Audacity imports OGG Vorbis files at 16-bit every time, no matter what you have set as your Default Sample Format. It is not a broken install and not something your preferences can override — the Audacity Manual calls it a property of the format itself.
If one track in your project reads 16-bit in the Track Control Panel while everything else reads 32-bit float, the OGG file is the odd one out. Here is exactly what the manual says, what rule it is an exception to, and the single documented way to get an OGG in at 32-bit.
The limits, at a glance
| What you are looking at | What the manual states |
|---|---|
| Sample rate on import | "Audacity always imports files at their original sample rate" |
| Default Sample Format, in Audio Settings Preferences | "This setting defaults to 32-bit float" |
| OGG via the standard OGG Vorbis importer | Always 16-bit, "irrespective of Default Sample Format" |
| OGG via the optional FFmpeg library | 32-bit |
| Reason given | "This is due to the design of the OGG codec" |
The full sentence, which appears word for word on both the Importing Audio page and the Audio Settings Preferences page:
"OGG is unusual in that it will always import at 16-bit resolution using the standard OGG Vorbis importer, irrespective of Default Sample Format. This is due to the design of the OGG codec."
Two separate pages, identical wording — the page about importing and the page about the very preference you would expect to control this. Both state the same exception, and both attribute it to the codec rather than to a setting.
What this rule is an exception to
The contrast is what makes the OGG behaviour look like a bug when it is not. For ordinary imports the manual says:
"Generally, Audacity imports files at the sample format (bit depth) specified at Default Sample Format in Audio Settings Preferences. This setting defaults to 32-bit float. Therefore by default an imported file will show in the Track Control Panel as 32-bit float, even if its original bit depth is lower. This is best for high-quality editing."
Then it adds the clause most people skip:
"Even if you choose a lower Default Sample Format than 32-bit float, Audacity will never downsample a file that has a higher bit depth"
Here is the manual's own table for WAV and AIFF imports using the standard uncompressed files importer:
| Default Sample Format | File bit depth | Resolution imported at |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | 16 | 16 |
| 16 | 24 | 32 |
| 16 | 32 | 32 |
| 24 | 16 | 24 |
| 24 | 24 | 24 |
| 24 | 32 | 32 |
| 32 (default) | 16 | 32 |
| 32 (default) | 24 | 32 |
| 32 (default) | 32 | 32 |
Read the second row again: Default Sample Format set to 16, a 24-bit file, imported at 32 — not 16, and not 24 either. It looks like a misprint until you pair it with the "never downsample" sentence above, which is exactly why the manual prints them together.
So for WAV and AIFF, the preference behaves as a floor for low-bit-depth files rather than a ceiling for high ones. OGG sits outside that arrangement entirely: it is the one format the manual singles out as fixed.
What to do when 16-bit is not enough
The manual offers one route, in the sentence immediately following the OGG rule:
"However OGG can be imported at 32-bit resolution using FFmpeg, as described at Using the file type dropdown menu."
That dropdown is the file type filter in the import dialog, and it does more than filter the list:
"The file type choice determines which importer attempts the file first when using the Open or Import Audio dialogs."
Pick "FFmpeg compatible files" in File > Import > Audio and FFmpeg handles the file instead of the native importer. Two conditions attach to that:
- The option only appears if FFmpeg is installed. The manual: "FFmpeg compatible files - this option is only available if you have installed the optional FFmpeg extension."
- A preference decides the order. The manual: "The FFmpeg importer will always be tried first if "Attempt to use filter in OpenFile dialog first" in Extended Import Preferences is checked, otherwise the native importer will be tried first."
FFmpeg is a separate, optional download, and the manual explains why it is not bundled: "Because of software patents, Audacity cannot include the FFmpeg software or distribute it from its own websites." For the installation steps themselves, check the official documentation — the manual hands that off to the Audacity Support site rather than listing them. If Audacity is not seeing a copy you already installed, see FFmpeg library not found in Audacity.
If your goal is simply to play or share the audio rather than edit it at a higher resolution, the bit depth question does not apply to you at all — and the manual notes a real distribution problem with OGG: "Ogg format can be played in Windows Media Player and Apple Music/iTunes, but requires additional codecs to be downloaded."
Try it right here
Runs in your browser. Your file is not uploaded anywhere.
That converts in your browser tab, so there is no FFmpeg install and no upload. For the wider set, see OGG to MP3 and the rest of the Clapr tools.
Gotchas worth knowing before you retry
- Dragging the file in can undo your choice. Per Extended Import Preferences: "If using File > Recent Files or dragging in audio files, "Attempt to use filter in OpenFile dialog first" has no effect; Audacity will always try first the default importer for the file type, unless a rule is set that asks for another importer to be tried first." Use the import dialog for the FFmpeg route.
- Sample rate is not part of this. Whatever happens to bit depth, the manual is unconditional on rate: files come in at their original sample rate, shown in the Track Information Area of the Track Control Panel.
- You do not need FFmpeg to import OGG at all. The manual lists it among the formats Audacity reads as shipped: "Compressed audio: MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC and MP2 can be imported into Audacity." FFmpeg is only what changes the resolution.
- On the way back out, the documented control is a quality slider. Ogg Vorbis Export Options describes it as: "Choose a quality setting from 0 (lowest) to 10 (best) ... The default level of 5 typically produces a file of about the same size as Audacity's default 128 kbps MP3 encoding, but of higher quality."
FAQ
Why does my OGG track show 16-bit when Default Sample Format is 32-bit float? Because the standard OGG Vorbis importer ignores that preference. The manual states OGG "will always import at 16-bit resolution using the standard OGG Vorbis importer, irrespective of Default Sample Format." Nothing in the Audio Settings Preferences page changes it.
Can I import OGG at 24-bit? The Importing Audio page documents two outcomes for OGG: 16-bit through the standard importer, and 32-bit "using FFmpeg". Those are the only two that page spells out, so check the official Audacity Manual for the current behaviour rather than assuming a third.
Is something lost when Audacity imports at 16-bit? The manual does not describe the OGG import as a downgrade — it describes 16-bit as what the standard importer produces, and attributes it to "the design of the OGG codec". Separately, it recommends 32-bit float as "best for high-quality editing", which is why the FFmpeg route exists.
Do I have to reinstall anything to switch importers? No reinstall, but you do need the optional FFmpeg library present before "FFmpeg compatible files" shows up in the file type dropdown. After that it is a dropdown choice in the import dialog each time, plus the "Attempt to use filter in OpenFile dialog first" setting in Extended Import Preferences.
Does this affect the sample rate of my project too? No. The sample rate rule is separate and absolute: "Audacity always imports files at their original sample rate." Bit depth is the only thing the OGG exception touches. For a different fixed ceiling in Audacity, see the WAV 4GB size limit, and browse the rest of the format and size limits.
Quotes are from the Audacity Manual's Importing Audio, Audio Settings Preferences, Import Filtering and Importer Order, Extended Import Preferences and Ogg Vorbis Export Options pages, checked 16 September 2026. Verify against the current manual before relying on them.
