Importing PDF Files to MuseScore
David Muehlbauer
July 5, 2025
Introduction
A frequent question on the MuseScore Facebook page asks, “how can I import a PDF file to
MuseScore?” Many respondents say, essentially, that it is more work than simply entering the
notes manually. In some cases, they may be right. But I have successfully done this nearly 100
times and think it is entirely possible. It is not a perfect process, and there will be editing
required. But in this short document I will describe my experience and current processes.
Variables
The success of any process is often impacted by certain variables. For this process, these are the
two key considerations:
1. How complicated is the score? The more staves, key changes, tempo changes, and other
factors the more di icult the conversion will be. Lyrics are rarely successful or require lots
of editing.
2. How good is the PDF? A PDF that was produced directly from the source and downloaded
will work much better than a scan. Scanned sheet music can be done but is more likely to
have errors.
Software
There are several products or sites that claim to convert PDF to MuseScore. These are the three
that I currently use. I have listed them in order of cost.
1. MuseScore. This option is included with MuseScore and is the open-source product
Audiveris. I have used it many times and sometimes it works well and other times, not. But
it is included, so there is no additional cost.
2. Halbestunde. This product is available for purchase on MuseHub. It was $29 when I
downloaded it. It works well on basic layout and notes. It does not seem to do lyrics. But
lately, it is the product I am using the most often.
3. Scan-Score (www.scan-score.com). This product is an annual subscription. The price
varies based on the number of staves. The least expensive options is about $40 per year. It
works relatively well, and does, for the most part, capture lyrics.
I typically try one of these and if the result is good, I use it. If I think I might be able to do better, I
will try the other two products and use the best one. And again, none will be perfect.
PDF Documents
As I mentioned previously, a purchased and downloaded PDF will work better than a scan. You can
download PDFs from MuseScore.com, MusicNotes.com, or many other sites. If you are going to
scan a piece of sheet music, here are some tips:
1. Use 600 dpi, black and white
2. Make sure you set the dimensions of the scan to get the entire page.
3. If you scanning software has the option of ‘searchable pdf’ use it
4. Make sure the page is square on the bed of the scanner. Crooked images don’t work well.
5. If the sheet music is multiple pages, scan all the pages as one document.
Editing in MuseScore
Open the converted file in MuseScore and save it. Then look through it to see what problems exist.
The most typical types of errors, from my experience are:
1. Incorrect number of beats in a measure. This is noted with a grey ‘+’ above the score.
Sometimes the cure is as simple as control+delete a stray rest or note at the end of the
measure. You can also right-click on the measure, and in measure properties check the
count and reset if necessary. If that doesn’t work, I find the easiest fix is to insert a new
measure in front of the bad one and copy the good portion to the new measure and edit as
necessary. Then don’t forget to delete the bad measure.
2. Tuplets. I find that the conversion process often misses tuplets. It might get the notes right,
but have the wrong duration. Usually, the only fix is to delete the notes and re-enter the
tuplet correctly.
3. Repeats (Voltas). I find the conversion process sometimes finds these, but then numbers
them all ‘99’. You will probably have to delete them and enter them correctly.
4. Chord symbols. If your score has chord symbols you might find some good and some bad.
5. Lyrics. Some products don’t capture lyrics at all. Others will get some but have errors.
Multiple verses of lyrics are a real challenge, and probably not going to work.
6. Text and other symbols, dynamics, tempo changes, etc. All of these are areas where there
can be inaccuracies. The more complicated the score, the more likely there are issues.
Conclusion
I hope you have found this useful. If you have questions or comments, you can message me
through Facebook.
