# Trim Audio — Trim audio on Mac

Cut a song, voice memo or podcast down to size. Part of OneMacTools, 151 private tools in one native Mac app (macOS 26 or later); category: Audio. Runs on your Mac; nothing is uploaded.

Set a start and end time and keep just that part, in the same format as the original.

Page: https://www.onemactools.com/tools/trim-audio · Download: https://www.onemactools.com/download · Pricing: https://www.onemactools.com/pricing

## How to use it
1. **Drop your audio.** Drag in a song, voice memo or podcast. Several files can be trimmed with the same times in one go.
2. **Set the start.** Type where the part you want begins, such as 0:30 or 1:05:00. Leave it empty to start at the beginning.
3. **Set the end.** Type where it should stop, such as 2:15. Leave it empty to keep everything to the end of the file.
4. **Click Trim.** Just that part is saved, in the same format as the original, with “trimmed” added to the name.
5. **Check the clip.** It's in a new dated folder in Downloads › OneMacTools. Play it with the Preview (eye) button or use Show in Finder. The original file is unchanged.

## Options
- **Start:** Where the trimmed clip begins. Type seconds (90), minutes and seconds (1:30) or hours, minutes and seconds (1:01:30); decimals such as 1:30.5 work too. Empty means the very start.
- **End:** Where the clip stops, in the same format. Empty means the end of the file. It must be after the start time.

## Tips
- Find your times first by playing the file in QuickTime Player or Music and noting where you want to cut.
- Add half a second either side of the part you want. It's easier to trim a little more than to lose the first word.
- To cut several clips from one recording, run Trim Audio once for each clip. Each run makes a new file.
- Making a ringtone? Ringtone Maker trims, fades and saves the .m4r iPhone format in one step.
- WAV, FLAC, AIFF and Apple Lossless M4A files stay lossless when trimmed. MP3 and ordinary M4A are re-saved at a high quality setting.

## Questions
**How do I trim an audio file on a Mac?**
Drop it onto Trim Audio, type the start and end times, such as 0:30 and 2:15, and click Trim. Only that part is saved as a new file.

**How do I cut the start off a recording?**
Type the time you want it to begin in Start and leave End empty. Everything from that point to the end is kept.

**What time format should I use?**
Seconds (90), minutes and seconds (1:30) or hours, minutes and seconds (1:01:30). Decimals like 12.5 work for precise cuts.

**Will trimming change the format or quality?**
The clip keeps the original format. WAV, FLAC, AIFF and Apple Lossless M4A stay lossless; MP3 and ordinary M4A are re-saved at a high quality setting, so any difference is very hard to hear.

**Can I trim a video's audio?**
Trim Audio takes audio files. Extract the soundtrack with Extract Audio first, or use Trim Video to shorten the video itself.

**Can I remove a section from the middle?**
Not in one step. Trim the part before and the part after as two clips, then join them with Merge & Level Audio.