MSCORE3(1)

📦
version 3.2.3 · 3 versions
, in debian bookworm, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble

okay bestie, sit down, hydrate, because we're about to read the manual for mscore3(1) — straight out of the General Commands Manual — and it's literally the sheet music editor of your dreams. 💖

✨ NAME ✨

mscore3, musescore3 — MuseScore 3 sheet music editor 🎼

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

mscore3 [-deFfhIiLmnOPRstvw] [-a | --use-audio driver]
        [-b | --bitrate bitrate] [-c | --config-folder pathname]
        [-D | --monitor-resolution DPI]
        [-E | --install-extension extension file] [-j | --job file.json]
        [-M | --midi-operations file] [-o | --export-to file]
        [-p | --plugin name] [-r | --image-resolution DPI]
        [-S | --style style] [-T | --trim-image margin]
        [-x | --gui-scaling factor] [--debug] [--diff] [--dump-midi-in]
        [--dump-midi-out] [--experimental] [--export-score-parts]
        [--factory-settings] [--force] [--help] [--layout-debug]
        [--load-icons] [--long-version] [--new-score]
        [--no-fallback-font] [--no-midi] [--no-synthesizer]
        [--no-webview] [--raw-diff] [--revert-settings]
        [--run-test-script] [--score-media] [--score-mp3]
        [--score-parts-pdf] [--template-mode] [--test-mode] [--version]
        [file ...]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

MuseScore is a Free and Open Source WYSIWYG cross-platform multi-lingual music composition and notation software, released under the GNU General Public Licence (GPLv2). no cap, that's the whole vibe. 👑

Running mscore3 with zero extra options launches the full graphical MuseScore program and opens any files you dropped on the command line. just you, your score, and main character energy. ✨

The options are as follows:

  • -a | --use-audio driver — pick your audio driver, bestie. one of jack, alsa, portaudio, pulse.
  • -b | --bitrate bitrate — sets the MP3 output bitrate, measured in kbit/s.
  • -c | --config-folder pathname — overrides the configuration and settings directory. your settings, your rules. 💅
  • -D | --monitor-resolution DPI — tells it your monitor resolution (overrides autodetection, because sometimes it just guesses wrong 😭).
  • -d | --debug — starts MuseScore in debug mode. detective era. 🔍
  • -E | --install-extension extension file — installs an extension file. soundfonts get loaded by default unless -e is also specified. iykyk.
  • -e | --experimental — turns on experimental features, like layers. living on the edge, fr fr. 🧪
  • -F | --factory-settings — uses only the standard built-in presets ("factory settings") and deletes your user preferences. compare with the -R option. be so careful with this one omg 💀
  • -f | --force — ignores score corruption and version mismatch warnings in "converter mode". chaotic but valid.
  • -h | --help — displays an overview of invocation instructions. the classic.
  • -I | --dump-midi-in — displays all MIDI input on the console.
  • -i | --load-icons — loads icons from the filesystem; useful if you want to edit the MuseScore icons and preview the changes. custom icon era 🎀
  • -j | --job file.json — processes a conversion job (peep "EXAMPLES" below).
  • -L | --layout-debug — starts MuseScore in layout debug mode.
  • -M | --midi-operations file — specifies the MIDI import operations file (peep "EXAMPLES" below).
  • -m | --no-midi — disables MIDI input.
  • -n | --new-score — starts with the New Score wizard, regardless of whether it's enabled or disabled in the user preferences. we love a fresh start 🌱
  • -O | --dump-midi-out — displays all MIDI output on the console.
  • -o | --export-to file — exports the given (or currently opened) file to the specified output file. the file type depends on the extension of the filename you give it. this option switches to "converter mode" and avoids the graphical user interface.
  • -P | --export-score-parts — when converting to PDF with the -o option, appends each part's pages to the created PDF file. if the score has no parts, all default parts will temporarily be generated automatically. so generous of it 🫶
  • -p | --plugin name — executes the named plugin.
  • -R | --revert-settings — uses only the standard built-in presets ("factory settings") but does not delete user preferences; compare with the -F option. the gentle version, we stan.
  • -r | --image-resolution DPI — sets the 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).
  • -S | --style style — loads a style file first; useful for use with the -o option.
  • -s | --no-synthesizer — disables the integrated software synthesiser.
  • -T | --trim-image margin — trims 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. crop it, slay it ✂️
  • -t | --test-mode — sets the test mode flag for all files.
  • -v | --version — displays the name and version of the application without starting the graphical user interface.
  • -w | --no-webview — disables the web view component in the Start Centre.
  • -x | --gui-scaling factor — scales the score display and other GUI elements by the specified factor; intended for use with high-resolution displays. retina girlies rise 🙌
  • --diff — prints a conditioned diff between the given scores.
  • --long-version — displays the full name, version and git revision of the application without starting the graphical user interface.
  • --no-fallback-font — don't use Bravura as fallback musical font.
  • --raw-diff — prints a raw diff between the given scores.
  • --run-test-script — runs script tests listed in the command line arguments.
  • --score-media — exports all media (except MP3) for a given score as a single JSON document to stdout.
  • --score-mp3 — generates an MP3 for the given score and exports it as a single JSON document to stdout.
  • --score-parts-pdf — generates parts data for the given score and exports it as a single JSON document to stdout.
  • --template-mode — saves files in template mode (e.g. without page sizes).

MuseScore supports the automatic Qt command line options (see below).

🎀 Batch conversion job JSON format 🎀

The argument to the -j option must be the pathname of a file comprised of a valid JSON document honouring the following specification. listen closely bestie, this part is structured:

  • 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. efficiency icon ✨
  • 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. no drama, no warning.
  • Valid file extensions for output are:
    • flac — Free Lossless Audio Codec (compressed audio)
    • metajson — various score metadata (JSON)
    • mid — standard MIDI file
    • mlog — internal file sanity check log (JSON)
    • mp3 — MPEG Layer III (lossy compressed audio)
    • mpos — measure positions (XML)
    • mscx — uncompressed MuseScore file
    • mscz — compressed MuseScore file
    • musicxml — uncompressed MusicXML file
    • mxl — compressed MusicXML file
    • ogg — OGG Vorbis (lossy compressed audio)
    • pdf — portable document file (print)
    • png — portable network graphics (image)
      • Individual files, one per score page, with a hyphen-minus followed by the page number placed before the file extension, will be generated.
    • spos — segment positions (XML)
    • svg — scalable vector graphics (image)
    • wav — RIFF Waveform (uncompressed audio)
    • xml — uncompressed MusicXML file

See below for an example. (patience, bestie, it's coming 💖)

🌈 ENVIRONMENT 🌈

  • SKIP_LIBJACK — set this (the value does not matter) to skip initialisation of the JACK Audio Connection Kit library, in case it causes trouble. 🛟
  • XDG_CONFIG_HOME — user configuration location; defaults to ~/.config if unset.
  • XDG_DATA_HOME — user data location; defaults to ~/.local/share if unset.
  • XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR — location of works the user created with the application; defaults to ~/Documents (or a localised version) and can be set in $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/user-dirs.dirs.
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.

🌸 FILES 🌸

Bestie, here's where everything lives on your disk, so listen up 💖

  • /usr/share/mscore3-3.2/ — this is the application support data home base. Inside you'll find demos, instruments, localisation, system-wide plugins, soundfonts, styles, chords, templates and wallpapers. All the good stuff 🎀
Heads up tho: in the Debian packages, the system-wide soundfonts don't chill there — they get installed into /usr/share/sounds/sf2/, /usr/share/sounds/sf3/ or /usr/share/sounds/sfz/, respectively, instead. iykyk 💅

Your per-user data (extensions, plugins, soundfonts, styles, templates) and files (images, scores) normally get installed into subdirectories under $XDG_DOCUMENTS_DIR/MuseScore3/ — but ngl, that can be changed in the configuration ✨

Important note fr fr: snapshot, alpha and beta versions use MuseScore3Development instead of MuseScore3 in all of these paths. Don't get caught slipping 💀
  • $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/MuseScore/MuseScore3.ini — this lil file holds your user preferences, the list of recently used files and their locations, window sizes and positions, etc. See above for development version paths 👀
  • $XDG_DATA_HOME/MuseScore/MuseScore3/ — and this one contains updated localisation files downloaded from within the program, plugin information, cached scores, credentials for the musescore.com community site, session information, synthesiser settings, custom key and time signatures and shortcuts. See above for development version paths 🦋

✨ EXAMPLES ✨

Okay so converting a score to PDF straight from the command line? Iconic, main character energy 👑

mscore3 -o 'My Score.pdf' 'My Score.mscz'

Wanna run a batch job converting multiple documents? Say less:

mscore3 -j job.json

This requires the file job.json in the current working directory to have content similar to the following:

[
  {
    "in": "Reunion.mscz",
    "out": "Reunion-coloured.pdf",
    "plugin": "colornotes.qml"
  },
  {
    "in": "Reunion.mscz",
    "out": [
      "Reunion.pdf",
      [ "Reunion (part for ", ").pdf" ],
      "Reunion.musicxml",
      "Reunion.mid"
    ]
  },
  {
    "in": "Piece with excerpts.mscz",
    "out": [
      "Piece with excerpts (Partitura).pdf",
      [ "Piece with excerpts (part for ", ").pdf" ],
      "Piece with excerpts.mid"
    ]
  }
]

The last part of the job would, for example, cause files like “Piece with excerpts (part for Violin).pdf” to be generated alongside the conductor's partitura and a MIDI file with the full orchestra sound 🌈 — whereas the equivalent part of the Reunion conversion will be silently ignored (because the Reunion piece (a MuseScore demo) has no excerpts defined). Not a bug bestie, just how it is 💅

https://musescore.org/sites/musescore.org/files/midi_import_options_0.xml is a sample MIDI import operations file for the -M option. Bookmark it 📌

💀 DIAGNOSTICS 💀

The mscore3 utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs. Simple as that 🫶

👀 SEE ALSO 👀

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 (see above) instead. Like, fr, don't file a bug when you just need a lil help bestie 🙈

⭐ STANDARDS ⭐

MuseScore attempts to implement the following standards (slay 💅):

  • MusicXML 3.1 (score interchange format)
  • SF2 (SoundFont 2.01)
  • SF3 (SoundFont with OGG Vorbis-compressed samples)
  • SFZ (Sforzato soundfont)
  • SMuFL (Standard Music Font Layout 1.20)

🕰️ HISTORY 🕰️

MuseScore was split off the MusE sequencer in 2002 and has since become the foremost Open Source notation software. Glow up of the century honestly 👑

🫶 AUTHORS 🫶

MuseScore is developed by Werner Schweer and others.

This manual page was written by mirabilos <tg@debian.org>.

🎀 CAVEATS 🎀

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

mscore3 -S -reverse

has no chance at working because the -reverse is removed by Qt first. RIP to that flag, it never even made it to the party 💀

😭 BUGS 😭

  • MuseScore does not honour /etc/papersize.
  • Probably some more; check the project's bug tracker (cf. “SEE ALSO”).

And that's a wrap bestie!! 🎉 This page is from MuseScore's manual, dated March 20, 2019 — mscore3, version 3.2 era. Go forth and notate, you gorgeous genius you 💜🎀✨

📦 where this page comes from