Uncompressed Audio Formats Audacity Exports Natively

Audacity includes built-in support for exporting several uncompressed audio formats immediately after installation without the need for external libraries like FFmpeg. Because Audacity comes bundled with the open-source libsndfile library, users can render pristine, lossless, and uncompressed pulse-code modulation (PCM) audio directly out of the box. This guide lists the uncompressed formats Audacity exports natively and explains the configuration options available for each.

1. WAV (Microsoft 32-bit float or 16/24-bit PCM)

WAV is the default and most widely used uncompressed format in Audacity. When selecting standard export options, Audacity can generate:

  • Signed 16-bit PCM: The standard CD-audio quality format.
  • Signed 24-bit PCM: The industry standard for studio recording and mastering.
  • 32-bit float PCM: Matches Audacity’s internal 32-bit processing engine, preserving full dynamic range and preventing digital clipping within the file.

2. AIFF (Apple/SGI)

AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) is Apple’s equivalent to WAV. Audacity handles AIFF natively, making it fully compatible with macOS workflows without extra software:

  • Signed 16-bit PCM
  • Signed 24-bit PCM
  • 32-bit float PCM

3. AU (Sun/NeXT Audio)

AU is a classic UNIX/Sun Microsystems audio container. Audacity relies on this format internally for block files, but it also allows users to export standard .au files natively using:

  • 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit linear PCM
  • 32-bit floating-point PCM

4. RAW (Headerless Audio Data)

For specialized workflows, programming, or forensic audio analysis, Audacity can export pure uncompressed audio streams without headers:

  • Raw Data (.raw or custom extension): Contains only raw PCM samples.
  • Configurable encoding schemes include signed/unsigned 8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit integers, and 32/64-bit floating-point formats, as well as customizable byte order (Little-Endian or Big-Endian).

How to Access Native Uncompressed Exports in Audacity

  1. Go to File > Export Audio.
  2. To export standard uncompressed formats quickly, select WAV or AIFF directly from the Format dropdown menu.
  3. To access custom uncompressed formats, raw PCM, or alternative bit depths, set the format to Other uncompressed files.
  4. Under the format options, choose the desired container (such as WAV, AIFF, AU, or RAW) and select the specific uncompressed Encoding (such as Signed 24-bit PCM or 32-bit float).