Cut an MP3 into parts

How to split an MP3 into several files

1. Open the recording. Click Open file or drop an MP3, M4A, WAV or video. The whole file is selected; drag the handles if you want to drop an intro or outro first.
2. Choose how to split. In Split into parts pick Every (for example 10:00), Into a number of parts, or At times — type cut points like 3:12, 7:45 or play the file and press Add cut at playhead.
3. Check the cuts. Dashed lines on the waveform show each cut, and the list shows every part’s start, end and length. Adjust until it looks right.
4. Export. Pick the format and quality in the side panel and press Export parts. Download the parts one by one, or all of them as a ZIP.

Three ways to split

Cuts are counted from the start of the selection, and parts always cover it end to end — nothing between two parts is lost or duplicated. A cut closer than half a second to the previous cut or to the end is ignored, so you never get a sliver of a file; with a fixed length, a very short remainder simply stays in the last part.

Finding good cut points

For music and speech, cut in a pause rather than on a fixed clock. Play the file, stop just after a song ends or a speaker finishes a sentence, and press Add cut at playhead; the time is added to the list in order. Gaps between songs show up as flat stretches on the waveform, so you can also click there to move the playhead. Typed times accept seconds (245.5), minutes (4:05.5) or hours (1:02:30), separated by commas, spaces or new lines — paste a track list straight from a text file.

What happens to fades, volume and file names

• Volume and Normalize use one shared gain for the whole selection, so every part keeps the same level as in the original — part 3 won’t come out louder than part 2.
• Fades from the side panel are applied to the start and end of each part. Leave them at 0 for chapters that should play back to back; use a short fade (0.2–1 s) when each part should stand alone, such as separate songs.
• File names are numbered with leading zeros — lecture-part-01.mp3, lecture-part-02.mp3 — so they sort correctly everywhere. The title tag inside each file says “part 2 of 7”.
• ZIP: the “Download all” archive stores the files without recompressing them (audio is already compressed), so it is created instantly. iPhone and Android can open ZIPs in their Files apps.

Gapless playback

MP3 and AAC encoders add a few dozen milliseconds of silence at the start and end of every file. That is inaudible for chapters or separate songs, but a continuous live album split into MP3 tracks will have tiny gaps between them. If the parts must join seamlessly, export WAV, which is sample-exact. Splitting itself is sample-accurate in every format.

Good uses

• Audiobooks and lectures into 10–30 minute pieces that are easier to skip through or upload.
• A rehearsal or live-set recording into one file per song.
• Long voice memos or interviews into question-by-question clips.
• Sound-effect or sample packs recorded in one take.
• Services with an upload limit, such as messaging apps that only accept files up to a certain length or size — the file size calculator tells you how long each part can be.

Only need one piece? The regular MP3 cutter is simpler. For cleaner single cuts, read how to cut an MP3 precisely.

FAQ