Windows
Recommended Downloads - Latest Version of Audacity
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Audacity 2.0.6 installer (.exe file, 22.9 MB, including help files) for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8
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Audacity 2.0.6 zip file (8.9 MB) for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8 - Use this if you want a smaller download (without help files), or cannot run the installer because of restricted permissions.
Known Issue: On a very few machines, launching Audacity may give a configuration error. This is a Microsoft issue which can be solved by installing the appropriate 32-bit or 64-bit Microsoft Redistributable Package.
Optional Downloads
Plug-ins and Libraries
LADSPA plug-ins 0.4.15 installer (.exe file, 1.5 MB) - Contains over 90 plug-ins.
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Plug-Ins - Download additional effects and filters.
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LAME MP3 encoder - Allows Audacity to export MP3 files.
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FFmpeg import/export library - Allows Audacity to import and export many additional audio formats such as AC3, AMR(NB), M4A and WMA, and to import audio from video files.
Alternative Download Links
- SourceForge hosts the current Audacity version and all previous versions. Click on the required folder under "Name" to find the version you require.
- Google Code hosts selected previous versions up to and including Audacity 2.0.5.
Audacity Nightly Builds
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For advanced users, Nightly Builds for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Windows 7/Windows 8 are available for testing purposes. "Nightly Builds" are Alpha builds from latest development code. Your help in testing and reporting bugs in these builds is invaluable. Note: These builds will definitely be less reliable than official releases. They should not be used as your production version of Audacity.
System Requirements
Read about Audacity on Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8. Windows 95 and NT are not supported.
The values in the "Recommended RAM/processor speed" column below are for tasks like recording for an hour, or editing three 20-minute tracks simultaneously. The values in the "Minimum RAM/processor speed" column will be fine for smaller/shorter tasks, especially if unnecessary programs are closed.
| Windows version | Recommended RAM/ processor speed |
Minimum RAM/ processor speed |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 7 (64-bit)/ Windows 8 (64-bit) | 4 GB / 2 GHz | 2 GB / 1 GHz |
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Windows Vista (Home Premium/Business/Ultimate) (32- or 64-bit)/ Windows 7 32-bit (except Windows 7 Starter) / Windows 8 (32-bit) |
4 GB / 2 GHz | 1 GB / 1 GHz |
| Windows Vista (Home Basic) (32- or 64-bit)/Windows 7 Starter | 2 GB / 1 GHz | 512 MB / 1 GHz |
| Windows 2000/ XP (32- or 64-bit) | 512 MB/1 GHz | 128 MB/300 MHz |
Generally, Audacity works best on computers meeting more than the minimum requirements in the table above. Where Audacity is to be used for lengthy multi-track projects, we recommend using Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8 running on machines of substantially higher specification than the minimum stated above.
