Published on MuseScore.org

Appendix

Command line usage

    PLEASE NOTE: This page was copied from the equivalent page in the MuseScore 3 Handbook. If you find an option that no longer works in MuseScore 4, please report it on GitHub and add a note next to that option on this page. If the option was intentionally removed from MuseScore 4 then please delete it from this page.

    MSCORE(1) — General Commands Manual Page

    NAME

    mscore, MuseScore4 — MuseScore 4 sheet music editor

    SYNOPSIS

    You can launch MuseScore from the command line by typing

    • mscore [options] [filename …] (Mac and Linux/BSD/Unix)
    • musescore [options] [filename …] (Linux/BSD/Unix)
    • mscore4portable [options] [filename …] (Linux AppImage)
    • MuseScore4.exe [options] [filename …] (Windows)

    [options] and [filename] are optional. For this to work the MuseScore executable must be in %PATH% (Windows) resp. $PATH (Mac and Linux). If it is not, see Revert to factory settings for detailed instructions on how and where to find and execute the MuseScore executable from the command line on the various supported platforms.

    A more detailed synopsis follows:

    mscore [-deFfhIiLmnOPRstvw]
    [-b | --bitrate bitrate]
    [-c | --config-folder pathname]
    [-D | --monitor-resolution DPI]
    [-d | --debug]
    [-E | --install-extension extension file]
    [-e | --experimental]
    [-F | --factory-settings]
    [-f | --force]
    [-h | -? | --help]
    [-I | --dump-midi-in]
    [-i | --load-icons]
    [-j | --job file.json]
    [-L | --layout-debug]
    [-M | --midi-operations file]
    [-m | --no-midi]
    [-n | --new-score]
    [-O | --dump-midi-out]
    [-o | --export-to file]
    [-P | --export-score-parts]
    [-p | --plugin name]
    [-R | --revert-settings]
    [-r | --image-resolution DPI]
    [-S | --style style]
    [-s | --no-synthesizer]
    [-T | --trim-image margin]
    [-t | --test-mode]
    [-v | --version]
    [-w | --no-webview]
    [-x | --gui-scaling factor]
    [--diff]
    [--long-version]
    [--no-fallback-font]
    [--raw-diff]
    [--run-test-script]
    [--score-media]
    [--score-meta]
    [--highlight-config]
    [--score-parts]
    [--score-parts-pdf]
    [--score-transpose]
    [--sound-profile]
    [--source-update]
    [--template-mode]
    [file ...]

    DESCRIPTION

    MuseScore is a Free and Open Source WYSIWYG cross-platform multi-lingual music composition and notation software, released under the GNU General Public Licence (GPLv3).

    Running mscore without any extra options launches the full graphical MuseScore program and opens any files specified on the command line.

    The options are as follows:

    -b | --bitrate bitrate

    Set MP3 output bitrate in kbit/s

    -c | --config-folder pathname

    Override configuration and settings directory

    -D | --monitor-resolution DPI

    Specify monitor resolution (override autodetection)

    -d | --debug

    Start MuseScore in debug mode

    -E | --install-extension extension file

    Install an extension file; soundfonts are loaded by default unless -e is also specified

    -e | --experimental

    Enable experimental features, such as layers

    -F | --factory-settings

    Use only the standard built-in presets (“factory settings”) and delete user preferences; compare with the -R option (see also Revert to factory settings)

    -f | --force

    Ignore score corruption and version mismatch warnings in “converter mode”

    -h | -? | --help

    Display an overview of invocation instructions (doesn’t work on Windows)

    -I | --dump-midi-in

    Display all MIDI input on the console

    -i | --load-icons

    Load icons from the filesystem; useful if you want to edit the MuseScore icons and preview the changes

    -j | --job file.json

    Process a conversion job (see EXAMPLES below)

    -L | --layout-debug

    Start MuseScore in layout debug mode

    -M | --midi-operations file

    Specify MIDI import operations file (see EXAMPLES below)

    -m | --no-midi

    Disable MIDI input

    -n | --new-score

    Start with the New Score wizard regardless whether it’s enabled or disabled in the user preferences

    -O | --dump-midi-out

    Display all MIDI output on the console

    -o | --export-to file

    Export the given (or currently opened) file to the specified output file. The file type depends on the extension of the filename given. This option switches to “converter mode” and avoids the graphical user interface.

    -P | --export-score-parts

    When converting to PDF with the -o option, append each part’s pages to the created PDF file. If the score has no parts, all default parts will temporarily be generated automatically.

    -p | --plugin name

    Execute the named plugin

    -R | --revert-settings

    Use only the standard built-in presets (“factory settings”) but do not delete user preferences; compare with the -F option

    -r | --image-resolution DPI

    Set image resolution for conversion to PNG files. Default: 300 DPI (actually, the value of “Resolution” of the PNG option group in the Export tab of the preferences)

    -S | --style style

    Load a style file first; useful for use with the -o option

    -s | --no-synthesizer

    Disable the integrated software synthesizer

    -T | --trim-image margin

    Trim exported PNG and SVG images to remove whitespace surrounding the score. The specified margin, in pixels, will be retained (use 0 for a tightly cropped image). When exporting to SVG, this option only works with single-page scores.

    -t | --test-mode

    Set test mode flag for all files, includes --template-mode

    -v | --version

    Display the name and version of the application without starting the graphical user interface (doesn’t work on Windows)

    -w | --no-webview

    Disable the web view component in the Start Center

    -x | --gui-scaling factor

    Scale the score display and other GUI elements by the specified factor; intended for use with high-resolution displays

    --diff

    Print a conditioned diff between the given scores

    --long-version

    Display the full name, version and git revision of the application without starting the graphical user interface (doesn’t work on Windows)

    --no-fallback-font

    Don’t use Bravura as fallback musical font

    --raw-diff

    Print a raw diff between the given scores

    --run-test-script

    Run script tests listed in the command line arguments

    --score-media

    Export all media (except MP3) for a given score as a single JSON document to stdout

    --highlight-config

    Set highlight to svg, generated from a given score

    --score-meta

    Export score metadata to JSON document and print it to stdout

    --score-parts

    Generate parts data for the given score and save them to separate mscz files

    --score-parts-pdf

    Generate parts data for the given score and export it as a single JSON document to stdout

    --score-transpose

    Transpose the given score and export the data to a single JSON file, print it to stdout

    --sound-profile sound-profile

    Use with '-o .mp3' or with '-j ', override the sound profile in the given score(s).
    Possible values: "MuseScore Basic", "Muse Sounds"

    --source-update

    Update the source in the given score

    --template-mode

    Save files in template mode (e.g. without page sizes)

    MuseScore also supports the automatic Qt command line options.

    Batch conversion job JSON format

    The argument to the -j option must be the pathname of a file comprised of a valid JSON document honoring the following specification:

    • The top-level element must be a JSONArray, which may be empty.

    • Each array element must be a JSONObject with the following keys:

      • in: Value is the name of the input file (score to convert), as JSONString.
      • plugin: Value is the filename of a plugin (with the .qml extension), which will be read from either the global or per-user plugin path and executed before the conversion output happens, as JSONString. Optional, but at least one of plugin and out must be given.
      • out: Value is the conversion output target, as defined below. Optional, but at least one of plugin and out must be given.
    • The conversion output target may be a filename (with extension, which decided the format to convert to), as JSONString.

    • The conversion output target may be a JSONArray of filenames as JSONString, as above, which will cause the score to be written to multiple output files (in multiple output formats) sequentially, without being closed, re-opened and re-processed in between.

    • If the conversion output target is a JSONArray, one or more of its elements may also be, each, a JSONArray of two JSONStrings (called first and second half in the following description). This will cause part extraction: for each such two-tuple, all extant parts of the score will be saved individually, with filenames being composed by concatenating the first half, the name (title) of the part, and the second half. The resulting string must be a valid filename (with extension, determining the output format). If a score has no parts (excerpts) defined, this will be silently ignored without error.

    • Valid file extensions for output are:

      flac
      Free Lossless Audio Codec (compressed audio)
      metajson
      various score metadata (JSON)
      mid
      standard MIDI file
      midi
      standard MIDI file
      mlog
      internal file sanity check log (JSON)
      mp3
      MPEG Layer III (lossy compressed audio)
      mpos
      measure positions (XML)
      mscx
      uncompressed MuseScore file
      mscz
      compressed MuseScore file
      musicxml
      uncompressed MusicXML file
      mxl
      compressed MusicXML file
      ogg
      OGG Vorbis (lossy compressed audio)
      pdf
      portable document file (print)
      png
      portable network graphics (image) — Individual files, one per score page, with a hyphen-minus followed by the page number placed before the file extension, will be generated.
      spos
      segment positions (XML)
      svg
      scalable vector graphics (image)
      wav
      RIFF Waveform (uncompressed audio)
      xml
      uncompressed MusicXML file

    See below for an example.

    ENVIRONMENT

    SKIP_LIBJACK
    Set this (the value does not matter) to skip initialization of the JACK Audio Connection Kit library, in case it causes trouble.
    XDG_CONFIG_HOME
    User configuration location; defaults to ~/.config if unset.
    XDG_DATA_HOME
    User data location; defaults to ~/.local/share if unset.

    Note that MuseScore also supports the normal Qt environment variables such as QT_QPA_GENERIC_PLUGINS, QT_QPA_PLATFORM, QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME, QT_QPA_PLATFORM_PLUGIN_PATH, QT_STYLE_OVERRIDE, DISPLAY, etc.

    FILES

    /usr/share/mscore-4.0/ contains the application support data (demos, instruments, localization, system-wide plugins, soundfonts, styles, chords, templates and wallpapers). In the Debian packages, system-wide soundfonts are installed into /usr/share/sounds/sf2/, /usr/share/sounds/sf3/ or /usr/share/sounds/sfz/, respectively, instead.

    The per-user data (extensions, plugins, soundfonts, styles, templates) and files (images, scores) are normally installed into subdirectories under ~/MuseScore4/ but may be changed in the configuration. Note that snapshot, alpha and beta versions use MuseScore4Development instead of MuseScore4 in all of these paths.

    $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/MuseScore/MuseScore4.ini contains the user preferences, list of recently used files and their locations, window sizes and positions, etc. See above for development version paths.

    $XDG_DATA_HOME/data/MuseScore/MuseScore4/ contains updated localization files downloaded from within the program, plugin information, cached scores, credentials for the musescore.com community site, session information, synthesizer settings, custom key and time signatures and shortcuts. See above for development version paths.

    EXAMPLES

    Convert a score to PDF from the command line

    mscore -o 'My Score.pdf' 'My Score.mscz'
    

    Run a batch job converting multiple documents

    mscore -j job.json
    

    This requires assumes a file job.json exists in the current working directory with content similar to the following:

    [
        {
            "in": "MyScore1.mscz",
            "out": "MyScore1.pdf"
        },
        {
            "in": "MyScore2.mscz",
            "plugin": "colornotes.qml",
            "out": [
                "MyScore2-notecolors.pdf",
                "MyScore2-notecolors.svg"
            ]
        },
        {
            "in": "MyScore3.mscz",
            "out": [
                "MyScore3.pdf",
                "MyScore3.musicxml",
                "MyScore3.mid",
                [
                    "MyScore3 (",
                    " part).pdf"
                ]
            ]
        }
    ]
    

    If MyScore3.mscz contains excerpts (instrumental parts) then the syntax above would cause files like “MyScore3 (Violin part).pdf” to be generated alongside the conductor’s PDF and MusicXML files, as well as a MIDI file with the full orchestral sound. If MyScore3.mscz has no excerpts defined then only the conductor’s PDF, MusicXML, and orchestral MIDI files will be generated, while the request for part PDFs is silently ignored.

    MIDI import operations

    The attached midi_import_options.xml is a sample MIDI import operations file for the -M option.

    DIAGNOSTICS

    The mscore utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.

    SEE ALSO

    fluidsynth(1), midicsv(1), timidity(1), qtoptions(7)

    https://musescore.org/handbook

    Online Handbook, full user manual

    https://musescore.org/forum

    Support Forum

    https://musescore.org/en/node/278582

    Reverting to factory settings (troubleshooting)

    https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues

    Project Issue Tracker — Please check first to if the bug you’re encountering has already been reported. If you just need help with something, then please use the support forum instead.

    http://doc.qt.io/qt-5/qguiapplication.html#supported-command-line-optio…

    Documentation of automatic Qt command line options

    STANDARDS

    MuseScore attempts to implement the following standards:

    • MusicXML 3.1 (score interchange format)
    • SF2 (SoundFont 2.01)
    • SF3 (SoundFont with OGG Vorbis-compressed samples)
    • SFZ (Sforzato soundfont)
    • SMuFL (Standard Music Font Layout 1.20)

    HISTORY

    MuseScore was split off the MusE sequencer in 2002 and has since become the foremost Open Source notation software.

    AUTHORS

    MuseScore is developed by MuseScore BVBA and others.

    This manual page was written by mirabilos <tg@debian.org>.

    CAVEATS

    The automatic Qt command line options are removed from the argument vector before the application has a chance at option processing; this means that an invocation like mscore -S -reverse has no chance at working because the -reverse is removed by Qt first.

    BUGS

    • MuseScore Studio does not honor /etc/papersize.

    • Probably some more; check the project’s bug tracker (cf. SEE ALSO).

    All keyboard shortcuts

    On macOS, make the following substitutions:

    • Replace Ctrl with Cmd (or ⌘)
    • Replace Alt with Option (or ⌥)
    • Replace Home with Fn+Left
    • Replace End with Fn+Right
    • Replace PgUp with Fn+Up
    • Replace PgDn with Fn+Down
    • Add Fn with function keys

    Keyboard Map

    Click on image for full resolution. Or use this Print Friendly PDF version
    QWERTY keyboard shortcut map image

    Navigation

    Page navigation

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Zoom in Ctrl+= Cmd+=
    Zoom out Ctrl+- Cmd+-
    Zoom to 100% Ctrl+0 Cmd+0
    Go to first element in score Ctrl+Home Cmd+Fn+Left
    Go to last element in score Ctrl+End Cmd+Fn+Right
    Jump to next screen PgUp Fn+Up
    Jump to previous screen PgDn Fn+Down
    Jump to top of first page Home Fn+Left
    Jump to bottom of last page End Fn+Right
    Jump to next page Ctrl+PgUp Cmd+Fn+Up
    Jump to previous page Ctrl+PgDn Cmd+Fn+Down
    Find / Go to Ctrl+F Cmd+F
    Accessibility: get location Shift+L Shift+L
    Show/hide timeline F12 Fn+F12

    Score navigation

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Select next chord Right Right
    Select previous chord Left Left
    Go to next measure Ctrl+Right Cmd+Right
    Go to previous measure Ctrl+Left Cmd+Left
    Select next element in score Alt+Right Option+Right
    Select previous element in score Alt+Left Option+Left
    Select next in-staff element Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Right Cmd+Option+Shift+Right
    Select previous in-staff element Ctrl+Alt+Shift+Left Cmd+Option+Shift+Left
    Select note/rest above Alt+Up Option+Up
    Select note/rest below Alt+Down Option+Down
    Select top note in chord Ctrl+Alt+Up Cmd+Option+Up
    Select bottom note in chord Ctrl+Alt+Down Cmd+Option+Down

    Note input

    General

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Note input: toggle note input mode N N
    Note input: toggle 're-pitch existing notes' mode Ctrl+Shift+I Cmd+Shift+I
    Note input: toggle 'insert' mode Ctrl+I Cmd+I
    Show/hide piano keyboard P P
    Use voice 1 Ctrl+Alt+1 Cmd+Option+1
    Use voice 2 Ctrl+Alt+2 Cmd+Option+2
    Use voice 3 Ctrl+Alt+3 Cmd+Option+3
    Use voice 4 Ctrl+Alt+4 Cmd+Option+4

    Duration

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Set duration 1 – 9 1 – 9
    Set duration: 64th note 1 1
    Set duration: 32nd note 2 2
    Set duration: 16th note 3 3
    Set duration: 8th note 4 4
    Set duration: quarter note 5 5
    Set duration: half note 6 6
    Set duration: whole note 7 7
    Set duration: double whole note 8 8
    Set duration: longa 9 9
    Toggle duration dot . .
    Enter tuplet Ctrl+2 – Ctrl+9 Cmd+2 – Cmd+9
    Enter tuplet: duplet Ctrl+2 Cmd+2
    Enter tuplet: triplet Ctrl+3 Cmd+3
    Enter tuplet: quadruplet Ctrl+4 Cmd+4
    Enter tuplet: quintuplet Ctrl+5 Cmd+5
    Enter tuplet: sextuplet Ctrl+6 Cmd+6
    Enter tuplet: septuplet Ctrl+7 Cmd+7
    Enter tuplet: octuplet Ctrl+8 Cmd+8
    Enter tuplet: nonuplet Ctrl+9 Cmd+9
    Add tied note T T
    Halve selected duration Q Q
    Double selected duration W W
    Halve selected duration (includes dotted values) Shift+Q Shift+Q
    Double select duration (includes dotted values) Shift+W Shift+W
    Insert full measure rest Ctrl+Shift+Del Cmd+Shift+Del

    Pitch

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Enter note A – G A – G
    Enter note A A A
    Enter note B B B
    Enter note C C C
    Enter note D D D
    Enter note E E E
    Enter note F F F
    Enter note G G G
    Add note to chord Shift+A – Shift+G Shift+A – Shift+G
    Add note A to chord Shift+A Shift+A
    Add note B to chord Shift+B Shift+B
    Add note C to chord Shift+C Shift+C
    Add note D to chord Shift+D Shift+D
    Add note E to chord Shift+E Shift+E
    Add note F to chord Shift+F Shift+F
    Add note G to chord Shift+G Shift+G
    Enter interval Alt+1 – Alt+9 Option+1 – Option+9
    Enter interval: unison Alt+1 Option+1
    Enter interval: second above Alt+2 Option+2
    Enter interval: third above Alt+3 Option+3
    Enter interval: fourth above Alt+4 Option+4
    Enter interval: fifth above Alt+5 Option+5
    Enter interval: sixth above Alt+6 Option+6
    Enter interval: seventh above Alt+7 Option+7
    Enter interval: octave above Alt+8 Option+8
    Enter interval: ninth above Alt+9 Option+9
    Toggle accidental: flat - -
    Toggle accidental: natural = =
    Toggle accidental: sharp + +
    Enter rest 0 0
    Add grace note: acciaccatura / /

    Tablature

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Set duration (TAB) Shift+0 – Shift+9 Shift+0 – Shift+9
    Set duration: 128th note (TAB) Shift+0 Shift+0
    Set duration: 64th note (TAB) Shift+1 Shift+1
    Set duration: 32nd note (TAB) Shift+2 Shift+2
    Set duration: 16th note (TAB) Shift+3 Shift+3
    Set duration: 8th note (TAB) Shift+4 Shift+4
    Set duration: quarter note (TAB) Shift+5 Shift+5
    Set duration: half note (TAB) Shift+6 Shift+6
    Set duration: whole note (TAB) Shift+7 Shift+7
    Enter TAB: fret 0 – 9 0 – 9
    Enter TAB: fret A – K A – K
    Enter TAB: fret 0 0 0
    Enter TAB: fret 1 1 1
    Enter TAB: fret 2 2 2
    Enter TAB: fret 3 3 3
    Enter TAB: fret 4 4 4
    Enter TAB: fret 5 5 5
    Enter TAB: fret 6 6 6
    Enter TAB: fret 7 7 7
    Enter TAB: fret 8 8 8
    Enter TAB: fret 9 9 9
    Enter TAB: fret 0 A A
    Enter TAB: fret 1 B B
    Enter TAB: fret 2 C C
    Enter TAB: fret 3 D D
    Enter TAB: fret 4 E E
    Enter TAB: fret 5 F F
    Enter TAB: fret 6 G G
    Enter TAB: fret 7 H H
    Enter TAB: fret 8 J J
    Enter TAB: fret 9 K K
    Go to string above (TAB) Up Up
    Go to string below (TAB) Down Down
    Toggle ghost note Shift+X Shift+X

    Selecting

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Select all Ctrl+A Cmd+A
    Add to selection: previous note/rest Shift+Left Shift+Left
    Add to selection: next note/rest Shift+Right Shift+Right
    Add to selection: staff above Shift+Up Shift+Up
    Add to selection: staff below Shift+Down Shift+Down
    Select to beginning of measure Ctrl+Shift+Left Cmd+Shift+Left
    Select to end of measure Ctrl+Shift+Right Cmd+Shift+Right
    Select to beginning of line Shift+Home Shift+Fn+Left
    Select to end of line Shift+End Shift+Fn+Right
    Select to beginning of score Ctrl+Shift+Home Cmd+Shift+Fn+Left
    Select to end of score Ctrl+Shift+End Cmd+Shift+Fn+Right

    Editing

    General

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Escape Esc Esc
    Undo Ctrl+Z Cmd+Z
    Redo Ctrl+Shift+Z Cmd+Shift+Z
    Copy Ctrl+C Cmd+C
    Cut Ctrl+X Cmd+X
    Paste Ctrl+V Cmd+V
    Copy/paste: swap with clipboard Ctrl+Shift+X Cmd+Shift+X
    Repeat selection R R
    Insert one measure before selection Ins Ins
    Insert measures before selection Ctrl+Ins Cmd+Ins
    Insert one measure at end of score Ctrl+B Cmd+B
    Insert measures at end of score Alt+Shift+B Option+Shift+B
    Delete Del Del
    Delete selected measures Ctrl+Del Cmd+Del
    Show/hide properties F8 Fn+F8
    Edit element F2 Fn+F2
    Move chord/rest left Shift+Left Shift+Left
    Move chord/rest right Shift+Right Shift+Right

    Duration

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Set duration 1 – 9 1 – 9
    Enter tuplet Ctrl+2 – Ctrl+9 Cmd+2 – Cmd+9
    Add tied note T T
    Halve selected duration Q Q
    Double select duration W W
    Halve selected duration (includes dotted values) Shift+Q Shift+Q
    Double selected duration (includes dotted values) Shift+W Shift+W
    Paste half duration Ctrl+Shift+Q Cmd+Shift+Q (prior to 4.2)

    Ctrl+Shift+Q (as of 4.2)
    Paste double duration Ctrl+Shift+W Crrl+Shift+W (prior to 4.2)

    Crrl+Shift+W (as of 4.2)
    Insert full measure rest Ctrl+Shift+Del Cmd+Shift+Del

    Pitch

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Toggle accidental: flat - -
    Toggle accidental: natural = =
    Toggle accidental: sharp + +
    Move pitch/selection up Up Up
    Move pitch/selection down Down Down
    Move pitch up an octave Ctrl+Up Cmd+Up
    Move pitch down an octave Ctrl+Down Cmd+Down
    Move pitch up diatonically Alt+Shift+Up Option+Shift+Up
    Move pitch down diatonically Alt+Shift+Down Option+Shift+Down
    Change enharmonic spelling (concert and written pitch) J J
    Change enharmonic spelling (current pitch only) Ctrl+J Cmd+J
    Move note to higher string (TAB) Ctrl+Up Cmd+Up
    Move note to lower string (TAB) Ctrl+Down Cmd+Down
    Toggle ghost note (TAB) Shift+X Shift+X

    Notation

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Flip direction X X
    Mirror notehead Shift+X Shift+X
    Use voice 1 Ctrl+Alt+1 Cmd+Option+1
    Use voice 2 Ctrl+Alt+2 Cmd+Option+2
    Use voice 3 Ctrl+Alt+3 Cmd+Option+3
    Use voice 4 Ctrl+Alt+4 Cmd+Option+4
    Move selected note/rest to staff above Ctrl+Shift+Up Cmd+Shift+Up
    Move selected note/rest to staff below Ctrl+Shift+Down Cmd+Shift+Down
    Toggle multimeasure rest (prior to 4.4) M M
    Toggle multimeasure rest (as of 4.4) Ctrl+Shift+M Cmd+Shift+M

    Manual adjustment

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Move text left Left Left
    Move text right Right Right
    Move text left quickly Ctrl+Left Cmd+Left
    Move text right quickly Ctrl+Right Cmd+Right
    Move selection up Up Up
    Move selection down Down Down
    Move selection up quickly Ctrl+Up Cmd+Up
    Move selection down quickly Ctrl+Down Cmd+Down

    Text

    General

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Add text: staff text Ctrl+T Cmd+T
    Add text: expression text Ctrl+E Cmd+E
    Add text: system text Ctrl+Shift+T Cmd+Shift+T
    Add text: tempo marking Alt+Shift+T Option+Shift+T
    Add text: rehearsal mark Ctrl+M Cmd+M
    Insert special characters Shift+F2 Shift+Fn+F2

    Formatting

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Format text: bold face Ctrl+B Cmd+B
    Format text: italic Ctrl+I Cmd+I
    Format text: underline Ctrl+U Cmd+U
    Insert flat Ctrl+Shift+B Cmd+Shift+B
    Insert natural Ctrl+Shift+H Cmd+Shift+H
    Insert sharp Ctrl+Shift+# Cmd+Shift+#
    Insert dynamics p Ctrl+Shift+P Cmd+Shift+P
    Insert dynamics m Ctrl+Shift+M Cmd+Shift+M
    Insert dynamics f Ctrl+Shift+F Cmd+Shift+F
    Insert dynamics n Ctrl+Shift+N Cmd+Shift+N
    Insert dynamics r Ctrl+Shift+R Cmd+Shift+R
    Insert dynamics s Ctrl+Shift+S Cmd+Shift+S
    Insert dynamics z Ctrl+Shift+Z Cmd+Shift+Z

    Lyrics

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Add text: lyrics Ctrl+L Cmd+L
    Go to next syllable Space Space
    Go to previous syllable Shift+Space Shift+Space
    Lyrics: enter hyphen - -
    Lyrics: enter melisma _ _
    Add lyric verse Return Return
    Go to next lyric verse Down Down
    Go to previous lyric verse Up Up

    Chord symbols, Roman numeral analysis, Nashville numbers, figured bass

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Add text: chord symbol Ctrl+K Cmd+K
    Add text: figured bass Ctrl+G Cmd+G
    Next text element Space Space
    Previous text element Shift+Space Shift+Space
    Advance cursor: next beat ; ;
    Advance cursor: previous beat Shift+; Shift+;
    Advance cursor: duration Ctrl+1 – Ctrl+9 Cmd+1 – Cmd+9

    Other score elements

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Show/hide palettes F9 Fn+F9
    Search palettes Ctrl+F9 Cmd+Fn+F9
    Open master palette Shift+F9 Shift+Fn+F9
    Add slur S S
    Add articulation: accent Shift+V Shift+V
    Add articulation: marcato Shift+O Shift+O
    Add articulation: staccato Shift+S Shift+S
    Add articulation: tenuto Shift+N Shift+N
    Add hairpin: crescendo < <
    Add hairpin: decrescendo > >
    Add parentheses to element ( (

    Score setup and formatting

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Add/remove instruments I I
    Open instruments dialog F7 Fn+F7
    Toggle visibility of elements V V
    Decrease layout stretch { {
    Increase layout stretch } }
    Add/remove system break Return Return
    Add/remove page break Ctrl+Return Cmd+Return
    Reset shapes and positions Ctrl+R Cmd+R

    File Operations

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    New Ctrl+N Cmd+N
    Open Ctrl+O Cmd+O
    Close Ctrl+W Cmd+W
    Save Ctrl+S Cmd+S
    Save as Ctrl+Shift+S Cmd+Shift+S
    Print Ctrl+P Cmd+P
    Quit Ctrl+Q Cmd+Q

    User interface

    Playback

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Play Space Space
    Show/hide mixer F10 Fn+F10

    Accessibility

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Next UI group Tab Tab
    Previous UI group Shift+Tab Shift+Tab
    Next UI pane/window F6 Fn+F6
    Previous UI pane/window Shift+F6 Shift+Fn+F6

    Other

    Action Windows/Linux macOS
    Multiinstances Ctrl+F3 Cmd+Fn+F3
    Full screen F11 Fn+F11

    Known incompatibilities

    Changes for MDL percussion

    Muse Drumline (MDL2) is a free Muse Sounds library available for MuseScore Studio. It’s the successor to MuseScore Drumline (MDL1), an optional extension for MuseScore 3.

    If you open a MuseScore 3 score in MuseScore Studio, a dialog appears informing you about changes to the appearance of your score. Starting in MuseScore Studio 4.4, this dialog now includes a checkbox to enable our new notation and sound mapping for MDL percussion.

    migration_dialogs.png

    This checkbox must be checked in order for marching percussion instruments from MDL1 to sound correct during playback with MS Basic and Muse Sounds. The checkbox has no effect on other instruments besides the ones from MDL1.

    Sound mapping

    MDL2 and MS Basic use a particular set of MIDI pitches to represent percussion sounds. This means scores created with MDL2 are compatible with MS Basic, and vice versa.

    However, MDL1 used a different set of MIDI pitches to represent percussion sounds, so when opening a score that contains notes for MDL1 instruments, it’s necessary to convert these to the MDL2 pitches, otherwise playback would sound wrong (you might hear a rimshot instead of a roll, for example).

    Some sounds from MDL1 don’t have an exact match in MDL2. In a few cases, multiple MDL1 pitches are mapped to a single pitch in MDL2. This means some percussion notes that looked and sounded different in MuseScore 3 might now look and sound the same as each other in MuseScore Studio.

    Conversion to the new pitch mapping is a one-way process, and it must be done when you first open the score in MuseScore 4. As always, if you’re not ready to fully commit to the new version, we recommend that you save the score as a new file, leaving the original file from MuseScore 3 unmodified.

    Notation

    In addition to some previously distinct notes now looking the same as each other, the conversion process also applies a new drumset definition to MDL1 percussion instruments. This further alters the notation of these instruments, changing the shapes of some noteheads and making them appear lower or higher on the staff.

    Unlike the pitch mapping, which is fixed, the drumset notation changes can be freely altered via the Edit Drumset dialog after the score is loaded.

    Upgrade from MuseScore 3.x

    Overview

    Keyboard Shortcuts

    See All keyboard shortcuts for MuseScore 4. Here are the common ones that have changed or are entirely new:

    Action MuseScore 3 MuseScore 4
    Add tied note + T
    Next Measure (Chord Symbol Entry) Tab Ctrl/Cmd+→
    Previous Measure (Chord Symbol Entry) Shift+Tab Ctrl/Cmd+←
    Toggle accidental: flat None -
    Toggle accidental: natural None =
    Toggle accidental: sharp None +
    Edit element Alt+Shift+E F2 or Alt+Shift+E
    Insert special characters... F2 Shift+F2
    Jump to next UI pane None F6 or ` (backtick / grave accent)
    Jump to previous UI pane None Shift+F6 or Shift+`
    Show / hide selection filter F6 None

    Other changes

    • What used to be the Inspector in MuseScore 3 is the Properties tab in MuseScore 4.
    • The tool to switch between page view and continuous view is now at the bottom right of the MuseScore window.
    • Same for the Zoom control.
    • Same for the Concert pitch toggle.
    • To (temporarily) change the playback speed you now need to undock the Play Panel.
    • The "Toggle MIDI" button now is behind the Play Panel's cog wheel.
    • Fermata is now in the Breaths & Pauses palette
    • Hiding an instrument now mutes it by default. However, you can now hide the individual staves of the instrument, which is more flexible.
    • The Text tool is now in the Text Properties, partly 'hidden' behind the More botton.

    Missing Features

    Due to the nature of the upgrade some features previously present in MuseScore 3 have not (yet) been included. See this page in the developers' handbook for a listing of those items.

    Upgrade from MuseScore 2.x or 1.x

    Handbook for MuseScore 3.x

    Handbook for MuseScore 2.x

    Handbook for MuseScore 1.x

    Glossary

    Listed below are technicial terms and musical terms, which are frequently used in MuseScore or in the Handbook. Links to relevant handbook chapter are provided. To help musicians who are capable of reading a notation but do not know its proper name, image is provided. This chapter does not aim to be a dictionary of all musical notations, see External links.

    The differences between American English and British English are marked with "(AE)" and "(BE)", respectively. Editors and translators of this chapter should add the individual entry for each term.

    A

    Acciaccatura
    Acciaccatura A short grace note which appears as a small note with a stroke through the stem. Musescore creates a quick playback, the playback duration is not affected by duration of the parent note.
    Accidental
    An accidental is a sign appearing in front of a note that raises or lowers its pitch. See Entering notes and rests:Accidentals. chapter. Musescore creates playback for common accidentals only, they includes sharps, flats, naturals, double sharps, double flats, and triple flats. To create microtonal accidentals such as quarter tone, see Tuning systems, microtonal notation system, and playback Chapter.
    Ambitus
    Note (or vocal) range used in a staff. Used particularly in early music. See Ambitus chapter.
    Anacrusis (mostly BE)
    See Pickup measure.
    Anchor
    The point of attachment to the score of objects such as Text and Lines: When the object is dragged, the anchor appears as small brown circle connected to the object by a dotted line. Depending on the object selected, its anchor may be attached to either (a) a note (e.g. fingering), (b) a staff line (e.g. staff text), or (c) a barline (e.g. repeats).
    Appoggiatura
    A long grace note which takes value from its associated note. Musescore creates playback as such. It is acceptable to execute written appoggiatura as acciaccatura nowadays but Musescore does not create such playback. Appoggiatura's functions include: passing tone, anticipation, struck suspension, and escape tone.
    appoggiatura.PNG
    Arpeggio
    An arpeggio tells the performer to break up the chord into the constituent notes, playing them separately and one after the other. The arrow arpeggio symbol indicates the direction in which the player should play the notes of the chord. See Arpeggios and glissandi chapter.
    Arpeggio
    Articulation
    A marking or symbol indicating how a note should be played, usually by altering the length of a note or shaping its attack and decay. See Articulation chapter.

    B

    Bar (BE)
    See measure.
    Barline
    Vertical line through a staff, staves, or a full system that separates measures. See Barline chapter.
    Beam
    Notes with a duration of an eighth or shorter either carry a flag or a beam. Beams are used for grouping notes. See also French Beam. See Beam chapter.
    BPM
    A tempo displaying unit only used inside Musescore's Play toolbar. BPM is the amount of quarter notes would have been within one minute. It is not the number used in metronome tempo markings on a score. See Playback controls chapter.
    Breve, or Brevis
    A double whole note or breve is a note that has the duration of two whole notes.

    C

    Caesura
    A caesura (//) is a brief, silent pause. Time is not counted for this period, and music resumes when the director signals. See Breaths and pauses chapter.
    Caesura
    Capo (text)
    A text to indicate the setting of the transposing device used on an instrument. See Applying capos. Not to be confused with Da capo (D.C.).
    Cent
    An interval equal to one hundredth of a semitone, used by Tuning property of a note. See Properties panel chapter.
    Chord
    1. A group of two or more notes sounding together.
    2. In Musescore, only notes sounding together that have same duration inside one Musescore Voice constitute a chord. To select a chord in MuseScore, press Shift and click on a note. See Working with multiple voices chapter.
    3. In Musescore, a chord symbol. See Chord symbols chapter.
    Clef
    A musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a →staff. See Clefs chapter. See also courtesy clef.
    Coda
    1. A passage that brings a piece (or a movement) to an end.
    2. The navigation marker which resembles a set of crosshairs. It is used where the exit from a repeated section is within that section rather than at the end. See also segno sign. See Jumps and markers chapter.
    coda.PNG
    Concert pitch
    1. The sounding, or real pitch of a note—as opposed to the written pitch. See Working with transposing instruments chapter.
    2. A score viewing mode in Musescore, see Concert pitch box in the status bar chapter.
    3. The frequency of A4.
    Courtesy clef
    A reduced-size clef applied to the end of a system indicating a clef change at the start of the next system. See Clefs chapter.
    Cross-staff notation
    A musical phrase extending across two neighboring staffs: e.g. bass staff and treble staff.
    crossbeams3.png
    To create notation where the two stems are at opposite sides of the beam, as shown above, see Cross-staff notation chapter.
    longstem2.png
    To create notation where the stems are on the same side of the beam, as shown above, see How to span a chord or stem over two staves chapter.
    Crotchet (BE)
    See Quarter note.

    D

    Da capo (D.C.)
    A directive to repeat the previous part of music. See Jumps and markers chapter. Not to be confused with capo (text).
    Dead note
    See ghost note.
    Demisemiquaver (BE)
    A thirty-second note.
    Double Flat
    A double flat (♭♭ or 𝄫) is a sign that indicates that the pitch of a note has to be lowered two semitones.
    Double Sharp
    A double sharp (♯♯ or 𝄪) is a sign that indicates that the pitch of a note has to be raised two semitones.
    Duplet
    See tuplet.
    Dynamic, dynamics, dynamic symbol, dynamics symbol
    A symbol indicating the relative loudness of a note or phrase of music—such as mf (mezzoforte), p (piano), f (forte) etc., starting at that note. See Dynamic chapter.

    E

    Edit mode, text edit mode
    Used to edit adjust literal layout position and content of Text, contrast with normal mode and note input mode. See Adjusting elements directly and Entering and editing text : Editing text object content chapters.
    Eighth note
    A note whose duration is an eighth of a whole note (semibreve). Same as a quaver (BE).
    Endecalineo
    endecalineo.png
    Endecalineo or endecagram, the stave for Solfège. See Solmisation (tutorial for MuseScore 3, pending update)
    Endings
    See volta.
    Enharmonic notes
    Notes that sound the same pitch but are written differently. Example: G♯ and A♭ are enharmonic notes. To quickly switch between enharmonic spellings, press J. See Entering notes and rests chapter.
    Explode
    explode.png
    A feature that allows the user to split (or explode) the chords in a passage of music in a single staff into their constituent notes or voices. See Implode and explode chapter. See also implode.

    F

    Flag
    See beam.
    Flat
    Sign (♭) that indicates that the pitch of a note has to be lowered one semitone, see accidentals and key signature.
    French Beam
    frenchbeam3.png
    Beams where the stems only extend to the first beam, but don't intersect all the way through. To create use the French Beams plugin.

    G

    Ghost note
    In music, notably in jazz, a ghost note (or a dead, muted, silenced or false note) is a musical note with a rhythmic value, but no discernible pitch when played. Musescore supports crosshead (cross notehead), diamond notehead(the small diamond same as musescore 3), slash/diamond notehead (new in musescore 4), and adding brackets (parentheses) to a note, see Noteheads chapter.
    ghostnote_deadnote.png
    ms42_diamond.PNG
    Grace note
    Grace notes appear as small notes in front of a normal-sized main note. See acciaccatura and appoggiatura. See Grace note chapter.
    Grand Staff (AE)
    Great Stave (BE)
    An instrument with two or more staves, featuring treble and bass clefs, used to notate music for keyboard instruments and the harp, in MuseScore: Any number of Staves connected by a curly brace.

    H

    Half Note
    A note whose duration is half of a whole note (semibreve). Same as a minim (BE).
    Hemidemisemiquaver (BE)
    A sixty-fourth note.

    I

    Implode
    implode.png implode2.png
    A feature allowing the user to combine voices from separate staves onto one staff. See Implode and explode chapter. This is similar to, but not exactly, score reduction (wikipedia). See also explode.
    Interval
    The difference in pitch between two notes, expressed in terms of the scale degree (e.g. major second, minor third, perfect fifth etc.). See Degree (Music) (Wikipedia).
    Interleaved
    interleaved.png
    A term used to describe two interlocking, oppositely-beamed sets of notes. To create, use the voice function and the beam palette. See Interleaved beam directions
    Instrument
    1. Musescore Instrument, see Setting up your score chapter.
    2. Real world instrument
    Irregular measure marker
    ms3_irregular.png
    A plus sign or minus sign at the top right of a measure indicates that its duration differs from that set by the time signature. See The user interface and Measure properties chapters.

    J

    Jump
    Jump objects are notations such as "D.S. al Coda", found in the "Repeats & Jumps" palette. See Jumps and markers chapter.

    K

    Key Signature
    Set of sharps or flats at the beginning of the staves. It gives an idea about the tonality and avoids repeating those signs all along the staff. A key signature with B flat means F major or D minor tonality. See Key Signature chapter.

    L

    Legato
    Legato is a play style which involves playing the notes in a slurred manner. Legato may be written as text or shown through the use of slurs.
    Local time signature
    localts.png
    The time signature on a single staff when different from the overall score time signature. See Adding a local time signature for a single staff.
    Longa
    A longa is a quadruple whole note.
    Ledger Line (AE)
    Leger Line (BE)
    Line(s) that are added with and for notes above or below the staff.
    Line
    Musescore Lines, a type of objects capable of attaching (anchoring) to a horizontal continuous range of more than two notes or rests, or vertical collection of notes (chord). See Other lines chapter.

    M

    Measure (AE)
    A segment of time defined by a given number of beats. Dividing music into measures provides regular reference points to pinpoint locations within a piece of music. Same as bar (BE).
    Measure repeat sign
    A measure repeat sign looks like a "percentage" symbol having the two circles filled, or a slash with a dot at each side. See Measure and multi-measure repeats chapter.
    repeat.PNG
    Metronome mark
    A kind of tempo marking. See Tempo markings.
    Minim (BE)
    See Half note.
    Multimeasure rest
    See Measure rests and multimeasure rests chapter.
    multimeasure-rests_4.png

    N

    Natural
    A natural (♮) is a sign that cancels a previous alteration on notes of the same pitch, see →accidentals and →key signature.
    Normal mode
    The operating mode of MuseScore outside note input mode or edit mode: press Esc to enter it. In Normal mode you can navigate through the score, select and move elements, adjust Inspector properties, and alter the pitches of existing notes.
    Note input mode
    The program mode used for entering music notation, contrast with normal mode and edit mode. Enter it by pressing N or clicking on the pen icon in the note input toolbar. See Entering notes and rests chapter.

    O

    Operating System (OS)
    Underlying software that controls and manages the hardware and other software on a computer. Popular OSes are Microsoft Windows, macOS, and GNU/Linux.
    Ossia
    ossia.png
    An alternative passage which may be played instead of the original passage (from the Italian for "alternatively", meaning "or be it"). See Ossia chapter.

    P

    Part
    1. Musescore's automatic staff extraction function, see Parts.
    2. A single melody line in a polyphonic musical composition. MuseScore 4 never uses this definition, but there is a similar feature Voice.
    3. Instrument(s) or their staves. MuseScore 4.1.1 uses this definition only on the window title and one subheading in "Staff/Part Properties".
    Pickup Measure (mostly AE, also known as an Anacrusis (mostly BE) or Upbeat)
    Incomplete first measure of a piece or a section of a piece of music. See Measure duration, Create new score: Pickup measure, and Measure properties:Exclude from measure count chapters. May or may not be compensated for at the end of the score or section.
    Properties
    1. Settings of an individual object on a score in Musescore, contrast with style (profile).
    2. Musescore's panel, see Properties panel chapter.

    Q

    Quadruplet
    See tuplet.
    Quarter note
    A note whose duration is a quarter of a whole note (semibreve). Same as a crotchet (BE).
    Quaver (BE)
    See eighth note.
    Quintuplet
    See tuplet.

    R

    Respell Pitches
    Change accidental used on a note but keep note's pitch. See Entering notes and rests:Accidentals chapter.
    Rest
    A musical symbol that indicates silence. See Entering notes and rests chapter.
    Re-pitch mode
    One of the note input modes. Alternative note input methods: Re-pitch mode

    S

    Score
    1. In MuseScore support forums and the MuseScore Handbook, score generally refers to a computer file with the suffix .mscz - and to its visual representation on a computer screen as well as its audio playback.
    2. In some chapters of the MuseScore Handbook, score means the layout and formatting of "Full score" or one particular Musescore part. See Musescore Part.
    3. In other contexts (for example the IMSLP score-sharing website at https://imslp.org), a score generally refers either to a PDF file of the sheet music for a specific work or to an actual paper copy of the sheet music.
    Section
    In MuseScore, a region of the score between section breaks; also from the start of a score to the first section break, and from the last section break to the end of the score.
    Segno
    segno.PNG A navigation marker. See Jumps and markers chapter.
    Semibreve (BE)
    A whole note (AE). It lasts a whole measure in 4/4 time.
    Semiquaver (BE)
    A sixteenth note.
    Semihemidemisemiquaver (Quasihemidemisemiquaver) (BE)
    A hundred and twenty eighth note.
    Sextuplet
    See tuplet.
    SF2
    A virtual instrument format developed by E-mu Systems and Creative Labs. See SoundFonts.
    SF3
    An invention of Werner Schweer, the Musescore developer (source). This format supports sound sample compression. See SoundFonts.
    Shared note head
    sharednotehead2.png A single notehead with two beams—one up, one down. Especially common in guitar music, for example. See Noteheads
    Sharp
    Sign (♯) that indicates that the pitch of a note has to be raised one semitone , see accidentals and key signature.
    Slash (slash chord, slash notehead)
    Indicates strum. See Slash chord (Wikipedia).
    Slash notation
    A form of music notation using slash marks placed on or above/below the staff to indicate the rhythm of an accompaniment: often found in association with chord symbols. There are two types: (1) Slash notation consists of a rhythm slash on each beat: the exact interpretation is left to the player (see Fill with slashes); (2) Rhythmic slash notation indicates the precise rhythm for the accompaniment (see Toggle rhythmic slash notation).
    Slur
    A curved line over or under two or more notes, meaning that the notes will be played smooth and connected (legato). See Slur chapter. A slur is not a tie.
    Solmisation
    see Endecalineo
    SoundFont
    A virtual instrument format supported by MuseScore. A SoundFont is a special type of file (extension .sf2, or .sf3 if compressed) containing sound samples of one or more musical instruments. In effect, a virtual synthesizer which acts as a sound source for MIDI files. MuseScore 4 comes with its own native soundfont, MS Basic. See SoundFont chapter.
    Spatium (plural: Spatia) / Space / Staff Space / sp. (abbr./unit)
    A unit of measurement, see Page layout concepts.
    Staff / Staffs
    A set of lines and spaces, each representing a pitch, on which music is written. In period music notation (before 11th century) the staff may have any number of lines.
    Staff Space
    See Spatium (above).
    Stave / Staves (BE)
    See Staff (above).
    Step-time input
    MuseScore's default note input mode. See Entering notes and rests chapter.
    Style
    The profile that contains settings in MuseScore, contrast with Properties. See Templates and styles chapter.
    System
    Set of staves to be read simultaneously in a score. See Page layout concepts chapter.
    See also Operating System (OS).
    System divider
    Separates systems on the same page. Can be switched on for the score in Format→Style→System, see Formatting chapter. Also available in master palette, see Other symbols chapter.
    system-divider.jpg

    T

    Text
    A Musescore Text object is an object that contains individual characters that can be entered and removed by using (typing on) a computer keyboard. See Entering and editing text chapter.
    Tie

    A curved line between two adjacent notes of the same pitch to indicate a single note of combined duration. See Tie chapter. A tie is not a slur.

    • Quarter note + Tie + Quarter note = Half note
    • Quarter note + Tie + Eighth note = Dotted Quarter note
    • Quarter note + Tie + Eighth note + Tie + 16th note = Double Dotted Quarter note
    Transposition

    The act of moving the pitches of one or more notes up or down by a constant interval. See Transposition chapter. There may be several reasons for transposing a piece, for example:

    1. The tune is too low or too high for a singer. In this case the whole orchestra will have to be transposed as well—easily done using MuseScore.
    2. The part is written for a particular instrument but needs to be played by a different one.
    3. The score is written for an orchestra and you want to hear what the individual instruments sound like. This requires changing the transposing instrument parts to concert pitch.
    4. A darker or a more brilliant sound is desired.
    Triplet
    See tuplet.
    Tuplet
    A tuplet divides its next higher note value by a number of notes other than given by the time signature. See Tuplet chapter. For example a triplet divides the next higher note value into three parts, rather than two. Tuplets may be: triplets, duplets, quintuplets, and other.

    U

    Upbeat
    See pickup measure.

    V

    Velocity
    A property of objects inside Musescore that controls how loudly note(s) are played, see musescore 3 handbook Loudness of a note chapter. Velocity property of notes are edited using Properties panel: Playback tab, see Properties panel chapter.
    Voice
    1. In Musescore, voice is a software feature, you can use up to 4 voices per staff, see Working with multiple voices, also see staff.
    2. The musical term "voice" refers to a musical line or part which can have its own rhythm. MuseScore does not have a feature to implement the exact same idea, if the voice feature does not suit your need, try adding separate instruments instead.
    Volta
    In a repeated section of music, it is common for the last few measures of the section to differ. Markings called voltas are used to indicate how the section is to be ended each time. These markings are often referred to simply as endings. See Volta chapter.

    W

    Written pitch
    Transposing instruments (such as the clarinet, French horn, trumpet etc.) are notated at a different pitch (and key signature) to how they sound. The notated pitch is called the written pitch. Contrast with concert pitch. See Staff / Part properties chapter.

    External links

    • http://www.robertcarney.net/musical-terms-definitions.htm
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_symbols

    Full Table of Contents

    About the handbook

    Editing the Handbook

    Guidelines for writing articles

    Structure - General principles

    • Start with an overview
    • Establish a hierarchy
    • Group information logically
    • Focus on user tasks, not just UI components
    • Create a table of contents

    Headings

    Content

    • Descriptive material
    • Goal-oriented instructions

    Use of non-written media

    • Creating animated GIFs

    Linking to other pages

    • Use the right syntax
    • Link to the page's node number, not the page's URL
    • Use a bookmarklet to autogenerate links

    Syntax

    • Examples for stuff beyond MarkDown
    • Writing keyboard shortcuts

    Leaving a revision log message

    Introduction to MuseScore 4

    Download and installation

    Windows

    macOS

    Linux

    • AppImage
      • Install
      • Uninstall

    Create your first score

    Overview

    Create a quick new score

    Entering score information

    Entering notes and rests

    Adding items from the palettes

    Listening to the result

    Making adjustments in Properties Panel

    Inserting and deleting measures

    Saving your score

    Exporting your score

    New features in MuseScore 4

    New user interface

    Instruments and parts

    Inspector

    New playback and VSTi support

    Engraving improvements

    Cloud storage

    Other changes

    Viewing and navigation

    Accessibility

    Screen readers

    • Speech on Windows
    • Speech on macOS
    • Speech on Linux

    Keyboard access

    • Navigating the UI
    • Navigating the score

    Video tutorials

    The user interface

    Menu bar

    Home tab

    • My account
    • Scores
    • Plugins
    • Learn

    Score tab

    Publish tab

    Context menus

    • Element context menus
    • UI context menus

    Navigating your score

    Scrolling

    • Mouse wheel
    • Scrollbars
    • Keyboard

    Element navigation

    Navigator

    Timeline

    Views

    • Page view
    • Continuous view (horizontal)
    • Continuous view (vertical)

    Zoom

    • Zoom in
    • Zoom out
    • Status bar zoom controls
    • Restoring 100% zoom

    Find/Go to

    • Navigating to a numbered measure
    • Navigating to a numbered page
    • Navigating to a numerical rehearsal mark
    • Navigating to an alphabetic rehearsal mark

    Timeline

    Overview

    • Meta labels
    • Instrument labels
    • Meta rows
    • Main grid

    Meta elements

    Basic interactions

    • Selecting a measure
    • Selecting multiple measures
      • Drag selection
      • [Shift] selection
      • [Ctrl] selection
    • Clearing a selection
    • Meta values selection

    Scrolling

    • Standard scrolling
    • [Shift] scrolling
    • [Alt] scrolling
    • Dragging

    Labels interaction

    • Rearranging meta labels
    • Collapsing the meta labels
    • Hiding instruments

    Zooming

    Basics

    Setting up your score

    Overview

    Instruments

    • Choose instruments
      • Adding instruments
      • Changing order of instruments by making them soloist
      • Changing order of instruments manually
      • Removing instruments
    • Create from template

    Additional score information

    • Key signature
    • Time signature
    • Tempo
    • Measures
    • Title and other text

    Changing instruments after score creation

    Entering notes and rests

    Overview

    Entering notes

    • Selecting a start point
    • Entering note input mode
    • Selecting duration
    • Selecting pitch
      • Selecting pitch using the computer keyboard
      • Selecting pitch using the mouse
      • Selecting pitch using a MIDI keyboard
      • Selecting pitch using the virtual piano keyboard

    Entering chords

    Entering rests

    Accidentals

    • Selecting an accidental before entering a pitch
    • Adding an accidental after entering a pitch
    • Adding courtesy/cautionary accidentals

    Ties

    See also

    Working with multiple voices

    Overview

    Entering notes and rests in multiple voices

    • Using multiple instruments
    • Enter notes and rests in multiple voices in one staff

    Editing notes and rests in multiple voices

    • Adjusting rests
      • Hiding or deleting rests
      • Positioning rests
    • Changing voice of existing notes
    • Combining voices into chords
    • Separate chords into Voices

    See also

    Alternative note input methods

    Accessing alternative note input methods

    Rhythm only

    Re-pitch

    Real-time

    • Real-time (metronome)
    • Real-time (foot pedal)
      • Real-time Advance shortcut

    Insert

    Adding and removing measures

    Inserting measures

    • Measure context menu
    • The Properties panel
    • Note input toolbar
    • Menu bar
    • Inserting measures with keyboard shortcuts
    • Add measures to a frame

    Deleting measures

    • Remove empty trailing measures

    See also

    Selecting elements

    Selecting a single element

    • Overlapping elements
    • Selecting individual element inside a note

    Different ways of selecting notes in a chord

    Creating a List Selection

    • Selecting multiple elements manually
    • Selecting similar elements automatically

    Creating a Range Selection

    • Range Selection by dragging
    • Range Selection by clicking
    • Range Selection using the keyboard
    • Special Range Selections

    Excluding elements from a Range Selection

    Editing notes and rests

    Overview

    Making changes in note input mode

    • Changing duration in note input mode
    • Changing pitch in note input mode
    • Replacing notes and rests in note input mode
    • Deleting notes in note input mode
    • Moving notes in note input mode

    Making changes in normal mode

    • Changing duration in normal mode
      • Changing selected notes to a specific note value
      • Increasing or decreasing the duration of a selected note
      • Doubling or halving all note values in a range selection
    • Changing pitch in normal mode
    • Deleting notes and rests in normal mode
    • Removing notes and rests and their associated time
    • Adding ties in normal mode
    • Changing voice in normal mode
      • Moving selected notes into another voice
      • Exchanging the contents of two voices

    See also

    Copy and paste

    Accessing the commands

    Copying a Range Selection

    Copying a single element or a List Selection

    Moving elements

    Swapping a selection with the clipboard

    Repeating a selection

    Copying a Range Selection to multiple staves

    Paste half/double duration

    Duplicating individual elements

    See also

    Using the palettes

    Overview

    Accessing the palettes panel

    Adding palette items to your score

    • Items applied to individual score elements
    • Items applied to ranges
    • Items applied to full measures

    Expanding and collapsing palettes

    Searching and navigating the palettes

    • Search
    • Navigation

    Accessing more palette items

    Adding more palettes

    The Master palette

    See also

    Properties panel

    Accessing the Properties panel

    Properties for the score

    Properties for objects

    • Inside the Playback tab
    • Inside the Appearance tab

    Properties for characters inside Text objects

    Saving and restoring default values

    Adjusting elements directly

    Changing the position of elements

    Changing the shape of elements

    Working with lines

    • Changing the range of a line
    • Creating diagonal lines
    • Editing text of Text line objects

    See also

    Parts

    Opening a part

    Closing a part

    Creating custom parts

    • Reveal instruments in default parts
    • Create a new part
    • Choose which voices appear in each part

    Applying styles to parts

    Managing synchronisation of score and parts

    • Excluding items from parts or score

    Renaming, duplicating and deleting parts

    Exporting and printing parts

    Default keyboard shortcuts

    Navigation

    • Page navigation
    • Score navigation

    Note input

    • General
    • Duration
    • Pitch
    • Tablature

    Selecting

    Editing

    • General
    • Duration
    • Pitch
    • Notation
    • Manual adjustment

    Text

    • General
    • Formatting
    • Lyrics
    • Chord symbols, Roman numeral analysis, Nashville numbers, figured bass

    Other score elements

    Score setup and formatting

    File Operations

    User interface

    • Playback

    Notation: Instruments, staves, and systems

    Working with instruments

    Overview

    Adding and ordering instruments

    • Accessing the Instruments panel
    • Adding instruments
    • Deleting instruments
    • Changing the order of instruments

    Instrument settings

    • Hiding/showing instruments
    • Renaming instruments
    • Replacing instruments

    Adding and configuring staves

    • To add a staff to an existing instrument
    • To add a linked staff to an existing instrument
    • Configuring a staff

    Hiding a staff but keeping its playback

    Deleting instruments and staves

    Showing staves only where needed

    Hiding empty staff along one system (all its measures along that system)

    • Hiding all empty staves
    • Excluding specific staves from being hidden
    • Temporary staves
    • Choosing the staff to show when all staffs in a system are empty

    Hiding empty measure

    • Cutaway staves
    • Ossia
    • Other invisible measures

    Implode and explode

    Implode

    • Combine notes from multiple voices in a single staff into one voice
    • Combine notes from multiple staves into multiple voices on a single staff

    Explode

    • Copy passage of single notes to multiple staves
    • Separate a passage of chords into its constituent notes

    Mid-score instrument changes

    Adding an instrument change

    Working with instrument changes

    • Removing an instrument change
    • Re-labelling an instrument change
    • Instrument changes in the mixer
    • Changing staff type

    Staff type change

    Adding a staff type change

    Setting staff properties

    Staff/Part properties

    Overview

    Staff properties

    Advanced style properties

    • Advanced Style Properties: common to all four staff types
    • Advanced Style Properties: settings for standard and percussion staff (Type 1a, type 1b and type 3)
    • Advanced Style Properties: settings for standard staff (Type 1a, type 1b)
    • Advanced Style Properties: settings for tablature staff (Type 2)

    Part properties

    • Instrument
    • Names
    • Usable pitch range
    • Transposition
    • Part Properties: settings for plucked strings only (Type 1b and type 2)

    Brackets

    Adding brackets

    Editing brackets

    • Changing bracket type
    • Changing bracket span

    Deleting brackets

    Customizing bracket appearance

    Notation: Rhythm, meter, and measures

    Time signatures

    Overview

    Setting the initial time signature for your score

    Adding a time signature change to your score

    Deleting a time signature

    Controlling the visibility of time signatures

    Creating a custom time signature

    Adding a local time signature for a single staff

    Resizing a time signature

    Time signature properties

    • Appearance
    • Beam Groups

    Time signature style

    Stems and flags

    Stem direction

    • Default stem direction
    • Flipping stem direction

    Changing stem length

    Creating stemless notes

    Stem and flag properties

    Stem and flag style

    See also

    Beams

    Overview

    Controlling which notes are beamed

    • Changing the beaming setting inside a time signature
    • Changing the beaming for selected notes

    Controlling the appearance of beams

    • Creating a feathered beam
    • Changing the angle of a selected beam

    Beam properties

    Beam style

    Regroup rhythms

    Overview

    Regrouping rhythms

    See also

    Tuplets

    Creating tuplets

    • Simple tuplets
      • In note input mode
      • In normal mode
      • Consecutive tuplets
    • Custom tuplets
    • Nested tuplets

    Changing the display of tuplets

    Tuplet properties

    Tuplet style

    Barlines

    Adding double and other special barlines

    • Changing barline type for all staves
    • Changing barline type for a single staff
    • Adding mid-measure barlines

    Changing barline length

    • Extending all barlines in a staff
    • Extending selected barlines in a staff
    • Creating partial barlines
    • Creating barlines between staves only (Mensurstrich)

    Barline properties

    Barline style

    See also

    Measure numbering

    Showing and hiding measure numbers

    • Showing measure numbers automatically
    • Showing measure numbers manually
    • Hiding measure numbers

    Changing the measure number sequence

    • Excluding a measure from the count
    • Altering the numbering of a measure
    • Resetting measure numbering for a new section

    Changing the position of measure numbers

    Measure number properties

    Measure number style

    See also

    Measure rests and multimeasure rests

    Measure rest

    • To create one or more full measure rests
    • To create a full measure rest in a particular voice

    Multimeasure rest

    • Enabling and disabling multimeasure rests
    • Breaking multimeasure rests
    • Multimeasure rest properties
    • Multimeasure rest style

    See also

    Pickup and non-metered measures

    Creating a pickup measure

    • Specifying the pickup duration during score creation
    • Converting a measure into a pickup

    Creating non-metered measures

    • Inserting notes and rests
      • Using a keyboard shortcut
      • Using Insert mode
    • Joining measures
    • Splitting a measure

    See also

    Measure properties

    Opening and using the dialog

    Staves

    Measure duration

    Other

    See also

    Notation: Pitch

    Clefs

    Setting the initial clef for a staff

    Adding or changing a clef

    • Add/Change a start clef
    • Add/Change a mid-measure clef

    Delete

    Controlling the visibility of clefs

    • Standard clefs
    • Courtesy clefs

    Clefs and transposition

    • Using octave clefs
    • Using different clefs for transposed and concert pitch

    Clef properties

    Clef style

    Key signatures

    Overview

    Setting the initial key signature for your score

    Adding a key signature change to your score

    Adding a local key signature for a single staff

    Selecting a key signature for a single staff

    Replacing an existing key signature

    Deleting a key signature

    Controlling the visibility of key signatures

    Key signatures and transposing instruments

    • Open/Atonal key signature

    Creating a custom key signature

    Key signature properties

    Key signature style

    • Format→Style→Page
    • Format→Style→Accidentals
    • Format→Style→Measure

    See also

    Transposition

    Overview

    Transposing with keyboard shortcuts

    • Transpose chromatically
    • Transpose diatonically
    • Transpose by an octave

    Using the transpose dialog

    • Transpose Chromatically
      • To transpose chromatically to a specific key:
      • To transpose chromatically by interval
    • Transpose Diatonically

    Working with transposing instruments

    • Transposed and concert pitch
    • Setting the interval of transposition
    • Controlling enharmonic spelling

    Octave lines

    Overview

    Adding an octave line to your score

    Octave line properties

    • Style tab
    • Text tab

    Octave line style

    Noteheads

    Overview

    • Notehead schemes
    • Notehead shape
      • Pitch factor
      • Duration factor
      • Notehead type factor

    Changing notehead shape

    Adding pitch information to notes

    Changing notehead direction

    Notehead properties

    Notehead style and font

    Sharing noteheads between voices

    • Remove duplicate fretmarks in tablature

    See also

    External links

    Ambitus

    Adding an ambitus to your score

    Changing the range of an ambitus

    Ambitus properties

    Respell pitches

    Manually changing the enharmonic spelling of notes

    Automatically respelling all notes in a selection

    • Respell pitches

    Notation: Expressive markings

    Articulations

    Adding articulations to a score

    • Keyboard shortcuts
    • Toolbar
    • Articulations palette

    Articulations playback

    Articulation properties

    Articulation style

    • Alignment options
    • Combined articulation options

    Dynamics

    Adding a dynamics symbol to a score

    • Using the palette
    • Using a keyboard shortcuts

    Changing appearance of a dynamics symbol

    • Adding plain characters
    • Adding profession glyphs
    • Combining dynamics with Expression Text
      • Snap to (An automatic layout feature)
    • Changing formatting of characters inside a dynamics symbol

    Changing playback of a dynamics symbol

    Dynamics symbols properties

    Dynamics symbols style

    Hairpins

    Types of hairpin

    Adding a hairpin to your score

    • Lines palette
    • Keyboard shortcuts

    Changing appearance of hairpins

    • Range
    • Height
    • Set at angle
    • Other adjustments

    Changing playback of hairpins

    Hairpin properties

    • Style tab
    • Text tab

    Hairpin style

    Slurs

    Adding a slur to your score

    • Adding slurs in normal mode
      • Method 1
      • Method 2
    • Adding slurs in note input mode

    Multi-voice and cross-staff slurs

    Changing appearance of slurs

    Slur properties

    Slur style

    Breaths and pauses

    Types of pauses

    • Fermata
    • Breath mark
    • Caesura

    Adding a pause to your score

    Changing pause playback

    Pause properties

    Pause style

    Ornaments

    Adding an ornament to your score

    • Add an ornament
    • Add an ornament line

    Changing ornament intervals (adding accidentals)

    Ornament properties

    • Accidental visibility
    • Placement
    • Accidental properties

    Ornament style

    Arpeggios and glissandi

    Arpeggios

    • Adding an arpeggio/strum to your score
    • Adjusting the height of an arpeggio/strum
    • Creating multi-voice or cross-staff arpeggios
    • Changing playback of arpeggios
    • Arpeggio style

    Portamento

    Glissandi

    • Adding a glissando to your score
    • Editing range of a glissando
    • Changing appearance of glissandi
    • Changing playback of glissandi
    • Glissando properties

    Bends

    • Types of bends
    • Adding a bend to your score
    • Changing appearance of bends

    Grace notes

    Types of grace notes

    Adding a grace note to your score

    • Add grace note with keyboard shortcut
    • Add grace note from palette

    Multiple grace notes

    • Sequential grace notes
    • Grace note chords

    Editing grace notes

    • Change duration
    • Change pitch

    Changing playback of grace notes

    Grace note style

    Tremolo and rolls

    Types of tremolo and rolls

    • Single note tremolo
    • Tremolo between notes
    • Buzz roll

    Adding a tremolo to a single note

    Adding a tremolo between notes/chords

    Changing appearance of tremolos

    Other lines

    Overview

    Adding a line to your score

    Adjusting a line

    Types of lines

    • Standard lines
    • Staff and System Text lines
    • Tempo lines
    • Guitar-related lines
    • Trill lines

    Line properties

    • Style tab
    • Text tab

    Line style

    Other symbols

    The Symbols palette

    • View
    • Search

    Adding symbols to your score

    • Add a symbol
    • Add to other symbols
    • Reposition symbols
    • See also

    Notation: Repeats

    Repeat signs

    Adding repeat signs to your score

    • Simple repeats
    • Multiple ending repeats

    Changing playback of repeat signs

    Changing appearance of repeat signs

    Repeat properties

    Repeat style

    Voltas

    Adding voltas to your score

    Changing appearance of voltas

    Changing playback of voltas

    • Example of a complex Volta setting

    Volta properties

    Voltas style

    Jumps and markers

    Types of jumps and markers

    Adding a jump or marker to your score

    Changing appearance of jumps and markers

    Changing playback of jumps and markers

    Jump and marker properties

    Jump and marker style

    Measure and multi-measure repeats

    Adding a measure or multi-measure repeat to your score

    Measure repeat properties

    Measure repeat style

    Repeat playback

    Turning repeat playback on and off

    Idiomatic notation: Keyboard

    Pedal

    Types of pedal markings

    • In terms of visual representation
    • In terms of function inside Musescore

    Adding pedal markings to your score

    Creating pedal changes

    Pedal properties

    Pedal style

    Cross-staff notation

    Creating cross-staff notation

    Changing appearance of cross-staff notation

    See also

    Accordion notation

    Adding accordion symbols to your score

    Idiomatic notation: Guitar

    Fretboard diagrams

    Adding a fretboard diagram to your score

    • Chord symbols linked to fretboard diagrams

    Creating a custom fretboard diagram

    • Finger markers
    • Alternative notation styles

    Fretboard diagram appearance

    Fretboard diagram properties

    • General (tab)
    • Settings (tab)

    Fretboard diagram style

    See also

    Guitar techniques

    Adding a bend symbol to your score

    • Apply a bend
    • Edit a bend
    • Adjust bend height
    • Reposition bend

    Adding a tremolo bar symbol to your score

    Adding a slide to your score

    • Add a slide
    • Edit properties
    • Adjust start and end points of a slide

    Adding a barre line to your score

    Adding hammer-on and pull-off symbols to your score

    Notating harmonics

    • Standard staff
    • Tablature
    • Staff/Tablature pairs

    Notating guitar fingering

    Creating a tablature staff

    Overview

    Types of tablature staves

    Adding a tablature staff to your score

    • Add tablature using the New Score dialog
    • Add tablature using the "Add or remove Instruments" dialog
    • Change an existing staff from standard to tablature

    Creating paired standard and tablature staves

    • Create paired standard/tab staves using the New Score Wizard
    • Create paired standard/tab staves using the Instruments dialog

    Entering and editing tablature notation

    Computer keyboard entry

    Mouse entry

    Selecting note duration

    Period tablature notation

    Editing tablature notation

    • Changing the pitch
    • Moving the fretmark to a different string
    • Changing the duration
    • Crosshead/Ghost notes

    Customizing a tablature staff

    Changing tuning

    Adding or removing strings

    • Add a string
    • Delete a string

    Mark unfretted string “open”

    Change number of instrument frets

    Changing tablature staff type

    • Change staff type from Instruments panel
    • Change staff type from Staff/Part properties

    Customizing appearance of tablature

    • Tablature staff properties
    • Tablature staff style

    Applying capos

    Overview

    Applying a capo to your score

    • To apply a capo to a staff:

    Adjusting capo settings

    • Turning capo on or off
    • Setting capo fret position
    • Specifying partial capo placement
    • Customizing capo text appearance
    • To place the capo text beneath the staff:

    Changing capo setting mid-score

    Alternate string tunings

    Applying string tuning instructions

    Specifying string tunings

    Alternate tunings affect tablature fret positions

    Reading transposed pitches on the standard stave

    Guitar bends

    Adding bends to your score

    General points about bends in MuseScore

    Applying a bend

    • Standard bends
    • Grace note bends
    • Pre-bends
    • Slight bends
    • Holds

    Modifying bends

    • Modifying bends in the standard stave
    • Modifying bends in the Properties panel

    Adding bends to chords

    Customising bends styles

    Idiomatic notation: Harp

    Idiomatic notation: Percussion

    Entering and editing percussion notation

    Overview

    • Types of percussion staves
    • Adding a percussion staff to your score

    Entering notes and rests in percussion staves

    • Mouse entry using the Drum input palette
    • Using keyboard shortcuts
    • Using a MIDI controller
    • Using the on-screen piano keyboard

    Drumset customization

    Introduction

    Customizing a drumset definition

    • Selecting a sound
    • Defining the note
      • Name
      • Noteheads
      • Other properties

    Saving and loading drumset definitions

    Other percussion notation

    Diddles

    Pedal lines

    Rolls

    Sticking

    Alternative notation

    Mensural notation and Mensurstrich

    Adding a mensural time signature to your score

    Using mensural note symbols

    Working with non-metered music

    Working with Mensurstrich

    • Adding barlines between staves

    Displaying note values across measure boundaries

    See also

    Slash notation

    Filling a range with beat slashes

    Creating rhythmic slash notation

    • Accompaniment rhythms on the staff
    • Accent rhythms above or below the staff

    Custom staff types

    Overview

    Customizing appearance of staff lines

    Customizing appearance of generated elements

    Customizing appearance of notes

    • Notehead schemes

    Changing staff type mid-score

    External links

    Text

    Entering and editing text

    Overview

    Types of text

    • Musescore Text object
    • Score settings

    Adding text object to a score

    • From a palette
    • From the menu
    • Using a keyboard shortcut

    Deleting text object on a score

    Editing text object content

    • Keyboard shortcuts available inside text edit mode
    • Special characters

    Formatting text

    Overview

    • Levels of formatting
    • Appearance and function of Text objects

    Changing formatting of characters

    Changing formatting of a text object

    • Changing which style a text object on a score uses
    • Position

    Changing the values inside a style

    • Changing the values inside a User-1 to User-12 style

    Staff Text, System Text and Expression Text

    Overview

    • Similarity and difference between Staff Text and System Text

    Adding Staff Text to your score

    Adding expression text to your score

    Adding System Text to your score

    Repeating System Text on other staves

    Properties

    • "Staff Text properties" window
    • "System Text properties" window

    Style

    Tempo markings

    Overview

    • Using Metronome marks and Metric modulations
    • Using Tempo change lines
    • Using Verbal tempo indications

    Adding tempo marks to your score

    Changing appearance

    • Adding plain characters
    • Adding profession glyphs
    • Tempo change lines

    Changing playback

    • Metronome mark, Metric modulation, and Verbal tempo indication
    • Tempo change line

    Repeating tempo markings on other staves

    Tempo properties

    Tempo style

    External links

    Lyrics

    Overview

    Adding lyrics to your score

    • Entering syllables
    • Entering a melisma
    • Entering multiple verses
    • Entering lyrics onto rests
    • Special characters within lyrics
      • Elision slur
    • Entering reserved characters

    Editing existing lyrics

    Delete lyrics

    Entering lyrics above the staff

    Changing verse number of lyrics

    Copying lyrics

    • Copying lyrics within MuseScore
      • Copy to the same verse
      • Copy to a different verse
    • Copying lyrics to other programs

    Lyrics properties

    Lyrics style

    • Lyrics text
    • Lyrics dash
    • Lyrics melisma

    Fingering

    Types of fingering

    Adding fingering to your score

    • Adding fingering from a palette
    • Adding fingering using a keyboard shortcut
    • Adding fingering using the menu

    Adjusting position

    Changing the appearance of fingering

    Fingering properties

    Fingering style

    See also

    Chord symbols

    Overview

    Adding chord symbols to a score

    • Entering a chord symbol
      • Chord names, accidentals and formatting
      • Navigation commands
      • Chord symbol syntax
      • Editing a chord symbol
    • Entering Roman numeral analysis
      • RNA accidentals and formatting
      • Examples of RNA
    • Entering a Nashville number

    Appearance and function overview

    Aligning chord symbols

    • Using the Style menu
      • "Style for Chord Symbols"
      • "Style for text inside certain object"
    • Using the Properties panel

    Transposition of chord symbols

    • Transposing instruments
    • Transpose dialog
    • Enabling automatic creation of extra chord symbols (not NNS or RNA) with capo

    Changing Spelling of Chord Symbols (not NNS or RNA)

    • Chord Spelling Systems
    • Automatic Capitalization

    Changing appearance

    • Font
    • Rendering style of chord symbols and NNS (but not RNA)

    Changing Playback of Chord Symbols

    • Enabling and disabling playback
    • Customizing playback
    • Generating chord voicings onto a staff

    Chord symbol properties

    Chord symbol style

    External links

    Figured bass

    Overview

    Adding figured bass to your score

    • Entering a figure
    • Text format
      • Digits
      • Accidentals
      • Combined shapes
      • Parentheses
      • Editing existing figured basses
    • Navigating by note, beat, or measure
    • Duration
    • Entering continuation lines

    Figured bass properties

    Figured bass style

    Figured bass keyboard shortcuts

    Rehearsal marks

    Overview

    Adding a rehearsal mark to your score

    • Manual placement and naming
    • Automatic placement and naming

    Using measure numbers in rehearsal marks

    Resequencing rehearsal marks

    Finding rehearsal marks

    Repeating rehearsal marks on other staves

    Changing appearance of rehearsal marks

    Rehearsal mark properties

    Rehearsal mark style

    External links

    Header and footer

    Overview

    Adding a header or footer to your score

    • Entering information
    • Using metadata

    Changing the appearance of headers and footers

    Header and footer Properties

    Header and footer Style

    See also

    Text blocks

    Overview

    Adding text blocks to your score

    Changing the appearance of text blocks

    Text block text Properties

    Text block text Style

    See also

    Formatting

    Page layout concepts

    Definitions

    • Spatium (plural: Spatia) / Space / Staff Space / sp.
    • Staff
    • Grand staff
    • System
    • Frame
    • Margin

    Positioning of elements

    Default position

    Auto-place

    • Vertical collision avoidance
    • Horizontal collision avoidance
    • Vertical alignment
    • Disabling auto-place

    Manual adjustment

    Manual alignment

    Score size and spacing

    Page settings

    • Page and margin sizes
    • Scaling
    • Other settings
    • Actions

    Style settings

    • Horizontal spacing
    • Vertical spacing
      • Music margins
      • Distance between staves within systems
      • Distance between systems

    Staff/part properties

    Systems and horizontal spacing

    Features

    • System breaks
    • Layout stretch
    • Horizontal frames
    • Keep measures on the same system

    Tasks

    • Placing fewer measures on a system
    • Placing more measures on a system
    • Changing the relative spacing of measures within a system
    • Creating space between measures
    • Creating space at the beginning or end of a system
    • Adjusting the width of the final system
    • Grouping measures

    Pages and vertical spacing

    Features

    • Page breaks
    • Spacers
    • Vertical frames
    • System dividers

    Tasks

    • Placing fewer systems on a page
    • Placing more systems on a page
    • Adjusting the spacing on sparse pages
    • Adjusting space between specific systems
    • Adjusting space between specific staves

    Using frames for additional content

    Overview

    Uses of frames

    Adding frames between or before/after systems

    • Text frames
      • Adding a text frame
      • Adding text
    • Vertical frames
      • Adding a vertical frame
      • Adding text
      • Adding an image
      • Size
    • Position and alignment of content
    • Spacing

    Adding frames between measures

    • Horizontal frames
      • Adding a horizontal frame
      • Adding text
      • Adding an image
      • Size
      • Spacing
      • Other horizontal frame properties

    See also

    Working with images

    • Importing images
    • Saving images to palettes
    • Copying imported images
    • Adjusting images
      • Change image height/width
      • Scale image
      • Adjust image position
    • Image properties

    See also

    Using sections for multiple movements or songs

    Overview

    • Features
    • Time and key signatures

    Adding section breaks

    Section break properties

    • Pause
    • Instrument names
    • Bar numbers

    Sound and playback

    Playback controls

    Overview

    Playback commands

    • Start/stop
      • To play back all the instrument parts
      • To play back selected instrument parts only
      • To stop playback
    • Rewind
    • Loop
    • Metronome
    • Playback position and monitoring tempo

    Other commands

    • Enable MIDI input
    • Play repeats
    • Play chord symbols
    • Pan score automatically

    External links

    Mixer

    Overview

    Opening the mixer

    Mixer controls

    Sound

    • To change an instrument's sound

    Audio FX

    • To add an Audio FX plugin
    • To disable an Audio FX plugin
    • To remove an Audio FX plugin
    • Muse Reverb

    Aux sends

    • To show/hide an Aux send row (slot)
    • To disable an Aux send row (slot)

    Aux channels

    • To show/hide Aux channels
    • To add Audio FX to an Aux channel
    • To adjust an Aux channel's level
    • To apply the effect(s) of an Aux channel to an instrument

    See also

    SoundFonts

    Install a SoundFont

    • Drag and drop installation
    • File directory installation
    • Add or change SoundFont directory

    Using sounds from a SoundFont

    • Selecting individual sounds

    Editing Soundfonts

    Uninstall a SoundFont

    A note on the Zerberus player and SFZs

    See also

    Installing Muse Sounds

    Installation via Muse Hub

    Using Muse Sounds in MuseScore

    Available sounds in Muse Sounds

    • Choir
    • Strings
    • Woodwinds
    • Brass
    • Percussion
    • Keys
    • Harp
    • Guitars

    Capo playback (MS 4.0.2 and before)

    Adding a capo marking to your score (before MuseScore 4.1)

    • Adding a capo to a single staff
    • Adding a capo to a staff / tablature pair

    See also

    Swing playback

    Overview

    Adding a swing or straight marking to your score

    • To add a swing marking
    • To add a straight marking

    Changing swing playback

    • Adjust the type and degree of swing
    • Apply swing to one staff only

    Working with MIDI

    Working with VST and VSTi

    Introduction to VST

    Installing VSTs

    Enabling, disabling, removing and replacing VST plugins

    • See also

    File management

    Opening and saving scores

    Overview

    Opening a score

    • File → Open
    • File → Open recent
    • Home tab → Scores

    Import file formats

    Saving a score

    • Save to computer
    • Save to the cloud
      • Name
      • Visibility
      • Never
      • Always
      • Every x saves

    File export

    Overview

    Exporting your score

    File formats

    • Graphical formats
      • PDF
      • SVG
      • PNG
    • Audio formats
      • OGG
      • MP3
      • FLAC
      • WAV
      • Other audio formats
    • Hybrid formats
      • MIDI
    • Score formats
      • MusicXML
      • Braille
      • MEI
    • Customizing export settings

    MIDI import

    Working with MusicXML files

    Overview

    Opening a MusicXML file

    Cleaning up an imported score

    • Restoring stems
    • Restoring default leading spaces
    • Removing breaks
    • Restoring default text styles
    • Resetting default text positions
      • Frame
      • Score text

    Preparing a score for export

    • Export settings

    Backup and recovered files

    Project properties

    Overview

    Changing Project properties

    Adding and deleting new project properties

    Accessing project properties in a score

    Score comparison

    Publish to musescore.com

    Overview

    • Publishing cost and profit
    • Publishing rights

    Creating a MuseScore account

    Saving only to Musescore.com

    Publish locally saved scores

    Visibility in score manager

    Manage generation of mp3 during upload

    • Never
    • Always
    • Every x saves

    Share on Audio.com

    Overview

    • To share audio from your score on Audio.com:
    • To share on Audio.com every time you publish a score:

    Customization

    Language

    Overview

    • Change language
      • Update translations
    • See also

    Appearance

    Overview

    Theme and Colors

    Fonts

    Toolbars and windows

    Overview

    Toolbars

    • Showing and hiding toolbars
    • Rearranging toolbars
    • Customizing contents of toolbars

    Windows and Panels

    • Docking and undocking panels
    • Customizing contents of panels

    Templates and styles

    Overview

    • Style
    • Layout and formatting in Musescore
    • Reusing Layout and formatting information

    Style files

    • Saving settings of all styles of "Full score" or "Part" you are currently editing to a separate .mss file
    • Loading from .mss file into "Full score" or "Part" you are currently editing

    Default "level 2 information" for new score file and Musescore Part

    Templates

    • Save a score as a custom template
    • Creating a score from a custom template

    Palettes

    Adding palettes

    Hiding and deleting palettes

    Changing the order of palettes

    Customizing palette contents

    • Adding elements from the Master Palette window
    • Adding elements from the score
    • Moving elements between palettes
    • Deleting elements from palettes
    • Resetting a palette

    Saving and loading palettes

    Palettes menu

    Palette properties

    See also

    Workspaces

    Overview

    Creating a new workspace

    Deleting a workspace

    Switching between workspaces

    Keyboard shortcuts

    Overview

    Defining a shortcut

    Resetting and clearing shortcuts

    • To reset a shortcut to its default:
    • To clear (i.e. delete) a shortcut:

    Importing and exporting shortcuts

    Preferences

    General

    Appearance

    Canvas

    Note input

    MIDI device mapping

    Score

    I/O

    Import

    Shortcuts

    Update

    Advanced

    Plugins

    Overview

    Managing plugins

    • Installing a new plugin
      • Updating an existing plugins
    • Enabling and disabling plugins

    Running a plugin

    Pre-installed plugins

    Create a plugin

    See also

    Support

    Getting help

    Overview

    Learn

    Forums

    Issue tracker

    GitHub

    Mastering MuseScore

    Revert to factory settings

    Overview

    Reverting to factory settings from the menu

    Reverting to factory settings from the command line

    • Windows
    • macOS
    • Linux

    Troubleshooting

    Installation issues

    Score issues

    Display issues

    Sound issues

    Printing issues

    Known incompatibilities

    Appendix

    Command line usage

    • NAME
    • SYNOPSIS
    • DESCRIPTION
    • Batch conversion job JSON format
    • ENVIRONMENT
    • FILES
    • EXAMPLES
      • Convert a score to PDF from the command line
      • Run a batch job converting multiple documents
      • MIDI import operations
    • DIAGNOSTICS
    • SEE ALSO
    • STANDARDS
    • HISTORY
    • AUTHORS
    • CAVEATS
    • BUGS

    All keyboard shortcuts

    Keyboard Map

    Navigation

    • Page navigation
    • Score navigation

    Note input

    • General
    • Duration
    • Pitch
    • Tablature

    Selecting

    Editing

    • General
    • Duration
    • Pitch
    • Notation
    • Manual adjustment

    Text

    • General
    • Formatting
    • Lyrics
    • Chord symbols, Roman numeral analysis, Nashville numbers, figured bass

    Other score elements

    Score setup and formatting

    File Operations

    User interface

    • Playback
    • Accessibility
    • Other

    Known incompatibilities

    Upgrade from MuseScore 3.x

    Overview

    Keyboard Shortcuts

    Other changes

    Missing Features

    Upgrade from MuseScore 2.x or 1.x

    Handbook for MuseScore 3.x

    Handbook for MuseScore 2.x

    Handbook for MuseScore 1.x

    Glossary

    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F
    • G
    • H
    • I
    • J
    • K
    • L
    • M
    • N
    • O
    • P
    • Q
    • R
    • S
    • T
    • U
    • V
    • W
    • External links