Delete old songs from library

• Feb 25, 2024 - 20:32

I have songs I want to delete. I have checked Google and that says: "To delete or remove a score from your MuseScore profile, click on the three-dotted icon ⋮ and select the 'Delete this score' option. You can find the three-dotted icon ⋮ on the score page, or via the Score Manager".
I do not know where to find the three-dotted icon. It also said, go the the cloud and delete songs. I don't think I have anything saved on the cloud. How do I clean up my library???????????

Comments

• Feb 26, 2024 - 01:07

Google may be referencing help from a previous version. Assuming you are using version 4x and are saving your scores locally (I don't know about the cloud), then you can just go to the scores folder and delete the files you no longer want. They will no longer appear when you launch the program. The path on my computer is C:\Users\garyt\Documents\MuseScore4\Scores and yours should be similar, except reflecting your username.

Reply

• Mar 10, 2024 - 04:47

I'm not sure, of course, but I believe that OP is not asking how to delete score files, but is asking how to remove scores from the list of scores on the Home tab of MuseScore. If he's not asking that, I am.

I don't want to delete the files, just the entries on that Home tab. In fact, as far as I can tell, deleting the files DOES NOT remove the entry from the Scores list on the Home tab.

And, at least for me, is empty. I never save scores there.

Reply

• Mar 10, 2024 - 09:13

The list on the Home tab is simply a list of links to the most recently used files. As far as I know, it is not yet possible to delete an individual entry there. You can only delete all entries (File -> Open recent -> Clear Recent Files). The scores stored in the score folder are of course not deleted!
But as far as I remember, there is a feature request to implement the deletion of a single entry.

Reply

• Mar 11, 2024 - 00:07

a) Is it possible for me to add a note to that existing feature request? If so, do you know where I can find it? (I've never been involved with any feature request, so I don't know where to look.) I'd like to ask them to make it possible to store a FOLDER in that list (and none of the files therein).

b) When I click on File / Open Recent, there is no option to "Clear Recent Files". Only a list of ALL the files I've opened/created since I installed MS4: several hundred, the list takes nearly five minutes to scroll from top to bottom. I suspect that a sizeable majority of the files in this list no longer exist. And MS doesn't even remove the entry when it finds out that the file doesn't exist :-(

Reply

• Mar 11, 2024 - 15:21

Ok, I'd searched for you in the handbook :-). It seems to be different to MuS 3.
There I found:

 The recent list is located at:
 C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\MuseScore\MuseScore4\recent_files.json
 or
 %LOCALAPPDATA%\MuseScore\MuseScore4\recent_files.json

and the section "Reverting to factory settings"

   Resetting Musescore app preferences may be necessary if your app's preferences are corrupted. 
   This deletes custom palettes and custom keyboard shortcuts, and clears out links to recent scores 
   under File menu and Home tab : Scores but will not delete any score files.

Reply

• Mar 11, 2024 - 16:23

Where did you find that in the manual. I couldn't find anything about it.

However, some experimentation showed that you can manually edit the JSON file. Simply open it in a text editor and delete entries from the list. Be sure to delete WHOLE LINES from the list!

When I tried simply deleting the JSON (actually, just renamed it so I could "un-delete" it if necessary), it found an old copy of the Recent Files list (about 8 months old) somewhere. After a fair amount of digging, I found this old list in C:\Users[username]\AppData\Roaming\MuseScore\MuseScore4.ini under the [project] settings, the second item is recentList=, followed by a number of filepaths.

When I deleted that line from the INI file and launched MuseScore, it rebuilt the line as

recentList=[

Now the Recent Files list is empty and in so launching, MS built a new JSON file with no entries. I opened a file and the JSON file now shows only that file and the INI file still shows no values in its recentList.

I'm guessing that recentList in the INI file was used in an earlier implementation of MS4, and was not emptied or removed when MS4 moved to using the JSON file instead?

So, it is possible to empty or modify (!) the Recent Files list in MS4, just a PITA!!! :-)

Reply

• Mar 11, 2024 - 17:13

I found it here, search the site for "recent list" or "resetting": https://musescore.org/en/print/book/export/html/329209?toc=1

I didn't realize that this command has completely disappeared. That's a real shame, because this list can get very long in MuS 4 - unlike MuS3: there is at least an upper limit on the number of entries (I think max 20 entries).

I remember one person who asked for the individual deletion of an entry and also wrote a feature request.

But what is a PITA? ( I am no native speaker...)

Reply

• Apr 26, 2024 - 18:08

Screenshot 2024-04-26 at 10.04.34 AM.png

This is a shot from musescore 4. If clearing recent files is what your looking for. I' not sure what your calling your "library". I always hoped they would come up with a way to delete one at a time rather than the whole bunch.

Reply

• May 1, 2024 - 21:28

clear_recent.png

W11.
A few weeks ago, I reset MU4. That deleted recent score.Today there were about 20 to 25 scores in the recent list. I went to File>Open recent and scrolled down the list. When I got to the bottom, there was Clear recent, but grayed out. I selected it, it turned black and I was able to clear the files. I don't remember if it was there before or not. but it is there now. Maybe 25 scores isn't enough. But I'm going to keep track now.

Reply

• May 1, 2024 - 23:49

*pout*

Still not there for me. I'm on Windows 11 and MuS 4.2.1 ("You're up-to-date") And my list has WAAAAAAY more than 25 entries: somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 entries. (It's hard to count them because the list moves so quickly and smoothly :-) Exactly the opposite of what some people have complained of.)

Reply

• May 3, 2024 - 18:33

Navigate to the folder with the scores in it. Delete or move the scores you want removed from the "open recent" list. close an reopen the program. CAUTION Back up or move any files you don't want to permanently delete. You can always move them back into the folder later if you want to work with them again.

Reply

• May 3, 2024 - 20:54

Sorry, that's not the case. The 'Recent scores' list currently includes MANY files that have been deleted for anywhere from days to weeks. The only reason it's not longer than weeks is because I wiped it completely (by deleting the file as I described above) a few weeks ago. Before that, the list included files that had been deleted months ago.

Reply

• May 6, 2024 - 22:20

But how do you delete just SOME of the files? I've followed all of the instructions, and can't find anything. I'm on a Mac. Sometimes I DL a posted file from the forum, but then I want to get rid of it. On the Home > Scores page, why can't I simply right-click on an icon and get a Delete Score option?

It's WAY more complicated than it ought to be.

Reply

• May 7, 2024 - 02:49

You would modify that .JSON file that is described above. (See HildeK's and then my note from Mar 11, 2024.) Each line in the file corresponds to one entry in the Score "library" on the Home tab.

As I said in that note, "it is possible to empty or modify [emphasis added] the Recent Files list in MS4, just a PITA!!"

Oops! I missed that you are on a Mac. I don't know for sure, but I would assume that a) it will work and b) it will be similar in process, but the file might be stored elsewhere? If it's not in the place that HildeK pointed me, try just searching with the Mac's file explorer ("Finder"?) for "recent_files.json".

Reply

• May 7, 2024 - 08:05

> why can't I simply right-click on an icon and get a Delete Score option?
Unfortunately, it is not (yet) possible to delete individual entries from this list. As far as I know, there is a request to implement this in one of the next versions. However, I do not know with what priority this will be processed.
So far you can either search for the named file "recent_files.json" and change it with a text editor or delete all entries (the files themselves remain) using "clear recent files", which is possible on a Mac, or simply wait until they have moved down the list until you no longer see them on the page.

By the way, it is almost always important to state the operating system used when asking a question.

Reply

• May 7, 2024 - 15:24

> By the way, it is almost always important to state the operating system used when asking a question.

  1. I would be happy to do so. Is there a way in this forum to set up a "signature" for my posts with relevant info?

  2. How do some people add an avatar or photo?

  3. How did you put a quote from my post in italics?

Mac OS 13.6.6, MS 4.3

Reply

• May 7, 2024 - 16:38

1) You can open your MuseScore program, Select Help - About MuseScore and there is a icon to copy the relevant informations. Mine for example: OS: Windows 7 SP 1 (6.1), Arch.: x86_64, MuseScore version (32-bit): 3.7.0.8912088733, revision: 4034f6f

2) I think I saw it in the login name (top right of this window) under Settings, but I can no longer find it: I can't remember ...

3) Use at the beginning and the end of the quoted part an asterisk. Two asterisks on each side result in bold text. Don't use a space between the asterisk and the letters.

*italic part* and **bold part**
(I used the xml tags)

results in italic part and bold part.

See also https://musescore.org/en/filter/tips
and, if you create a new topic, press on 'Details' just below the entry window. You will see this (a bit more):

  • Allowed HTML tags ...
  • You can enable syntax highlighting of source code with the following tags ...
  • You can use Markdown syntax to format and style the text. Also see Markdown Extra for tables, footnotes, and more.
  • You can link nodes to other nodes using the following syntax: [node:node_id,title="val2"]
  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Github commits (eg abc1234) turn into links automatically.
  • Use [gist:####] where #### is your gist number to embed the gist.
  • You may use inline tags to display uploaded files or images inline.
  • Project issue numbers (ex. [#12345]) turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.

Reply

• May 7, 2024 - 17:50

Files you download to your Mac will remain in the DL folder till you move or delete them. Musescore will update your file that's in the DL folder so long as it remains there and you continue to acceess it and save it.
On you Mac it's easy to find every musescore file using "FINDER" just type the extension (MSCZ) for a musescore file into the search box.
Screenshot 2024-05-07 at 9.40.39 AM.png

Then find the file you looking for and highlight it. The path will be displayed at the bottom of the window or you can just send it to the trash from there.
Screenshot 2024-05-07 at 9.40.23 AM.png

Reply

• May 7, 2024 - 18:28

I don't think that was quite the problem. Because if the files, wherever they are stored, are deleted with the Finder on a Mac or Explorer on Windows, they are still visible on the home screen as a link.
As I understand it, the point was to remove them there too. And that is currently not possible individually. Unless you find and edit the file "recent_files.json" manually.

Reply

• May 7, 2024 - 19:16

Type JSON into the finder search window and see if it comes up. It didn't on my Mac. I posted some screen shots in earlier replies. Look at them. I can clear "open recent" by clicking clear recent files or by deleting or moving the files in the scores or download folders and then close and reopen the Musescore program. Get familiar with the path to the files. I think it will help.

Reply

• May 7, 2024 - 19:48

All of the Open Recent and JSON file info is fine, but it's not what I want. All I'm asking for is a way to delete scores that show up in the Scores window when I open the app. Because sometimes they are my scores, and sometimes they are scores that were loaded when I DLed someone else's. Doing the Delete Recent Files would wipe out some of mine.

So again, I ask: Why can't I select and delete files directly from the Scores window? It shouldn't be that tough.

Mac OS 13.6, MS 4.3

Reply

• May 7, 2024 - 20:52

Unfortunately the musescore app does not let you choose individual scores in the scores window to delete them. It's all or none. But you could try navigating to the folder where the score you want to get rid of and delete it or move it. Then close and reopen the app. By the way clearing recent scores in the app does not delete them from your computer. They're still there in the folder, you just need to reopen them.

Reply

• May 7, 2024 - 20:59

Thanks, but I prefer not to clutter up things with multiple scores that I just don't want. Can I drag them to the trash, once I find them?

This is the sort of thing that would make me less inclined to DL examples from the forum, so I could both learn and (maybe) help.

Reply

• May 8, 2024 - 01:16

2) It is possible by modifying the .JSON file described in this thread.

The reason it's not possible (at this time!!!) is because it didn't get put into the code (for Windows, apparently it is in the code for Mac?). That's all. We expect it to be included eventually, but it's just not there now.

Reply

Do you still have an unanswered question? Please log in first to post your question.