Hey gang–I’ve used Audacity successfully for years. I’m helping someone setup a podcast using audacity. We’ve installed it properly (it’s inside its folder in the Applications folder), but when we attempt to open any file, it will not open. Doesn’t matter if it’s a .mov, .mp4, .mp3…it acts like it’s opening the file, gives you the timed dialogue boxes, but then…nothing. No error code, no warning…just a blank Audacity space.
What am I missing? I’ve never had this happen before, and I’ve downloaded and installed it on all of my computers without having this problem.
Thanks for any insight.
Tech specs:
Mac, 2014 model, desktop
Version 10.10.2
Although one other user has reported something similar on OS X 10.9, it is not a known problem.
Note that Audacity does not open files, it always imports a copy of compressed files like MOV, MP4 or MP3. You don’t say what Audacity version or where you got it from. Make sure you have Audacity 2.1.0 from Audacity ® | Download for Mac OS.
Please describe exactly how you import the files - do you drag them in, or use open with from Finder, or something else? Please provide some example full paths to the files for example ~/Interviews/April2015/interview.mp3.
Are the files stored on a network?
Where have the files come from in the first place - for example from a specific web site? Please download MediaInfo from MediaInfo - Download MediaInfo for macOS and give us the full text details for some example files that won’t import.
I open Audacity, click file>open>go to folder where file is kept. In this case, it was both on Dropbox and the desktop–I tried it both ways. We’re able to open and hear the files in Quicktime. Every time, I get the regular opening dialogue showing a timer. Then it goes away, and no folder has been opened. No error, nothing.
We’re using the most current version of Audacity for Mac.
Is no track created? Or is a silenced track created?
What does the file selector say in File > Open… - “All supported files” or something else?
What does Help > Show Log… (top right of the Audacity menus) say after you fail to import the files?
You could try dragging the problem files in from the Desktop, avoiding the File > Open dialogue.
More diagnosis - what happens if you Generate > Tone… in Audacity, export it as WAV or AIFF to some folder that Dropbox does not know about, then import that file? If you have LAME then you can try exporting to MP3.
In case this is something to do with metadata or encoding of the file, do please download MediaInfo from MediaInfo - Download MediaInfo for macOS and give us the full text details for some example files that won’t import.
It is really important you ensure you have Audacity 2.1.0 from Audacity ® | Download for Mac OS and that when you open Audacity > About Audacity… it says exactly 2.1.0.
There can be fake versions of Audacity in circulation and version numbers matter.
I have the same problem. Have been using 2.0.6 until moments ago realized upgrad was available. Since downloading and (unfortunately) replacing the 2.0.6 program, the 2.1 will not open, import, or accept drag and drop. Exactly as described above; it goes through the paces as though it is opening the file but then no tracks are created: only a blank grey Audacity box with no indication that it has in fact linked to the file (no file name at the top). Late '07 Mac Pro running Mac OS 10.7.5. Attempting to open the same program on my laptop (to which I downloaded and replaced 2.0.6 also), running Mac OS 10.8.5 yields the following message:" “Audacity” can’t be opened because the identity of the developer cannot be confirmed."
If this is a hack it is a very good one: the appearance to all functions is identical; except they don’t work.
I hope I can download the earlier version and get back to work.
Unfortunately, unless users supply us a concrete example file that has this problem with the full path they are accessing the file from, there is nothing we can do about it, given the problem does not show up on our machines.
Could you help us with that, or give us the information from Help > Show Log… as requested above after attempting to import a file? Are these WAV, MP4 or which format?
If Audacity > About Audacity… says “2.1” as you say, then it is a hack - it should say exactly “2.1.0”. We can’t help you with that version because we did not make it. I suggest you use 2.1.0 from Audacity ® | Download for Mac OS.
I’m having the same problem. I just installed Audacity 2.1.0 on Mac OS 10.7.5. I try to open an M4A file. It goes through the timer. Then nothing. Just a blank window with tools at the top that I can’t use because no file is open.
I have a similar problem to Gale, except I interpret it slightly differently.
Backstory - Long history using Audacity many years ago, and I rocked 1.3. I would like to believe I am not an absolute dunce. Today I returned to Audacity after a long layoff and installed the latest version.
I can import/open a wav file. I can play it (Space-Play/stop) and I can view the mixer/faders.
What I can not do is see, activate or find the normal WAVEFORM display that I have used to select anything.
From the Window menu I can see the file name I have opened. It is marked/Ticked but that is it.
I wonder if this is not the same issue that the original poster, Gale Andrews is having.
It certainly looks like nothing is happening when you do not see the normal waveform display that is present in the wiki and manual.
Is it possible that that subroutine was not included in the most recent build accidentally?
Any help would be appreciated.
Cheers
None of us (including me) can reproduce a problem where the file progress dialogue appears but then the waveform does not load. Unfortunately no-one in this topic has been willing to share an actual file with us, give us detailed information about the files or show us the Audacity log.
Please see the pink panel at the top of the page. What are all three version numbers of Audacity from Audacity > About Audacity…, and what version of OS X do you have?
I am not having this issue.
Thanks for that. It does sound like the same issue but few people would attempt to play a file you cannot see.
Once again:
There is nothing we can do unless users are able to assist us by doing all of these:
Provide a link to an example file, so we can see its name and examine its contents.
State the full path to the file. If the file is in your own user space, there is no need to give us your user name, just say “” instead.
Show us the contents of Help > Show Log… after attempting to import the file.
If we can test an example file that shows no waveform on a user’s machine and shows none on our machines, then we can fix it.
If the same file does show a waveform on our machines then we know the problem is something not directly related to the file, perhaps some kind of memory issue. In that case we need to know what type of Mac you have and what version of OS X.
Have any of you tried anything to refresh the window (like dragging it at bottom right, or use the green window button) or to refresh the “waveform” (by applying an effect)?
I think I was having the same problem but I found that it is apparently because I was trying to open the file from the iPhoto library (as the video was from my iPhone and I imported into iPhoto)
I exported the file from iPhoto and it is working now.
Thanks. Please also see Audacity 2.1.0: FFmpeg required for MP4/M4A/MOV/ALAC import. If you already have FFmpeg installed, files may not necessarily drag in to Audacity but you should be able to use File > Import > Audio… or File > Open… .
Wow, Gale. I’m not sure what you could do to be clearer, but I did get a chuckle out of the guy who said he was having a similar problem to you…
Here’s the thing thang.
07:52:23: Audacity 2.1.0
07:52:23: Trying to load FFmpeg libraries…
07:52:23: Trying to load FFmpeg libraries from default path, ‘/Library/Application Support/audacity/libs/libavformat.55.dylib’.
07:52:23: Checking for monolithic avformat from ‘/Library/Application Support/audacity/libs/libavformat.55.dylib’.
07:52:23: Error: dlopen(/Library/Application Support/audacity/libs/libavformat.55.dylib, 1): image not found
07:52:23: Loading avutil from ‘’.
07:52:23: Error: dlopen(.bundle, 1): image not found
07:52:23: Loading avcodec from ‘’.
07:52:23: Error: dlopen(.bundle, 1): image not found
07:52:23: Loading avformat from ‘/Library/Application Support/audacity/libs/libavformat.55.dylib’.
07:52:23: Error: dlopen(/Library/Application Support/audacity/libs/libavformat.55.dylib, 1): image not found
07:52:23: Error: Failed to load FFmpeg libraries.
07:52:23: Trying to load FFmpeg libraries from legacy path, ‘/usr/local/lib/audacity/libavformat.55.dylib’.
07:52:23: Checking for monolithic avformat from ‘/usr/local/lib/audacity/libavformat.55.dylib’.
07:52:23: Error: dlopen(/usr/local/lib/audacity/libavformat.55.dylib, 1): image not found
07:52:23: Loading avutil from ‘’.
07:52:23: Error: dlopen(.bundle, 1): image not found
07:52:23: Loading avcodec from ‘’.
07:52:23: Error: dlopen(.bundle, 1): image not found
07:52:23: Loading avformat from ‘/usr/local/lib/audacity/libavformat.55.dylib’.
07:52:23: Error: dlopen(/usr/local/lib/audacity/libavformat.55.dylib, 1): image not found
07:52:23: Error: Failed to load FFmpeg libraries.
07:52:23: Trying to load FFmpeg libraries from system paths. File name is ‘libavformat.55.dylib’.
07:52:23: Checking for monolithic avformat from ‘libavformat.55.dylib’.
07:52:23: Error: dlopen(libavformat.55.dylib, 1): image not found
07:52:23: Loading avutil from ‘’.
07:52:23: Error: dlopen(.bundle, 1): image not found
07:52:23: Loading avcodec from ‘’.
07:52:23: Error: dlopen(.bundle, 1): image not found
07:52:23: Loading avformat from ‘libavformat.55.dylib’.
07:52:23: Error: dlopen(libavformat.55.dylib, 1): image not found
07:52:23: Error: Failed to load FFmpeg libraries.
07:52:23: Error: Failed to find compatible FFmpeg libraries.
07:53:11: File name is /Users/PARIS_HILTON/Downloads/Girl Scream.m4a
07:53:11: Mime type is *
07:53:11: Opening with libav
07:53:11: Opening with quicktime
07:53:12: Open(/Users/PARIS_HILTON/Downloads/Girl Scream.m4a) succeeded
It happens for all audio files coming from all locations, so I’m not sure why you would need the audio file itself.
We requested an example audio file before it became apparent that installing FFmpeg causes the problem not to occur (because FFmpeg then imports the file instead). If users had posted the log as we asked for (as you did) we would have known sooner.
The problem is fixed now in our source code, so it will be fixed in the next 2.1.1 release.
I have audacity 2.1.0
Running OSX Yosemite 10.10.3
Had the same problem, until I installed the FFmpeg according to your most recent response. I used the dmg installer.
Now I see that importing the file is taking much longer than it ever has before. My file is an mp4 that is 90 minutes long. The counter says it will take about 4:39:00 to import (about because it has been going up and down around that number while it imports. It went as high as 6:30:00 but came back down quickly). I have worked with files of this length many times with the older version of Audacity and it never took more than 2-3 minutes to import.
I am not sure what is up. Audacity worked with the file for five hours and was still processing when I closed it down. I also note that the file manager window is not behaving properly. It takes way too long to scroll or open up subdirectories. I bought Vector last night out of necessity. It is having none of these problems. Worked right out of the box on all fronts.
Have you tried to retinize Audacity? That can create issues.
Bear in mind that Audacity imports audio data as lossless PCM. 90 minutes in stereo means that by default you are importing 1.8 GB of data, and you will use more than that when you start editing.
