How to Trim Audio with Start and End Times

Choose what to keep

In the audio trimmer, start and end describe the section to retain. To keep the portion from 5 to 12.5 seconds, enter those values or drag the waveform handles; the selected duration is 7.5 seconds. Everything before and after that range is removed from the export.

Listen around the boundaries

A number alone cannot tell you whether a word, drum hit or breath is complete. Play the selected segment, move the start a little earlier if the first sound is cut off, and allow room after the last syllable. The browser preview stops approximately at the chosen end. Listen to the exported clip as the final check.

Understand the timing limits

Start must be zero or greater, end must fit inside the file, and end must exceed start. Empty, negative and reversed ranges cannot be exported. The minimum selection is 0.01 seconds unless the entire source is shorter. For a five-second clip starting at 10 seconds, set end to 15, not 5.

Choose the output

MP3 is useful for a listening copy but is re-encoded with some quality loss. WAV uses uncompressed 16-bit PCM and may be larger even after trimming. If you plan another edit, keep your original and use a WAV intermediate when possible. MP3 frames can introduce a small duration difference; use the result player and file metadata to verify strict requirements.

Read the bitrate guide or estimate payload with the file size calculator. If the only goal is a smaller file without removing audio, choose MP3 compression.

Soften the transition if needed

Trimming does not automatically fade the boundaries. A cut at a nonzero waveform level may sound abrupt. Choose a quiet boundary, or apply a short fade-in or fade-out in the corresponding tool. Do not describe repeated MP3 exports as lossless.

To change the level of the whole recording, use audio volume adjustment and read the gain and clipping guide.

To put several finished clips in one sequence, use Merge Audio and follow the audio merging guide.