Audacity Audio Editor Project Temporary Data (audacity_temp)

Bottom Line: It is 100% safe to delete audacity_temp files for closed projects. Audacity stores uncompressed 32-bit PCM audio block files (.au) during live audio recording and editing.

Why Does Audacity Temp Data Exist?

When recording podcasts or editing audio in Audacity, the program writes 32-bit float PCM audio block files into audacity_temp to allow unlimited Undo/Redo operations.

• Primary Purpose: Scratch disk space for live audio recording and multi-track undo history.
• Storage Impact: Editing long 2-hour multi-track podcasts generates 1 GB to 20 GB+ of .au block files.
• Orphaned Block Files: If Audacity crashes or closes improperly, temporary .au block files remain on your SSD.

What Happens If You Delete Audacity Temp Files?

• Closed Projects: ✅ 100% Safe to Delete. Exported WAV/MP3 files and saved .aup3 project files remain 100% safe.
• Reclaimed Storage: Reclaims 1 GB to 20 GB+ of storage space.

How to Clear Audacity Temp Data

# Delete orphaned Audacity temporary block files (Windows)
Remove-Item -Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\audacity\SessionData\*" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I change Audacity’s temporary directory location?

Open Audacity > Edit > Preferences > Directories > select a secondary drive under Temporary files directory.