How to Cut an MP3 on Your Phone

To cut an MP3 on your phone, open the MP3 Cutter tool, choose the sound file, drag the two handles on the waveform to the part you want to keep, and tap Cut and save. The same steps work for M4A, WAV, OGG and other common sound files.

The sound stays on your device while it is cut, and your original file is never changed. This guide explains the waveform, the fades and the file types, so the cut sounds clean.

What you need

• A sound file on your phone or computer, such as an MP3, M4A, WAV, OGG, OPUS (a WhatsApp voice note) or FLAC. The sound of an MP4 or MOV video also works.
• A recent browser. The page tells you if yours cannot read a format.
• Headphones or a quiet place, if you want to place the cut by ear.

Steps to cut an MP3

1. Open the MP3 Cutter tool, tap the box and choose your sound file. A waveform appears after a moment. It is a picture of the loudness over time: tall parts are loud and flat parts are quiet.
2. Drag the S handle to where you want the kept part to start, and the E handle to where it ends. The handles are large so that a finger can grab them. Tap the picture to move the play position.
3. Tap Play selection to hear only the kept part. If the start or end is not right, move the handle and play again. You can also type exact times, like 1:23.5, in the Start and End boxes, or play the sound, pause at the right moment and tap Use now.
4. Choose a Fade in and a Fade out if you want the sound to rise and fall gently instead of starting and stopping suddenly.
5. Choose the File type and the Quality. MP3 plays almost everywhere, M4A is a little smaller, and WAV is the biggest but is not compressed again.
6. Tap Cut and save. A bar shows the progress, and a Cancel button stops the job. Play the result once, then download or share the file.

Using the waveform

On a phone, drag the handles with one finger. When you need more care, pinch with two fingers to zoom in and place a handle exactly, or tap Zoom in. When the picture is zoomed, one finger drags it sideways. Whole sound shows everything again, and Zoom to selection fills the screen with the kept part.

On a computer, you can use the mouse wheel to zoom. The handles also work with the keyboard: select one and use the arrow keys for small steps.

Why use fades

A cut that starts in the middle of a loud sound can begin with a small click, and a cut that ends suddenly can feel abrupt. A short fade in of one or two seconds and a fade out of the same length remove both problems. They are straight-line fades: the volume rises from silence to full, or falls from full to silence. For a short clip, one second is plenty. If the two fades together are longer than the clip, the tool shortens them to fit.

Choosing MP3, M4A or WAV

• MP3 is the safest choice. Every phone, computer and car stereo plays it.
• M4A uses AAC, which sounds a little better than MP3 at the same size. Most phones play it, and so do iPhones and Macs.
• WAV is not compressed, so a cut keeps every detail, but a minute can take around 5 MB. Use it when you plan to edit the sound again.

For MP3 and M4A, 192 kbps is a good balance. Pick 128 kbps for smaller files and speech, or 256 or 320 kbps for music you care about. Cutting always decodes the part you keep and saves it again, so MP3 and M4A are compressed one more time. Choose WAV if you want to avoid that.

Long files and big files

Most formats are read in small pieces, so a long file does not fill the memory of your phone. A few formats, such as FLAC, must be opened in one piece, and the page warns you when a file is long. If your phone struggles, try a shorter file or use a computer. Keep the tab open and the screen on while the tool works.

Common problems

It says my browser cannot read this sound. Some formats are not supported in every browser. Update Chrome, Edge, Samsung Internet or Safari, or save the file as MP3 or WAV first.

It says AMR is not supported. AMR is an old phone recording format that this tool does not read. Convert it to MP3 with another app first.

There is no sound when I tap play. Some browsers cannot play every format in the page. You can still set the times by typing them, and the cut file will play normally.

The cut starts a little early or late. Zoom in and move the handle in smaller steps, or type the time.

Frequently asked questions

Is my sound file uploaded?

No. The sound is read and cut inside your browser, on your device. It never goes to our servers or anyone else.

Does cutting an MP3 lose quality?

A little, because the part you keep is decoded and saved again. Use a higher quality such as 256 kbps, or choose WAV, to keep as much as possible.

Can I cut a WhatsApp voice note?

Yes. Voice notes use the OPUS format, which the tool reads. Save the voice note from WhatsApp to your phone first, then choose it in the tool.

Can I cut more than one part from the same file?

Cut one part, then choose the file again and cut the next part. To put the parts together afterwards, use a tool that joins sound files.