How to Trim MP3: 5 Best MP3 Cutter and Trimmer

Melissa Lee updated on May 24, 2024 to Video Editing Tips

Use these best MP3 cutter and trimmer to trim MP3 and edit audio files in Windows, macOS, or any platform. When editing audio files, you can choose to split, add another audio file, and merge them. Make sure to use the noise removal feature if available in the software to smoothen your video. Those who need subtitle from an audio file, look for speech to text feature.

MP3 is an audio format. Many times, we record audio, which can be in the form of call recording or an interview which you plan to hear later. If you want to share the video with someone further, it must be error-free. That's where the mp3 trimmer comes into the picture. It's an application that can trim MP3 and edit audio files, remove background noise, and even work as an audio joiner to merge many audio files into one. Here are some top reasons why you should trim mp3 files: remove errors and anything which is not crucial in the final audio

  • Reduce background noise from the audio so that everyone can hear the audio clearly
  • Altogether remove sound from video and replace it with another audio

5 Best MP3 Cutter and Trimmer for Windows and Mac

Here is the list of the five best MP3 cutters and trimmers for Windows, macOS, and an online tool that can help you trim mp3 files. Be aware that every tool has its limitations, so make your choice accordingly. The previous two software is applicable for Windows system, and the third and fourth one can work on Mac, and the last one is applicable for both Windows and Mac.

1. EaseUS Video Editor for Windows 10

EaseUS Video Editor is a professional video editor that has a built-in audio editor. It can edit audio, which is in the video file, or if you only have an audio file, you can import it and edit it as well. Apart from trimming MP3, the software offers full fledge video editing features. For example, you can add cool effects to video and you can also add Transitions, Elements, Filters, Text, and Background audio. There are over 300 such effects that anyone can use for free. The video editor also allows you to export video and audio in multiple formats and social media, so it works for everyone.

Here are two more features that can help with overall audio editing.

  • Speech and Text Converter: This feature helps you create text from the audio and automatically sync with it. You can always correct the text in the caption
  • Voice Over: If there is part of the audio, which is not clear, you can use a voice-over feature to replace it with your voice

Now download EaseUS Video Editor and follow the below tutorials to trim MP3 on your Windows 10 PC.

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Video Editor, then click "Import > Import file" to load your files into the app. You will need to navigate to the folders where your files are located and select them to be added to the software.

Step 2. When your audio files are available in the software, right-click on them and select "Add to Project". They will be added to the timeline so you can then trim them.

Step 3. Place your cursor where you want to cut your audio file and click on the "Split" option in the toolbar. It will split your music file into two parts. Then click on the audio part that you do not wish to keep and select the "Delete" option. It will remove that part from your file.

Step 4. Finally, you can save the trimmed file in an audio format on your computer. Click on the "Export" option at the top, choose the "Audio" tab, and select either "MP3" or "AAC" as an output format. Then, click on "Export" at the bottom to save your file.

2. Audacity for Windows

It's a free MP3 trimmer that can even trim and cut audio files from videos. The most significant advantage of using Audacity is that it can edit multi-track audio files. So, if you have multiple audio, then put them on top of each other to edit them using the built-in tools. Audacity also features an internal audio recorder, which does a fantastic job if you do not want to spend money on professional software.

Lastly, since you are editing audio files, you should also know that Audacity features a noise removal tool. However, it must be trained by pointing it towards noise available in the audio file. Post that, it can use the same profile to remove background noise from video and audio files.

How to trim MP3 files using Audacity:

Step 1. Open Audacity and import the audio files.

Step 2. Once done, select the part of the audio file you want to clip, and click on the Edit menu, and delete it. You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + K to cut or Ctrl + D to delete part of the audio files.

Step 3. Then you can play the trimmed audio file. If you are satisfied with it, just save it on your computer.

3. QuickTime Player for Mac

It is an inbuilt MP3 cutter that is available for all macOS users. When it comes to audio editing, you can choose to Split or Trim the audio file, and then save it with a different name. If you have multiple audio files to edit, you can add them to the end of the audio file and then split or trim them together. The same operations can be performed for video files as well.

Here's how to trim MP3 on Mac with QuickTime Player:

Step 1. To trim or cut the MP3 file, open any audio file using QuickTime, and then move the playhead to the point where you want to cut.

Step 2. From the menu, click on "edit" and choose to Split or Trim the audio file. Depending on what you choose, the interface might differ.

Step 3. Once the operation is complete, you can then choose to export the file.

4. WavePad for Mac

If you want a robust audio editing tool and alternative to QuickTime Player, you can choose WavePad. The MP3 trimmer is available for free as long as you use it for personal usage. The app supports a large number of files time, and you can also edit multiple files at the same time. The best part is that you can process multiple files together. Coming to features, you can also bookmark parts of audio files if you need to make sure not to remove them. Noise removal and speech to text add to its utility. It is best for those who need more than a simple audio editor.

Step by step to cut MP3 on Mac:

Step 1. To trim, cut the audio file, open the audio file in WavePad.

Step 2. Then just like Audacity, you can select the part of the audio files, and choose to split, join, trim, silence, duplicate and copy to a new timeline.

Step 3. Once you are done splitting and trimming, you can choose to save the audio file.

5. MP3Cut for Windows/Mac

It's an online MP3 trimmer that offers a very easy-to-use interface. Using this tool, you can trim the MP3 file, change length, add fading effects to cut the sudden increase in volume. If you have a video file, you can upload that too and extract audio from the video. The only drawback is that there is no way to remove part of the image, i.e., misses the cut feature.

Detailed steps on how to trim MP3 online for free:

Step 1. Once the audio file is uploaded, it gives a preview of the audio file with waveforms.

Step 2. On two ends, there is a slider that allows you to change the length, i.e., trim. If you want to be precise, you can always enter the exact timestamp.

Step 3. Once done, you can then choose the export format. It supports mp3, m4a, m4r, FLAC, and wav.

Conclusion and FAQs       

If you are looking for a powerful MP3 trimmer for Windows, then EaseUS is the right choice. If you get a video/audio to edit, you can manage it with the same tool. If you are using macOS, then we suggest WavePad, which offers an easy-to-use interface just like how EaseUS video editor provides. That said, let's look at some of the questions and answers.

How do I edit an mp3 file?             

You can use any of the tools which have mentioned above as they offer multiple features and support the editing of multiple audio files. If you are using a smartphone, then you can simply use any audio editor for the phone and edit them.

How do I trim a large audio file?  

Depending on the software, most of the software can trim large audio files, but the best bet is using desktop software. They have more processing power and offer easy to use interface. It allows them to process large audio files and manage them in parallel.

How do I trim an mp3 file in Windows 7?

If you are still using Windows 7, then you can use Windows Media Player or Audacity to edit MP3 files. When using Windows Media Player, you need to download the SolveigMM WMP Trimmer Plugin. It enables trimming, splitting, and cutting features for audio files; however, if you cannot find the plugin, it's best to use Audacity in that case.