Audio Editor Online is a free, browser-based waveform editor for trimming, cutting, splitting and fading audio clips. It runs entirely on your device — nothing is uploaded to a server — and needs no account or software install. Load a recording, make your cuts on the waveform, and export the result in seconds.
What the Online Audio Editor Does
The editor loads an audio file into a visual waveform and lets you work directly on that waveform rather than guessing at timestamps. Trim removes material from the start or end of a clip — useful for cutting a blank lead-in or a trailing click. Cut removes a selected section from the middle, such as a cough, a doorbell, or a stretch of silence. Split divides one file into two or more independent clips at a chosen point, which is how a single long recording becomes several separate tracks. Fade ramps the volume up or down over a set duration at the start or end of a clip, so audio begins and ends smoothly instead of cutting in abruptly.
All four operations happen on the waveform itself: you zoom in, drag to select a region, and the selection updates in real time. Playback previews the edit before you commit to it, so mistakes cost nothing. Because the editor works entirely in the browser's own audio engine, there is no rendering queue and no wait for a file to come back from a server — the exported file is ready as soon as you click export.
How to Trim or Cut a Clip, Step by Step
The workflow is the same whether you are shortening a voice memo or preparing a ringtone, and it takes under a minute once you know the steps.
- Load a file from your device into the editor, or record a fresh clip first with the Audio Recorder if you don't already have one.
- Zoom into the waveform until the section you want to change is wide enough to select precisely — a section that looks like a single spike at full zoom can span a full second once you zoom in.
- Drag across the waveform to mark the region you want to keep (for a trim) or remove (for a cut).
- Use Trim to discard everything outside the selection, or Cut to remove the selection and close the gap.
- Press play on the edited region to confirm the cut lands cleanly, with no clipped word or audible pop at the join.
- Apply a short fade at any new start or end point if the cut created an abrupt edge.
- Export the result in the format you need and save it.
If a cut leaves a click or pop at the join, the edge almost always falls in the middle of a waveform cycle rather than at a zero crossing. Nudge the cut point a few milliseconds either way until the waveform crosses the centre line at the edit point — that alone removes most audible clicks without needing a fade at all.
Common Editing Jobs
Most people arrive at the editor with one of a handful of everyday tasks. Each is a variation on the same trim, cut, split and fade toolkit.
Make a Ringtone
A ringtone needs a short, recognisable segment — typically 15 to 30 seconds — with a clean start and a clean end. Trim down to the chorus or hook, add a quick fade-in over roughly half a second so the sound doesn't snap in, and a slightly longer fade-out so it doesn't cut off abruptly if the call is answered mid-ring. Export as M4A/AAC for iPhone or MP3 for Android, since both formats are universally accepted as ringtone sources on their respective platforms.
Tidy a Voice Note
Voice notes usually have dead air at the start while you find the right words, and a stray filler word or background noise wherever you paused. Trim the lead-in silence and use cut on any section that adds nothing. It's worth checking the source before you even start recording, since a voice note ruined by a muffled or disconnected microphone can't be rescued by editing afterward. Test your microphone first so the audio you're editing is worth the effort.
Cut Dead Air from a Podcast
Long pauses, coughing fits, and "let me start that again" moments are routine in raw podcast recordings. Zoom into each pause, select it, and cut. Because the editor previews the join before export, you can chain several cuts across a full episode and export once at the end, rather than exporting after every single change.
Split a Long Recording
A single long session — a lecture, a meeting, or a multi-track interview — often needs to become several separate files: one per chapter, one per speaker segment, or one per question. Split marks a point on the waveform and produces two independent clips from one file, each of which can then be trimmed, faded and exported on its own.
Fade In and Fade Out
A fade smooths the start or end of a clip instead of letting it begin or end at full volume instantly. This matters most after a cut, when the new edge would otherwise start mid-word or mid-tone. A fade of 200 to 500 milliseconds is usually enough to remove a click at an edit point; a fade of several seconds suits the natural end of a music bed or an ambient recording.
Supported Input and Output Formats
The editor accepts the formats most recordings already arrive in, and exports to the formats other tools and platforms expect. Exact export options depend on what your browser's audio engine supports, which is why the table below marks which formats are available everywhere and which depend on the browser.
| Format | Load into editor | Export |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 | Yes | Yes, all browsers |
| WAV | Yes | Yes, all browsers |
| M4A / AAC | Yes | Yes, Chromium and Safari |
| WebM / Opus | Yes | Yes, Chromium and Firefox |
| OGG | Yes | Yes, Chromium and Firefox |
| FLAC | Yes | Yes, lossless, where supported |
If you need to move between formats rather than just editing within one, the Audio Converter handles MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG and FLAC conversions with a WebAssembly engine, independently of what your browser can natively export. For guidance on which format actually suits your use case — lossless archival versus a small file for messaging — see the guide on choosing the best audio format for recording. Once a clip is trimmed and faded the way you want it, the Audio Compressor re-encodes it at a lower bitrate so the finished file is small enough to email, message or upload without touching the edits you just made.
The On-Device Privacy Model
Every operation — loading, waveform rendering, trimming, cutting, splitting, fading and exporting — runs inside the browser tab, using the Web Audio API and a WebAssembly decoding and encoding engine. The audio file never leaves your device: there is no upload step, no server-side processing, and no copy of your recording stored anywhere other than the download you choose to save. Closing the tab without exporting simply discards the edit, since nothing was ever transmitted in the first place.
This matters for anything sensitive: a voice memo with personal information, a recorded meeting under an NDA, or a clip meant for one specific person rather than a cloud service. Because processing is local, editing also keeps working offline once the page has loaded, and there is no account to create and no file size limit imposed by an upload quota — only the memory and processing power of the device you're using.
Getting Good Source Audio to Edit
Editing fixes structure — length, pacing, dead air, abrupt edges — but it cannot fix a recording that was captured badly in the first place. Background hiss, a muffled voice, or a microphone that cut out halfway through are source problems, and the fastest route to a good edit is a good recording to start from.
If you don't already have the clip you need, record it fresh with the Audio Recorder, which shows a live waveform and level meter while you record so you can see the input is actually registering before you stop. Before that first take, test your microphone on microphone-test.org — it confirms in seconds whether your input device is being picked up at a healthy level, with no clipping and no dead silence. This step matters more than it sounds like it should: a recording made with a muted or misconfigured microphone cannot be repaired later, no matter how good the editor is.
If the test comes back with no signal or a distorted signal, the fix is usually specific to your platform or browser. On Windows, input device selection and app-level microphone permissions are the most common culprits — see the Windows 11 microphone fix guide. On a Mac, the culprit is almost always a macOS microphone permission the browser has not yet been granted, covered in the Mac microphone fix guide. If the hardware is fine but the browser itself is the problem — the wrong input selected in site settings, or a permission prompt dismissed by accident — check the Chrome microphone fix guide or, if you're on Apple's browser, the Safari microphone fix guide, since Safari's permission model is the most restrictive of the major browsers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to install anything to use the audio editor?
No. The editor runs in your browser tab using the Web Audio API and WebAssembly, so there is nothing to install and no account to create. Open the page, load or record a clip, and start editing.
Is my audio uploaded to a server when I edit it?
No. Trimming, cutting, splitting, fading and exporting all happen locally on your device. The file is never transmitted anywhere, which makes the editor suitable for sensitive recordings such as private voice memos or confidential meetings.
What file formats can I edit?
The editor loads MP3, WAV, M4A/AAC, WebM/Opus, OGG and FLAC. Export format availability depends on your browser's audio engine: MP3 and WAV export are supported everywhere, while some other formats depend on Chromium, Firefox or Safari support. Use the Audio Converter if you need a format your browser cannot export directly.
Why does my edited clip have a click at the cut point?
A click at a cut usually means the edit point falls where the waveform is away from zero rather than at a natural zero crossing. Nudge the cut a few milliseconds in either direction, or add a very short fade of 20 to 50 milliseconds at the join to smooth it out.
Why is my recording silent or too quiet before I even start editing?
This is almost always a source problem rather than an editor problem — the wrong input device was selected, the microphone was muted, or a browser permission was never granted. Work through the microphone troubleshooting hub for guidance specific to your platform and browser, then re-record before you edit.
Can I split one long recording into several files?
Yes. Mark a point on the waveform and use split to divide the file into two independent clips, each of which can be trimmed, faded and exported separately. Repeat the process to break a long session into as many segments as you need.