Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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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 or 7?
  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 doesn't recording from YouTube (or other streaming audio) work?
  6. Why do I get crackles, pops, or distortion when the recording is loud?
  7. Why do I see a lot of vertical red lines in the track I just recorded?
  8. How can I record without small skips or duplications?
  9. Why does my recording keep pausing automatically or why is my recording cursor stuck?
  10. Why do I get only a flat line and no sound when I try to record?
  11. Why do I get a periodic noise every 6 - 12 seconds?
  12. Why do I get an unbalanced stereo recording?
  13. 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 open an Audacity project (AUP file) in another program?
  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. How do I combine two files into one longer file?
  4. How do I mix two tracks together?
  5. Can I remove the vocals from a recording to make a Karaoke track?
  6. Can I create Ringtones with Audacity?
  7. Why do I see a lot of vertical red lines in the track I just recorded?
  8. 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?


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