Audacity: Extending Capabilities with FFmpeg
FFmpeg is a library that extends what file types that Audacity can import/export (such as WMA, M4A, AC3, etc.). It is not part of the initial build because the FFmpeg library is it’s own open-source project. This tutorial focuses on Windows. See Audacity Support’s article on FFmpeg for more in-depth instructions and macOS or Linux instructions.
If you have Audacity open, make sure to quit it before installing the FFmpeg library.
| 1 | Go to https://support.audacityteam.org/basics/installing-ffmpeg |  FFmpeg installation instructions site
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| 2 | Select the appropriate Operating System (OS). | Highlighting the OS choices
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| 3 | Click on the suggested link. | Highlighting the download site
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| 4 | Click on the link for the appropriate executable file. This will automatically download the library. | Highlighting the appropriate installer
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| 5 | Wait for the download to finish, then click on the button to run the executable file. | Running the installer
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| 6 | Follow the on-screen instructions (including carefully reading and accepting the License Agreement). |
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| 7 | Run Audacity and then go to File>Import. We should now see an option for “FFmpeg-compatible files” when we click on All files. | Option 1: Import options to check FFmpeg
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| 8 | Another way to make sure that the FFmpeg library is working is to do a short recording or open up a recorded project. Then, go to File>Export Audio and follow the export process. When we click on Format, we should see a few formats with (FFmpeg) at the end of them. | Option 2: Export options to check FFmpeg
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