Audacity saves different kinds of files in different places. A saved editing project is an .aup3 file in the folder chosen by Save Project; an MP3 or WAV is placed in the folder chosen by Export Audio; unsaved work remains in Audacity’s temporary SessionData folder. A crash may leave an .aup3unsaved recovery file.
Where Audacity saves project files
In current Audacity releases, an editable project is normally one .aup3 database file. It is not normally stored beside the Audacity application. The location is the folder you select in File > Save Project > Save Project (or Save Project As); Ctrl+S on Windows/Linux and Command+S on macOS save the current project. See the Audacity Save Project manual.
Documents is only a possible location. Windows users may have a project in C:Users<username>DocumentsAudacity; macOS users may see /Users/<username>/Documents; Linux users often use Documents or another folder they selected. These are examples, not guarantees. The documented default location for Backup Project is Documents/Audacity on Windows and Documents on macOS.
Find it from Audacity
- Open File > Recent Files and select the project if it is listed.
- If it is not listed, choose File > Open and browse for a file ending in
.aup3. - Use your operating system’s whole-computer search for
*.aup3or a distinctive part of the project name.
Recent Files records recently used projects; it does not prove that the file still exists. A moved, renamed, deleted, disconnected, or unavailable-drive project can remain in that list. Audacity’s project guidance covers opening projects and Recent Files.
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Where exported MP3, WAV and other audio files go
Save Project and Export Audio do different jobs:
| Command | Result | Location |
|---|---|---|
| File > Save Project | Editable Audacity project (.aup3) |
Folder selected in the Save dialog |
| File > Export Audio | Playable file such as MP3, WAV, AIFF or FLAC | Folder selected in the Export dialog |
To make a normal audio file, select File > Export Audio, choose the format and filename, choose a destination, and confirm. The export folder can differ from the folder containing the imported original, so opening an MP3 does not mean Audacity will overwrite that MP3 when you edit it. General saving and exporting behavior is described in Audacity’s Saving documentation.
Set default save, open, import and export folders
Open Edit > Preferences > Directories on Windows or GNU/Linux. On macOS, use Audacity > Preferences > Directories. You can set separate folders for:
- Open
- Save
- Import
- Export
The fields are blank by default. When one is blank, Audacity offers the last-used location for that operation. The same page contains the temporary-files directory setting. Changing that temporary location requires restarting Audacity. Details and platform paths are in the Directories Preferences manual.
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There is a documented issue in which Backup Project may ignore the configured Save directory and offer Audacity’s default location instead.
Where unsaved recordings are stored
Before you save a project, Audacity keeps working data in a temporary session directory. For current versions, the documented defaults are:
| Operating system | Temporary SessionData location |
|---|---|
| Windows | C:Users<username>AppDataLocalAudacitySessionData |
| macOS | /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/SessionData |
| GNU/Linux | /var/tmp/audacity-<username> |
These are temporary working files, not finished MP3 or WAV recordings. Audacity can remove them when you close normally without first saving the project, so they are not a substitute for saving.
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Recover an unsaved project after a crash
Recovery is possible only if the temporary data remains and is usable; it is not guaranteed. If Audacity crashed or a save failed:
- Do not delete or clean the temporary session directory.
- Copy the entire session-data folder to another disk or a safe location before changing anything.
- Launch or restart Audacity and choose File > Open.
- In the copied folder, search for a file ending in
.aup3unsavedand open it. - Immediately use Save Project to create a normal
.aup3project, or use Export Audio to create a playable file.
If Audacity was closed normally before the project was saved, its temporary files may already have been permanently deleted. The official disk-full and recovery guidance explains this procedure and its limitations.
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.aup3: current project format
A current Audacity project is normally a single, uncompressed, lossless .aup3 database containing audio and editing information. Open it with Audacity, not a regular media player.
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.aup and _data: legacy projects
Audacity 1.x and 2.x projects used a ProjectName.aup file together with a matching ProjectName_data folder. Keep both together when moving or recovering an old project. Searching only for *.aup misses current projects; when dealing with an older computer, search for both *.aup and *.aup3.
WAL and SHM files
While an .aup3 project is being written, SQLite companion files may appear, such as ProjectName.aup3-wal and, on Windows, ProjectName.aup3-shm. Do not delete them while the project is open or during disk-space recovery.
When Audacity says the disk is full
Temporary editing space can be much larger than the final exported file. Audacity’s manual estimates about 1.2 GB per hour of stereo recording at 44.1 kHz and 32-bit settings. It warns when the temporary folder has 100 MB or less free; at those stated settings, that is roughly five minutes of stereo or 10 minutes of mono audio. Imported material, sample rate, bit depth, track count, effects and editing history change the actual requirement.
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Free space on the volume containing the temporary directory, or choose a suitable local drive under Preferences > Directories > Temporary files directory and restart Audacity. Do not remove an active .aup3, WAL, SHM or recovery file merely to reclaim space.
Storage and cloud cautions
Audacity advises keeping an active project on a fast local drive rather than USB, network or cloud storage, where interruptions or slow access can cause recording and editing problems. After closing the project, copy a completed backup to external or cloud storage if desired. Audacity also offers a cloud destination through audio.com; local saving remains available, and no cloud subscription is required to locate local files. Saving to FAT/FAT32 media is blocked because an Audacity project can exceed that filesystem’s single-file limit.
Quick checklist
- Need editable work? Search for
*.aup3and check File > Recent Files. - Need the finished recording? Search for
*.mp3,*.wav,*.flacor*.aiff, and review the Export Audio destination. - Need an older project? Search for
*.aupand its matching_datafolder. - Did Audacity crash? Copy the SessionData folder and look for
*.aup3unsaved. - Looking in the installation folder? Search user folders and connected drives instead; application files and user projects are separate.
Audacity’s official download page currently lists version 3.7.8 and separately lists Audacity 4 Beta 2, so menu wording can differ in beta or older releases: official downloads.
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