Avidemux Cannot Use That File As Audio Track

The error “Avidemux cannot use that file as audio track” is not a bug—it’s a strict compatibility check. Avidemux prioritizes stability and standards compliance over flexibility. The good news is that the fix is almost always simple: either re-encode your audio to the correct format (Fix #1) or switch to a more forgiving container (Fix #2).

By understanding the relationship between audio codecs, container formats, and Avidemux’s “Copy vs. Encode” behavior, you’ll never be blocked by this error again. Keep a copy of FFmpeg or Audacity handy, and you can convert any audio file to an Avidemux-friendly track in under a minute.

Happy editing!

When encountering the error "Avidemux cannot use that file as audio track," it typically indicates that Avidemux is having trouble processing or is incompatible with the specific audio file you've tried to add to your project. This issue can arise due to several reasons, ranging from incompatible file formats to corrupted files. Let's break down the potential causes and solutions:

Use Audacity, FFmpeg, or XMedia Recode to convert your audio file to: avidemux cannot use that file as audio track

FFmpeg one-liner (to convert input.m4a to Avidemux-friendly WAV):

ffmpeg -i input.m4a -acodec pcm_s16le -ar 48000 -ac 2 output.wav

Let’s walk through two real-world scenarios.

Avidemux supports a variety of audio and video formats, but it's not exhaustive. The most commonly supported audio formats include WAV, MP3, and AAC. If your audio file is in a less common format, Avidemux might not support it.

If the audio file is corrupted or damaged, Avidemux won't be able to read it. The error “Avidemux cannot use that file as

Before diving into fixes, it’s crucial to understand how Avidemux handles audio. Unlike professional editors like DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro, Avidemux does not perform "on-the-fly" audio transcoding or extensive format negotiation.

Avidemux operates on a direct stream copy principle by default. This means it tries to copy audio data directly from the source file (or external track) to the output without re-encoding. For this to work, the audio format must be compatible with the video container (MKV, MP4, AVI) you are using.

When you see "Cannot use that file as audio track," Avidemux is essentially saying: “I cannot mux this audio stream into the selected video container without re-encoding, and my current audio output settings do not allow re-encoding, or the audio format is unsupported.”

"cannot use that file as audio track" in Avidemux typically occurs because you are trying to import an audio file that is wrapped in a (like .m4a or .mp4) rather than a raw stream FFmpeg one-liner (to convert input

. Avidemux generally requires external audio tracks to be in raw or specific formats like WAV, MP3, or AC3 to properly mux them with video. Common Causes Unsupported Containers : You are trying to load an

file that is actually an MP4 container without video. Avidemux cannot invoke demuxers for external tracks in these formats. Metadata Interference

: Files with complex metadata at the beginning (like "Traktor" metadata in some MP3s) can confuse Avidemux's header detection. Codec Incompatibility : Certain formats, like Ogg Vorbis

, are only supported when re-encoding an existing track, not when adding an external one. How to Fix It