Developers' handbook

Warning: This guide is accurate for MuseScore version 3.x, but has not been updated for version 4.0 and later. For instructions on building current versions of MuseScore Studio, please see the wiki on GitHub .

Use the TOC above. Don't mind the broken Outline on the right (if you see one).

Feel free to adjust any content or add child pages. For more information about how to add pages etc., see the Administrative guidelines.

Developers of main app use the wiki on github.com now. The main section below still contains useful info.
Developers of plugins use the plugin section below
Developers of MuseScore 3.x compatible soundfont use the soundfont section below

Stay Close

• Devs often make announcements at the forum Announcements and Development and Technology Preview
• Latest news, old blog see below
• Developer group chats

Events

• Google Summer of Code
• Music Hack Day

Getting started

• Your first code contribution
• How to write a good bug report: step-by-step instructions
• How to use a debug version of MuseScore
• Command line options
• Translating MuseScore

Compilation

Compile instructions (All Platforms)

• Compile instructions - Windows (Git)
  • Compile instructions (Visual Studio)
  • Compile instructions (MinGW) (deprecated)
    • Qt Creator 4.x compile instructions
  • Compile instructions (Windows - MSVC with Qt Creator)
• Compile instructions - macOS (Git)
  • Compile instructions (macOS) - Git
• Compile instructions - Linux/BSD - (Git)
  • Compile instructions (Linux and BSD) - Git
  • Compile instructions (Ubuntu) - Git
  • Compile instructions (Fedora) - Git
    • Compile instructions (Fedora 20) - Git
  • Compile instructions (openSUSE Leap and openSUSE Tumbleweed) - Git
  • Compiling with crash reporter support

IDE Configuration

Finding your way around

• Testing
• Automated tests
• Exploring code and data structures
• Finding crashes
• Git workflow
• MuseScore coding rules

Packaging for different Operating Systems

• Packaging for Linux and BSD systems (maintainer wishlist)

UX Design

• Proposing a change to design
• Design reviews and responses

Plugin development

• Plugins for MuseScore 4.x
• Plugins for MuseScore 3.x
• Plugins for MuseScore 2.x
• Plugins for MuseScore 1.x

Soundfont, MIDI velocity and instruments.xml

Useful topics (maybe outdated)

• Dev blog, outdated, no in use since Jan 2020, latest info visit news
• Comparison of stable, beta, and development versions
• Design and implementation
  • MuseScore internal score representation
• Distribution maintainers
• Milestones
• Version information
• Scrapbook of feature changes and additions (outdated)
• Design
  • Branding
  • MuseScore product description
  • Design principles
  • Icon set
  • Palette design
  • Relevant art
  • Sandbox
  • Theme
  • Text style guide
  • Website
    • Homepage
  • Workflow
• Development infrastructure
• MuseScore roadmap
  • Remarks for MuseScore3, bugs, issues
• Release history
• User handbook generation
• Release check list
• Developer group chats

MuseScore 4

• MuseScore 4.0 support for older operating systems
• MuseScore 3 features not implemented in MuseScore 4

• Braille features in MuseScore 4

• Archive

  • MuseScore 2.2 hit list
  • MuseScore 2.1 hit list

Credits

• Meet the MuseScore Contributors

Release notes

• 4.3.0, May 7, 2024 (see changelog)
• 4.2.1, Jan 24, 2024 (see changelog)
• 4.2.0, Dec 18, 2023
• 4.1.1, Jul 26, 2023 (see changelog)
• 4.1.0, Jul 12, 2023
• 4.0.2, March 13, 2023 (see changelog)
• 4.0.1, January 13, 2023 (see changelog)
• 4.0.0, December 14, 2022
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.6.2 (February 8, 2021)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.6.1 (January 27, 2021)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.6.0 (January 14, 2021)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.5.2 (October 16, 2020)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.5.1 (October 9, 2020)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.5.0 (August 6, 2020)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.4.2 (February 7, 2020)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.4.1 (January 25, 2020)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.4.0 (January 24, 2020)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.3.4 (December 4, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.3.3 (November 26, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.3.2 (November 14, 2019)
• (Release notes for MuseScore 3.3.1 (November 13, 2019))
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.3.0 (October 31, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.2.3 (July 8, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.2.2 (June 30, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.2.1 (June 28, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.2.0 (June 25, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.1.0 (May 28, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.0.5 (March 12, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.0.4 (February 28, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.0.3 (February 26, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.0.2 (January 29, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.0.1 (January 15, 2019)
• Release notes for MuseScore 3.0.0 (December 24, 2018)
• Release notes for MuseScore 2.3.2 (July 31, 2018)
• Release notes for MuseScore 2.3.1 (July 6, 2018)
• Release notes for MuseScore 2.3 (June 29, 2018)
• Release notes for MuseScore 2.2.1 (April 3, 2018)
• Release notes for MuseScore 2.2 (March 27, 2018)
• Release notes for MuseScore 2.1 (May 2, 2017)
• Release notes for MuseScore 2.0.3 (April 6, 2016)
• Release notes for MuseScore 2.0.2 (July 16, 2015)
• Release notes for MuseScore 2.0.1 (May 5, 2015)
• Release notes for MuseScore 2.0 (March 23, 2015)
• Release notes for MuseScore 1.3 (February 28, 2013)
• Release notes for MuseScore 1.2 (March 14, 2012)
• Release notes for MuseScore 1.1 (July 27, 2011)
• Release notes for MuseScore 1.0 (February 4, 2011)
• Release notes for MuseScore 0.9.6.3 (September 21, 2010)
• Release notes for MuseScore 0.9.6.2 (August 16, 2010)
• Release notes for MuseScore 0.9.6.1 (July 12, 2010)
• Release announcement for MuseScore 0.9.6 (Jun 8, 2010)
• New features in MuseScore 0.9.5 (Aug 15, 2009)
• New features in MuseScore 0.9.4 (Feb 6, 2009)
• MuseScore 0.9.3 released (September 21, 2008)