Revert to factory settings

Updated 1년 ago
This page shows old instructions for MuseScore 1.
For MuseScore 4 users, see Revert to factory settings.

Recent versions of MuseScore have the option to revert back to the standard built-in presets or "factory-settings". This can be helpful if your settings are corrupted. This is not a normal occurrence, so it is best to consult the forums first, as there maybe a way to solve your problem without resetting everything.

Warning: reverting to "factory settings" removes any changes you have made to the preferences, palettes, or window settings.

Instructions for Windows

  1. If you have MuseScore open, you need to close it first (File → Quit)
  2. Type Windows key+R to open the Run dialog. (The Windows key is the one with the logo for Microsoft Windows.)
  3. Click Browse...
  4. Look for mscore.exe on your computer. The location may vary depending on your installation, but it is probably something similar to My Computer > Local Disk > Program Files > MuseScore > bin > mscore.exe
  5. Click Open to leave the Browse dialog and return to the Run dialog. The following text (or something similar) should display in the Run dialog: "C:\Program Files\MuseScore\bin\mscore.exe". (For 64-bit Windows, the location is "C:\Program Files (x86)\MuseScore\bin\mscore.exe" ).
  6. Click after the quote and add a space followed by a hyphen and a capital F: -F
  7. Press OK

After a few seconds, MuseScore should start and all the settings reverted to "factory settings".

For advanced users, the main preference file is located at:

  • Windows Vista or later: C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\MusE\MuseScore.ini
  • Windows XP or earlier: C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Application Data\MusE\MuseScore.ini

The other preferences (palette, session...) are in:

  • Windows Vista or later: C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\MusE\MuseScore\
  • Windows XP or earlier: C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME\Local Settings\Application Data\MusE\

Instructions for Mac OS X

  1. If you have MuseScore open, you need to quit the application first (File → Quit)
  2. From the Open Applications/Utilities/Terminal and a Terminal session window should appear
  3. Type, (or copy/paste) the following command into your terminal line (include the '/' at the front):

    /Applications/MuseScore.app/Contents/MacOS/mscore -F

This resets all MuseScore preferences to factory settings and immediately launches the MuseScore application. Note that you cannot quit the Terminal without quitting MuseScore. You can safely quit MuseScore, quit the Terminal, and then reopen MuseScore in the normal fashion, ready to continue using.
For advanced users, the main preference file is located in ~/.config/muse.org/MuseScore.ini.
The other preferences (palette, session...) are in ~/Library/Application Support/MusE/MuseScore/

Instructions for Linux (please adapt for flavors other than Ubuntu)

  1. If you have MuseScore open, you need to quit the application first (File → Quit)
  2. From the Ubuntu main menu, choose Applications → Accessories → Terminal. A Terminal session window should appear
  3. Type, (or just copy/paste) the following command into your terminal line:

    mscore -F

This resets all MuseScore preferences to factory settings and immediately launches the MuseScore application. You can now quit Terminal, and continue using MuseScore.

For advanced users, the main MuseScore preference file is located at ~/.config/MusE/MuseScore.ini
The other preferences (palette, session...) are in ~/.local/share/data/MusE/MuseScore/