# Barlines The **Barlines** [palette](https://handbook.musescore.org/basics/using-the-palettes) contains a full range of common barlines.
Barlines palette
## Adding double and other special barlines ### Changing barline type for all staves 1. Select one or more barlines in a staff. 2. Click on the desired barline in the palette. Alternatively, you can drag a barline from the palette onto a barline in the score. Changes are applied automatically to *all* barlines at the same point in the score. ### Changing barline type for a single staff 1. Select one or more barlines in the score. 2. Hold Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) then click on the desired barline in the palette. Alternatively, you can hold Ctrl (Mac: Cmd) and drag a barline from the palette onto a barline in the score. Only selected barlines are affected when using this modifier. ### Adding mid-measure barlines 1. Select a note or rest (or several, as a list selection). 2. Click on a barline in the palette. This will add a barline marking after each selected note. The barline is for visual purposes and does not factor into any measure operations. If you wish to divide a measure, inserting a *real* barline in the process, see [Splitting a measure](https://handbook.musescore.org/notation/pickup-and-non-metered-measures#splitting-a-measure). ## Changing barline length Here we are concerned with the *vertical* extension of barlines in order to link staves together, or their reduction to create partial barlines. ### Extending all barlines in a staff 1. Select a barline on the 'starting' (topmost) staff. 2. Do any of the following: * Drag the end handle downwards until it meets the destination staff (this method is the best for extending barlines through multiple staves). * Select the edit handle and press Down. * Check the **Span to next staff** box in the **Barlines** section of the **Properties** panel, then click **Set as staff default**. 3. Repeat if required for subsequent staves. The barline snaps into place, and all other barlines in that staff follow. {% embed url="" %} ### Extending selected barlines in a staff 1. Select one or more barlines (and their counterparts in the staves below if there are more than two staffs to join). 2. Check **Span to next staff** in the **Barlines** section of the **Properties** panel. ### Creating partial barlines Partial barlines can be created by adjusting **Span from** and **Span to** in the **Barlines** section of the **Properties** panel. ### Creating barlines between staves only (Mensurstrich) See [Working with Mensurstrich](https://handbook.musescore.org/alternative-notation/mensural-notation-and-mensurstrich#working-with-mensurstrich). ## Barline properties You can edit properties specific to barlines in the **Barlines** section of the [Properties](https://handbook.musescore.org/basics/properties-panel) panel: * **Style**: The barline type (single, double, dashed, final, etc.). * **Span to next staff**: If checked, the barline will be extended to reach the next staff down. * **Span from**: The vertical position of the top of the barline. * **Span to**: The vertical position of the bottom of the barline. {% hint style="info" %} The **Span from** setting is an offset relative to the top line of the staff. As with most other vertical positioning settings in MuseScore Studio, positive values move down and negative values move up. The **Span to** setting works differently depending on whether **Span to next staff** is checked. If unchecked, this is an offset relative to the bottom line of the staff. If checked, the barline will be extended down to match the position of the top of a default barline on the staff below (i.e. either the top staff line or, in the case of a one-line staff, 2sp above the staff line). Exceptionally, in this situation, the offset works in reverse: positive values move *up* and negative values move *down*. One-line staves present one further complication: the default barline, which is drawn when both the **Span from** and **Span to** settings are 0, is drawn from 2sp above the line to 2sp below. The span offsets are however still relative to the (only) staff line and, if **Span to next staff** is unchecked, changing one will also apply the other (even if it is 0). Finally, the unit for these offsets is in all cases the *half* space. {% endhint %} The **Set as staff default** button will apply all the **Span** settings of the currently selected barline to all barlines on the staff. The **Span presets** buttons apply certain presets to the barline:
When applied, the presets will set **Span from** and **Span to** to specific values and, except for **Default**, will disable **Span to next stave**. ## Barline style Selected properties for all barlines in the score can be changed in **Format -> Style -> Barlines**:
Barline style settings
* **Show repeat barline tips:** Adds 'wings' above and below repeat barlines. * **Barline at start of single staff:** Whether a system containing only one staff should have an initial system barline. * **Barline at start of multiple staves:** Whether a system containing more than one stave should have an initial system barline. * **Scale barlines to staff size:** Whether the thickness of barlines should be scaled on resized staves. * **Mask barlines when intersecting text:** Whether barlines should be masked when text crosses over them. * **Thin barline thickness:** The thickness of a 'normal' thin barline. * **Thick barline thickness:** The thickness of a thick barline (for example, the thick portion of a repeat barline or final barline). * **Thick barline distance:** The distance between the thick and thin portions of a repeat or final barline. * **Double barline thickness:** The thickness of the lines in a double barline. * **Double barline distance:** The distance between the two lines in a double barline. * **Repeat barline to dots distance:** The distance between the innermost line of a repeat barline and its dots. * **Use double barlines before key signatures / time signatures:** Lets you choose if and when double barlines are automatically shown before key or time signatures. * **Left (start) repeat signs** contains the following options: * **Show barline before key and time signatures changes:** When turned on, adds an additional barline before key and time signatures that are before a left repeat sign. You can also choose if this is a double barline or not. The thickness and distance settings are among those which may change automatically when changing a score's music font, if **Style -> Score -> Automatically load style settings based on font** is checked (which it is by default). ## See also * [Fixed measure widths](https://musescore.org/en/node/313555#comment-1169175) for a workaround to ensure barlines are aligned vertically between systems. * [Repeat signs](https://handbook.musescore.org/notation/repeats/repeat-signs) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://handbook.musescore.org/notation/rhythm-meter-and-measures/barlines.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.