WAV Cutter

How to Cut a WAV File Online

1. Upload Your WAV File: Click "+ Add Files" or drag and drop a WAV (or BWF/RF64) file from your computer. Stereo, mono, and multi-channel files are all accepted, with sample rates from 8 kHz up to 192 kHz.
2. Set the Start Time: Under the Trim group, type the start point into the Start time field. The dropdown lets you switch between Seconds (e.g. 12.5) and HH:MM:SS.sss (e.g. 00:00:12.500) for millisecond precision.
3. Set the Duration: In the Duration field, enter how long the kept segment should be — again in seconds or HH:MM:SS.sss. The default is 10 seconds; the output starts at your Start time and lasts for this many seconds.
4. Cut and Download: Click Cut. The segment is extracted and written to a new WAV as uncompressed PCM — sample-accurate, with no quality loss. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared.

Why Cut WAV Files?

WAV stores audio as raw uncompressed PCM samples wrapped in a RIFF container (introduced by IBM and Microsoft in 1991). Because every sample is independent and there are no inter-frame dependencies, a WAV file can be cut at any sample boundary, and rewriting PCM loses nothing — the audio you keep decodes to the same samples as the original. This makes WAV cutting the right step whenever quality, frame accuracy, or downstream re-editing matter.

• Editing master takes before import — Trim long takes down to the usable section before opening them in Audacity, Reaper, Pro Tools, Logic Pro, or Adobe Audition. Smaller masters load faster and use less project disk.
• Ringtones and alert tones — Pull a 20-30 second hook out of a song and keep it as 16-bit/44.1 kHz WAV. iOS still accepts WAV as a tone source (you would convert to M4R afterwards), and Android device manufacturers accept WAV directly in /Ringtones.
• Sample chops for music production — Extract single drum hits, vocal phrases, or one-shot sound effects from longer field recordings or sample packs without round-tripping through a lossy codec.
• Trimming voiceover, audiobook, and podcast masters — Cut silence, false starts, and breath noise off the head and tail of WAV recordings before sending them to a mastering chain or to ACX/Audible (which requires lossless source).
• Splitting long broadcast recordings — RF64 and BWF files from Sound Devices, Zaxcom, and Zoom field recorders routinely exceed the 4 GB ceiling of classic WAV; cutting them into sub-clips makes them easier to share and DAW-import.
• Forensic and transcription clips — Pull a single statement or timestamp range out of a deposition or interview WAV without resampling the evidence.

WAV vs Compressed Formats — Which Should You Cut?

Property	WAV (PCM)	FLAC	MP3	AAC / M4A
Compression	None (raw PCM)	Lossless	Lossy	Lossy
Bitrate (CD-quality stereo)	~1,411 kbps	~700-900 kbps	128-320 kbps	96-256 kbps
Quality after a cut	Unchanged (PCM out)	Unchanged (lossless re-encode)	One lossy generation (near source bitrate)	One lossy generation (near source bitrate)
Generation loss on re-export	None	None	Slight (re-encoded)	Slight (re-encoded)
Classic file size cap	~4 GB (32-bit RIFF size field)	None (64-bit)	None practically	None practically
Best for	Editing, mastering, archiving	Lossless distribution	Streaming, podcasts	Apple ecosystem, streaming

If you need true sample-accurate cuts and intend to keep editing afterwards, stay in WAV. Convert to MP3, FLAC, or M4A only as the final delivery step.

Time Formats and Precision

Input	Example	Resolution	When to use
Seconds (decimal)	12.5, 87.125	Down to 1 ms	Quick edits, short clips
HH:MM:SS.sss	00:01:27.125	1 ms (3 decimal places)	Long files, podcast/interview timestamps

At 44.1 kHz, 1 ms is roughly 44 samples; at 48 kHz it is 48 samples. That is well below the audible threshold for cut-point clicks, so HH:MM:SS.sss is precise enough for almost any practical edit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does cutting a WAV file reduce audio quality?

No. WAV is uncompressed linear PCM, and the cut segment is written back out as PCM — the kept samples are unchanged, and nothing about the bit depth, sample rate, or channel layout changes. (Compare this with MP3 or AAC, where a cut re-encodes the audio and introduces one small generational loss.)

What is the maximum WAV file size I can cut?

A classic WAV uses a 32-bit unsigned size field in its RIFF header, so files cap at just under 4 GiB — about 6.8 hours of 44.1 kHz / 16-bit stereo. Anything longer is typically stored as RF64 (specified by the EBU as Tech 3306, originally 2007, current Version 2 from June 2018), which extends the header to 64 bits and raises the ceiling to roughly 16 exabytes. Most professional field recorders (Sound Devices, Zaxcom, Sonosax) write RF64 automatically when a take crosses the 4 GB threshold.

Can I cut to millisecond precision?

Yes. Switch the Start time or Duration dropdown from Seconds to HH:MM:SS.sss. The .sss is milliseconds (three decimal places), which gives you a cut point accurate to about 44 samples at 44.1 kHz or 48 samples at 48 kHz — far below the threshold of audible clicks.

Will the cut preserve my 24-bit / 96 kHz file as-is?

Yes. The output stays uncompressed PCM: bit depth (8, 16, 24, or 32-bit float), sample rate (8 kHz through 192 kHz and beyond), and channel count (mono, stereo, 5.1, multi-track) all pass through unchanged. The output file is the same PCM format as the input, just shorter.

Can I cut a BWF or RF64 file?

Yes — both are WAV-compatible. BWF (Broadcast Wave Format) adds a bext metadata chunk for timecode, originator, and project info; RF64 swaps the RIFF 4-byte header for RF64 with a 64-bit size table to break the 4 GB barrier. The cut tool reads the audio data the same way for all three. Note that some BWF-specific metadata (timecode origin, take number) may not survive the cut — confirm in your DAW if you need it.

How do I cut multiple separate segments out of one WAV?

Upload the same WAV multiple times in the same session — once for each segment — and set a different Start time / Duration for each. Each pass produces an independent WAV. If you need to glue several non-contiguous pieces together afterwards, take the cut WAVs into Audacity or a DAW and concatenate them on a single track.

Why does my cut sometimes click at the start or end?

That click is a discontinuity: the cut happened in the middle of a non-zero waveform, so the output starts or ends mid-cycle. To avoid it, set your cut point on a zero-crossing (a moment of silence between syllables or notes), or apply a 5-20 ms fade-in/fade-out in a DAW after cutting. The cutting tool itself does not apply fades — it extracts exactly the range you specify.

Should I cut the WAV first, or convert it first?

Cut first. Cutting a WAV is lossless, so you keep all the headroom you need for the eventual compression. If you convert to MP3/AAC first and then cut, you have already taken the lossy hit, and cutting the compressed file adds a second lossy generation. For a workflow target like MP3 or M4A, cut here and convert afterwards.

What other related tools does XConvert have?

Reach for Audio Cutter for a general format-agnostic cutter, Cut MP3 or Cut FLAC if your source is already compressed, and Compress WAV when the goal is shrinking the kept segment rather than trimming it.