How to Add Markers (Labels) in Audacity

Audacity doesn't call them markers. It uses labels, which sit on their own label track under your audio. A label can mark a single point or a whole region, and each one holds a short text note.

Point labels and region labels

• A point label marks one moment, like the start of a verse or a cough to edit out.
• A region label covers a stretch of audio, like a full chorus or an ad break.

How to add a label

1. Click in the track where you want a point label, or drag across the audio to select a region.
2. Choose Edit → Labels → Add Label at Selection, or press Ctrl+B (Windows) / Cmd+B (Mac).
3. Type the label's text and press Enter.

Add labels during playback

Choose Edit → Labels → Add Label at Playback Position while the audio plays. On Windows the shortcut is Ctrl+M. It's the quickest way to flag spots as you listen through a recording.

Rename, move or delete labels

• Rename: click inside the label's text box and type.
• Move: drag the label (or the edges of a region label) along the label track.
• Edit them all at once: open Edit → Labels → Edit Labels to see every label in a table, where you can rename, retime or delete them.

Export and import labels

Labels can be saved as a text file with File → Export → Export Labels, and brought back with File → Import → Labels. That makes them handy for sharing a list of edit points or keeping notes between sessions.

Turn collaborator feedback into Audacity labels

Labels keep your notes organized, but feedback from a client, a co-host or a producer usually arrives in emails and texts. With Notetracks, you share the recording by link and collaborators leave timestamped comments right on the waveform. Then export the comments and import them into Audacity as labels, so every note lands at the exact spot it's about. See how the Audacity integration works →

Try Notetracks free →

Using a different DAW? See how to add markers and notes in every DAW.