Export audio as MP3 in Audacity
- 1
Finish your recording or project
Make sure your audio is ready. Select all with Ctrl+A if you want to export everything, or select a portion to export only that section.
- 2
File → Export Audio
Go to File → Export Audio (Audacity 3.x) or File → Export → Export as MP3 (older versions).
- 3
Choose MP3 format and bitrate
In the Save As dialog, set the format to MP3 Files. Click Options to set bitrate. Choose a filename and click Save.
- 4
Add metadata (optional)
A metadata dialog appears — add title, artist, etc. Click OK to export.
MP3 bitrate settings for Audacity
| Bitrate | Quality | File size per minute | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 64 kbps | Low | ~0.5 MB | Voice only, small file size |
| 128 kbps | Good | ~1 MB | Podcast, speech — recommended default |
| 192 kbps | Very good | ~1.5 MB | Music, general use |
| 320 kbps | Excellent | ~2.4 MB | Music archiving, best quality |
MP3 export questions
Audacity says "LAME not found" when exporting MP3
Audacity 2.3.3 and later include LAME built-in — this error should not appear. If it does, you are using a very old version. Download the current Audacity 3.7.3 from the download page. Older versions required a separate LAME download which is no longer needed.
How to export multiple tracks as separate MP3 files
File → Export → Export Multiple. Choose MP3 as the format. Audacity exports each track as a separate file, named by track label. This is useful for exporting chapters or separate song sections.
MP3 export sounds different from the Audacity playback
MP3 is a lossy format — it removes audio information to reduce file size. At 128+ kbps the difference is minimal for most content. If quality is critical, export as WAV or FLAC (lossless) instead. For podcast publishing, 128 kbps mono MP3 is the standard.