System requirements
Audacity system requirements for Windows
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 64-bit | Windows 11 64-bit |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB or more |
| CPU | Any modern dual-core | Quad-core 2+ GHz |
| Storage | 500 MB (app only) | SSD with 10+ GB (for project files) |
| Audio | Built-in sound card | USB audio interface with ASIO |
| Display | 1024 × 768 | 1920 × 1080 |
Audio requirements
What audio hardware does Audacity need?
Audacity works with any Windows sound device. For different use cases:
- Basic recording
- Built-in laptop or PC microphone — works, but quality is limited
- Podcast / vocals
- USB microphone (Blue Yeti, HyperX QuadCast) — plug and play, good quality
- Music production
- USB audio interface (Focusrite Scarlett, SSL 2) with XLR microphone
- Vinyl digitising
- USB turntable or RCA-to-USB adapter into audio interface
- Loopback recording
- Sound card with WASAPI loopback support — most modern cards qualify
FAQ
Requirements questions
Audacity system requirements 2026 — what are the official specs?
The official Audacity 3.7 requirements are: Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), minimum 4 GB RAM, 500 MB disk space. In practice, large multi-track projects need 8+ GB RAM. The official requirements are published at support.audacityteam.org.
Does Audacity work on Windows 10?
Yes. Audacity 3.7.3 fully supports Windows 10 64-bit. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 are officially supported. 32-bit Windows is no longer supported as of Audacity 3.0.
Audacity minimum requirements for multitrack recording
For multitrack recording with many effects: 8 GB RAM minimum, 16 GB recommended. Multi-track projects with 10+ tracks and real-time effects processing can use 2–4 GB RAM. SSD storage is important for low-latency recording of multiple simultaneous tracks.