PLEASE NOTE: This page was copied from the equivalent page in the MuseScore 3 Handbook. If you find an option that no longer works in MuseScore 4, please report it on GitHub and add a note next to that option on this page. If the option was intentionally removed from MuseScore 4 then please delete it from this page.
MSCORE(1) — General Commands Manual Page
mscore, MuseScore4 — MuseScore 4 sheet music editor
You can launch MuseScore from the command line by typing
[options] and [filename] are optional. For this to work the MuseScore executable must be in %PATH% (Windows) resp. $PATH (Mac and Linux). If it is not, see Revert to factory settings for detailed instructions on how and where to find and execute the MuseScore executable from the command line on the various supported platforms.
A more detailed synopsis follows:
mscore [-deFfhIiLmnOPRstvw]
[-b | --bitrate bitrate]
[-c | --config-folder pathname]
[-D | --monitor-resolution DPI]
[-d | --debug]
[-E | --install-extension extension file]
[-e | --experimental]
[-F | --factory-settings]
[-f | --force]
[-h | -? | --help]
[-I | --dump-midi-in]
[-i | --load-icons]
[-j | --job file.json]
[-L | --layout-debug]
[-M | --midi-operations file]
[-m | --no-midi]
[-n | --new-score]
[-O | --dump-midi-out]
[-o | --export-to file]
[-P | --export-score-parts]
[-p | --plugin name]
[-R | --revert-settings]
[-r | --image-resolution DPI]
[-S | --style style]
[-s | --no-synthesizer]
[-T | --trim-image margin]
[-t | --test-mode]
[-v | --version]
[-w | --no-webview]
[-x | --gui-scaling factor]
[--diff]
[--long-version]
[--no-fallback-font]
[--raw-diff]
[--run-test-script]
[--score-media]
[--score-meta]
[--highlight-config]
[--score-parts]
[--score-parts-pdf]
[--score-transpose]
[--sound-profile]
[--source-update]
[--template-mode]
[file ...]
MuseScore is a Free and Open Source WYSIWYG cross-platform multi-lingual music composition and notation software, released under the GNU General Public Licence (GPLv3).
Running mscore without any extra options launches the full graphical MuseScore program and opens any files specified on the command line.
The options are as follows:
Set MP3 output bitrate in kbit/s
Override configuration and settings directory
Specify monitor resolution (override autodetection)
Start MuseScore in debug mode
Install an extension file; soundfonts are loaded by default unless -e is also specified
Enable experimental features, such as layers
Use only the standard built-in presets (“factory settings”) and delete user preferences; compare with the -R option (see also Revert to factory settings)
Ignore score corruption and version mismatch warnings in “converter mode”
Display an overview of invocation instructions (doesn’t work on Windows)
Display all MIDI input on the console
Load icons from the filesystem; useful if you want to edit the MuseScore icons and preview the changes
Process a conversion job (see EXAMPLES below)
Start MuseScore in layout debug mode
Specify MIDI import operations file (see EXAMPLES below)
Disable MIDI input
Start with the New Score wizard regardless whether it’s enabled or disabled in the user preferences
Display all MIDI output on the console
Export the given (or currently opened) file to the specified output file. The file type depends on the extension of the filename given. This option switches to “converter mode” and avoids the graphical user interface.
When converting to PDF with the -o option, append each part’s pages to the created PDF file. If the score has no parts, all default parts will temporarily be generated automatically.
Execute the named plugin
Use only the standard built-in presets (“factory settings”) but do not delete user preferences; compare with the -F option
Set image resolution for conversion to PNG files. Default: 300 DPI (actually, the value of “Resolution” of the PNG option group in the Export tab of the preferences)
Load a style file first; useful for use with the -o option
Disable the integrated software synthesizer
Trim exported PNG and SVG images to remove whitespace surrounding the score. The specified margin, in pixels, will be retained (use 0 for a tightly cropped image). When exporting to SVG, this option only works with single-page scores.
Set test mode flag for all files, includes --template-mode
Display the name and version of the application without starting the graphical user interface (doesn’t work on Windows)
Disable the web view component in the Start Center
Scale the score display and other GUI elements by the specified factor; intended for use with high-resolution displays
Print a conditioned diff between the given scores
Display the full name, version and git revision of the application without starting the graphical user interface (doesn’t work on Windows)
Don’t use Bravura as fallback musical font
Print a raw diff between the given scores
Run script tests listed in the command line arguments
Export all media (except MP3) for a given score as a single JSON document to stdout
Set highlight to svg, generated from a given score
Export score metadata to JSON document and print it to stdout
Generate parts data for the given score and save them to separate mscz files
Generate parts data for the given score and export it as a single JSON document to stdout
Transpose the given score and export the data to a single JSON file, print it to stdout
Use with '-o .mp3' or with '-j ', override the sound profile in the given score(s).
Possible values: "MuseScore Basic", "Muse Sounds"
Update the source in the given score
Save files in template mode (e.g. without page sizes)
MuseScore also supports the automatic Qt command line options.
The argument to the -j option must be the pathname of a file comprised of a valid JSON document honoring the following specification:
The top-level element must be a JSONArray, which may be empty.
Each array element must be a JSONObject with the following keys:
in: Value is the name of the input file (score to convert), as JSONString.plugin: Value is the filename of a plugin (with the .qml extension), which will be read from either the global or per-user plugin path and executed before the conversion output happens, as JSONString. Optional, but at least one of plugin and out must be given.out: Value is the conversion output target, as defined below. Optional, but at least one of plugin and out must be given.The conversion output target may be a filename (with extension, which decided the format to convert to), as JSONString.
The conversion output target may be a JSONArray of filenames as JSONString, as above, which will cause the score to be written to multiple output files (in multiple output formats) sequentially, without being closed, re-opened and re-processed in between.
If the conversion output target is a JSONArray, one or more of its elements may also be, each, a JSONArray of two JSONStrings (called first and second half in the following description). This will cause part extraction: for each such two-tuple, all extant parts of the score will be saved individually, with filenames being composed by concatenating the first half, the name (title) of the part, and the second half. The resulting string must be a valid filename (with extension, determining the output format). If a score has no parts (excerpts) defined, this will be silently ignored without error.
Valid file extensions for output are:
flacmetajsonmidmidimlogmp3mposmscxmsczmusicxmlmxloggpdfpngspossvgwavxmlSee below for an example.
SKIP_LIBJACKXDG_CONFIG_HOME~/.config if unset.XDG_DATA_HOME~/.local/share if unset.Note that MuseScore also supports the normal Qt environment variables such as QT_QPA_GENERIC_PLUGINS, QT_QPA_PLATFORM, QT_QPA_PLATFORMTHEME, QT_QPA_PLATFORM_PLUGIN_PATH, QT_STYLE_OVERRIDE, DISPLAY, etc.
/usr/share/mscore-4.0/ contains the application support data (demos, instruments, localization, system-wide plugins, soundfonts, styles, chords, templates and wallpapers). In the Debian packages, system-wide soundfonts are installed into /usr/share/sounds/sf2/, /usr/share/sounds/sf3/ or /usr/share/sounds/sfz/, respectively, instead.
The per-user data (extensions, plugins, soundfonts, styles, templates) and files (images, scores) are normally installed into subdirectories under ~/MuseScore4/ but may be changed in the configuration. Note that snapshot, alpha and beta versions use MuseScore4Development instead of MuseScore4 in all of these paths.
$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/MuseScore/MuseScore4.ini contains the user preferences, list of recently used files and their locations, window sizes and positions, etc. See above for development version paths.
$XDG_DATA_HOME/data/MuseScore/MuseScore4/ contains updated localization files downloaded from within the program, plugin information, cached scores, credentials for the musescore.com community site, session information, synthesizer settings, custom key and time signatures and shortcuts. See above for development version paths.
mscore -o 'My Score.pdf' 'My Score.mscz'
mscore -j job.json
This requires assumes a file job.json exists in the current working directory with content similar to the following:
[
{
"in": "MyScore1.mscz",
"out": "MyScore1.pdf"
},
{
"in": "MyScore2.mscz",
"plugin": "colornotes.qml",
"out": [
"MyScore2-notecolors.pdf",
"MyScore2-notecolors.svg"
]
},
{
"in": "MyScore3.mscz",
"out": [
"MyScore3.pdf",
"MyScore3.musicxml",
"MyScore3.mid",
[
"MyScore3 (",
" part).pdf"
]
]
}
]
If MyScore3.mscz contains excerpts (instrumental parts) then the syntax above would cause files like “MyScore3 (Violin part).pdf” to be generated alongside the conductor’s PDF and MusicXML files, as well as a MIDI file with the full orchestral sound. If MyScore3.mscz has no excerpts defined then only the conductor’s PDF, MusicXML, and orchestral MIDI files will be generated, while the request for part PDFs is silently ignored.
The attached midi_import_options.xml is a sample MIDI import operations file for the -M option.
The mscore utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.
fluidsynth(1), midicsv(1), timidity(1), qtoptions(7)
Online Handbook, full user manual
Support Forum
Reverting to factory settings (troubleshooting)
Project Issue Tracker — Please check first to if the bug you’re encountering has already been reported. If you just need help with something, then please use the support forum instead.
Documentation of automatic Qt command line options
MuseScore attempts to implement the following standards:
MuseScore was split off the MusE sequencer in 2002 and has since become the foremost Open Source notation software.
MuseScore is developed by MuseScore BVBA and others.
This manual page was written by mirabilos <tg@debian.org>.
The automatic Qt command line options are removed from the argument vector before the application has a chance at option processing; this means that an invocation like mscore -S -reverse has no chance at working because the -reverse is removed by Qt first.
MuseScore Studio does not honor /etc/papersize.
Probably some more; check the project’s bug tracker (cf. SEE ALSO).