Fonts

Updated 3 months ago

This page shows old instructions for MuseScore 3.
For MuseScore 4 users, see Fonts.

To change the appearance of Musescore user interface, see Preferences instead.
To edit sound samples, see SoundFonts and SFZ files instead.

Overview

A computer font (font family, font face, typeface) is a digital data file containing a set of characters or symbols. This chapter discusses score object's font assignment method and option and others. Usage of font data depends on,

object type (see "Text" and "Non-Text" sections, and Notation types and Text types chapters); and
character type (see "Text" section).

Font file cannot be embedded into a score file.

Formatting of Text

Musescore Text object contains individual characters that can be entered and removed by using (typing on) a computer keyboard. Some subtypes have specialized automatic formatting feature eg chord symbol rendering style and Roman Numeral Analysis auto formatting.

Characters in a Text object are either plain or special characters.

Plain characters

Plain characters, entered using a computer keyboard.

Special characters

Musical text and symbols (special characters, professional glyphs) that are not on computer keyboard should be added from Symbols and special characters → Common Symbols and Musical Symbols tabs in Text editing mode, or using Keyboard shortcuts. eg Segno, Coda, ottavas, dynamics etc among other pre-configured Palette items. They are not unicode characters. Special internal encodings such as <sym> are used to provide

musically coherent impact eg the special augmentation dot is required to use Tempo marking's "Follow text" function; and
global "Musical text" font switching.

Advanced users can add plain characters that look like special characters but do not have these program features. They are under unicode Private Use Area (PUA) and can be added from Symbols and special characters →Unicode tab in Text editing mode, and under Master palette → Symbol category.

Formatting of Non-Text

Score objects are not Musescore Text if they cannot be edited using (typing on) a computer keyboard.

Font assignment and option

Plain characters inside Text

Font assignment in Inspector (musescore 3), Properties panel (musescore 4), Format → Style → [item] and Format → Style → Text Styles → [item]. See the Layout and formatting and Text styles and properties chapters.

Font options can use

fonts already built into Musescore program, and
fonts installed on the operating system(OS).

Special characters inside Text; Non-Text

Fonts designed specifically for musical notation are required to display them.

Font assignments of Text's special characters portions and Non-Text are a global setting. Special characters ignore inspector fontface assignment.

Under Format → Style,
- Musical symbol font: used by notes, rest symbols, accidentals etc. Font compatible often does not have wording "...Text" in its name, eg "MuseJazz". (6 options in musescore 3; 8 options in musescore 4)
- Musical text font: used by special characters. Font compatible often has wording "...Text" in its name, eg "MuseJazzText". (6 options in musescore 3; 8 options in musescore 4)
For Tablature, under Staff / Part properties : Advanced Style Properties: settings for tablature staff,
- "Fret Marks" tab: used by fret marks. (8 options) .
- "Note Values" tab: used by "Note symbols" (5 options) .
Figured bass (1 option, the MuseScore Figured Bass).

Font options can use

fonts already built into Musescore program, and
a more updated version of those files installed on the OS (sharing the same file name. See below),
but not new fonts installed on the OS directly.

Using updated font version is covered in https://johngrren007.blogspot.com/2018/04/musejazz-customised-font.html, and https://musescore.org/en/node/299448#comment-1171159. Score files (*.mscz) using them may render poorly on other machines, because the modified font files are not embedded into the score file. To install a new font file onto an OS, refer to the instructions written for that OS.

Valid for Musescore 3.6.2 only. How can I add third party SMuFL Fonts? covers how to use a 3.7 fork to use fonts installed on the OS directly.

Default font

Default Chord symbols font is Edwin, except on score created with any of the Jazz templates (eg Jazz Lead Sheet) where the default is MuseJazzText instead.
Default Roman Numeral Analysis font is Campania . Musescore relies on OpenType formatting functionailty provided by Campania for correct RNA foramtting.
Default "Musical symbol font" is Leland (musescore 3.6.2)
Default "Musical text font" is Leland Text

Fonts shipped with Musescore

Musescore create in-app user interface, and musical symbols and notation on score, with data content from font files. Some fonts are invented by Musescore project development team for Musescore and maintained by the team. Some fonts are from other companies, the team does not edit their content at all. Read the readme file https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/blob/master/fonts/README.md . Musescore software development focuses on engraving creation, based on real world notation popularity and significance, it does not aim to create support for every symbols included in any one particular font.

Musescore program is shipped with a limited set of font due to licensing reason.

Emmentaler has been renamed as "mscore" after musescore 3.6.2

Standard Music Font Layout (SMuFL)

Standard Music Font Layout (SMuFL) is a standard way of mapping the thousands of musical symbols required by conventional music notation, to the code-points of Private Use Area (PUA, wikipedia) in Unicode's Basic Multilingual Plane. It improves font format independence. The SMuFL standard itself is not managed by the Musescore project development team.

"Musical text" is a component of Musescore's implementation, the internal encoding schema does not conform to any standard, research the musescore 3.6.2 archived source code

Other useful methods to create desired engraving

Noteheads and notehead schemes
Staff / Part properties for Tablature elements
Plugins that analyze notes and add musical symbols such as fingering diagrams are available at https://musescore.org/plugins .
The MuseScore Drumline extension also contains extra pictograms, to download see Language, translations, and extensions.