Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Tip: To find your answer more easily, try using CTRL + F ( COMMAND + F on Mac ) to search this page.

About Audacity

1. Is Audacity really free? Why?
2. Does Audacity contain any spyware, malware or adware?
3. May I distribute copies of Audacity?
4. Someone is selling Audacity on eBay. Is this legal?
5. A search result misled me into paying for an Audacity download. What can I do?
6. Audacity isn't displaying in the expected or desired language. Can I change this?
7. Will there be a version of Audacity for iPod, iPad or other smartphones or tablet computers?
8. Does Audacity work with screen-reader programs for blind users?
9. What features does Audacity have for speech transcription or speech recognition?
10. Does Audacity run on 64-bit systems?
11. Does Audacity support low latency ASIO drivers?
12. How do I find which Audacity version I have, and if this is the latest version?
13. Why doesn't Audacity ship with an MP3 encoder?
14. How can I help to improve Audacity?

Installation and Plug-Ins

1. What should I do if I have problems downloading or installing Audacity?
2. What should I do if I get errors building Audacity?
3. Windows: How do I install Audacity, and do I have to uninstall a previous version first?
4. Windows: How do I uninstall Audacity?
5. How do I reset my Audacity settings?
6. How do I download and install the LAME MP3 encoder?
7. How do I download and install the FFmpeg Import/Export Library?
8. Why do I receive an error when I export to an FFmpeg format?
9. How do I install VST plug-ins?
10. Why do some VST plug-ins not work or display incorrectly?
11. Linux: How do I install plug-ins?

Recording - Troubleshooting

1. Why can I not record in Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8?
2. Why can’t I hear what I’m recording?
3. Why do my recordings fade out or sound as if they were made in a tunnel?
4. Why is my new track out of sync with the previous ones, or sounds crackly or at wrong pitch?
5. Why can't I record my electronic keyboard using the USB cable?
6. Why doesn't recording from YouTube (or other streaming audio) work?
7. Why do I get crackles, pops, or distortion when the recording is loud?
8. Why do I see a lot of vertical red lines in the track I just recorded?
9. Why is the Audacity input slider grayed out on maximum?
10. How can I record without small skips or duplications?
11. Why does my recording keep pausing automatically or why is my recording cursor stuck?
12. Why do I get only a flat line and no sound when I try to record?
13. Why do I get a periodic noise every 6 - 12 seconds?
14. How do I prevent or correct unbalanced stereo recording?
15. Why is the recorded waveform not centered on the horizontal line at 0.0?

Recording - How To's

1. How can I record in stereo?
2. What is an optimal recording level to aim for?
3. How do I record from vinyl records, cassette tapes or MiniDiscs?
4. Can I play a track while recording a new one on top of it?
5. Can Audacity record YouTube, internet radio or other streaming audio?
6. How long can I record for?
7. Can I set Audacity to record at a certain time?
8. Can I record from a multi-channel device (more than stereo)?
9. Can I record from two microphones (or even two sound cards) at the same time?

Playback

1. Why have I lost sound after connecting a USB device on Windows?
2. Why does playback go quiet when I record or adjust the input volume?
3. Why is there a very low level hiss on Exported files?

Opening and Saving Files

1. How do I save my audio for use in other programs? Does saving a project (AUP file) do that?
2. Why does Audacity create a folder full of .au files when I save a project?
3. Audacity crashed! Can I recover any unsaved data?
4. Can Audacity import or export formats like WMA, AC3 or iTunes files (M4A/MP4)?
5. Why do my exported files not include the metadata, like Album Artist or Genre?
6. Why can’t I play MIDI files?
7. How do I import a track from an audio CD?
8. How do I save my recording on an audio CD?
9. How can I split a long recording into multiple files or CD tracks?
10. Why does Audacity warn about the name or nothing happens when I export?
11. Why does my file import with a hatched pattern then slowly change to a waveform?
12. I copied the .aup file to another computer or sent it by e-mail to a friend; but now when I open it there's no sound, why?

Editing

1. Why can't I use the effects or other menu items?
2. Why can't I select less than one second or click between whole seconds?
3. Why do I hear clicks when I remove or paste audio, or at the start or end of the track?
4. How do I select audio in one track?
5. How do I extend or move the selected region into other tracks?
6. How do I combine two files into one longer file?
7. How do I mix two tracks together?
8. Can I remove the vocals from a recording to make a Karaoke track?
9. Can I create Ringtones with Audacity?
10. Why do I see a lot of vertical red lines in the track I just recorded?
11. Can Audacity preview or apply effects live, in real time?

Errors

1. Why do I get "Error while opening sound device"?
2. Why do I get "Error: not well formed (invalid token) at line x"?
3. Why does the computer reboot or show a blue screen message when I play or record in Audacity?
4. I found a bug! Or Feature X is not good enough or missing! Now what?