Create a new score

To create a new score, open the New Score Wizard (see Create new score, below): this can also be accessed via the Start Center.

Start Center

This is the window that is displayed when you open MuseScore for the very first time:

To open the Start Center (if not already visible), use any of the following options:

• Press F4.
• From the menu bar, select File→Start Center...

To stop the Start Center from showing up when you open MuseScore:

• From the menu bar, select Edit→Preferences... (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences...) and uncheck "Show start center" in the Program Start section of the General tab.

From the Start Center you can:

• Create a new score (by clicking on the icon with the plus sign).
• View thumbnails of previously-opened scores: click on a thumbnail to open it.
• Open a score from your computer's file system: click on Open a score ...
• Open the "Getting Started" tutorial score. Use the arrow buttons in the right-hand pane to access the link.
• Search sheet music on musecore.com.
• Access various other facilities (see right-hand pane).

Create new score

To open the New Score Wizard when the Start Center is not open, use one of the following options:

• Click on the New Score icon in the toolbar on the top left of the window;
• Use keyboard shortcut Ctrl+N (Mac: Cmd+N);
• From the menu, select File→New....

Enter score information

Step 1: Enter score information.

Enter the title, composer or any other information as shown above, then click on Next >. This step is optional: you can also add this information after the score has been created (see Vertical frame).

Choose template file

Step 2: Choose template file.

In the left column is a list of solo, ensemble and orchestral templates, divided into categories according to musical styles. If you have previously stored any custom templates in your user templates folder, these are displayed under the heading, "Custom Templates". You can also use the Search bar (top left) to find specific templates.

To choose a score template:

• Click on the name of a score template to select it, then click Next >; alternatively, just double-click the score template name. This will automatically take you to the next page of the Wizard (see Choose key signature and tempo, below).

• If you wish to create a score template from scratch, click on "Choose Instruments" (under "General"), then click Next >; alternatively, just double-click "Choose instruments."

Choose instruments (or voice parts)

The Choose Instruments window is divided into two columns:

• The left column contains a list of instruments or voice parts to choose from. This list is categorized into instrument families and clicking a category shows the full list of instruments in each family.

  The default entry is "Common instruments" but you can choose from others as well, including "Jazz instruments" and "Early music". There is a search box at the bottom of the instrument window: typing the name of an instrument there will search for it in "All instruments".

• The right column starts off empty, but will eventually contain a list of instruments for your new score in the order that they will appear.

Add instruments

To add instruments to the score, use any of the following options:

• Select one or more instruments in the left column and click Add to score.
• Double-click an instrument in the left column.

The instrument names, and their associated staff lines, now appear in the list of instruments in the right column. You can add more instruments or voice parts, as needed. Each instrument added in this way is allocated its own Mixer channel.

Once an instrument track is added to your score, you can edit its sound features by using the Mixer's track area. You will find a vertical panel in the Mixer menu for that new instrument in the lower half of the panel, next to the volume (master Gain) slider. All instruments in the score will have their own panel, with their names at the bottom of the panel. If you can't see the names, drag the vertical scroll bar downward until the instrument track labels are visible. Then just click on a panel, and edit the volume, name, instrument choice, chorus, reverb, etc. The changes will take effect immediately"

Note: If you want staves to share the same instrument, use the Add staff or Add linked staff commands instead (see below).

Add Staff / Add Linked Staff

Important: Add a new instrument instead if the new staff you wish to add belongs to a separate instrument.

To add a staff to an existing instrument in the score:

1. Select a staff of the instrument in the score list on the right-hand side (e.g. see "Staff 1" in the image below). Click Add Staff or Add Linked Staff.
2. Adjust the Staff type, if applicable.

Summary of commands:

Command	Staff added	Edit staves independently?	Share mixer channel?	Examples
Add Staff	Unlinked	Yes	Yes	Guitar staff/tab, Piano grand staff
Add Linked Staff	Linked	No. Edit in one staff updates others	Yes	Guitar staff/tab

See also, Combine pitched staff with tablature.

Change order of instruments

To change the order of instruments (or staves) in the score:

• Click either an instrument name or a staff in the right-hand column, and use the arrow buttons to move it higher/lower.

Delete an instrument

To delete an instrument, or staff line from the score

• Select an instrument or a staff line in the right-hand column and click Remove.

Choose key signature (and tempo)

Step 3: Choose key signature (and tempo).

• Select the desired key signature, then click Next > to continue. Prior to version 3.5, you can also set the tempo here.

Choose time signature, tempo, pickup measure, and number of measures

Step 4: Choose time signature etc.

Here, you can set:

• The initial time signature.
• A pickup measure (anacrusis or upbeat measure), and its duration.
• The initial number of measures in the score (the default is 32, but you can add/remove measures from the score edit window).
• Tempo (prior to version 3.5, this is set on the Choose key signature (and tempo) page instead).

Click Finish to create your new score.

Adjustments to score after creation

Any settings you make in the New Score Wizard can always be changed when you start work on the score itself:

Add / delete / adjust measures

• Insert measures.
• Append measures.
• Delete measures.
• Create a pickup measure.

Add/edit text

• Add text (Text basics).
• Edit text.

Change instrument set-up

To add, delete, or change the order of instruments:

• From the menu, select Edit→Instruments...; or use the keyboard shortcut, I. This opens the Instruments dialog which is virtually identical to the Choose Instruments dialog in the New Score Wizard (see above).

See also Change instrument (Staff properties).

Hide a staff

• To hide a staff permanently: Open the Instruments dialog (I) and untick the "Visible" box for that staff.
• To hide a staff under certain conditions: See the "Hide" options in the Score dialog, and Staff Properties.

Adjust layout and formatting

To adjust the distance between staves and systems, set page margins etc., see Layout and formatting.

Templates

A Template is simply a standard MuseScore file that has been stored in one of two "templates" folders: any files in these folders are automatically displayed on the "Choose template file" page of the New Score Wizard. Two templates folders are created by default:

• A system templates folder.
• A user templates folder.

System templates folder

This folder contains the templates installed with MuseScore and should not be modified. It can be found in the following locations:

Windows: Usually at C:\Program Files\MuseScore 3\templates or C:\Program Files (x86)\MuseScore 3\templates (Actually %ProgramFiles%\MuseScore 3\templates or %ProgramFiles(x86)%\MuseScore 3\templates, respectively) .

Linux: Under /usr/share/mscore-xxx if you installed from the package manager. If you compiled MuseScore on Linux yourself, then look under /usr/local/share/mscore-xxx (with xxx being the version you are using).

MacOS: Under /Applications/MuseScore 3.app/Contents/Resources/templates.

User templates folder

Any templates that you create for future use should be stored here. Once in the user "templates" folder, they will automatically appear on the "Choose template file" page of the New Score Wizard—under the heading "Custom Templates".

The default location of the user templates folder is as follows:

Windows: %HOMEPATH%\Documents\MuseScore3\Templates.

MacOS and Linux: ~/Documents/MuseScore3/Templates.

Note: That above mentioned directory name ("Templates") might be translated according to your language settings!

To configure the location of your private templates folder:

• From the menu, select Edit→Preferences...→General.

See also

• Key signature
• Time signature
• Clef
• Tempo
• Staff properties

External links

• Video tutorial: MuseScore in Minutes: Lesson 1 - Score Setup
• Instrument index

Note input

MuseScore allows you to enter music notation from any of four input devices: computer keyboard, mouse, MIDI keyboard, or virtual piano keyboard. The default input mode is step-time, in which notes or rests are entered one at a time. However, other input modes are also available.

After exiting the New Score Wizard, your new score will consist of a series of measures filled with measure rests:

As you enter notes in a measure, the measure rests are changed to appropriate rests to fill the remainder of the measure:

Notes of different durations on the same beat are entered by using voices:

Basic note entry

This section introduces you to the basics of entering notes and rests in step-time from a computer keyboard. It is also recommended that you work through the tutorial, "Getting Started: An introduction to note entry in MuseScore". This is available from the Start Center.

Step 1. Select a starting position

Select a starting position for note input by clicking on a note or rest, or selecting a measure, with the mouse. If you don't select a starting point, the cursor automatically defaults to the beginning of the score when you enter Note Input mode ("Step 2" below).

Step 2. Enter Note Input mode

To enter Note Input mode, use either of the following options:

• Click on the "N" icon (on the extreme left of the Note Input toolbar).
• Press N on your computer keyboard.

To exit Note Input mode, use any of the following options:

• Press N.
• Press Esc.
• Click on the toolbar "N" button.

Step 3. Select a duration

Still in Note Input mode, select a note duration using either of the following:

• Click on a corresponding note icon in the Note Input toolbar (directly above the document window):
  
• Enter the keyboard shortcut for that duration (see below).

Step 4. Enter the note or rest

• To enter a note pitch from A–G, simply press the corresponding letter on your computer keyboard or place it using your mouse/touchpad (and a 'normal' left-click).
• To enter a rest, press 0 (zero) or right-click your mouse.

This method of entry also works if you are not in Note Input mode—as long as you have a note/rest selected, or the score is newly-created (in which case note entry will default to the beginning).

Select a note/rest duration

The following keyboard shortcuts are used to select note/rest duration in Note Input mode:

• 64th (hemidemisemiquaver): 1
• 32nd (demisemiquaver): 2
• 16th (semiquaver): 3
• Eighth (quaver): 4
• Quarter (crotchet): 5
• Half (minim): 6
• Whole (semibreve): 7
• Double whole (breve): 8
• Longa: 9
• Dot: . (toggles the selection to and from a dotted note/rest)
• "Increase active duration": In note input mode, this shortcut changes the selected duration to the next value above the current one. Set the shortcut in Preferences: Shortcuts.
• "Decrease active duration": In note input mode, this shortcut changes the selected duration to the next value below the current one. .

See also: Tuplets.

Additional durations

• Double, triple and quadruple dots: Apply from the note input toolbar in the advanced workspace or via a custom shortcut.
• 128th note: Ditto.
• 256th, 512th or 1024th durations: First enter a 128th note (or longer), then half it as many times as needed using the shortcut Q or, as of 3.5, via a custom shortcut, or via the corresponding entries on the note input toolbar in a custom workspace.

Input devices

Music notation can be entered by:

• Computer keyboard.
• Mouse.
• MIDI keyboard.
• Virtual Piano Keyboard.
• Any combination of the above.

Computer keyboard

This section expands on "Basic note entry" (see above) and introduces you to the full range of commands available for entering notes or rests from the computer keyboard.

Summary of commands

Here is a list of useful editing shortcuts available in Note input mode:

• 1–9 and . (dot): Set note input duration (as described above).
• A–G: Enter note A to G respectively.
• 0: Enter a rest.
• R: Repeat the last entered note.
• Backspace: Undo last entered note
• ↑ (Up): Raise the pitch of a note by a semitone (uses ♯).
• ↓ (Down): Lower the pitch of a note by a semitone (uses ♭).
• Alt+Shift+↑: Raise the pitch of a note by scale degrees using key signature (assumes Major).
• Alt+Shift+↓: Lower the pitch of a note by a scale degree using key signature (assumes Major).
• J: Change a note up or down to its enharmonic equivalent (e.g. D♯ to E♭). This alters the spelling in both concert pitch and transposed modes. See Accidentals.
• Ctrl+J (Mac Cmd+J): Change a note up or down to its enharmonic equivalent. This alters the spelling only in the current mode. See Accidentals.
• X: Flip direction of note stem (can be reset to Auto position in Inspector)
• Shift+X: Move note head to opposite side of stem (can be reset to Auto position in Inspector)
• Ctrl+Alt+1-4: Switch to corresponding voice
• Q: Halve the duration of the last entered note, and use that duration for future input. This is the default key for "Half Duration" shortcut command. Also see tips below.
• W: Double the duration of the last entered note, and use that duration for future input. This is the default key for "Double Duration" shortcut command. Also see tips below.
• Shift+Q: Decrease duration of the last entered note by a dot (for example, a dotted quarter note/crotchet becomes a quarter note/crotchet and a quarter note/crotchet becomes a dotted eighth note/quaver), and use that duration for the future input. This is the default key for "Decrease duration dotted" shortcut command. Also see tips below.
• Shift+W: Increase duration of the last entered note by a dot (for example an eighth note/quaver becomes a dotted eighth note/quaver and a dotted eighth note/quaver becomes a quarter note/crotchet), and use that duration for the future input. This is the default key for "Increase duration dotted" shortcut command. Also see tips below.
• Ctrl+↑ (Mac: Cmd+↑): Raise the pitch of the last entered note by an octave
• Ctrl+↓ (Mac: Cmd+↓): Lower the pitch of the last entered note by an octave
• Shift+←: Exchange last entered note with the note before it (repeat to keep moving note earlier)
• Shift+→: Exchange note moved with Shift+← with the note that follows it
• Alt+1-9: Add interval (unison to ninth) above current note.
• Shift+A-G: Add note A to G above current note respectively.

Note : (1) Q and W change the duration of the last entered note. The similar shortcuts "Increase active duration" and "Decrease active duration" do not change the last entered note, they are configurable in Preferences window. (2) Shift+Q and Shift+W change the duration of the last entered note by dot. Pressing . (dot) while in Note input mode does not change the last entered note.

Enter notes/rests

You can enter a note by typing the corresponding letter on your keyboard. After entering Note Input mode, type 5 C D E F G A B C to get the following result:

Note: When you enter a note using the keyboard, MuseScore places it closest to the previous note entered (above or below).

To enter a rest, type "0" (zero). To get the following, type 5 C D 0 E after entering Note Input mode.

Note: The duration selected in the toolbar applies to both notes and rests.

If you want to enter a dotted note, press . (period/full stop) after selecting the duration.

For example, after entering Note Input mode, type: 5 . C 4 D E F G A.

If you want to enter a tuplet (such as a triplet): see Tuplets.

If you want to write music with two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody on the same staff, see Voices.

Move notes up/down

To move a note up or down by a semitone:

• Press the ↑ or ↓ arrow.

To move a note up or down diatonically:

• Press Alt+Shift+↑ or Alt+Shift+↓.

To move a note up or down by one octave:

• Press Ctrl+↑ (Mac: Cmd+↑) or Ctrl+↓ (Mac: Cmd+↓).

Add accidentals

When a note is moved up or down with an arrow key (see above), any accidental required is automatically generated by the program. Accidentals can also be added manually—see Accidentals.

Chords

If you want to add a chord note to your previous entry:

• Press and hold Shift, then enter a note from AtoG.

Thus, typing C, D, Shift+F, Shift+A, E, F results in:

To add a note at a specific interval above or below one or more notes:

1. Ensure that one or more notes are selected;
2. Use one of the following options:
   • From the menu, select Add→Intervals and choose an interval from the list;
   • Press Alt+1-9 for intervals above (intervals below are also possible by adding relevant shortcuts to the list in Preferences).

Note: To create chords with notes of different durations, you will need to use more than one Voice.

Insert notes

Normally, when you enter music in MuseScore, any existing notes or rests are overwritten. There are, however, several ways to insert notes:

• Insert extra measures into the score.
• Cut and paste a section of the score forward, then enter music into the gap.
• To insert a note, press Ctrl+Shift (Mac: Cmd+Shift) + the note name (AtoG). This will insert a note of the selected duration and move the rest of the notes to the right in the same measure. If the measure exceeds the duration of the time signature, the blue plus will appear above the measure as in Insert Mode.

Delete notes

To delete a single note:

• Select the note and press Del (Mac: Backspace).

To delete a chord:

1. Press Esc to ensure that you are in Normal mode.
2. Press Shift and click on a note to select the chord.
3. Press Del (Mac: Backspace).

The delete command can also be applied to a range of notes/chords.

Mouse

It's easy to enter notes with the mouse, but it is not the fastest way to enter lots of notes.

1. Click on the desired note duration symbol in the Note input toolbar.
2. Click on the score to add a pitch of the selected duration.
3. To add more notes to an existing chord, simply repeat step 2.
4. To replace an existing chord (rather than adding to it), press Shift before clicking.
5. To add a rest, right-click.

Note: If you hover the cursor over the score in Note Input Mode it will show you a preview of the note or rest you are about to add.

MIDI keyboard

You can also insert pitches using a MIDI keyboard.

1. Connect your MIDI keyboard to the computer and switch the former on
2. Start MuseScore (this must be done after the keyboard is switched on)
3. Create a new score
4. Click the rest (selecting it) in measure 1 to indicate where you want note input to begin
5. Press N to enter note input mode
6. Select a note duration such as 5 for quarter notes (crotchets), as described above
7. Press a note on your MIDI keyboard.

The pitch should be added to your score. If the pitch does not appear, either use the toolbar and click 'Toggle MIDI Input' or follow these steps:

1. From the menu, select Edit→Preferences... (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences...).
2. Click on the Note Input tab and check "Enable MIDI Input".
3. Click OK to exit. You will need to restart MuseScore to apply the change.

Note: The default method of entry, Step-time allows you to enter one note at a time. Other note input modes are also available: see Note input modes.

If you have multiple MIDI devices connected to your computer, you may need to inform MuseScore which is the MIDI keyboard:

1. From the menu, select Edit→Preferences... (Mac: MuseScore→Preferences...).
2. Click on the I/O tab and select your device under the section labeled "MIDI input".
3. Click OK to exit. You will need to restart MuseScore to apply the change.

Virtual Piano Keyboard

You can also input notes using the on-screen piano keyboard.

• To toggle the display on and off: Press P (or select View→Piano).
• To resize the keyboard: Position the mouse pointer over the piano keys, hold down Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) and move the mouse scroll wheel up (larger) or down (smaller).

The method of note entry is similar to that for a midi keyboard:

1. Ensure that you are in Note Input mode.
2. To enter a:
   • Single note: Click on the appropriate piano key.
   • Chord: Select the note you wish to add to, press and hold Shift, then click on a piano key (in versions before 2.1, use Ctrl (Mac: Cmd). Repeat as required.

Note input modes

See Note Input modes main chapter.

MuseScore offers a variety of note input modes in addition to Step-time. All can be accessed by clicking the small arrow next to the "N" button on the left of the Note Input toolbar:

• Step-time (default): The default mode of note entry. See Basic note entry (above).
• Repitch: Replace pitches without changing rhythms.
• Rhythm: Enter durations with a single click or keypress.
• Real-time (automatic): Perform the piece at a fixed tempo indicated by a metronome beat.
• Real-time (manual): Perform the piece while tapping a key or pedal to set the beat.
• Insert: (Called "Timewise" until version 3.0.2) Insert and delete notes and rests within measures, automatically shifting subsequent music forwards or backwards.

Coloring of notes outside an instrument's range

Depending on the skill of the musician, certain notes are considered beyond the range of a particular instrument. For informational purposes, MuseScore optionally colors notes red if they are outside the range of a "professional" player, and olive green/dark yellow if outside the range of an "early amateur." The colors appear on the computer screen, but not on printed copies.

To enable/disable note coloration and to set "professional" and "amateur" ranges, see Usable pitch range (Staff properties: all staves).

Small notes/small noteheads

1. Select the note(s) you want in small size.
2. Check the "Small" checkbox in the Inspector. The one in the Note section is used to only change the size of the individual notehead; the one in the Chord section will change the note head, stem, beam, and flag sizes all together.

By default, the small size is 70% of the normal size. You can change that setting in Format → Style…→Sizes.

Change notes or rests already entered

Change duration, overwriting subsequent phrases or adding spaces

Version 3.3.3 and above

1. Make sure you are in Normal mode (press Esc to exit from Note input modes).
2. Select one or more notes/rests, or note-stems/hooks. Apply the desired duration shortcut (listed above), or click on the equivalent duration icon in the toolbar.

Prior to version 3.3.3

1. Make sure you are in Normal mode (press Esc to exit from Note input modes).
2. Click on a note or rest. Apply the desired duration shortcut (listed above), or click on the equivalent duration icon in the toolbar.

For example, to change three sixteenth rests into a single dotted eighth rest:

1. Click on the first sixteenth rest.
2. Hit 4 to turn it into an eighth rest.
3. Hit . to turn it into a dotted eighth rest.
4. As the duration increases, it overwrites the other two sixteenth rests following it.

Note that increasing duration overwrites the notes or rests that follow the selected phrase; decreasing duration adds rests between it and the notes or rests following.

See also Paste half/double duration

Change duration, expanding or shrinking the current measure

• Use the Duration Editor plugin that allows "Melody first, rhythm second" notes entry, or
• (insert only) insert notes or measure as described above.

Change duration of notes in selection only, overwriting rests only

Use the Note duration actions plugin to batch adjust notes length while keeping starting positions intact.

Change pitch

To change the pitch of a single note:

1. Make sure that you're not in note input mode and that you have no other notes selected.
2. Select the desired note and use any of the following methods:
   • Drag the notehead up or down with the mouse;
   • Press the keyboard arrows: ↑ (Up) or ↓ (down);
   • Type a new note letter name (A…G). Use Ctrl+↓ or Ctrl+↑ to correct the octave, if necessary (Mac: Cmd+↓ or Cmd+↑). This will automatically turn on note input mode.

To change the enharmonic spelling of a note, select it and use the J command. For more information, see Accidentals.

To change the pitches of a passage of music by a constant interval, you can use Transposition.

To change the pitches of a passage of music to a different melody, while keeping the rhythm unchanged, use Re-pitch mode.

If your score contains a lot of misspelled accidentals, you might try the Respell Pitches command (see Accidentals: Respell pitches).

Change voice

To change one or more notes to a different voice, see Voices.

Change rest to note and vice versa

To change a rest to a note of the same duration:

1. Make sure you are not in note input mode (press Esc to exit).
2. Select the rest.
3. Enter the desired pitch by entering a note letter, AtoG.

To change a note to a rest of the same duration:

1. Make sure you are not in note input mode (press Esc to exit).
2. Select the note.
3. Press 0 (Zero).

Note properties

• To adjust the horizontal position of a note/chord: see Offset notes.
• To edit note properties in general (spacing, offset, size, color, notehead direction, playback etc.): see Inspector and object properties.
• To adjust the layout of all notes in the score: see Layout and formatting, especially the sections about notes, accidentals and tuplets.

See also

• Note input modes
• Drum notation
• Tablature
• Tuplet
• Voices
• Shared noteheads
• Preferences (Configure keyboard shortcuts)

External links

• How to enter a chord (MuseScore HowTo)
• How to enter a rest (MuseScore HowTo)
• How to span a stem over two staves (MuseScore HowTo)
• How to add cue notes (MuseScore HowTo)
• Video tutorial: MuseScore in Minutes: Lesson 3 - Note input
• Video tutorial: MuseScore in Minutes: Lesson 4 - MIDI Keyboard Input
• Video tutorial: MuseScore in Minutes: Lesson 5 - More Input Ideas
• Video: Semi-Realtime MIDI Demo Part 1: New note entry modes
• Video tutorial: Musescore Quicktips: Note Entry

Edit mode

Edit mode allows you to perform a wide range of editing operations on individual score elements, such as:

• Adjust the length and shape of slurs, lines, barlines etc.
• Add, delete and format text in text objects.
• Adjust the position of most score elements (but not text).

Enter edit mode

MuseScore versions 3.4 and above

For lines, hairpins, slurs, note-stems, note-beams, and barlines, use one of the following methods:

• Click on an element.
• Right-click on an element and, from the menu, select Edit Element.

For other elements, use one of the following methods:

• Double-click an element.
• Click on an object already selected (text-based objects only).
• Right-click on an element and, from the menu, select Edit Element.
• Click on an element and press Alt+Shift+E.

MuseScore versions prior to 3.4

Use one of the following methods:

• Double-click an element.
• Right-click on an element and, from the menu, select Edit Element.
• Click on an element and press Alt+Shift+E.

Exit edit mode

To exit Edit mode use any of the following:

• Press Esc.
• Click on a blank area of the document window.

Text

For text edit mode, see Text editing.

Lines

See Lines: Change length, and Adjust slur.

Notes

Offset notes

Sometimes it is necessary to shift a note to the right or left—to avoid a collision with another element or to override automatic notehead sharing for example:

1. Enter Edit mode on the desired note;
2. Press the arrow key in the direction (left or right) that you wish to nudge the note (or use Ctrl+← or Ctrl+→ for larger adjustments);
3. Press the Esc key. This will allow the note stem to be redrawn.

Alternatively, you can select the notehead and change the "Horizontal offset" (under "Chord") in the Inspector.

Adjust note stem length

1. Enter Edit mode on the desired note stem;
2. Use keyboard shortcuts (below) to extend or shorten the stem;
3. Exit edit mode.

Alternatively, you can select the stem and change the "Length Offset" (under "Stem") in the Inspector.

To reposition a note stem, you should select it and adjust the "X" or "Y" setting for the "Offset" under "Automatic placement" in the "Element" section of the Inspector.

Keyboard shortcuts

In Edit mode the following keyboard commands can be used to change the position of either (1) a score element (e.g. ornament, accidental etc.) or (2) an adjustment handle (e.g. slur, line etc.):

• ←: Move left 0.1 staff space.
• →: Move right 0.1 staff space
• ↑: Move up 0.1 staff space
• ↓: Move down 0.1 staff space
• Ctrl+← (Mac: Cmd+←): Move left one staff space
• Ctrl+→ (Mac: Cmd+→): Move right one staff space
• Ctrl+↑ (Mac: Cmd+↑): Move up one staff space
• Ctrl+↓ (Mac: Cmd+↓): Moves down one staff space
• Alt+←: Move left 0.01 staff space
• Alt+→: Move right 0.01 staff space
• Alt+↑: Move up 0.01 staff space
• Alt+↓: Move down 0.01 staff space

The following commands only apply to adjustment handles:

• Shift+←: Move end handle's anchor left by one note/rest.
• Shift+→: Move end handle's anchor right by one note/rest.
• Tab: Go to next handle.

To undo all edits, ensure you are not in edit mode and press Ctrl+R.

See also

• Text editing
• Slur
• Bracket
• Line
• Beam
• Hairpin

Palettes

A Palette is a folder containing musical symbols which can be applied to the score. Musescore's default palettes contain collections of related symbols, but you can customize palettes to display almost any kind of symbol, line or text. Palettes form the main part of a workspace.

Musescore comes with two sets of preset palettes: a Basic and an Advanced set (contained in similarly-named workspaces). But that is only the start. You can add your own symbols and text either to the existing palettes or to palettes you create in new workspaces. In other words, you can customize each workspace to exactly meet your particular scoring needs. See Customize palettes.

View or hide the Palette area

The default position of the Palette area is to the left of the document window. To view or hide it:

• From the menu, select View → Palettes, or use the keyboard shortcut F9.

To undock the Palette area:

• Click the double-chevron symbol (circled in the image above), or double-click the top bar of the panel.

To re-attach the panel, double-click on the top bar again. See Side panels for more information.

Open/close a palette

• Click on the arrow next to the palette name, or double-click the palette name (in versions prior to MuseScore 3.3, click once on either the arrow or the palette name).

Symbols assigned to the palette are shown in a grid below the palette name. If you have customized one of Musescore's default palettes, clicking More will show any symbols you have deleted.

Single Palette mode

If you only want one palette open at a time, click the ... button at the top of the workspace and check the Single Palette box. Any opened palette will now close when you open a different one.

Apply symbols from a palette

Versions 3.4 or above

• Select one or more score elements, then click the desired palette symbol. Or, drag and drop the symbol onto the desired score element in the staff.

Versions prior to 3.4

• Select one or more score elements, then double-click the desired palette symbol. Or, drag and drop the symbol onto the desired score element in the staff.

If you are dragging a symbol to the score and decide you don't want to apply it, press Esc.

Tip: To prevent accidental rearrangement of contents during use, right-click a palette name and uncheck Enable Editing.

You can search for symbols or palette names by typing in the Search box at the top of the list. As you type, symbols and/or palettes with names matching your keystrokes are displayed below, updating continuously as your typed input changes. Displayed symbols can come from any palette, which makes this a powerful way to locate symbols without visually searching through various palettes .

Symbols can be applied directly from the search results as described above.

To restore the list of palette names, which is temporarily hidden by the search results, click X in the search box.

Anything added to the score from a palette can be copied, pasted, and duplicated: see Copy and paste.

Apply the last selected item

Assign a keyboard shortcut key to "Apply current palette element" in Preferences: Shortcuts. After you use the mouse to click on a palette item to apply it to the score once, you can select any other score elements and repeatedly apply the same (last applied) item by pressing the shortcut key.

Customize the palette list

Change the order of palette names in the list

• Drag the name of a palette up or down to any desired position.

Create a new palette

1. At the top of the palette list, click Add Palettes→Create custom palette. Or, right-click anywhere on the list of palette names and choose Insert New Palette.
2. Type the name of the new palette in the Create Palette dialog.

See Customize palettes to learn how to add symbols to the new palette.

Hide a palette from the list

Hiding a palette depends on whether it is one of Musescore's default palettes or one you created yourself using the method above.

To hide a Musescore default palette:

• Right-click the name of the palette you want to hide and click Hide Palette.

To hide a palette you created:

• Right-click the name of the palette you want to hide, click Hide/Delete Palette, then click Hide in the dialog.

Show a hidden palette in the list

• Click Add Palettes at the top of the palette list and click Add beside the palette name.

Delete a palette

Only palettes you created yourself can be deleted.

• Right-click the name of the palette you want to delete, click Hide/Delete Palette, then click Delete permanently in the dialog.

You cannot delete Musescore's default palettes. If you don't intend to use a default palette, hide its name from the list instead.

Customize palettes

You can modify any Musescore default or user-created palette. Symbols may be added or deleted and layouts can be rearranged.

From MuseScore 3.3 onwards, all preset palettes in the Basic and Advanced workspaces can be customized directly (if you are using a previous version you will need to create a new workspace first).

Before customizing a palette:

1. Right-click on the palette name and make sure that Enable Editing is checked. It is automatically checked for new palettes you create yourself.
2. Make sure the palette is opened.

Add an existing score element to a palette

• Press and hold Ctrl+Shift (Mac: Cmd+Shift), then drag the score element from the score onto a palette. The score element could be a symbol, line, text, dynamic, fretboard diagram, imported image etc.

Add a symbol to a palette from the Master Palette

1. If the Master Palette is not visible, select View → Master Palette from the menu, or use the keyboard shortcut Shift+F9 (Mac: fn+Shift+F9).
2. Drag the symbol from the Master Palette window onto a palette.

Change symbol order in a palette

• Drag the symbol to the cell in which you wish to display it. Nearby symbols will automatically move to make space available.

Change the position and size of a symbol in a palette cell

• Right-click the cell and click Properties. The following dialog is displayed:
  
  • Name: The tooltip that appears when you mouse over the cell.
  • Content offset X, Y: Adjusts the position of the symbol in the cell.
  • Content scale: Makes the symbol appear larger or smaller in the cell.
  • Draw staff: Draws the five lines of a musical staff behind the symbol.

Note: Changing these values only affects the appearance of symbols within the palette. It does not change their sizes or offsets on the score page.

Remove a symbol from a palette

• Right-click the symbol and click Delete. Or, select the symbol and click the trash icon to the right of the palette name.

The More command functions differently in a user-created palette. It displays one palette at a time from the palette list, allowing you to add symbols from that palette by dragging or by selecting an item and clicking Add to. Use < and > to step through the palettes in the list.

Palette menu

The following menu appears either by right-clicking the name of a palette or by clicking the ... to the right of the name:

• Hide Palette: Removes the name of the palette from the list of available palettes.
• Hide/Delete Palette: Allows you to either hide or permanently delete a palette you created yourself. Shown in place of the above menu item.
• Insert New Palette: Creates a new empty palette. Identical to Add Palettes→Create custom palette.
• Enable Editing: Allows you to modify the contents and layout of the palette.
• Reset Palette: Discards any customizations made to a palette and restores its default contents and layout.
• Save Palette...: Saves the current palette as an .mpal file.
• Load Palette...: Loads a palette from an .mpal file and displays the palette name in the list.

• Palette Properties...: Displays the following dialog, where you can adjust the appearance of a palette:

  

  • Name: The name shown in the palette list.
  • Cell Size: Width, Height: The dimensions of each individual cell in the palette.
  • Element Offset: Adjusts the vertical offset of all symbols in the palette.
  • Scale: Makes all symbols in the palette appear larger or smaller.
  • Show grid: Draws a border around each palette cell.

Behavior of applied text and lines

If the symbol you are adding to the score from a palette contains a text element (e.g. staff text, dynamic, fingering, volta etc.), then properties such as font type, font size, text color and alignment will adapt according to the following rules:

1. Text properties which have not been altered by the user will adopt the relevant text styles.

2. Custom text properties—those changed by the user before saving the symbol to a custom palette—remain as customized.

By contrast, the line properties of lines applied from a palette always remain unchanged (i.e. as set by the user before saving to a custom workspace, or as predefined in the Basic/Advanced workspaces).

See also

• Master palette

Workspaces

The workspace consists of several components, the main one being the palette area situated to the left of the document window.

Each palette is a folder containing musical symbols (usually related) which can be applied to the score.

• To open or close a palette: Click on the arrow next to the palette name, or double-click the palette name (in versions prior to MuseScore 3.3, click once on either the arrow or the palette name).

To view or hide the palette area of the workspace:

• Press, F9; alternatively, from the menu, select View → Palettes.

MuseScore provides two preset workspaces: Basic (the default option) and Advanced (a version with more palettes and symbols). These contain symbols drawn from the various sections of the Master palette. In addition, you can create your own custom workspaces (below).

Switch between workspaces

Use one of the following methods:

• Select a new workspace from the drop-down menu to the right of the Note Input Toolbar (in versions prior to 3.3. this is located at the bottom of the workspace panel).
• From the menu, select View → Workspaces, and click on one of the options.

Docking/undocking

To dock or undock a workspace, see Side panels.

Create a new workspace

To create a new workspace:

1. Select an existing workspace (use the Switch between workspaces option if required);
2. Click the + button (next to the dropdown list), which displays the following dialog:
   
   Note: this can also be opened from the menu: View→Workspace→New;
3. Enter a name for the new workspace;
4. Tick the components that you want joined to the workspace, namely:
   • Toolbars: Allows you to customize the tool button display and the order in which they are displayed. Access this via View→Toolbars→Customize toolbars.
   • Menu bar: Allows you to change the menus and menu items displayed in the Menu bar. NOT IMPLEMENTED YET;
   • GUI components: Saves information with the workspace about the position of the GUI (Graphical user interface) components, and whether they are open or not. (e.g. Inspector, Timeline);
   • GUI Preferences: Saves the preferences selected for the GUI elements in Edit→Preferences, such as Theme and Canvas settings;
5. Press Save. The new workspace is added to the panel.

Edit a workspace

Note: In versions prior to MuseScore 3.3, only new workspaces can be edited—the Basic and Advanced workspaces are presets only. See Create new workspace.

• To change the palette display: see Palette menu.

• To change the palette contents: see Custom palettes.

• To change the overall workspace display: Select View→Workspace→Edit. This displays a window with the same options as the Create New Workspace dialog (above).

Save custom workspace

Any changes you make to the workspaces are automatically saved to the program (no further action required). Each custom workspace is saved as a separate file in a folder called "workspaces." Its location is as follows:

• Windows: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\MuseScore\MuseScore3\(actually %LOCALAPPDATA%\MuseScore\MuseScore3)
• MacOS: ~/Library/Application\ Support/MuseScore/MuseScore3/.
• Linux: ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-~/.local/share}/MuseScore/MuseScore3/.

See also

• Palettes
• Master palette

Inspector

Displaying the Inspector

The Inspector appears by default on the right of your screen. To show or hide it:

• From the menu, select View and check or uncheck Inspector; alternatively, use the shortcut F8 (Mac: fn+F8).

To undock the Inspector panel:

• Click the double-chevron symbol or double-click the top bar of the panel.

  

  To re-attach the panel double-click on the top bar again. See also: Side panels.

What the Inspector does

When you select any object in the score window, its properties are automatically displayed in the Inspector where they can be edited. Multiple elements can also be selected and edited together—as long as they are of the same type. However, if the selected objects are of different types, then the Inspector restricts you to editing color, visibility, and automatic placement only.

"Reset to style default" and "Set to style" buttons

When you select a score object, two types of buttons are clearly visible on the right-hand side of the Inspector:

• Reset to style default: . Press this button to reset a particular property to the default value—i.e. the one shown in the Style menu.

• Set as style: . Press this button to make the value of a particular property the new default for the style. This will update the Style menu and all other objects governed by that style.

Note: You can also edit styles directly from the Style menu.

Inspector categories

Properties are conveniently listed under categories in the Inspector. Categories can be identified by their bold lettering. For example, if you select a barline, you will see the following displayed at the top of the Inspector:

For details of the various categories and their properties, see below:

Element

All score elements—except frames, breaks and spacers—display this category in the Inspector when selected. The options are as follows:

• Visible: Uncheck this box to make selected elements invisible; alternatively, use the shortcut V (toggle). Invisible elements do not appear in the music when printed out or exported as a PDF or image. If you still want them to remain on display in the document window, make sure that the "Show Invisible" option is selected in View → Show Invisible. Invisible elements will then be colored light gray.

• Color: Click on the rectangle to open a "Color Select" dialog. Adjust the color and opacity of selected elements.

• Automatic placement: See Automatic placement.

• Minimum distance: Minimum distance from other elements when automatic placement is enabled.

• Offset X/Y: Allows you to position selected elements exactly (in terms of space units). A positive number moves the elements right or down; a negative number moves the elements left or up. Snap to grid buttons are also provided.

• Stacking order (Z): See Automatic placement: Stacking order

Element Group

This category is displayed only when you have selected a mixture of different types of elements, and allows editing of color, visibility, and automatic placement only.

Segment

• Leading Space: Use this to increase or decrease the space before an element. This also affects any associated lyric syllables.

Chord

• Offset X/Y: This changes the positon of every note in the same voice as the selected note(s). If you want to make changes to the position of just one note, use the Element category instead).
• Small: Make noteheads and stem small.
• Stemless: Make chord stemless.
• Stem direction: Choice of Auto, Up, or Down.

Note

This category allows you to make changes to selected notes (but for note position—see Element). It contains the following properties:

• Small: Make notehead smaller (you can specify the relative size of all small notes from the menu: Format → Style… → Sizes…).
• Head group: See Notehead groups.
• Head type: See Notehead types.
• Mirror head: Position notehead to the left or right of the stem (default is "Auto").
• Fix to line: When ticked, the note is fixed to the top line of the standard 5-line staff.
• Line: A positive number moves the "fixed" note down; a negative number moves it upwards.
• Play: Unticking this box silences the note.
• Tuning: Adjust tuning of note to the nearest cent.
• Velocity type: Sets the MIDI velocity of notes directly. Choose one of two options:
  • Offset: Make the value shown in "Velocity" relative to the previous dynamic marking. The value is taken as a percent offset, i.e. the note’s real MIDI velocity would be ((100 + Velocity) / 100) times what it would have been without this adjustment. Enter negative values to lower the velocity accordingly.
  • User: Make the value shown in "Velocity" absolute (i.e. the MIDI velocity is unaffected by dynamic markings).
• Velocity: Set the MIDI velocity according to the option displayed in "Velocity type."

Dynamic

See Dynamics

Tempo text

See Tempo

Fermata

See Fermatas section in Tempo

Select

This category appears differently according to the selection you have made:

• If you select a notehead, the "Select" category displays buttons which allow you to easily switch the selection to the stem, beam, hook, duration dot (or dots) or tuplet number associated with the notehead (see image below).

• If you select a range of measures, the "Select" category allows you to select either all notes, grace notes, or rests.

Beam

This section is displayed in the Inspector when you select one or more note beams, and allows you to make fine adjustments to beam position and angle, and also change the spacing of beamed notes.

Clef

This section appears when you select a clef: the tick box allows you to turn on/off the display of a preceding courtesy clef.

Articulation

This category appears when you select an articulation or ornament. The following options are available:

• Direction: Whether the symbol points up or down: only applicable to certain symbols.
• Anchor: The vertical placement of the symbol:
• Play: Turn on/off playback effect.
• Time stretch: Obsolete. Jump to Fermata instead.
• Ornament style: A choice of default or Baroque playback.

Fretboard diagram

See Fretboard diagrams.

Line

This category is displayed when a line is selected. Here, you can set various general properties.

• Visible: Hide or display just the line: any text remains visible.
• Allow diagonal: The default is horizontal (unticked). Tick if you want to edit the line to create a slope.
• Line color/thickness/style: Set various properties of the line.

Text Line Details

This category is displayed when a line is selected. It allows you to set the wording of a line, edit text properties, set line hooks, and align the text in relation to the line.

• Begin hook / Height: At the beginning of the line, specify None, 90° (vertical), 45° (angled), or 90° centered; set hook length.

• End hook / Height: Ditto for the very end of the line.

• Begin Text / Continue Text / End Text: Refers to text at the very beginning of the line; at the beginning of any continuation line; or at the end of the very last line. All have the same properties, as follows:

• Text: Create or edit the text associated with the line.
• Font face / Size / Style: Set the text properties, and/or edit the text style of the line.
• Align: Set the horizontal and vertical alignment of the text in relation to the line.
• Placement: Place the text on (Above/Below), or to the left of the line.
• Offset X / Y: Adjust the x and y offsets for exact positioning.

Properties dialogs

Some object types have additional properties. These are accessed by right-clicking on the object and choosing a "... properties" option from the context menu. The settings available in these dialogs are explained in the description of the object type in Notation or Advanced topics.
See:

• Articulations and ornaments
• Time signatures
• Staff and system text
• Measure operations
• Staff/Part properties

See also

• Note input
• Layout and formatting
• Parts

Measure operations

Note: To ensure that inserted or appended measures display correctly, multimeasure rests should be set to off (toggle M).

Select

Single measure

• To select a single measure, click on a space within the measure.

Range of measures

• To select a continuous range of measures, see Shift + click selection and Shift selection.

Insert

Insert an empty measure into the score

Use one of the following options:

• Select a measure or a frame, then press Ins (Mac: Shift+I).
• Select a measure or a frame, then choose from the menu: Add→Measures→Insert Measure.

Insert multiple measures

Use one of the following options:

• Select a measure or a frame, then press Ctrl+Ins (Mac: Shift+Del+I); fill in the "Number of measures to insert" field and press OK.
• Select a measure or a frame, then choose from the menu: Add→Measures→Insert Measures...; fill in the "Number of measures to insert" field and press OK.

Append

Append an empty measure to the end of a score

Use one of the following options:

• Press Ctrl+B (Mac: Cmd+B).
• Select from the menu: Add→Measures→Append One Measure.

Append multiple measures to the end of a score

Use one of the following options:

• Press Alt+Shift+B; fill in the "Number of measures to append" field and press OK.
• Select from the menu: Add→Measures→Append Measures...; fill in the "Number of measures to append" field and press OK.

Remove

Remove a single measure

1. Select the measure
2. Press Ctrl+Del (Mac: Cmd+Del).

Remove a range of measures

1. Select a range of measures;
2. Press Ctrl+Del (Mac: Cmd+Del).

Note: In multistaff scores, measure deletion also removes all corresponding measures in the other staves of the system;

Remove empty trailing measures

To automatically remove any blank measures from the end of the score:

• From the menu, select Tools→Remove empty trailing measures.

Delete measure contents

To delete only the measure contents (and not the measure itself):

1. Select one or more measures;
2. Press Del.

Properties

To edit the properties of a measure, right-click an empty part of the measure and select Measure Properties...:

You can use the buttons, at the bottom left of the dialog, to navigate to the previous or next measure.

Staves

• Visible: Check/uncheck to show/hide notes and staff lines for the selected measure.
• Stemless: Check/Uncheck to show/hide all note stems for the selected measure.

Measure duration

This section of the dialog allows you to adjust the duration of a single measure independently of the displayed time signature. Use it to create a pickup measure (also known as anacrusis or upbeat), cadenza, ad lib section etc.

• Nominal is the apparent time signature and cannot be edited.
• Actual can be set to anything you like regardless of the nominal time signature.

Example: In the image below, the quarter note pickup measure has a nominal time signature of 4/4, but an actual time sig. of 1/4. The measures in the middle are in normal 4/4 time. The complementary measure at the end of the staff, with a dotted half note, has an actual time sig. of 3/4.

Note: A small - or + sign appears above the measure when its duration is different than indicated by the time signature (see image below). This does not appear in any printed or PDF copy. You can turn off these marks by unchecking "Mark Irregular Measures" in the View menu.
Pressing Ctrl+Del on a note or pause also reduces the duration of the measure, while via insert mode you can increase the duration of the measure.

Other

Exclude from measure count

• Exclude from measure count: Tick to exclude the selected measure from measure numbering (e.g. a pickup measure).

Break multimeasure rests

• Break multimeasure rests: Tick to prevent a multimeasure rest at the start of the selected measure. This option should be checked before turning on "Create multimeasure rests" in Format→Style...→Score. The default program setting for scores is OFF; for parts is ON.

Note: Multimeasure rests are broken, by default, at important breaks—such as rehearsal marks, time signature changes, double barlines, irregular measures, etc.

Measure number mode

This allows you to control whether and how measure numbers display on the selected measure:

• Auto: Follows the setting in Format→Style...→Measure Numbers.
• Always Show: Forces display of number.
• Always Hide: Hides number.

Layout stretch

• Layout stretch: Controls the amount of horizontal space between score elements (notes, rests, etc.).

This setting allows a more precise degree of control than offered by the Increase/Decrease Stretch ({ and }) commands.

Add to measure number

• Add to measure number": Enter a positive or negative number to change the number of the selected measure, and subsequent meaures. A value of "-1" has the same effect as marking a measure to be excluded from measure count.

Play Count

• Play count: If a measure precedes an end repeat barline, this value controls the number of times that the entire repeat section plays back: see also, Repeats and jumps.

Vertical alignment

See Barlines:Vertical alignment

Numbering

By default, MuseScore numbers the first measure of each System (except for the first measure in a section), but other numbering options are available: see Format→Style...→Measure Numbers.

Split and join

To make a measure longer or shorter in duration—without changing the time signature—you can adjust its Measure Properties (above). But it is also possible to join or split measures.

Join measures

Method A. To join two measures only:

• Select the barline between the two measures and press Ctrl+Del.

Method B. To join any number of measures:

1. Select the measures you want to join;
2. From the menu bar, select Tools→Measure→Join Selected Measures.

Notes: (1) If you select measures on only one staff in a score with multiple staves, the same measures will be joined in each staff of the system. (2) Beaming may be automatically modified. (3) If you have generated parts already, this option is disabled.

Split a measure

Choose one of the following methods:

• Select a note; then hold Ctrl and click a barline in a palette (double-click in versions prior to 3.4).
• Hold Ctrl and drag a barline (from a palette) to the note that starts the next measure.
• Select a note; then, from the menu bar, select Tools→Measure→Split Measure Before Selected Note/Rest.

Note: If you select only one note from one staff, each staff of the system will be split at the same place.

See also

• Barlines
• Measure (Layout and formatting style)

External links

• How to span a measure over multiple systems (MuseScore HowTo, 1.x)
• How to split a measure (MuseScore HowTo, 1.x)
• How to delete measures (MuseScore HowTo)
• How to get scores without time signature (and clef) (MuseScore HowTo)

Voices

Daily usage of the term voice refers to a musical line or part which can have its own rhythm. In Musescore, voice is different, it is extended to include more, it is a software feature that allows individual stem direction within a chord, provides automatic stem direction function, and allows easier playback control. For each staff that can contain a clef symbol, Musescore offers 4 voices for composers to assign to. Voices are sometimes called "layers" in other notation software. N.B. Be careful not to confuse the concept of MuseScore voices (1, 2, 3, 4) with the order of voices found in SATB vocal scores.

How voices are displayed

Selecting a section of the score highlights each voice in a different color: voice 1 blue, voice 2 green, voice 3 orange and voice 4 purple.

Tips for writing SATB scores

• In Open score SATB (where four staves are used for the four voices separately), use (MuseScore) voice 1 in each staff.
• In Close/Closed score SATB (where two staves are used for the four voices, e.g., as in hymnals),
  • use (MuseScore) voices 1 and 2 only, for both upper and lower staves: in the upper staff use voice 1 for S (soprano) and voice 2 for A (alto) ; in the lower staff use voice 1 for T (tenor) voice 2 for B (bass)
  • Beginner's error: use voice 3 for T (tenor) or voice 4 for B (bass), this will create unwanted rest symbols, jump to hide rests.
  • Beginner's error: use voice 1 for B (bass), this will not activate the automatic stem direction function.
• There is usually no need to use (MuseScore) voices 3 and 4, jump to When to use voices

When to use voices

• If you have multiple musical lines that have different rhythm, that is, notes of different note lengths playing at the same time.
• If you want to write polyphonic music easily with the automatic stem direction function.
• If you need stems pointing in opposite directions within a chord, on a single staff.
• If you need to mute musical line separately in the Mixer.
• If you need to use voices for a plugin such as Check for parallel fifths and octaves.

Limitations of voices

• You cannot apply dynamics symbols to individual voice
• You cannot change volume of individual voice with a slider in the Mixer, you can mute though

How to enter notes in different voices

The following instructions show you how to notate a passage of music in two voices:

1. Enter voice 1 notes first: Make sure you are in note input mode : the Voice 1 button becomes highlighted in blue in the toolbar. Enter the notes in the top voice first. On inputting, some notes may have down-stems, but these will flip automatically when the second voice is added.

   The following excerpt shows a treble staff with just the voice 1 notes entered:

   

2. Move cursor back to start of section: When you have finished entering a section of voice 1 notes, press the ← key repeatedly to move the cursor, note-by-note, back to the first note of the section; or alternatively use Ctrl+← (Mac:Cmd+←) to move the cursor back one measure at a time. Or else you can simply exit note input mode (press Esc) and click directly on the first note.

3. Enter voice 2 notes: Make sure you are in note-input mode and that the voice 1 note at the beginning of the section is selected. Click on the "Voice 2" button (on the right of the toolbar), or use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+2 (Mac: Cmd+Alt+2). Enter all the lower voice notes (down-stem).

   The following image shows the above example after the addition of voice 2 notes:
   

Automatic stem direction

• Notes in voice 1 and 3 have upward stem ; voice 2 and 4 have downward stem. Use this function to write polyphonic music easily. This feature will not activate in any measure where voice 1 is used but voice 2 is missing.
• You can always override and set each note's stem direction directly using Stem direction property under Chord section in Inspector, or press X.
• If you do not want this function at all, use only voice 1 in each staff whenever you can.
• Beginner's error: for a Close/Closed score SATB, beginners often use voice 1 for B (bass), this will not activate the automatic stem direction function, jump to tips

Automatic rests

Rests are automatically added to voices of lower number if they contains no notes. Avoid this by using lowest voice number possible in each staff whenever you can.

Beginner's error: for a Close/Closed score SATB, beginners often use voice 3 for T (tenor) or voice 4 for B (bass), this will create unwanted rest symbols. jump to tips

Deleting and hiding rests

All rests can be made invisible, if required: select the desired rest(s) and press V, or uncheck the "Visible" checkbox in the Inspector. Rests in voices 2, 3 or 4 (but not voice 1) can also be deleted (by selecting them and pressing Delete) but it is not recommended: make them invisible instead.

A voice 1 rest can only be deleted by removing that part of the measure from the score as well: see Remove selected range; or Delete measure(s).

Restoring deleted rests

If a rest has been deleted in voices 2-4, you will need to restore it before you can enter a note on that beat in that voice (the problem may arise, for example, in imported XML or MIDI files). The easiest way to fix such a measure is to exchange that voice with voice 1 twice. For the exact method, see Exchange voices of notes (below).

Exchange voices of notes

To swap the notes between any two voices:

1. Select one or more continuous measures (or a range of notes);
2. From the Menu bar, select Tools → Voices;
3. Select the option for the two voices you want to exchange.

Notes: (a) The selection can encompass content of any voice, but only two will be processed at once. (b) If you select a partial measure the operation will still apply to the whole measure.

Move notes to another voice (without swapping)

You can also move notes from one voice to another (without note-swapping):

1. Ensure you are not in note input mode.
2. Select one or more noteheads (in any voice).
3. Click on the destination voice in the Note Input toolbar or use the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+1–4 (Mac: Cmd+Alt+1-4).

Note: For a successful move, the following conditions need to be met:

• The chord in the destination voice must be the same duration as the note to be moved there.
• Alternatively, if the destination voice is occupied by a rest, it must be of sufficient duration to accommodate the moved note.
• Notes should not be tied.

Navigate between voices

To select a note in a higher-numbered voice than the current one:

1. Use Alt + ↓, to move the selection to the bottommost note in the current voice;
2. Press Alt + ↓, to move to the higher-numbered voice;
3. Repeat any of the above steps, as necessary, until the desired note is selected.

To select a note in a lower-numbered voice than the current one:

1. Use Alt + ↑, to move the selection to the topmost note in the current voice;
2. Press Alt + ↑, to move to the lower-numbered voice.
3. Repeat any of the above steps, as necessary, until the desired note is selected.

See also

• Keyboard shortcuts: Voices
• Noteheads: Shared noteheads

External links

• How to merge/combine/implode two staves in one with two voices (MuseScore HowTo)
• How to input multiple notes on a staff with different durations (MuseScore HowTo)

Copy and paste

MuseScore supports standard copy, cut, paste and swap with clipboard operations. These commands can be applied to a range of:

• Musical notes: e.g. to repeat a section of music, or shift a passage by a beat or a measure.
• Other score elements: such as articulations, staff text, dynamics, fingering etc.

Copy/cut/paste/swap commands are accessed in three ways:

• From the Edit menu (above the document window).
• From the menu displayed by right-clicking on an element or range of elements.
• Using one of the standard keyboard shortcuts.

Summary of commands

Command	Kbd Shortcut (Win)	Kbd Shortcut (Mac)	Right-click menu	Main menu
Cut	Ctrl+X	Cmd+X	Cut	Edit → Cut
Copy	Ctrl+C	Cmd+C	Copy	Edit → Copy
Paste	Ctrl+V	Cmd+V	Paste	Edit → Paste
Swap with clipboard	Ctrl+Shift+X	Cmd+Shift+X	Swap with Clipboard	Edit → Swap with clipboard
Paste Half Duration	Ctrl+Shift+Q			Edit → Paste Half Duration
Paste Double Duration	Ctrl+Shift+W			Edit → Paste Double Duration

Note: Before carrying out a copy, cut, paste or swap procedure, you should be in normal mode. Press the Esc key to exit into normal mode.

Notes

You can cut, copy, paste or swap notes as follows:

Copy or cut

To copy/cut a single chord

1. Hold down Shift and click on a note in the chord.
2. Apply a Copy or Cut option (see table above).

To copy/cut a range of chords

1. Click on the first note or measure that you want to select.
2. Shift+Click on the last note or measure that you want to select. A blue rectangle highlights the region you selected.
3. Apply a Copy or Cut option (see table above).

Paste

1. Click on the note or measure where you want your pasted selection to begin.
2. Apply a Paste option (see table above).

Swap with Clipboard

The swap with clipboard operation combines two commands into one: (1) First it overwrites a selected part of the score with the contents of the clipboard, just like the paste command; (2) Secondly, it transfers the overwritten part of the score back to the clipboard, just like the copy command.

It can be used, for example, to swap two equal-length sections of a score, A and B:

1. Select section A, then apply the cut command;
2. Clear the selection (by pressing Esc or clicking on a blank area of the document window);
3. Press Shift and click on a note at the start of section B. Or, if B begins at the start of a measure, you can also simply select the measure;
4. Apply a Swap with clipboard option (see table above).
5. Section B is now in the clipboard. Paste it back to the blank area of score left by step "1."

Copy pitch of a single note only

It is possible to copy the pitch of a note only (and no other properties), by clicking on the notehead and applying the standard copy and paste, or copy and swap procedure. The pitch of the destination note changes to match that of the copied note but the duration remains the same.

Other elements

Some elements such as staff text, dynamics, fingering, etc. can be cut, copied and pasted only one at a time. However, other elements support "multiple-selection" cut/copy/paste: such as articulations (sforzato, staccato etc.), fretboard diagrams, and chord symbols.

Note: The Swap with clipboard command is only intended for use with sections of music and not other score elements.

Copy or cut

1. Select the element (or elements).
2. Apply a Copy or Cut option (see table above).

Paste

1. Click on the note where you want your pasted selection to begin.
2. Apply one of the Paste options (see table above).

In the case of articulations, they are pasted to the destination notes in exactly the same order (continuous or intermittent) as they were in the initial selection.

Quick repeat

To quickly copy and paste a note, measure, or passage:

1. Select a chord, measure, or passage as described above.
2. Press R .

MuseScore copies and pastes the selected notation to a point immediately after the last note in the selection. Any existing music in the destination range is replaced.

Duplicate

To instantaneously copy and paste a text element, line, or other object:

1. Hold down Ctrl+Shift (Mac: Cmd+Shift), click on the element and drag it anywhere in the score.
2. Release the mouse button, and the selected element is cloned to the new location.

Paste half/double duration (version 3.1 and above)

These commands allows you to copy/cut a section of the score, then paste it back anywhere with all the note durations either halved or doubled.

1. In Normal mode, select a range of notes in the score;
2. Cut or copy the range;
3. Select a destination note (or measure);
4. From the menu, select one of the following:
   • Edit→Paste Half Duration.
   • Edit→Paste Double Duration.

or use keyboard shortcuts:

• Ctrl+Shift+Q : Paste half duration
• Ctrl+Shift+W : Paste double duration

Selection filter

The Selection Filter allows you to choose exactly which voices and elements you want to include in your selection.

• To display the Selection filter, press F6 (Mac: Fn+F6); or from the menu, choose View→Selection Filter.

The Selection Filter appears by default below the Palettes. To change the viewing location, see Viewing and Navigation: Side panels.

Example: Suppose you want to copy measures 1 and 2 in the following passage (see image), to give measures 3 and 4:

1. Make sure the Selection Filter is displayed (see above);
2. Uncheck the "Articulations & Ornaments" and "Slurs" tickboxes;
3. Copy and paste the desired measures (in this example, 1-2 into 3-4).

Note: The Selection Filter works with the swap with clipboard command as well.

See also

• Note input.
• To change notes without altering the rhythm, use Re-pitch mode with copy and paste.

External links

• How To Paste Special - Changing note duration (MuseScore HowTo)
• Video tutorial: Lyrics, copying & dynamics

Selection modes

Objects in the score—such as notes, measures, articulations etc.—can be selected in several ways: (1) one at a time, (2) as a continuous range, or (3) as a list.

Selection is invariably used before applying commands such as delete, copy/cut and paste, transpose and so on.

Select a single object

Most score objects can be selected by simply clicking on them in Normal mode.

Select a single note

• In Normal mode, click on a notehead.

Note: Selecting a single note then copying and pasting it, will only copy and paste the pitch—not duration or other properties (such as stemless). To copy the entire note, including all properties, you need to hold down Shift—as for chord selection (below).

Select a chord

• In Normal mode, press and hold Shift, then click on a notehead in the chord.

Select a single measure

• Click on a blank space within the measure.

Note: To select a range of consecutive measures, see Shift selection and Shift + click selection (below).

Select an overlapping element

To select an element from a group of overlapping elements:

• Hold Ctrl and click until the desired element is selected.

Select a continuous range of objects

There are several ways to select a continuous range of notes, chords or measures etc.:

1. Shift + click selection

To select a range of notes or rests:

1. Make sure you are in Normal mode;
2. Click on the first note or rest in the range;
3. Press and hold Shift, then click on the last desired note or rest.

Note: The final selected element can be in the same staff or in staffs above or below the initial note/rest. All selected elements will be enclosed in a blue rectangle, including associated lines and articulations (but not voltas). You can repeat the operation to extend the selected range as required.

Select chord symbols, lyrics etc. (as of version 3.5)

As of MuseScore 3.5, the shift + click method has been refined to make it easier to select a continuous range of items such as chord symbols, lyrics etc. For example:

1. Click on the first chord symbol in the desired range.
2. Shift + click on the last chord symbol in the range.

Result All chord symbols in that range are selected, and nothing else.

Select a range of measures

1. Click on a blank space in the first desired measure;
2. Hold down Shift, then click on a space in the last measure of the desired range.

Note: As with selecting notes, the range can be extended vertically as well as horizontally.

2. Shift selection

1. Make sure you are in Normal mode;
2. Select the first note, chord, rest or measure in the range. You can extend the selection up or down to adjacent staves, if needed, using Shift+↑ or ↓;
3. Then choose one of the following options:
   • To advance the selection one chord at a time to the right: Press Shift+→.
   • To advance the selection one chord at a time to the left: Press Shift+←.
   • To advance the selection one measure at a time to the right: Press Shift+Ctrl+→ (Mac: Shift+Cmd+→).
   • To advance the selection one measure at a time to the left: Press Shift+Ctrl+← (Mac: Shift+Cmd+←).
   • To advance the selection to the beginning of the line: Press Shift+Home (Mac: Shift+Fn+←).
   • To advance the selection to the end of the line: Press Shift+End (Mac: Shift+Fn+→).
   • To extend the selection to the beginning of the score: Press Shift+Ctrl+Home (Mac: Shift+Cmd+Fn+←).
   • To extend the selection to the end of the score: Press Shift+Ctrl+End (Mac: Shift+Cmd+Fn+→).

3. Drag selection

This method can be used to select notes or rests, or, independently, to select non-note symbols such as staccato dots, lyrics etc.:

• Press and hold Shift, then drag the cursor across the desired range.

4. Select All

This method selects the whole musical score including notes, rests and associated elements. Use one of the following options:

• Press Ctrl+A (Mac: Cmd+A).
• From the menu bar, select Edit → Select All.

5. Select section

This method is used to select a section—a region of the score starting and/or ending with a section break:

1. Click on an empty space in a measure in the section;
2. From the menu bar, select Edit → Select Section.

6. Selection Filter

The Selection Filter allows you include or exclude certain types of elements within a range selection. See Copy and paste: Selection filter

Select a list of objects

To select a list (or discontinuous range) of score elements:

1. Click on the first element;
2. Hold down Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) and successively click on the desired additional elements.

Note: This method cannot be used to select measures. Use single or range selection instead.

Modify an existing selection (as of version 3.5)

You can also use the Ctrl + click method to add to, or subtract from, an existing selection. For example:

1. Make a selection in the score using any of the methods above.
2. To add a non-selected element to the selection, press Ctrl and click on it. Repeat as required.
3. To remove an already-selected element from the selection, press Ctrl and click on it. Repeat as required.

Select all similar

To select all elements of a specific type (e.g., all barlines, all text elements, all staccato markings):

• Click on the first object of the type of element you want to match. Then shift-click the last similar element you want included. This creates a List Selection that includes the clicked element, the shift-clicked element and all similar elements in-between. NOTE: If you shift-click on a dissimilar element then only that element becomes selected. If you use this technique on notes or rests you'll invoke a Range Selection.

— OR —

• Right-click on the type of element you want to match and choose Select… from the contextual menu;
  Several options will appear in the submenu:
  • All Similar Elements
          To select all similar elements in the entire score:
               Right-click the element;
               then choose Select … All Similar Elements
  • All Similar Elements in Same Staff
          To select all similar elements within a particular staff:
               Right-click the element;
               then choose Select … All Similar Elements in Same Staff
  • All Similar Elements in Range Selection:
           NOTE: This only applies if a range has been selected.
                   Within an established range selection,
                   right-click the element you want to match similarly;
                   then choose All Similar Elements in Range Selection
  • More...: opens a dialog that lets you fine-tune more options. For example, if you have a notehead selected, the dialog will look something like this:
    
    Select
  • Same notehead: In this example, only noteheads of the same group will be selected;
  • Same pitch: Only noteheads of the same pitch will be selected;
  • Same string: (tablature only) selects fretmarks on same string.
  • Same type: All noteheads (of any group) will be selected;
  • Same duration: Only noteheads of same duration will be selected;
  • Same note name: Noteheads of that name in all octaves will be selected;
  • Same staff: Only noteheads on the same staff will be selected.
  • Same voice: Selects all notes of same voice.
  • In selection:
  • Same system:
    Action
  • Replace selection: The default option—starts the selection from scratch;
  • Add to selection: Keeps everything you have already selected, and adds the current selection to it;
  • Search in selection:
  • Subtract from selection: Keep everything you have already selected, but takes away the current selection.

What selections are useful for

• Copy and paste
• Edit mode
• Inspector and object properties
• Tools

See also

• Basics chapter, esp. Note input
• Notation chapter, esp. Accidental
• Text chapter, esp. Text editing and Grid-based movement of symbols and staff text

Undo and redo

MuseScore remembers an unlimited number of undo/redo actions.

The standard shortcuts are:

Action	Windows & Linux	Mac
Undo	Ctrl+Z	Cmd+Z
Redo	Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y	Cmd+Shift+Z

Or use the toolbar buttons:

Viewing and navigation

This chapter describes the options available in the View Menu, and in the Zoom and Page View/Continuous View menus (located in the toolbar above the score). It also details the various navigation commands and functions.

View menu

Show sidebars/panels

• Palettes: F9
• Master palette: Shift+F9 (Mac: Fn+Shift+F9)
• Inspector: F8 (Mac: Fn+F8)
• Play Panel: F11 (Mac: Fn+F11)
• Navigator
• Timeline: F12
• Mixer: F10 (Mac: Fn+F10)
• Synthesizer
• Selection filter: F6 (Mac: Fn+F6)
• Piano keyboard: P
• Score comparison tool

Zoom in/out

There are several ways to zoom the score in or out:

• Keyboard shortcut:

  • Zoom In: Ctrl++ (Mac: Cmd ++)
  • Zoom Out: Ctrl +- (Mac: Cmd +-).

• View menu:

  • Zoom In: View→Zoom In
  • Zoom Out: View→Zoom Out.

• Mouse

  • Zoom In: Scroll up with the mouse wheel while holding down Ctrl (Mac: Cmd)
  • Zoom Out: Scroll down with the mouse wheel while holding down Ctrl (Mac: Cmd).

• Drop-down menu: To set a specific zoom, use the dropdown menu in the standard toolbar to set the view magnification of the score (25–1600 %) or display it using the options "Page Width", "Whole Page", or "Two Pages".

  
  You may type a custom zoom % into the dropdown field if your desired zoom level isn't available by default.

• To return to 100% zoom: Use the shortcut Ctrl+0 (Mac: Cmd+0).

Toolbars

The Toolbar area is located between the Menu bar and the document window.

It contains the following toolbars:

• File Operations: New score, Load score, Save, Print, Undo, Redo.
• Zoom/Page View.
• Playback controls: Enable MIDI, Rewind, Play/Stop, Loop, Play Repeats, Metronome.
• Concert Pitch: Displays score in written or concert (sounding) pitch.
• Image Capture: Allows you to take a snapshot of part of the score.
• Note Input: Note entry mode, Duration, Tie, Rest, Accidentals, Flip stem direction, Voice (1, 2, 3, 4).

Show/hide toolbars

To show or hide certain toolbars:

• Select View→Toolbars, and tick/untick the options as required.
• Alternatively, right-click on an empty space in the toolbar area, or the title bar of the Inspector, and, from the menu, check or uncheck the required options.

Note: This option also allows you to show or hide the Timeline, Score Comparison Tool, Script Recorder, Piano Keyboard, Selection Filter, and Drumset Tools.

Customize toolbar area

• Select View→Toolbars, and click on "Customize Toolbars…"

  

The dialog shows the toolbars that can be customized on the left, the current tool buttons for the selected toolbar in the middle, and the buttons that can be added on the right. When you have selected a toolbar in the left panel, you can do any of the following actions:

• Remove a toolbutton: Select the button in the middle panel, and press →.
• Add a toolbutton: Select the button in the right panel, and press ←.
• Move a toolbutton: Select the button in the middle panel, and move it up or down using ↑ or ↓.

Note: The toolbar cannot be customized unless a custom workspace is selected (see below).

Workspaces

Select this option to create a custom workspace or to edit an existing workspace.

Show Status bar

The Status bar, at the bottom of the screen, gives information about selected score elements. Tick/untick this option to display or hide.

Split display

It is possible to split the document display so as to view two documents at once, or to view two different parts of the same document. Tabs allow you to choose which document to display in each view. You can drag the barrier separating the two scores to adjust the amount of space in the window devoted to each:

• Documents Side by Side: Divides the window vertically into two score views.
• Documents Stacked: Divides the window horizontally into two score views, one above the other.

Visibility options

This section allows you to display or hide various non-printing elements:

• Show Invisible: View/hide elements that have been made invisible for printing and export. If this option is ticked, invisible elements are shown in the score window as light gray.
• Show Unprintable: View/hide breaks and spacer symbols.
• Show Frames: View/hide the dotted outlines of frames.
• Show Page Margins: View/hide Page Margins.

Mark irregular measures

A dash at the top right of a measure indicates that its duration differs from that set by the time signature.

Full screen

Full Screen mode expands MuseScore to fill your screen so more content is visible.

Page/Continuous View

You can switch between different views of the score using the drop-down list in the toolbar area:

To scroll the score:

• Vertically: Move the mouse wheel up or down.
• Horizontally: Press Shift and move the mouse wheel up or down.

Page View

In Page View, the score is formatted as it will appear when printed or exported as a PDF or image file: that is, page by page, with margins. MuseScore applies system (line) and page breaks automatically, according to the settings made in Page settings and Style…. In addition, you can apply your own system (line), page or section breaks.

To choose between horizontal or vertical page scrolling, see Preferences: Canvas (Scroll pages).

Continuous View

In Continuous View, the score is shown as one unbroken system. Even if the starting point is not in view, measure numbers, instrument names, clefs, time and key signatures will always be displayed on the left of the window.

Note: Because the layout is simpler, MuseScore may perform faster in Continuous View than Page View.

Single Page View

In Single Page View the score is shown as a single page with a header but no margins, and with an infinite page height. System (line) breaks are added automatically, according to the settings made in Page settings and Style…. In addition, you can apply your own system (line) or section breaks.

Side panels

The workspaces, Inspector and Selection filter are conveniently displayed as side panels to the left and right of the score window. To undock a side panel use one of the following methods:

• Drag the panel;
• Click on the double chevron at the top of the panel;
• Double-click in the title area at the top of the panel.

To dock a panel use one of the following procedures:

• Drag the panel to the top/bottom of an existing side panel and it will stack vertically above/below that panel.
• Drag the panel to the middle of an existing side panel and it will overlay that panel. Both panels can then be accessed by tabs.

Alternatively, double-clicking the title bar of the panel will restore it to its previously docked position.

Navigation

Commands

Various commands are available to help you navigate more easily through the score. These are listed under Keyboard shortcuts: Navigation.

Navigator

The Navigator is an optional panel which displays page thumbnails of the score at the bottom or to the right of the document window.

• To view or hide the Navigator, select View→Navigator; or use a customized shortcut.

The Navigator appears at the bottom of the document window if scrolling pages horizontally; or on the right if scrolling pages vertically (see Preferences: Canvas).

The blue box represents the area of the score that is currently visible in the document window: drag the box, or click directly on the navigator panel to bring another part of the score into view. You can also drag the scrollbar.

Timeline

The Timeline panel provides a detailed overview of the score, with expanded possibilities for navigation and interaction.

• To display the Timeline, press F12; or select View→Timeline.

For details, see Timeline.

Find / Go to

The Find / Go to function allows you to speedily navigate to a specific measure, rehearsal mark or page number in the score:

1. Press Ctrl+F (Mac: Cmd+F), or select Edit→Find. This opens the Find (or Go to) bar at the bottom of the workspace.

2. Use one of the following options:

   • To go to a numbered measure: enter the measure number (counting every measure, starting with 1, irrespective of pickup measures, section breaks or manual changes to measure number offsets).
   • To go to a numbered page: enter the page number using the format pXX (where XX is the page number).
   • To go to a numerical rehearsal mark: enter the number using the format rXX (where XX is the name of the rehearsal mark).
   • To go to a rehearsal mark starting with a letter: enter the name of the rehearsal mark (the search is case insensitive).

   N.B.: It is best to avoid naming rehearsal marks with the single letters "R", "r", "P", "p", or one of these letters with an integer (e.g. "R1" or "p3"), as this can confuse the search algorithm.

Note: The "Pan score automatically" toolbar button must be enabled for the Find command to be able to reposition the score view to the correct location.

See also

• Save/Export/Print
• File format
• Layout and formatting

Concert pitch

You can choose to display the score in either written or concert (sounding) pitch. Written pitch displays the score as it should look when printed for musicians to read. However, during preparation you may prefer the convenience of seeing the transposing instruments notated as they sound, without transposition. In this case you should select the "Concert pitch" option.

To toggle the score display between written or concert pitch:

• Press the Concert Pitch button (located in the top right of the toolbar area). When this button is highlighted the score is in concert pitch.

Before printing the score, exporting it to PDF or saving it online, you should ensure that the Concert Pitch button is off, and that the individual parts are correctly transposed.

See also

• Transposition: Transposing instruments
• Accidental: Respell pitches

External links

• Concert pitch (Wikipedia article)
• Transposing Instrument (Wikipedia article)
• Concert pitch or not? (MuseScore forum discussion)

Open/Save/Export/Print

In the File menu you can find options for opening, saving, exporting and printing your file:

Open

Apart from native format files (*.mscz and *.mscx), MuseScore can also open MusicXML, compressed MusicXML and MIDI files, as well as a variety of files in other formats.

To open any supported file:

1. Choose one of the following options:
   • Press Ctrl+O.
   • Click on the "Load score" icon on the left side of the toolbar area.
   • From the menu bar, select File→Open....
2. Select a file and click Open; or simply double-click a file.

Open recent allows you to choose from a list of recently-opened scores.

Save

Save, Save As…, Save a Copy… and Save Selection… allow you to save native MuseScore files (.mscz and .mscx).

• Save: Save current score to file.
• Save As...: Save current score to new file.
• Save a Copy...: Save current score to new file, but continue to edit original file.
• Save Selection...: Save selected measures to new file.
• Save Online...: To save and share your scores on the web at MuseScore.com. For details, see Share scores online.

Export

Export... allows you to create non-MuseScore files, such as PDF, MusicXML, MIDI, and various audio and image formats. In the Export dialog, you can choose which format to export to.

• Export...: Export current score to format of your choice.
  
  Here you can also select whether to export parts and which

MuseScore remembers which format you picked the last time and makes that the default for the next time.

Print

Print... allows to print your MuseScore file directly to a printer from MuseScore. Depending on your printer you will have different options, but generally you can define the page range, number of copies and collation.

If you have a PDF printer installed, you could also "export" to PDF using Print, but it's usually better to use the native PDF option under Export for more accurate rendition. Note: For this to work properly with Adobe PDF, make sure to uncheck "Rely on system fonts only, do not use document fonts" in Printer properties.

See also

• File format
• Part extraction

Share scores online

Musescore.com allows you to:

• View and listen to scores from a large repository created by the MuseScore community.
• Download any score in a variety of formats—MuseScore, MusicXML, PDF, MIDI, MP3.
• Upload your own scores: control whether to share them publicly or privately (via a secret link).
• Synchronize your score with a YouTube video ("Videoscores").

Note: A MuseScore Pro account is required for all scores not marked as PD (Public Domain) or "Original" work, the latter must also have the approval of the score owner.

Create an account

1. Visit MuseScore.com and click on "Create new account". Pick a username and enter a valid email and press "Create New Account".
2. Wait a few minutes for an email from MuseScore.com support. If no email arrives, check your spam folder.
3. Click the link in the email and visit your user profile to change your password.

Share a score directly from MuseScore

To save a score online:

1. Make sure that the Concert Pitch button is off, and that the individual parts are correctly transposed.

2. From the menu, select File→Save Online.... The "Log in to MuseScore" dialog will appear:

   

3. Enter your email address or MuseScore username, and password, then click OK. Note: If you don't have a MuseScore account yet, create one first by clicking on the "Create an account" link. That will open your browser app and bring you to musescore.com/user/register.

4. Upon successfully logging in and if the score already exists online, it will be updated automatically. Uncheck Update the existing score to save online as a new score.

   

5. If you are using a different SoundFont than the default one and if you are able to export MP3 files (may not be the case on some Linux versions), a checkbox Upload score audio will be visible:
   
   If the checkbox is checked, MuseScore will render the audio of the score using the current synthesizer settings and upload the audio to MuseScore.com.

6. Now you'll be able to enter your score information.

   

   • Make the score private: If selected, the score can only be viewed via a private link. If set to public, the score is visible to all.
   • Ensemble type: A list of possible values
   • Genre: A list of possible values
   • Title: The title of the score.
   • Description: The descriptive text that will appear next to it.
   • Copyright and download settings: Choose an appropriate copyright license from the drop-down list.
     Note: Creative Commons license, allows people to use your scores under certain restrictions.
     Here you also can restrict the ability of others to download your score (requires a Pro membership on MuseScore.com).

Upload a score on MuseScore.com

You can also upload a score on MuseScore.com directly:

1. Click the Upload link on MuseScore.com.
2. You have the same options as with the Save Online menu, except for uploading score audio.

Edit a score on MuseScore.com

If you want to make changes to one of your scores on MuseScore.com, edit the MuseScore file on your own computer, save it, and then do the following:

• If you originally shared the score directly from within MuseScore, simply go to File→Save Online... again to update the online score.
• If you originally uploaded the score via the Upload page on MuseScore.com, then you must follow these steps to update the online score:
  1. Go to the score page on MuseScore.com.
  2. Click the three dots menu ⋮ on the right and choose "Update this score".
  3. In the form, you can upload a replacement score file as well as change the accompanying information and privacy settings.

Switch to the direct method of updating an online score

It is much more convenient to update online scores from directly within MuseScore than by updating the score manually from the score page. Follow these steps if you originally uploaded the score via the Upload page and now want to switch to the direct method:

1. Go to the score page on MuseScore.com and copy the URL.
2. Open the score file on your computer with MuseScore.
3. From the menu, select File→Score Properties... and paste the URL into the "Source" field.

Now whenever you want to update the online score simply go to File→Save Online....

Note: The URL should be follow the format of https://musescore.com/XXXXXXXX/scores/XXXXXXXX and should not contain 'Nice Link's.

External links

• How to delete a score saved on MuseScore.com (MuseScore HowTo)
• Score download becomes a part of the Pro subscription
• Download becomes a part of the Pro subscription