In this guide
Select the audio to reverse, choose Effect → Reverse, then listen across the boundaries. Export the intended selection or project and check the saved file. A time selection reverses the sound inside it, not just the order of clips.
To reverse audio in Audacity, select the waveform or passage you want to reverse and choose Effect → Reverse. Play the result: the end of the selected audio is heard first and its beginning last. Choose File → Export Audio to save the desired project or selection as a new audio file. Audacity's Reverse reference documents the selection-based effect.
Keep an unchanged original. Reversing a short passage within a longer recording changes that passage, while audio outside the selection stays in its existing order. It reverses each sound inside the selection too; it is not merely a command to reorder unchanged clips.
Reverse an entire audio file
- Import a recording. Open the audio in Audacity and listen to the original. Save a separate working project if you want to retain later edit options.
- Select the intended audio. Select the complete waveform on the track you want to reverse. In a multitrack project, check which tracks and time range are selected before applying the effect.
- Apply Reverse. Choose Effect → Reverse. The effect acts on the current selection and has no settings to adjust; menu grouping may differ between versions.
- Listen to the beginning and end. The original tail now leads into the original attack. Check for abrupt edges, especially where the result meets silence or another clip.
- Export a new file. Choose File → Export Audio, set the intended export range, format and destination, and play the saved file. Audacity's export reference distinguishes the entire project from the current selection.
Reverse only one word or sound
Drag over just the desired passage, then apply Reverse to that selection. Include the full attack and tail if you need them, and play from before the selection to after it. A cut through a waveform can create a click at either boundary. Move the selection, use a short fade, or compare a suitable crossfade if the edit needs smoothing; each choice changes the transition. The cut-click guide explains how to locate the problem.
If the recording contains speech over music, reversing the interval reverses both sounds in that interval. To work on a single source, start from separate original tracks if available, or test the separate sound-effect isolation workflow. Separation is an estimate, and its downloads require an account and credits.
Check multitrack and time-stretched projects
Audacity notes that an effect applied to a time-stretched clip renders its changed speed; a selected portion can cause the clip to be split for rendering. It also notes that audio in a selected sync-locked track group can be reversed across the selected time range. Inspect the track selection and keep a project copy before processing. Note tracks are not audio and cannot be reversed with this effect. See the official Reverse documentation for these cases.
When exporting, the current-selection option can include selected tracks even if they are muted; the entire-project option follows audible track state. Check the export range and tracks, then open the saved file separately rather than assuming the timeline preview and export contain the same material.
Reverse a short file in your browser
The free Saturalabs audio reverser accepts a supported mono or stereo MP3 or WAV up to 50 MiB and five minutes, processes the whole selected file locally, and offers a real WAV or MP3 preview. To reverse only a phrase, first prepare it with the audio trimmer and retain its source time if it must return to a timeline. The reverser does not edit an Audacity project.
WAV is exported as 48 kHz 16-bit PCM. MP3 is a new lossy encode and can add delay or padding. Both input and output must fit 50 MiB, so a compressed source may need a shorter excerpt when its WAV expands. Keep the source; reversing exported copies twice does not restore original encoded bytes or lost detail.
Common questions
Does reversing change pitch or speed?
The reversal changes the order of sample frames, not the playback rate. It makes attacks and decays run in the opposite direction. For a deliberate slower copy while preserving pitch, use the separate speed changer.
Can I reverse a vocal without reversing the music?
Only if the vocal is on its own track or is first estimated from the mix. An effect on a complete mixed recording reverses everything in the selected interval. Review the vocal candidate for bleed and missing details before using it.
Why is there a click at the edge?
The reversed boundary can jump abruptly from the neighboring audio or silence. Listen at both edges and compare a small fade or revised selection. A click already inside the original recording will also be reversed.