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Audio cutter for mac - How can I trim an audio file on mac?

I have a project on hand right now that requires me to process some audio files on Mac, mainly cutting and adjusting the length. I have tried several Audio cutter for mac tools, but I feel that I haven't found a particularly suitable one. I wonder if you have any recommended Mac audio cutter software, or if you have any good tips to share.


I hope to find a simple and effective way to trim an audio on Mac. If you have any good suggestions, please let me know, thank you very much!

MacBook Air (M2, 2022)

Posted on Jul 15, 2024 3:12 AM

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7 replies

Jul 16, 2024 7:04 PM in response to Zrmioiolly

You can use QuickTime Player to trim an audio file on Mac, Mac's built-in QuickTime Player can not only play audio and video files, but also perform basic editing, such as trimming and adjusting file length. You only need to open the audio file and select the "Trim" function in the Edit menu to simply adjust the start and end points of the audio.

Jul 16, 2024 7:09 PM in response to Zrmioiolly

GarageBand is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by Apple. It offers a variety of features for recording, editing, and mixing audio. It comes pre-installed on most Mac computers and is also available on iOS devices.


How to Cut Audio on a Mac Using GarageBand:


  1. Create a new project in GarageBand.
  2. Drag and drop the audio file you want to trim into the GarageBand workspace.
  3. Use the playhead (the vertical line that moves as the audio plays) to navigate to the starting point of the section you want to trim.
  4. Move the playhead to the end point of the section you want to keep and press Command + T again to split the track.
  5. Once you are satisfied with your trimmed audio, go to Share > Export Song to Disk....
  6. Select the destination folder and save the trimmed audio file on Mac.

Jul 16, 2024 1:42 AM in response to Zrmioiolly

AudioKies is a really great audio cutter for Mac tool! I've used it to trim some podcasts before and found it to be super user-friendly and powerful. The real-time preview is especially convenient, so you can hear the effect of your edits right away. It is perfect for someone like me who just needs to do some simple editing. I recommend everyone to try it!

Jul 16, 2024 7:20 PM in response to Zrmioiolly

FFmpeg is a powerful audio cutter for Mac. It has many options to handle multimedia files and streams. You can customize the command further depending on your needs. This method is efficient and preserves the original audio quality by copying the audio stream directly.


This is a simple command to cut audio file on Mac:


ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -ss [start_time] -to [end_time] -c copy output.mp3


For example, to trim an audio file from 30 seconds to 1 minute and 30 seconds:


ffmpeg -i input.mp3 -ss 00:00:30 -to 00:01:30 -c copy output.mp3



Jul 16, 2024 7:29 PM in response to Odlin88

The trimming feature of QuickTime Player is highly restricted as a few input audio file types are supported, including MP3, OGG, M4A and AAC. Most importantly, the trimmed audio can be only saved as M4A. Make sure you notice the limitation for this free Mac audio cutter.


In fact, there are many free and paid apps out there for more widely support for both input and output files. Usually, they also come with a preview feature. It is more convenient to cut audio file on Mac than the default QuickTime Player.

Audio cutter for mac - How can I trim an audio file on mac?

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