Tools toolbar

The Tools toolbar holds playback and recording, the editing tools, zoom, the playhead position, snapping and the record level. It is the only toolbar that can be moved.

Moving the Tools toolbar

Grab the toolbar’s drag handle and drag it:

• Drop it near the top of the window to dock it at the top.
• Drop it near the bottom of the window to dock it at the bottom.
• Drop it anywhere else to leave it floating at that position.

The Project Toolbar and Selection Toolbar stay fixed in place.

Navigating toolbars with the keyboard

Once a toolbar has focus, arrow keys move between its buttons and controls.

The controls, by group

• Transport: play, stop, record, the skips and the loop toggle.
• Tools: the editing tools, toggles that change what clicking does, and buttons that act on the selection.
• Zoom tools: getting closer to the waveform and back out again.
• Playhead position: the playhead position, as a number you can read and edit.
• Music: tempo and time signature, shown in the Music workspace.
• Snapping: snap edits, clips and selections to a grid.
• Microphone level: the input meter, and the level Audacity records at.
• Playback meter: the output meter, the playback volume, and the meter’s settings.

• Transport Play, stop, record, the skips and the loop toggle.
• Tools The editing tools: toggles that change what clicking does, and buttons that act on the selection.
• Zoom tools Getting closer to the waveform and back out again.
• Playhead position The playhead position, as a number you can read and edit.
• Music Tempo and time signature, shown in the Music workspace.
• Snapping Snap edits, clips and selections to a grid.
• Microphone level The input meter, and the level Audacity records at.
• Playback meter The output meter, the playback volume, and the meter's settings.

Last updated 3 September 2026