Lame, lame_enc.dll and FFmpeg libraries for Audacity

NOTICE: Try the download wizard (LAME + FFmpeg) if you are not sure what to pick. It routes current Audacity users to the right page and still points older installs to legacy downloads when needed. You can also use the compatibility guide for a full table of versions.

LAME and FFmpeg for Audacity

BE ADVISED: There is no single FFmpeg download for every Audacity release.

Audacity 3.2 and later: use the wizard or go straight to FFmpeg 5.0.0 current packages.
Windows 64-bit Audacity 3.0.3 to 3.1.x: use the Windows 64-bit FFmpeg page.
Older macOS or older Audacity: use the compatibility guide or legacy downloads.

New: Convert Audacity .aup/.aup3/.aup4 to WAV without Audacity — try aup2wav (free Python tool).

Reads legacy AUP and modern AUP3/AUP4 directly
Exports stereo, multichannel, or stems
16/24‑bit PCM or 32‑bit float WAV

Learn Nyquist Plugins: See Audacity Plugins Handbook.

Follow updates: LAME Websites on Facebook.

Choose your operating system

Windows users: jump to Windows downloads.
macOS users: use the wizard if you are unsure, or jump to 64‑bit macOS downloads / 32‑bit Mac OS X.

Guides & compatibility

I am here to help! Contact [email protected]. All libraries here are tested with Audacity on Windows and macOS. Beware of suspicious ads. See our Privacy page.

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LAME lets programs encode MP3 files. In some countries you may need to pay a license fee to legally encode MP3 files.

Audacity is a free, open source audio editor for recording, converting, noise removal, and more. I’ve used it for years; check out my music.

When you first export MP3 in Audacity, you’ll be asked to locate the LAME/FFmpeg libraries. Remember where you place them.

Windows downloads

See our curated links for LAME and FFmpeg compatible with Audacity. If an installer is not detected by Audacity, the wizard and compatibility guide will route you to ZIP alternatives and manual install steps.

LAME for MP3 export (Audacity 2.x, including 2.0.3)

Recommended EXE: Lame_v3.99.3_for_Windows.exe — SHA256 sum
Recommended ZIP: libmp3lame-win-3.99.3.zip — if Audacity does not auto-detect, pick the extracted library path in Preferences → Libraries.
Newer alternative: lame_v3.100.zip (known to work with Audacity 2.x).

FFmpeg for Audacity 3.2+ (current)

Current Windows and macOS packages: FFmpeg 5.0.0 current page
Not sure which current package you need? Start with the download wizard.

macOS 64‑bit downloads

Choose carefully: current Audacity 3.2+ on macOS uses the current package, while older Intel-focused packages remain available below for legacy installs.

FFmpeg for macOS (64-bit)

Audacity 3.2 and later (current, including Apple Silicon): FFmpeg 5.0.0 current page
Audacity 2.3.1 to 3.1.x (Intel / legacy): ffmpeg_64bit_osx.pkg
ZIP alternative for Audacity 2.3.1 to 3.1.x: FFmpeg64bit_MAC_OSX_for_Audacity_2.3.1_and_above.zip

Current macOS packages for Audacity 3.2+ use libavformat*.dylib naming. The older Intel package uses ffmpeg*.dylib naming instead.

Mac OS X 32‑bit downloads

Legacy links for older Mac systems and older Audacity versions.

FFmpeg for macOS (32-bit)

ZIP: ffmpeg-mac-2.2.2.zip
DMG: ffmpeg-mac-2.2.2.dmg
FFmpeg 0.6.2 DMG: FFmpeg_v0.6.2_for_Audacity_on_OSX.dmg — ZIP here or alternate DMG here

VLC Downloads

Mirror of official downloads (2019‑01‑11, VLC 3.0.6) and KernelEx:

VLC 3.0.6 for 32‑bit Windows (installer): vlc-3.0.6-win32.exe
VLC 3.0.6 for 64‑bit Windows (installer): vlc-3.0.6-win64.exe
VLC 3.0.6 for 32‑bit Windows (ZIP): vlc-3.0.6-win32.zip
KernelEx 4.5.2 for Windows XP: KernelEx-4.5.2.exe

Old Audacity Downloads

Currently 2.4.2 and 3.0.2 are available on this page.

OneSeq (work in progress)

Download oneseq.exe — a work‑in‑progress synthesizer/sequencer with multiple synth engines, a sampler, effects, and parameter locks.

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