Audacity + FFmpeg Compatibility Guide

Pick the right FFmpeg package for your Audacity version and operating system.

Quick pick

Find your Audacity version in the table below and use the recommended package. If you are unsure which version you have, open Audacity and check the version number in the About screen.

Want a guided flow? Try the download wizard. If you already know you need the current Audacity 3.2+ installers, go straight to FFmpeg 5.0.0 current packages.

LAME for MP3 export (not FFmpeg)

If you need MP3 export support in older Audacity builds (including 2.0.3), use these LAME downloads:

Audacity version OS Recommended download Notes
3.2+ (current) Windows / macOS FFmpeg 5.0.0 packages Canonical current page for Audacity 3.2+. On macOS, this package uses libavformat*.dylib naming.
3.0.3 to 3.1.x (64-bit) Windows FFmpeg 64-bit for Audacity Windows-only bridge page for Audacity 64-bit on Windows 7 SP1 or newer.
2.0.6+ Windows ffmpeg-win-2.2.2.exe ZIP alternative: ffmpeg-win-2.2.2.zip
1.3.13–2.0.5 Windows FFmpeg v0.6.2 (EXE) ZIP alternative: FFmpeg v0.6.2 (ZIP)
2.3.1 to 3.1.x macOS 64-bit (Intel / legacy) ffmpeg_64bit_osx.pkg ZIP alternative: FFmpeg64bit MAC OSX ZIP. Legacy Intel path only; do not use as the default for Audacity 3.2+ or Apple Silicon.
Older macOS macOS 32-bit ffmpeg-mac-2.2.2.dmg ZIP alternative: ffmpeg-mac-2.2.2.zip

Package contents (ZIPs and installers)

ZIP downloads list exact files. Installer packages (.exe/.pkg/.dmg) are convenience wrappers, so use the ZIP alternative if you need to inspect file names or compare manual-selection library names.

Package Contents (key files) Notes
FFmpeg_5.0.0_for_Audacity_on_Windows_x86_64.exe / x86.exe Shared FFmpeg libraries including avformat-*.dll, avcodec-*.dll, avutil-*.dll Current Windows installers for Audacity 3.2+. If auto-detection fails, use Preferences → Libraries.
FFmpeg_5.0.0_for_Audacity_on_macOS.pkg libavformat*.dylib, libavcodec*.dylib, libavutil*.dylib Current macOS package for Audacity 3.2+. No ffmpeg*.dylib files are expected in this package.
ffmpeg-win-2.2.2.zip avformat-55.dll, avcodec-55.dll, avutil-52.dll, avdevice-55.dll, avfilter-4.dll, postproc-52.dll, swresample-0.dll, swscale-2.dll, ffmpeg.exe (plus license/readme files) Windows ZIP alternative for Audacity 2.0.6+.
FFmpeg v0.6.2 (Windows ZIP) avformat-52.dll, avcodec-52.dll, avutil-50.dll, swscale-0.dll, ffmpeg.exe Windows ZIP for Audacity 1.3.13–2.0.5.
FFmpeg v2.2.2 (Windows 64-bit ZIP) avformat-55.dll, avcodec-55.dll, avutil-52.dll, libbz2-1.dll, libiconv-2.dll, libwinpthread-1.dll, zlib1.dll Windows 64-bit ZIP for Audacity 3.0.3+.
FFmpeg64bit MAC OSX ZIP ffmpeg.55.64bit.dylib, ffmpeg_codecs.55.64bit.dylib, ffmpeg_utils.52.64bit.dylib No libavformat.dylib in this package (uses Audacity-named ffmpeg*.dylib files).
ffmpeg-mac-2.2.2.zip libavformat.dylib, libavcodec.dylib, libavutil.dylib, libopencore-amrnb.dylib, libopencore-amrwb.dylib, libopus.dylib, libspeex.dylib, libvo-aacenc.dylib, libvo-amrwbenc.dylib (plus versioned .dylib variants) Older macOS ZIP (includes libavformat.dylib).
FFmpeg v0.6.2 (macOS ZIP) ffmpeg, libavformat.dylib, libavcodec.dylib, libavutil.dylib, libswscale.dylib (plus versioned .dylib variants) Very old macOS/Audacity builds.

Need older or special builds?