Toolbars Overview - Audacity Development Manual

# Toolbars Overview

From Audacity Development Manual

Toolbars provide quick access to many functions in Audacity. In some cases the functions provided by a toolbar are available only through that toolbar. Other than the Spectral Selection Toolbar and the Scrub Toolbar, all toolbars are enabled by default. If your desired toolbar is not visible, choose View > Toolbars and click to put a checkmark by the toolbar you wish to enable.

- The Meter toolbars are a special case. You may have one or both of the separate Recording and Playback Meter toolbars visible (both are visible by default). Alternatively you can have only the Combined Meter Toolbar visible (which displays recording and playback levels in a single meter).
- The tooltips for the toolbars and tools (visible when hovering over the toobar or tool) will display the shortcut for that tool/toolbar if one is set.

## Toolbar dock areas

There are two dock areas for toolbars in Audacity. By default, most of the Audacity toolbars are in the upper dock, with only the Selection Toolbar in the lower dock.

Toolbars can be arranged and resized within either of the two docks, or floated free of the docks.

Hover over each green-bordered toolbar in the dock images to learn more then click to go to that toolbar's details page. Or jump to the brief toolbar descriptions.

### Upper Toolbar dock area

### Lower Toolbar dock area

Additionally if you choose to show the Spectral Selection Toolbar from the View Menu (it is not shown by default) then it will also be shown in the Lower Toolbar dock area. The image of the Selection Toolbar shown in this example has non-default settings for the selection formats.

## The Toolbars

The individual toolbars are described briefly below. Click on any toolbar image to go the details page for that toolbar.

#### Transport Toolbar

  - Controls playback and recording and skips to start or end of project when neither playing or recording.

#### Tools Toolbar

  - Chooses various tools for selection, volume adjustment, zooming and time-shifting of audio.

#### Recording Meter Toolbar

  - Displays recording levels and toggles input monitoring when not recording.

    Note the two vertical bars at the right of this toolbar which mean that this toolbar can be resized by clicking and dragging on the bars.

#### Playback Meter Toolbar

  - Displays playback levels.

    Note the two vertical bars at the right of this toolbar which mean that this toolbar can be resized by clicking and dragging on the bars.

#### Mixer Toolbar

  - Adjusts the recording and playback volumes of the devices currently selected in Device Toolbar.

#### Edit Toolbar

  - Cut, copy, paste, trim audio, silence audio, undo, redo, four zoom tools.

#### Transcription Toolbar

  - Plays audio at a slower or faster speed than normal, affecting pitch.

#### Scrub Toolbar

  - Starts, stops or switches to Scrub play or Seek play, and hides or displays the Scrub Ruler.
  - This toolbar is not shown by default. Select View > Toolbars > Scrub Toolbar to show the toolbar, which by default docks in the upper dock.

#### Device Toolbar

  - Selects audio host, recording device, number of recording channels and playback device.

    Note the two vertical bars at the right of this toolbar which mean that this toolbar can be resized by clicking and dragging on the bars.

#### Selection Toolbar

  - Controls the sample rate of the project, snapping to the selection format and adjusts cursor and region position by keyboard input.

    The default position of Selection Toolbar is at the bottom of the main Audacity window, thus it is not visible in the Toolbars image at the top of this page.

#### Spectral Selection Toolbar

  - Displays and lets you adjust the current spectral (frequency) selection without having to be in Spectrogram view.
  - This toolbar is not shown by default. Select View > Toolbars > Spectral Selection Toolbar to show the toolbar, which by default docks in the lower dock, beside or under Selection Toolbar.
  - Choose your preferred format option from the dropdown menu above the boxes: Center frequency and Width or Low and High Frequencies .

In Center frequency and Width view, to clear the spectral selection entirely just use the Delete key after having clicked on any of the digits (note carefully that this is not the Delete key on the numerical keypad). When in Low and High Frequencies view you can clear either input box individually with the Delete key.

## Arranging and resizing Toolbars

Toolbars can be docked in two toolbar areas of the Audacity Project window, providing there is space available: either above the Timeline, or above the Status Bar at the bottom of the window (Selection Toolbar is in this location by default). Toolbars may also be floated anywhere else in or outside the project window, including on a secondary monitor. The toolbar positions on exiting Audacity are always remembered when restarting Audacity next time.

Toolbars can be docked or floated by dragging on their serrated left edge. When docking a toolbar into a toolbar area, a black triangle will appear, indicating an available docking position. The default toolbar docked positions can be restored at any time by clicking View > Toolbars > Reset Toolbars. Some of the Toolbars can be resized (the Meter Toolbars and the Device Toolbar) by clicking and dragging on the vertical bars at the right of the toolbars.

If you change your mind part way through a drag or a resize of a toolbar you can simply use the Escape key Esc to abort the action.

  The image below shows Mixer Toolbar being docked to the right of Device Toolbar:

  The image below shows the Transport and Recording Meter toolbars floated outside the Project window, with the Recording Meter dragged wider: