# Customization

From Audacity Development Manual
Audacity can be customized in a number of ways including adding to and changing the provided keyboard shortcuts and loading additional plug-ins

## Customize Preferences

- Preferences are settings that let you change most of the default behaviors of Audacity.

## Customize Keyboard Shortcuts

- You can use keyboard combinations to perform many actions in Audacity; for example pressing Ctrl + 1 on the keyboard zooms in a step. The combinations associated with different commands can be changed or added to on the Keyboard Preferences tab.

## Customize Plug-ins

You can download and install plug-ins to add extra functionality to Audacity. Plug-ins can give you extra effects, or more audio generation and analysis capability.

Instructions for installing plug-ins can be found at:

- Installing Effect, Generator and Analyzer plug-ins on Windows
- Installing Effect, Generator and Analyzer plug-ins on macOS
- Installing Effect, Generator and Analyzer plug-ins on Linux

- Nyquist: A number of Nyquist plug-ins are already included with Audacity. Nyquist is a dialect of LISP specially developed for audio processing. It can generate or process sound effects, or analyze audio content.
  - List of additional Nyquist plug-ins available for download

| Nyquist plug-ins are text files, so it is relatively easy to modify them or even create your own Nyquist plug-ins in any text editor.

- Other plug-in formats: Other plug-in formats can be added:
  - LV2 effects
    - LADSPA effects - Note that LADSPA has been superseded by LV2, most if not all LADSPA plug-ins are ancient and not maintained
  - Vamp analysis plug-ins
  - VST effects
  - Audio Unit effects (for macOS).
  - Module Plug-ins (advanced - usually requires compiling Audacity).

## Customize Themes

You can change the look and colors of Audacity using Themes.

## Ultimate Customization

Anyone can download our source code. Changing the code and recompiling Audacity allows you to change any aspect of its behavior or turn on experimental or optional features.

See our guides to compiling Audacity for Windows, Mac and GNU/Linux on the Audacity Wiki. If you need help compiling, please ask on the Compiling Audacity board on our Audacity Forum.

If you are interested in working with the Audacity codebase please consider joining our Developer Community. Your code changes can then potentially be incorporated into Audacity for the benefit of all users.