Damaged file

• Aug 11, 2025 - 16:21

The file I was working on last night was fine, I saved it and turned off the computer. This morning I couldn't open it and it gave me this error message: The mscz file is corrupt and cannot be opened. I updated the program, but it still won't open. Can anyone help me figure out how to fix this?

I would be very grateful because it's a big project.


Comments

In reply to by Péter Dömök

I’m sorry I have to say this. How did you shut down your computer? Did it turn off normally? There wasn’t a power outage, or maybe the battery ran out?
Unfortunately, your file contains only null bytes. There’s nothing to recover from it.
This is a common issue people ask about.
MuseScore creates a backup file in the .mscbackup folder, but it usually turns out to be corrupted and useless as well.

In reply to by Péter Dömök

Just in case, check the .mscbackup folder.
Musescore saves backup files in a hidden .mscbackup folder, which is located in the same place as your project file.

There should be a file named .name_of_your_file.mscz~
where "name_of_your_file" is the name of your project file.
Copy it to another location, remove the ~ from the file name and try to open it.

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