---
id: pydub
version: "0.25.1"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: abandoned
---

# pydub — Manipulate audio with an simple and easy high level interface

License: permissive · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 21.0M/mo

## What it is and what it does

Pydub is a Python library that abstracts away low-level audio handling to let you work with audio files through simple, intuitive operations. It handles loading audio in multiple formats, slicing and concatenating segments, adjusting volume, and exporting to different formats—all without needing to understand the underlying audio encoding details.

The package has no runtime Python dependencies, making installation lightweight. However, it has been abandoned since its last release on 2021-03-10, meaning no bug fixes, security patches, or compatibility updates have been applied. The classifiers indicate support through Python 3.8, but actual compatibility with newer versions is unverified. You will likely need external system libraries installed to handle audio codec operations.

Use it for:

- Convert audio files between formats in batch processing scripts.
- Programmatically slice, trim, or concatenate audio segments for podcast or music workflows.
- Adjust volume levels or apply basic audio transformations in automated pipelines.
- Prototype audio analysis or processing tasks requiring raw audio data manipulation.
- Build simple audio utilities without requiring a full-featured audio framework.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Pydub provides a high-level Python interface for loading, manipulating, and exporting audio files with simple operations like slicing, concatenation, and format conversion.

Yes, but with caution. Pydub remains popular and works well for straightforward audio tasks if your Python version and system dependencies align. However, the abandoned status since 2021-03-10 means no future fixes or compatibility updates—use it only if you can tolerate potential issues with newer Python versions and are willing to maintain a fork if critical bugs emerge.

## Install

pip install pydub
uv add pydub
poetry add pydub

## Installing pydub

Before you install: Installation is straightforward with no runtime Python dependencies, but the project has been abandoned since March 2021 with no recent maintenance or updates.

License in practice: MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for both open-source and commercial projects.

Quickstart:

pip install pydub
from pydub import AudioSegment
sound = AudioSegment.from_file('audio.mp3')
sliced = sound[:5000]
sliced.export('output.wav', format='wav')

External audio libraries (e.g., ffmpeg or libav) required for codec support; exact requirements depend on audio formats used.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works reliably with current Python versions beyond 3.8, given the abandoned status.
- What external audio libraries (e.g., ffmpeg, libav) are required as system dependencies.
- Current compatibility with modern audio formats and codecs.
- Whether critical bugs have emerged since the last release in March 2021.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 21.0M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

audio manipulation python, audio file conversion, simple audio editing, audio slicing concatenation, audio format conversion, high-level audio library, audio processing python, audio-processing, abandoned-but-stable

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