saving and exporting in Audacity?
Saving creates an editable .aup3 project. Exporting creates an audio file like MP3 or WAV to share.
How do I make my recording louder in Audacity?
Select the audio and use the Amplify effect.
Can I save Audacity projects to the cloud?
Yes. File, then Save to Cloud, with an audio.com account gives you backups and versioning.
Why don't Audacity's menus match a tutorial?
Menus differ between Audacity versions. Check your version and use the matching help pages.
