This tutorial will explain how to join two or more MP3 files together into one (longer) MP3 – using completely free, open source software.
The screenshots in this guide are from a Windows 10 PC. However, the software used in this guide is available to Windows, macOS and Linux users – so even if you’re not using Windows you’ll have no trouble at all following along as the steps and images are nearly identical.
- Start by downloading and installing Audacity. Audacity is a well known, highly regarded, free and open source audio editor for Windows, macOS and Linux.
- Once the installation has completed, launch Audacity and select File and then Open…
- Navigate to the MP3 files you want to combine. Select both files by clicking each one while holding down the CTRL key (macOS users hold the Apple key), and then click the Open button.
- Each file will now be imported into Audacity.
- Once the importing has finished, you’ll have two Audacity windows open – one for each file.
- Choose the track you want to be first in the final, combined file. Click Select and then All
- Now click Edit and then Copy
- Bring the other Audacity window to the foreground, select Edit and then Paste
- You should now have a screen similar to the image below. Use the horizontal slider to scroll through the “timeline” of your newly created file. In all likelihood you’ll be able to tell where to two files are joined.
- You can use the Play button to hear how the entire ‘combined’ MP3 will sound.
- Now it’s time to save the combined files into one. Select File, then Export and finally Export As MP3
- Give your new MP3 a name and choose a location to save it.
- In the Format Options section, select the Quality pull-down menu. Choose from one of the available presets – the Insane option will provide you with the highest audio quality, and the largest file size. The Medium option will encode the file at the lowest audio quality and the smallest file size (although it’s still completely listenable, this one is best suited for spoken word audio tracks). When you’ve made your selection, click the Save button.
- Now you can enter the metadata for your file, if you wish. Click OK when you’re done.
- Audacity will now join the MP3 files and encode them together into one MP3, which probably won’t take very long.
- That’s it! Give your newly created MP3 file a listen to make sure it all went smoothly. You’re done :)
Tip: What to Do When MP4 File Won’t Play on Windows Media Player
Should the need arise, we also have a guide on how to split an MP3 into two or more parts.
