--- title: Audacity 4.0 released with Qt6-based UI and new project... description: Audacity 4.0 has shipped with a major rebuild, switching its UI toolkit from wxWidgets to Qt6 for better HiDPI support and cross-platform consistency. New... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/audacity-4-0-released-with-qt6-based-ui-and-new-project-format-rasymsy97 twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Audacity 4.0 released with Qt6-based UI and new project format | daily.dev og:description: Audacity 4.0 has shipped with a major rebuild, switching its UI toolkit from wxWidgets to Qt6 for better HiDPI support and cross-platform consistency. New... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/audacity-4-0-released-with-qt6-based-ui-and-new-project-format-rasymsy97 og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/rAsYMSY97.png og:image:alt: Audacity 4.0 released with Qt6-based UI and new project format og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Audacity 4.0 released with Qt6-based UI and new project format **[Collections](https://daily.dev/sources/collections)** · 2 min read · 3 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Audacity 4.0 has shipped with a major rebuild, switching its UI toolkit from wxWidgets to Qt6 for better HiDPI support and cross-platform consistency. New features include savable UI layouts called Workspaces, improved clip handling (grouping, free placement, a dedicated splitting tool), and a new .aup4 project format that can still open and convert older .aup3 files. The upgrade isn't fully backward compatible — some 3.x features are missing, with compatibility notes published listing the gaps. Source and binaries are available for Linux, macOS, and Windows on GitHub. ## Content Audacity 4.0 is out, and it's a substantial rebuild. The biggest change under the hood: the UI has been rewritten on Qt6, replacing the wxWidgets toolkit the app has used for years. In practice, this means native HiDPI scaling, proper light/dark mode support, system accent color integration, and a generally more modern feel. ## What's new **Interface and layout.** Toolbars and panels are now dockable and customizable. You can save your preferred layouts as "Workspaces" and switch between them. There's also a redesigned Home screen and several new themes. **Clip editing.** This is the other major change. Audacity 4.0 introduces a new clip model where you can directly select, group, and move clips - including between mono and stereo tracks. There's a dedicated split tool, multi-clip selection, and what the team calls "intelligent pasting." The old tool modes - Select, Envelope, Draw, Multi-tool, and Sync-Lock - are gone, replaced by context-sensitive controls. **Recording and playback.** The playhead is now draggable. Windows users also get ASIO support. **New project format.** Projects now save as `.aup4`, which stores preview thumbnails and clip data. Audacity can open and convert older `.aup3` and `.aup` files, but the conversion is one-way. ## What's missing This release isn't fully compatible with Audacity 3.x. Several features didn't make it into 4.0: - Time Tracks - Note/MIDI tracks - The Mixer - Macro Manager - VAMP and LADSPA plugin hosting - Play-at-speed The team says these are planned for future updates, not abandoned. ## Getting it Installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux (AppImage) are available on GitHub. Snap and Flathub packages haven't been updated to 4.0 yet. ## Questions this post answers ### What changed in the Audacity 4.0 UI rewrite? Audacity 4.0 replaces the wxWidgets toolkit with Qt6, adding native HiDPI scaling, proper light/dark mode, and system accent color integration. The interface also gains dockable, customizable toolbars and panels, saveable layout presets called Workspaces, a redesigned Home screen, and new themes. _daily.dev surfaces UI framework migrations like this for developers tracking open source toolkit shifts._ ### Can I open Audacity 3.x project files in Audacity 4.0? Yes, Audacity 4.0 can open and convert older .aup3 and .aup project files into the new .aup4 format, which stores preview thumbnails and clip data. However, the conversion is one-way, so converted projects cannot be reopened in Audacity 3.x versions. _Anyone migrating audio projects across major software versions can follow format changes like this on daily.dev._ ### What features are missing from Audacity 4.0 compared to Audacity 3.x? Audacity 4.0 lacks Time Tracks, Note/MIDI tracks, the Mixer, Macro Manager, VAMP and LADSPA plugin hosting, and play-at-speed support. The development team says these features are planned for future updates rather than permanently removed, so users relying on them should stay on 3.x for now. _Users deciding whether to upgrade audio tools can weigh missing features like these via daily.dev._ ## Community take How the wider developer community reacted, aggregated from 2 discussions and 477 comments across lobsters, hackernews (as of 2026-09-13). **TL;DR:** Reaction is largely positive toward the Qt-based UI overhaul and workflow improvements, though some worry the wx-to-Qt rewrite risks a second-system effect and that missing features (and telemetry) are real downsides. **Sentiment:** 45% positive · 35% mixed · 20% skeptical **The case for** - Many think the new UI fixes long-standing UX quirks and looks far better than the old wx-based interface. - Several see the switch to Qt as a sound engineering call given wx's limitations and the difficulty of achieving a consistent cross-platform look. - Some praise the underlying editing workflow improvements as more significant than the visual redesign. - Multiple people say the explainer video does a good job justifying the rationale behind the rewrite. **The pushback** - Some argue losing 3.x features for a UI/toolkit change is a poor trade-off, comparing it to the risky 'second-system effect' of full rewrites. - Concerns that migrating an already-working wx app to Qt is a questionable use of effort rather than a clear win. - Complaints that Qt brings its own long-term maintenance, licensing, and platform (GL) reliability issues. - Frustration that telemetry/cloud prompts remain in the release despite past backlash over data collection. - A few feel the new UI features are simply catching up to functionality other DAWs/video editors have had for decades. **By community** - lobsters (mixed): Discussion weighs skepticism about trading missing features for a wx-to-Qt switch against defenders citing UX and maintainability gains, with no strong consensus. - hackernews (mixed): Threads split between enthusiasm for the redesigned UI and workflow gains, skepticism about the wx-to-Qt migration's tradeoffs and telemetry, and long tangential debates about music notation and private equity. **Hottest debate:** Whether rewriting the UI toolkit from wx to Qt (at the cost of losing several 3.x features) was worth it, or a risky second-system rewrite. **Open questions** - Will the missing Audacity 3 features (Time Tracks, MIDI, Mixer, Macro Manager, VAMP/LADSPA) actually be restored, and how soon? - How extensive and opt-out-friendly is the telemetry/cloud login in the new release? - Will the Qt rewrite prove more maintainable long-term than the old wxWidgets codebase? **Highlights** > I think the missing features are a poor trade for the small gain of wx -> Qt. While I could easily understand starting a new project on Qt instead of wx, moving a working one from wx to Qt is something of a head scratcher for me. > — [hoistbypetard on lobsters · 4 points, 2 comments](https://lobste.rs/s/j03x8u/audacity_4_0_0_released#c_owcijp) > You should look at Tantacrul's video explaining the reasoning: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYM3TWf_G38 In short, wx was making it very hard to fix Audacity's many, many UI quirks, and just generally looks rather dated (and this does matter for the perception of open source!) I wouldn't say the new UI is a "small gain", it looks completely different and seems to fix basically all of the UX issues that they had. This release reminds me of Blender's 2.8 release, when they completely redesigned their UI and considerably improved the UX. I feel like it was a major turning point for them and got rid of a lot of excuses to use proprietary software. Here's hoping the same can happen for Audacity. > — [pta2002 on lobsters · 16 points, 2 comments](https://lobste.rs/s/j03x8u/audacity_4_0_0_released#c_b8hyrz) > Most people that have never maintained >=Qt5 projects assume free wxWidgets native cross platform OS interface support is less hassle. Refactoring the application core means their team should have forked the project to audacity-qt rather than inject long term Qt library and license dependency issues into the original package. Qt on occasion has proven to cause problems with license term changes, GL library bugs on Linux window managers no one ever fixes, and a chain of legacy build issues. Microsoft people tend to design around entertainment eye candy rather than functional long-term reliability. A interface use-case context pop-up isn't a design choice, but rather just chaotic depending on who is using the seat. The Audacity 3 interface certainly needed a lot of work, but nuking it for v4 re-write is simply packaging a different program as the original. Hopefully the remake works out. The odds are not in their favor though... =3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-system_effect > — [Joel\_Mckay on hackernews · 3 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49549801) > So even after the intense backlash Tantacrul saw on the GH threads, they went ahead and stuffed it full of telemetry anyway. Incredible. > — [junon on hackernews · 2 comments](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49549460) > Not trying to hate because a FOSS audio editor is great, but all of these UI improvements are carbon copies from conventional DAWs or video editors, invented 30 or so years ago. Like giving audio clips a header which lets you move them around, or letting you adjust the audio clip start/end by dragging the start/end of the clip, are not exactly revolutionary in 2026. Maybe Audacity will re-invent automation lanes next? I'm not against it. I don't see how any of this requires user studies and the framing as some kind of breakthrough though. > — [newsy-combi on hackernews](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49555550) **Source threads** - [lobsters](https://lobste.rs/s/j03x8u/audacity_4_0_0_released) · 76 points · 14 comments - [hackernews](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49548395) · 895 points · 463 comments ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Audacity 4.0 beta lets you test its new \(nicer\) Qt interface](https://daily.dev/posts/audacity-4-0-beta-lets-you-test-its-new-nicer-qt-interface-ilpveqm9f) · omg\! ubuntu\! · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [Zrythm 2.0 Alpha Released For Rewriting The Digital Audio Workstation In C\+\+ & Qt/QML](https://daily.dev/posts/zrythm-2-0-alpha-released-for-rewriting-the-digital-audio-workstation-in-c-qt-qml-6ufbctkrc) · Phoronix · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Linux App Release Roundup \(September 2026\)](https://daily.dev/posts/linux-app-release-roundup-september-2026--vnrmipqxr) · omg\! ubuntu\! · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#open-source](https://daily.dev/tags/open-source) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/audacity-4-0-released-with-qt6-based-ui-and-new-project-format-rasymsy97) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Audacity 4.0 released with Qt6-based UI and new project format","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/audacity-4-0-released-with-qt6-based-ui-and-new-project-format-rasymsy97","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/audacity-4-0-released-with-qt6-based-ui-and-new-project-format-rasymsy97"},"datePublished":"2026-09-03T14:03:17.897Z","dateModified":"2026-09-13T19:33:35.779Z","description":"Audacity 4.0 has shipped with a major rebuild, switching its UI toolkit from wxWidgets to Qt6 for better HiDPI support and cross-platform consistency. 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