Audacity will run on computers with the Windows, Macintosh, or Linux operating systems. Installing the software is slightly different depending on which type of computer you’re using. The software for all platforms is available at: http://audacity.sourceforge.
Installing Audacity on Windows
Visit the website listed above to download the Windows version of Audacity. You will probably get the best results downloading the 1.3.X version (as of this time the version is 1.3.12).
You should see a link labeled “Download Audacity 1.3.X (Beta)”. Click on that link and on the next page look for a link labeled “Audacity 1.3.X Installer”. The download should begin.
Choose Save so the file is saved to your computer. A good idea is to save it to the desktop so you can find the file easily.
Once you’ve downloaded the installer, double-click on the file to start the installation. You may get “security” warnings because you have downloaded a file from the Internet. If you’re downloading from the above website, you can trust it. Choose Run to begin, then if you get other warnings choose Yes, or OK, or allow to move to the next step.
The installation continues when you are asked what language to install in. Most people reading these directions will choose English.
- Next a Welcome screen appears. Click Next.
- You will now see license information. Click Next.
- You will be shown the Destination Location. Click Next.
- You can leave the box checked to create a Desktop icon. Click Next.
- You’re ready to Install the software. Click Install.
- On the Information screen (after reading it, of course), click Next.
Finally, on the Finish Installation screen, click the Finish button (and leave the check mark next to Launch Audacity if you wish to run the program right away).
Audacity should now be running with a Welcome screen. Click OK to continue on using Audacity. The Welcome screen will continue to appear every time you run the program. Check the box “Don’t show this again at startup” if you wish to go straight into using the software.
See the other documentation about how to begin using Audacity. If you wish to save files in the MP3 format, you will need to install an additional file on the computer.
Installing the MP3 Library on Windows
Start by going to the Audacity home page: http://audacity.sourceforge.
Click the link to “Download Audacity 1.3.X”, just as you may have already done to install Audacity. This takes you to the Download page. Look for a section labeled “Optional Downloads”, and click the link labeled “LAME MP3 encoder”. The LAME MP3 encoder is a “library” file that the computer needs to let Audacity export (save as) MP3 files. MP3 is a licensed audio “codec”, and Audacity avoids any licensing fees by not including it in the program. Hence you need to install it separately.
Follow the instructions on that page to download and install the LAME MP3 encoder. Be sure to follow the instructions for your operating system, in this case, Windows.
A “screencast” on the full installation of Audacity and the LAME MP3 encoder is available at:
http://www.andyrush.net/
Installing Audacity on Macintosh
Visit the website (http://audacity.sourceforge.
You should see a link labeled “Download Audacity 1.3.X (Beta)”. Click on that link and on the next page look for a link labeled “Audacity 1.3.X Installer”. The download should begin.
Choose Save so the file is saved to your computer. The default location for the file (a .dmg file) is the Downloads folder. Double-click the .dmg file, and the folder containing the Audacity program should open on your computer. **Warning: You should never run a program from within the installation folder** You will also have a “mounted drive” icon on your desktop labeled Audacity 1.3.X. You should drag this icon to the trash after you have installed Audacity.
Normally the process for installing a program on the Mac is to drag the program icon to the Applications folder. However, there are other “helper” folders that you should copy as well. Instead, begin by creating a new folder in the Applications folder called Audacity, then drag all the files within the installation folder to that new folder you created.
To create a new folder with the Applications folder either click the “Perform Tasks” button 
and choose “New Folder”, or right-click (Ctrl-click) within the Applications folder and choose “New Folder” from the menu.
Now you can double-click the Audacity program icon to start Audacity. You will probably get a warning about running a program that has been downloaded from the Internet. Choose “Open” and the program should start.
Installing the MP3 Library on Macintosh
Start by going to the Audacity home page: http://audacity.sourceforge.
Click the link to “Download Audacity 1.3.X”, just as you may have already done to install Audacity. This takes you to the Download page. Look for a section labeled “Optional Downloads”, and click the link labeled “LAME MP3 encoder”. The LAME MP3 encoder is a “library” file that the computer needs to let Audacity export (save as) MP3 files. MP3 is a licensed audio “codec”, and Audacity avoids any licensing fees by not including it in the program. Hence you need to install it separately.
Follow the instructions on that page to download and install the LAME MP3 encoder. Be sure to follow the instructions for your operating system, in this case, Macintosh.
Making a basic recording
Start the Audacity program.- Make sure that your microphone/headset is plugged in and that Audacity recognizes it. You can check by going to the Edit menu and Choosing Preferences, then selecting the Audio I/O tab (on the Mac choose the Audacity menu, then Preferences and then the Devices tab). Your microphone should be listed under Recording:Device. Close the Preferences windows when you are finished.
- When you’re ready press the record button.
- You should begin to see a “waveform” appear with waves corresponding to the words that you speak. The picture above is what the words “testing, one, two, three, four, five” looks like in a waveform.
- When you are finished recording, press the Stop button.
- Now go to the File menu and choose Export As MP3… , and give your file a name. Click on the Save button and you’re done.