MP3 Cutter Online — Cut MP3 Without Quality Loss (Free)
Cut any MP3 file with frame-accurate lossless trimming — no re-encoding, no generation loss, ID3 tags preserved. Or switch to precise mode for sample-accurate cuts with fades and normalization. 100% in your browser, nothing uploaded.
Drag & drop an MP3 file here, or click to upload
Supports MP3 (CBR and VBR), up to 500 MB — 100% processed in your browser
How to cut MP3 online
- 1
Drop an MP3 file onto the upload area, or click to browse from your device. The file is read locally — nothing is uploaded.
- 2
Choose a cut mode: Lossless (default) for a frame-accurate splice with no quality loss, or Precise for sample-accurate cuts with fades and normalization.
- 3
Drag the waveform handles to set the start and end of the segment, or type exact times into the inputs. Press Play to preview the selection.
- 4
If you picked Precise mode, optionally adjust fade in/out, toggle normalization, and choose the output bitrate.
- 5
Click Cut MP3. The result is processed in your browser and downloads instantly as -cut.mp3 with the original ID3 tags preserved (lossless mode).
What is an MP3 cutter?
An MP3 cutter is a tool that splits an MP3 file into a shorter segment. Unlike a generic audio trimmer that decodes the audio to PCM and re-encodes it (which introduces generation loss), a true lossless MP3 cutter copies whole MP3 frames at their byte boundaries — the same compressed audio data, just a shorter range. The result is byte-for-byte identical in quality to the source. The trade-off is precision: MP3 frames are about 26 ms long at 44.1 kHz, so a lossless cut is accurate to ±1 frame rather than to the individual sample.
Lossless vs Precise mode
Lossless (recommended)
Copies MP3 frames at frame boundaries without decoding or re-encoding. No quality loss, ID3 tags preserved, and very fast even on large files. Precision is ±1 frame (~26 ms at 44.1 kHz).
Precise (re-encode)
Decodes the selection to PCM, applies optional fade in/out and loudness normalization, then re-encodes to MP3. Sample-accurate, but incurs one generation of MP3 encoding loss.
MP3 technical specs: frames, CBR/VBR, and ID3
An MP3 file is a stream of MPEG audio frames, each beginning with a 4-byte sync header. For MPEG-1 Layer III at 44.1 kHz, every frame holds 1152 samples (~26.12 ms) and is sized by the bitrate (e.g. 417 bytes at 128 kbps). Constant bitrate (CBR) files use the same bitrate throughout; variable bitrate (VBR) files vary it per frame and store a Xing/Info header in the first frame with the total frame count, byte count, and a seek table. After a lossless cut this header must be recalculated so players report the correct duration — this tool does that automatically. ID3v2 metadata sits at the file start (a 10-byte header plus a syncsafe size), and ID3v1 sits at the tail (128 bytes). Both are independent of the frame stream and are copied verbatim into the output.
Why use this MP3 cutter?
No quality loss
The default lossless mode copies MP3 frames byte-for-byte. The output is the same compressed audio as the source — no re-encoding, no generation loss, no added artifacts.
100% private
Your file never leaves your device. Frame parsing, splicing, and (in precise mode) encoding all run locally in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
ID3 tags preserved
Lossless cuts carry the original ID3v2 and ID3v1 tags verbatim, and the Xing/Info VBR header is rewritten so the duration and seek bar stay accurate.
Free & unlimited
No signup, no watermark, no daily cap. Cut as many MP3s as you want, on any device, in 10 languages.
MP3 cutter FAQ
Does cutting an MP3 reduce its quality?
No — in the default Lossless mode the cut is done by copying whole MP3 frames at their byte boundaries. The compressed audio data is unchanged, so there is zero quality loss. Only the Precise mode (used for fades or normalization) re-encodes, which adds one generation of MP3 encoding loss.
What is the difference between lossless and precise cutting?
Lossless cutting splices at MP3 frame boundaries (~26 ms at 44.1 kHz) without decoding, so quality is preserved but the cut is accurate to ±1 frame. Precise cutting decodes the selection to PCM, applies fades/normalize, and re-encodes, giving sample-level accuracy at the cost of one re-encode generation.
Is there a file size limit?
The hard limit is 500 MB. Because lossless cutting never decodes the full file to PCM, it stays fast and memory-light even on large files — only the frame headers are scanned.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. The tool runs entirely in the browser and works on iOS Safari, Chrome on Android, and desktop browsers. No app install is required.
Are ID3 tags and album art preserved?
In Lossless mode the ID3v2 tag (including album art and other frames) and the ID3v1 tag are copied verbatim to the output. In Precise mode the output is re-encoded, so metadata is not carried over — re-add it with a tag editor if needed.
Why does my VBR MP3 show the wrong duration after cutting elsewhere?
VBR MP3s store the total frame count and byte count in a Xing/Info header. If a cutter does not rewrite that header, players compute duration from the stale count and show the wrong length. This tool recalculates the Xing frame count, byte count, and seek TOC on every lossless cut, so the duration stays correct.
How is this different from the Audio Trimmer?
The Audio Trimmer is a generic tool that decodes any audio format and re-encodes it — every cut incurs a re-encode. This MP3 Cutter is MP3-specific and defaults to a lossless frame splice, so MP3 cuts have no quality loss. For WAV, FLAC, M4A, or OGG, use the Audio Trimmer.
Is my file uploaded to a server?
No. Everything — frame parsing, splicing, decoding, and encoding — happens locally in your browser using Web Audio and a custom MP3 frame parser. Your audio never leaves your device.