Free tool
Audio splitter
This audio splitter cuts one long recording into several files: into equal parts, every so many minutes, or exactly where you choose. Each split can move to the nearest pause, and MP3, M4A, WAV and FLAC parts keep the original sound, not re-encoded.
- Free
- Parts are not re-encoded
- Nothing is uploaded
Drop your recording here, or Choose your recording
MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, OGG, AAC, or the sound of an MP4, MOV or WebM video, up to 1 GB and 2 hours. Everything happens in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
MP3 encoding by LAME, open-source software.
Splitting a long meeting to get it under an upload limit? NoteOwl transcribes the whole recording on your Mac in one go: nothing is uploaded, so there is no limit to split for.
How it works
How do you split an audio file?
Add the recording and choose how to split it: into a number of equal parts, every so many minutes, or where you choose. The split lines appear on the waveform and the parts are listed below it, each with a Play button. Press Split audio and download the parts.
- 1
Add the long recording
A lecture, a meeting, an audiobook or a DJ set. It reads once to draw the waveform: an hour of MP3 took 8.5 seconds in Chrome.
- 2
Choose where to split
Pick equal parts or a length per part, or play the file and add a split at the playhead. Drag a split line to move it.
- 3
Split and download
The parts are numbered in order, part-01, part-02 and so on, and can be saved one by one or together in a ZIP.
Why move each split to a pause?
So no word is cut in half. With the option on, each split moves up to five seconds either way to the quietest moment nearby, usually the gap between two sentences. Parts end up a little uneven in length, but every one starts and ends cleanly.
Splitting an hour-long lecture into three gave parts of 20:00.0, 19:58.4 and 20:01.9, and the moment around each split measured −91 dB: silence. Turn the option off when the parts must be exactly equal, as for a WAV cut every two minutes, which came out at 2:00.00 each.
What are the ways to split audio?
Three. Equal parts when you know how many files you want; every few minutes when each file must stay under a length; and where you choose, for chapters, songs or speakers that change at moments only you know. You can listen to every part before splitting.
- Into equal parts
- You setHow many parts, 2 to 50
- FitsSharing a long recording in pieces
- Every few minutes
- You setMinutes per part
- FitsA file-length or upload limit
- Where I choose
- You setSplit points at the playhead
- FitsChapters, songs in a set, topics in a lecture
| Way | You set | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Into equal parts | How many parts, 2 to 50 | Sharing a long recording in pieces |
| Every few minutes | Minutes per part | A file-length or upload limit |
| Where I choose | Split points at the playhead | Chapters, songs in a set, topics in a lecture |
Does splitting audio re-encode it?
No, for MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC and OGG files: each part is copied straight from the original, so the parts sound exactly like it and the split is quick. A one-hour MP3 became three parts in about a second. Other formats are saved as MP3 or WAV parts.
Compressed parts start on the original’s own frames, so a part can begin a few hundredths of a second before its split. WAV parts are cut to the sample: the four parts of a 6:44 WAV added up to its exact length.
What do people split recordings for?
Mostly to make a long file manageable: small enough to send or upload, short enough to listen to in one sitting, or divided where the subject changes. The parts keep their order in their names, so they sort correctly in any folder.
Under an upload limit
A form, an email or a service that takes files of only so many megabytes or minutes.
Chapters
An audiobook, a course or a talk divided where each section starts.
One topic to share
The part of a meeting someone missed, without the rest of the hour.
Is this a headphone audio splitter?
No. This page splits audio files into parts. A headphone splitter is a cable or adapter that sends one sound output to two pairs of headphones; it’s hardware, and nothing to do with files on your computer.
Do you need to split a long recording to transcribe it?
Not with NoteOwl. It transcribes the whole recording on your Mac as one file: nothing is uploaded, so there is no upload limit to stay under. For classes, NoteOwl also records the lecture itself and turns it into notes.
FAQ
Questions about splitting audio
Is the recording sent anywhere to be split?
No. The audio splitter works inside your browser: the file is read from your disk, the parts are made in the page, and you save them back to your disk. While we split a one-hour lecture, the page made no network requests.
How many parts can I split a file into?
Up to 50 equal parts, or as many as you like when you split every few minutes or add split points by hand. Each part shows its start and end times before you split, and a Play button to check it.
Can I split an MP3 without losing quality?
Yes. MP3 parts are copied frame by frame from the original, with no re-encoding, so they sound identical. The same goes for M4A, WAV, FLAC and OGG files. Only other formats, such as the sound of a WebM video, are encoded again as MP3 or WAV.
How do I download all the parts at once?
Press Download all as a ZIP under the list of parts. The ZIP holds every part, numbered in order. You can also download the parts one at a time with the button beside each.
What is the longest recording I can split?
Two hours, up to 1 GB. An hour-long MP3 took 8.5 seconds to open in Chrome and 14 to 17 seconds in Safari’s engine, because the splitter reads the whole file once to draw the waveform and find the pauses.
Can I split audio on a phone?
Yes. Choosing equal parts or minutes per part works well on a small screen; to split by hand, play the file and tap Split at the playhead when it reaches the right moment.
Keep exploring
More audio editing tools
- Audio joinerJoin audio files of any format into one MP3 or WAV in your browser, in the order you set, with a pause or a crossfade between them
- MP3 joinerJoin MP3 files into one in your browser, frame by frame with no re-encoding when they match, in the order you set
- Audio compressorMake any audio file smaller in your browser: pick a quality or a size to fit (such as 25 MB for email) and see the size before and after
- MP3 compressorShrink an MP3 by re-encoding it at a lower bitrate in your browser, with the size before and after; only settings that make it smaller are offered
Related
- Audio to text converterTranscribe audio to text free: drop in an MP3, M4A, WAV or other recording and get an AI transcript with times, as text, SRT, VTT or Word; nothing is stored
- Lecture recorderRecord lectures in the room through your Mac’s microphone, in an online class with no bot, or from a file, then turn them into study notes
- Search all your meetingsOne search across every meeting, dictation, transcript and person on your Mac, plus Recall by voice from any app
Long recordings, transcribed whole on your Mac
Free to download. Runs entirely on your Mac.
macOS 26 or later · Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 16 GB memory minimum, 24 GB recommended
About NoteOwl
NoteOwl is private AI meeting notes and memory for the Mac. It captures meetings without a bot joining the call, labels every speaker, writes summaries and action items, and builds a memory of every conversation that you can chat with — fully offline, because the speech recognition and the AI run on the Mac itself. Dictation into any app is free; Pro is a one-time purchase.
NoteOwl pricing: what’s free and what Pro adds
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