The open-source audio editor Audacity shipped version 4.0.0 on 3 September 2026 – its biggest update in years. The project rebuilt the entire interface on the Qt framework, overhauling the workflow, the look and the project format in one go.
A new Qt-based interface
Instead of the long-serving wxWidgets base, Audacity 4.0 runs on Qt. That brings crisp rendering on HiDPI displays, freely movable and dockable toolbars, and saveable workspaces via the „Modern“, „Classic“ and „Music“ presets. Alongside light and dark looks there is a high-contrast mode. Fixed tool modes are gone: functions now work context-sensitively, directly on the clip.
More flexible clip editing
The reworked clip model lets you select individual clips with a click, edit several at once and bundle them into groups that stay together when moved. Clips can be placed more freely between mono and stereo tracks, and a dedicated split tool (press S) handles cutting. Recording can start anywhere on the timeline, and the playhead stays visible while you navigate.
New format, missing features
Audacity 4.0 saves projects in the new aup4 format. Anyone upgrading should note the removals, though: Time Tracks, Note/MIDI tracks, the Mixer, the Macro Manager and the scripting pipe are absent in this release and are slated to return later. Users who rely on them are better off sticking with the parallel 3.7 series for now.
Sources: Audacity Changelog · GitHub Releases
