Break or spacer

Updated 9 years ago
This page shows old instructions for MuseScore 1.
For MuseScore 4 users, see Break or spacer.

Page breaks or line breaks (system breaks) are applied by dragging the corresponding symbol from the breaks palette to an empty space of a measure or on a horizontal frame in the score. The break happens after the marked measure resp. frame. The green break symbols are visible on the screen, but do not appear on printouts.

Breaks Palette

Mid-measure system breaks are sometimes needed (especially for strophic hymns or lieder). For example, if you want three beats on one system and a one beat pickup on the next system, then you need to create two measures with a shortened duration. For details, see Measure operations , "Duration" and "Irregular" sections.

Spacers are used to increase the space between two adjacent staves. Drag and drop a spacer to a measure above the area that needs more vertical space. Double-click on the spacer and drag the handle using the mouse to adjust the height of the spacer.

If you want to adjust the space between staves score-wide, use the style settings. Spacers are designed for local adjustments.

Adding a break or spacer

To add a break or spacer:

  1. Navigate to LayoutBreaks & Spacer...< or use the corresponding palette (see above).
  2. Drag the desired break or spacer from there.
  3. Drop the break or spacer in the measure you wish to affect.

Deleting a break or spacer

There are times that you may want to remove a break or spacer. To delete a break or spacer:

  1. Single click the break or spacer (it will turn blue to indicate that it is selected).
  2. Press the Del key.