If you edit podcasts, interviews or music in Audacity 3, try Audacity 4 with a project copy first. The change is more than a new interface: projects move from AUP3 to AUP4. This guide outlines a controlled transition without overwriting the starting project.
What changes in the project format
According to the developer, Audacity 4.0.0 was released on 3 September 2026. It opens AUP3 projects and converts them to AUP4 without changing the original file. Converted projects cannot be saved back to AUP3. Renaming the extension will not solve this. Version 4.0 also lacks features including Macro Manager, the scripting pipe and VAMP and LADSPA hosting. If your work depends on these, finish ongoing projects in your established workflow for now. [1][2]
Preparation and limits
You need a project saved and closed normally in Audacity 3, a separate backup, enough free space for copies and exports, and an official Audacity build appropriate for your platform. Record the plugins and important settings you use. An audio export is a listening reference, not a replacement for the editable project. Agree with collaborators which project version they can open.
Five steps to a checked copy
- Preserve the starting point: open the project in your previous environment and listen to the beginning, end and important edits. Export a reference mix, for example as WAV. Save and close the project normally before copying its file. Keep the original and a separate backup untouched.
- Create a working copy: make a dedicated test folder and copy the closed AUP3 file into it. Give the copy a clear name. Open that copy in Audacity 4, not your only production project. Download only from the official source. [3]
- Check the conversion: save the imported project as AUP4 with a new name. Check tracks, clip positions, mute/solo states and effects. The developer also describes changed behaviour when clips overlap; try such edits only in the copy. [2]
- Compare the sound: export a new comparison mix using the same channel and sample-rate settings as the reference. Listen to both at comparable volume, paying attention to transitions, pauses and effects. Similar waveforms alone do not prove that migration worked correctly.
- Save and reopen: close Audacity normally and reopen the new AUP4 file. Check the important passages again. If collaborating, ask the recipient to check a copy and the agreed audio export too. Do not replace or delete the old project version.
If something is missing or sounds different
If an effect is missing or the mix sounds different, stop migrating this project. First check the format and availability of the plugin involved; a new interface does not prove identical processing. Record the version, operating system and reproducible difference without uploading confidential recordings publicly. If needed, continue with the backed-up AUP3 project in the previous environment. Later AUP4 edits are not automatically included there. Audio exports can transfer results, but not the full editable project structure.
When the migration has succeeded
Accept the migration for this project only when the AUP4 file reopens, required effects are available, listening comparisons are satisfactory and collaboration works. If any check fails, keep AUP3 as the working basis. This check replaces neither a backup nor testing other projects.
Date and sources
As of 29 September 2026. Source-based editorial guidance, not a hands-on Audacity test or a claim of measured search trends. No affiliate links.