Best Free Audio Tools for Splitting Up Large Files

Audio editing programs for Windows, MacOS, and Linux

By
Mark Harris
Mark Harris
Writer
  • University of Wolverhampton
Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner.
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Updated on July 6, 2021
Reviewed by
Ryan Perian
Ryan Perian headshot
Reviewed by Ryan Perian
  • Western Governors University
Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions.
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To start chopping, dicing, and mashing up your audio files, check out some of the best free audio file splitters for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

01
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Edit Audio Files on Your Phone: WavePad Audio File Splitter

WavePad Audio File Splitter
What We Like

  • Works with multiple formats.

  • Mobile option.

What We Don't Like

  • Has a learning curve.

WavePad Audio File Splitter supports both lossy and lossless audio formats such as MP3, OGG, FLAC, and WAV. This software is available for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android devices. It's free for home use with no time limits.

What makes this program so versatile is the number of ways it can split audio files. Its most impressive feature is the use of silence detection. This feature enables you to split a large audio file that contains multiple music tracks.

If you rip an audio CD to one large MP3 file, then this tool is a good option for creating individual tracks. You can then use an ID3 tag editor to add track identifying information, which is an essential step if you want to know what each song is called.

02
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Best Audio File Splitter for Linux: Mp3splt

Mp3splt audio splitter program
What We Like

  • Works with multiple formats.

  • Cross platform.

  • Simplified interface.

What We Don't Like

  • Somewhat outdated.

Mp3splt is a great tool for precision audio dicing. It automatically detects split points and silent gaps, which is convenient for splitting up an album. File names and music tag information can be retrieved from an online database (the CDDB).

You can download this multiplatform tool for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and it supports MP3, Ogg Vorbis, and FLAC file formats. The user interface is relatively easy to use, but there's a learning curve. The software has a built-in audio player, so you can play whole audio tracks or preview your MP3 slices. If you have a large recording, Mp3splt produces good results.

03
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Best Open Source Audio File Splitter: Audacity

Audacity audio editing program
What We Like

  • Open source and cross platform.

  • Loads of features.

  • Great graphical interface.

What We Don't Like

  • May be overwhelming to new users.

Audacity is a powerful open source tool for all sorts of audio editing work, making it a great candidate for something simple, like cutting down a long MP3. Audacity is available across a range of platforms, it's actively developed, and it features a simple graphical interface that's not too hard to learn.

Before you download and use Audacity, be sure to review its privacy policy to ensure you’re comfortable with its terms.

Audacity has the added benefit of working with a range of audio formats, offering you the option to convert file types or make duplicates in different formats. It's available to download for Windows or macOS, and Linux users can find it in their distribution repositories.

04
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Best Command Line Audio Splitter: FFmpeg

FFmpeg audio editing program
What We Like

  • Open source.

  • Powerful and flexible.

  • Cross platform.

What We Don't Like

  • Command line only.

  • Learning curve.

FFmpeg might be the most unconventional entry on this list, but it's here because it's super effective. FFmpeg is an open-source command line tool that handles all sorts of multimedia files, including MP3s. It serves as the back end for other applications, but it's fairly simple to use by itself.

With FFmpeg, you can use a simple command to cut out sections of a larger audio file. Specify the time you'd like to start your cut, the time you want it to stop, and the output file, and you're good to go.

Because FFmpeg is a command-line tool, you can get extremely precise with the places you want to break things up. It's also flexible enough to convert your files to a different format while cutting them, so you can take a huge WAV or FLAC and cut it down into more manageable MP3s.

FFmpeg is available to download for Windows or macOS, and Linux users can find it in their distribution repositories.

05
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Best Web-Based Audio File Splitter: AudioTrimmer

AudioTrimmer online mp3 cutter tool
What We Like

  • Simple web-based solution.

  • Works on mobile.

  • Supports multiple formats.

What We Don't Like

  • Not much control.

  • Requires uploads, which can take a while.

If you'd prefer not to install an entirely new program, use a web-based option like AudioTrimmer. With this one, you can upload your MP3 file and tell the site where you would like to cut it. AudioTrimmer edits your file and give you the results.

This one works on any platform, even mobile, and it's great for one-off situations where installing a new program would be excessive.

What Are Audio File Splitters Used For?

Audio file splitters are useful when you want to split large audio files into smaller, more manageable pieces. If you want to make ringtones for your phone, for instance, then you can use an audio file splitter app to produce free ringtones from your existing music collection.

Another reason you might want to use an audio file splitter is for large podcasts or other types of digital recording where there is one large continuous audio block. These files can be large, and ​splitting them into sections makes them easier to listen to. Audiobooks usually come with chapter divisions, but if you have an audiobook that is just one large file, then a splitter can be used to create separate chapters.

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