Text styles and properties

Updated 5 hours ago

This page shows old instructions for MuseScore 3.
For MuseScore 4 users, see Text styles and properties.

Overview

Layout and formatting is covered in the Layout and formatting chapter. With regard to Text objects on a score file:

Level 1: Properties of each individual Text object:
- Formatting of individual characters within it;
- Formatting of the object itself.
Level 2
- "style for type of object" under Format → Style → [item], and
- "Text Style" or "style for text inside type of object" under Format → Style → Text Styles → [item].
Characters do not have any specific formatting initially. When formatting are added to them, they will always be used. See Text editing: Text edit mode chapter.
Text objects do not have any specific properties initially. When properties are assigned in the Inspector, they will always be used except for characters that already have their own formatting. See details in "Text properties" below.
user can only edit values of corresponding "style for type of object".
user can edit values of corresponding "style for text inside type of object".
user can also apply "style for text inside type of object" onto Text objects on score.
user can create new "style for text inside type of object". See utilize the 12 custom style section.
"style for text inside Staff Text" is special. In addition to its original role for Staff Text. It also serves as the master fallback profile of all Text objects. All Text objects on a score use its values unless overridden by other more speific settings.
A subset of characters are treated specially. They always use font settings in Style window > Score : "Musical symbol font" (6 options): musical glyphs such as Segno, Coda, ottavas, dynamics glyphs such as mf and some Symbols and special characters. See Fonts chapter.

Text properties

Concept of formatting is explained in the overview. To assign properties to a particular Text object or object containing Text on a score use the Inspector, covered in Text basics chapter.

Styles

Concept of formatting is explained in the overview. To change values inside a style (profile), either:

use the 'Style' window, or
edit properties in the Inspector, and click the Set as style.

Contains these options

Name : Editable in User-1 to User-12 only.
Font and Size: The name of the font (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial etc.) and its size in points, also see Fonts.
Line Spacing
Follow staff size: determines whether text size changes proportionally, see Layout and formatting chapter.
Font style: The font style to use, e.g. Italic, Bold or Underline.
Align: Horizontal (left, center, right) and Vertical.
Color: Color and opacity of the text. Opacity is set by the parameter "Alpha channel" in the "Select Color" dialog: a value between 0, transparent, and 255, opaque.
Offset X/Y: Horizontal and vertical offsets in sp. units.
Frame: Choose to have a circular or square frame around the text.
Border: Color and opacity of the frame border.
Highlight: Color of the background within the frame.
Thickness: Thickness of the line of the frame in space units.
Margin: Inner frame margin in space units.
Corner radius: For box frame, radius of rounded corner.