The short answer: Audacity does not convert audio to MIDI, does not export MIDI files, and does not record from a MIDI keyboard or MIDI controller. The Audacity FAQ says so in plain language: the software is “lacking some key features which DAWs traditionally have (MIDI editing and virtual instruments).” Version 2.2, released in November 2017, added a basic MIDI playback feature; version 4.0, the current major release, dropped MIDI editing entirely. There is no MIDI for Audacity workflow that turns a recording into notes, no setting on the preferences page that enables it, and no plugin in the VST3 / Nyquist / LV2 / Audio Unit chain that bridges the gap. What this page covers is what the Audacity MIDI settings do offer, where each one stops, and how to get a MIDI file out of audio you already have in Audacity — which means exporting the audio and running it through a separate converter.
What “MIDI” means inside Audacity, and what it does not
Searching for Audacity MIDI turns up three separate expectations, and only one of them is real inside the application:
| What you searched for | In Audacity 4.0? | What it actually does |
|---|---|---|
| MIDI playback (import a .mid and hear it) | Limited | Version 2.2 introduced MIDI playback. The current manual does not list MIDI among the supported import or export formats (mp3, m4a, AIFF, FLAC, WAV are named; MIDI is not). |
| Audacity audio to MIDI conversion | No | There is no menu item, effect, or plugin that takes an audio track and returns a MIDI file. The FAQ names MIDI editing as a feature Audacity lacks. |
| Audacity MIDI controller or keyboard input | No | No MIDI input device setting appears in the preferences. Audacity records from microphones and mixers, not from MIDI keyboards. |
| Audacity connect MIDI keyboard for recording | No | Same reason: the recording device list shows audio interfaces, not MIDI ports. A MIDI keyboard connected over USB is not recognised as a recording source. |
The word “MIDI” appears in Audacity's history and in older forum threads, but not in the current feature list. That is the first thing to settle before looking for a setting that does not exist.
The settings page: where MIDI would be, and why it is not there
Open Audacity's Preferences (Edit → Preferences, or Audacity → Settings on macOS) and the left-hand column lists the categories: Audio Setup, Recording, Playback, Quality, GUI, and so on. None of them is labelled MIDI, MIDI Devices, or MIDI Settings. A full DAW — Reaper, Cubase, Logic Pro, Studio One — has a MIDI Devices panel where you enable MIDI input ports, select a MIDI keyboard, and route MIDI to a virtual instrument track. Audacity does not, because it does not host virtual instruments and does not record MIDI note data.
The closest thing in the preferences to a MIDI-related setting is the Device toolbar, which lets you pick an audio host (MME, Windows DirectSound, WASAPI on Windows; Core Audio on macOS; ALSA on Linux) and an audio input and output. A MIDI controller that also sends audio — a keyboard with a built-in audio interface — will show up as an audio device, and Audacity can record the audio it sends. But the MIDI portion of that controller's signal is ignored: there is no MIDI parser, no note-on detector, and no MIDI track type to hold the data.
This is not a hidden setting you have not found. The Audacity team's own FAQ, under “Is Audacity a DAW?”, says the gap “is being rapidly closed, with each release bringing new features” — but as of version 4.0, MIDI editing and virtual instruments are still in the “lacking” column.
Version history: when MIDI playback arrived, and when editing left
The single MIDI feature Audacity has had is playback of imported MIDI files, added in version 2.2 (November 2017). That feature relied on an external library and never grew into editing: you could hear a MIDI file but not change its notes inside Audacity. Version 4.0, a major rewrite that moved the application from wxWidgets to Qt, dropped several older features (LADSPA and Vamp plugin support, the Macro Manager, the scripting pipe) and did not carry MIDI editing forward — because there was no MIDI editing to carry. The Wikipedia entry for Audacity lists “does not support MIDI editing or virtual instruments” among the limitations of version 4.0.
| Version | Year | MIDI-related change |
|---|---|---|
| 2.2 | 2017 | MIDI playback added. You could import a .mid file and Audacity would play it back. No editing, no export, no recording from MIDI input. |
| 3.x | 2021–2024 | MIDI playback carried forward from 2.2. No new MIDI features added. Muse Group acquired Audacity in 2021. |
| 4.0 | 2025 | Major rewrite (wxWidgets → Qt). MIDI editing and virtual instruments listed as absent. LADSPA and Vamp plugin support also dropped. |
So if you are on Audacity 4 and looking for MIDI, the answer is not in a settings panel you missed — it is in the list of things the application does not do.
How to get a MIDI file from audio you have in Audacity
If you have an audio track in Audacity and want a MIDI file from it, the path is two steps, not one:
- Export the audio from Audacity. File → Export → Export as WAV (or MP3, FLAC, M4A). The default WAV export is 32-bit float at the project's sample rate; for MIDI conversion, 16-bit or 24-bit WAV at 44100 Hz or 48000 Hz is a clean source.
- Convert the exported file here. Drop the WAV or MP3 into the converter on the home page, pick monophonic or polyphonic mode, and download the .mid and .csv. The analyser runs in the browser — nothing is uploaded — and the file comes back as a Standard MIDI File (format 1, 2 tracks, 480 ticks per quarter note).
This is not a workaround for a setting you could not find. There is no setting. Audacity edits audio; a separate converter turns audio into MIDI. The two steps reflect what each tool actually does, not a gap in either one.
One thing to check before exporting: if your Audacity project has multiple tracks, the converter takes a single file at a time. Solo the track you want converted, or export each track separately, then convert each one. Batch conversion on this site is one file at a time — there is no folder-drop — but the export side in Audacity can send each track to its own file.
Audacity MIDI controller: why a keyboard does not show up
If you connected a MIDI keyboard or MIDI controller over USB and expected it to appear in Audacity's recording device list, the reason it does not is structural: Audacity records audio, not MIDI. A MIDI keyboard sends note-on and note-off messages — digital instructions that say “middle C, velocity 90, at this millisecond” — not audio samples. Audacity's input pipeline reads audio samples from an audio interface. There is no step in that pipeline that translates MIDI messages into anything Audacity can place on a timeline.
A controller that doubles as an audio interface — one with a microphone or line input — will show up under its audio device name, and Audacity can record whatever audio arrives on that input. But the keys, pads, and knobs that send MIDI are invisible to it. To record what you play on a MIDI keyboard, you need a DAW that hosts a virtual instrument: the DAW receives the MIDI, triggers a software synth, and records the synth's audio output. Audacity is not that tool.
What the Audacity settings page does offer for audio preparation
While Audacity cannot do anything with MIDI, it is useful for the half that happens before conversion: preparing the audio file so the converter returns cleaner notes. Three settings on the preferences page matter for that:
- Sample rate. Edit → Preferences → Quality. The project sample rate should be 44100 Hz or 48000 Hz. The converter resamples everything to 22050 Hz internally (a 2048-point FFT at a 256-sample hop, one frame every 11.610 ms), but starting from a standard rate avoids unnecessary interpolation in the export step. Sample rate and MIDI measures whether 44.1k, 48k or 22.05k actually changes the notes.
- Bit depth. The default is 32-bit float. Export as 16-bit or 24-bit WAV for conversion; 32-bit float WAV works too, but the extra headroom does not help the detector. What bit depth actually changes shows that bit depth enters the conversion only as a noise floor.
- Noise reduction. Effect → Noise Reduction. A recording with broadband noise below the signal produces extra notes in polyphonic mode. Reducing noise in Audacity before exporting is one of the five passes that turn a raw export into usable notes, and it belongs before conversion, not after.
None of those settings are MIDI settings. They are audio settings, and they are the ones that matter when the next step is a MIDI conversion rather than a final mix.
Questions
Can Audacity convert audio to MIDI?
No. Audacity has no audio-to-MIDI conversion feature, no plugin that performs it, and no menu item for it. The FAQ at audacityteam.org/faq lists MIDI editing among the features Audacity lacks. To get a MIDI file from audio you have in Audacity, export the audio as WAV or MP3 and run it through a separate converter.
Can Audacity export MIDI files?
No. MIDI is not among the formats Audacity lists for import or export (those are mp3, m4a, AIFF, FLAC, WAV and other audio formats). There is no “Export as MIDI” option in the File menu. The only MIDI feature Audacity has ever had is playback of imported MIDI files, added in version 2.2.
Can Audacity connect a MIDI keyboard or MIDI controller?
No. Audacity records from audio devices — microphones and mixers — not from MIDI input ports. A MIDI keyboard connected over USB does not appear in the recording device list. A keyboard that also has an audio interface will show up as an audio device, and Audacity can record the audio it sends, but the MIDI messages from its keys are not read.
Does Audacity have a MIDI settings page?
No. The Preferences window has categories for Audio Setup, Recording, Playback, Quality and others, but there is no MIDI Devices or MIDI Settings category. A DAW like Reaper or Cubase has a MIDI Devices panel for enabling MIDI input ports; Audacity does not, because it does not host virtual instruments or record MIDI note data.
What does “Audacity MIDI” mean if Audacity does not support MIDI?
It usually means one of three things: someone wants to convert an audio recording to MIDI (Audacity cannot), someone wants to record from a MIDI keyboard (Audacity cannot), or someone found an old forum post about MIDI playback added in version 2.2 and expects it to still work the same way in version 4.0. In every case the answer is the same: use a separate converter for audio-to-MIDI, and use a DAW for MIDI keyboard recording.
Is Audacity going to add MIDI support?
The FAQ says the gap between Audacity and a full DAW “is being rapidly closed, with each release bringing new features.” As of version 4.0, MIDI editing and virtual instruments are still listed as absent. We do not have a roadmap for future versions, and we are not going to guess at a release date for a feature that has not been announced.
What is the best way to prepare audio in Audacity for MIDI conversion?
Export as 16-bit or 24-bit WAV at 44100 Hz or 48000 Hz. Solo the track you want converted, or export each track separately, because the converter takes one file at a time. Run noise reduction on the track before exporting if the recording has broadband hiss. Then drop the exported file into the converter on the home page.
Convert an Audacity export to MIDI — drop a WAV or MP3 from Audacity, get a .mid back, all in the browser.
Related guides
- Audio to MIDI converterThe measured accuracy on 11 test clips
- WAV to MIDIHow to prepare the file before you convert
- MP3 to MIDIWhether MP3 loses notes that WAV keeps
- Fix dropped notesThe order to fix it: format, mode, sensitivity, shortest note
- Audio to MIDI freeWhat the top tools actually return
- Batch convert audioWhy there is no folder-drop, and the one-at-a-time workflow
- Sample rate & MIDIWhether 44.1k, 48k or 22.05k changes the notes