Can Audacity Export 192 kHz and 384 kHz Audio?

Audacity fully supports exporting high-resolution audio files at sample rates of 192 kHz, 384 kHz, and beyond. Because the software uses a 32-bit floating-point internal processing engine and relies on the versatile libsndfile library, users are not restricted to standard CD-quality rates (44.1 kHz) or video-standard rates (48 kHz). This guide explains how Audacity handles ultra-high sample rates, which formats support them, and the exact steps required to export your audio without accidental downsampling.

Audacity's High-Resolution Capabilities

Audacity does not artificially cap sample rates to standard consumer presets. It permits custom sample rates ranging from 1 Hz up to 384,000 Hz (384 kHz) and higher, provided your system's storage and target format can accommodate the bandwidth.

When working with high-resolution audio, Audacity processes data internally at 32-bit float by default. This ensures that dynamic range and mathematical precision are preserved when tracking, mixing, or applying effects at 192 kHz or 384 kHz.

Format Support for 192 kHz and 384 kHz

Not every audio format supports ultra-high sample rates. When exporting from Audacity:

• WAV (Broadcast Wave / PCM): Fully supports both 192 kHz and 384 kHz. To preserve true high-resolution quality, export using Signed 24-bit PCM or 32-bit float PCM.
• AIFF: Apple’s uncompressed format easily accommodates 192 kHz and 384 kHz at 24-bit or 32-bit resolution.
• FLAC: The official FLAC specification supports sample rates up to 655,350 Hz. Audacity natively exports 192 kHz FLAC files without issue. While 384 kHz FLAC encoding is technically possible in some software builds, hardware and player compatibility is extremely limited; uncompressed WAV is preferred for 384 kHz.
• MP3 / AAC: Lossy formats do not support high-resolution sample rates. MP3 caps at 48 kHz, and standard AAC generally tops out at 96 kHz.

How to Export at 192 kHz or 384 kHz

Audacity exports files based on the Project Sample Rate, not the individual track sample rates. If a track is recorded at 44.1 kHz but the project rate is set to 192 kHz, Audacity will upsample the exported file. Conversely, if your audio was recorded at 192 kHz but the project rate is set to 44.1 kHz, Audacity will downsample the export.

1. Set the Project Sample Rate:
   • In current versions of Audacity, go to Audio Setup > Audio Settings.
   • Locate Project Sample Rate (or check the bottom-left corner of the main window in older versions).
   • Select 192000 Hz, or manually type 384000 into the field if it does not appear in the drop-down menu.
2. Configure the Track Rate (Optional):
   • Ensure your recorded or imported tracks match this rate to prevent unnecessary resampling during playback. Click the track title dropdown and verify the rate under Rate.
3. Export the File:
   • Navigate to File > Export Audio.
   • Choose your desired directory and set the format to WAV (Microsoft) or FLAC.
   • Set the encoding to Signed 24-bit PCM or 32-bit float.
   • Verify in the export dialog that the output sample rate displays 192000 Hz or 384000 Hz.
   • Click Export.

Practical Considerations

Exporting at 192 kHz or 384 kHz results in significantly larger file sizes—a stereo 384 kHz / 32-bit float WAV file requires roughly 5.5 MB of disk space per second of audio. Additionally, playback requires a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) capable of native decoding at these frequencies; otherwise, the operating system or media player will resample the audio during playback.