Formatting text
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Layout and formatting in Musescore has 2 main levels, read first. Text objects have finer levels:
Level 1: Properties of each individual text object in a score file:
Formatting of individual characters within a text object;
Formatting of the object that contains all the characters.
Level 2
"style for certain type of object": you can change their values in
"style for text inside certain type of object": you can change their values inside
The final visual and function of most object in a score file is determined by:
Characters do not have any specific formatting. When formatting are added to them, they will always be used. See below.
Text objects do not have any specific properties. When properties are , they will always be used except for characters that already have their own formatting. see details in below.
functional settings: all object on a score uses values in "style for certain type of object", this behavior cannot be changed, but you can edit values in them.
visual settings:
an object on a score uses values in appropriate "style for text inside certain type of object", such as "Style for text inside Chord symbols", "Style for text inside Lyrics Odd Lines" automatically. This behavior can be changed with the More... > Text Style property in . You can also .
"Style for text inside Staff Text" is special. Every Text-related object on a score uses its values unless overridden, this behavior cannot be changed, but you can edit values inside.
A subset of characters always use font settings in > Score : "Musical symbol font" (8 options): musical glyphs such as Segno, Coda, ottavas, dynamics glyphs such as mf and some . See Musescore 3 handbook (mostly the same as in musescore 4.1.1 but upgraded and added 2 options).
enter text edit mode using one of the following methods:
Double-click on the text object.
Select the object and press F2 or Alt+Shift+E
Right-click on the element and select Edit element
highlighted characters
Click More to see:
Select text object(s) on a score
It is important to know that, even when characters inside a Text object are selected, some properties shown on the Properties panel are still the Text object's setting, but not the character property. They includes the Position property.
"style for certain type of object": you can change their values in 'Style' window: left pane"
"style for text inside certain type of object": you can change their values inside items under 'Style' window: left pane 'Text style', or
Use the more efficient way from the Properties panel:
Select a score object that use the style;
Edit a property;
Click on the ellipsis (…) above the property and select "Save as default style for this score".
Repeat for other properties as required.
To assign visual settings values to a custom style: "User-1" to "User-12", use the "Style" window: Format→Style > Text Style > User-1 ... User-12
Options in behave differently depending on the current selection.
"Font", "Style", "Size", "Subscript and superscript" are both object properties, and individual character formatting options. When you change an object using the , incompatible formatting on individual characters are removed.
"Alignment", "Frame", "Text style" are object properties. When you select individual characters and change these options in the , the object properties are changed instead.
To edit text content, see instead.
Use the panel to change formatting of individual characters. Musescore 4 updated the Inspector present in Musescore 2 and Musescore 3 and integrated the function of into the Properties panel.
apply formatting in Text section of the Properties panel, and/or use keyboard shortcuts (see ).
To edit text content, see instead.
Use the panel to change formatting of the Text object, which may change all of the characters inside:
Edit settings in the Text section of the panel.
Options are self-explanatory, these special settings are shown after clicking More:
Match staff size: whether text size changes proportionally, see .
Text style : Changes which style a text object on a score uses, see
Position : Above or below the staff, see
In the panel, use Text style property under More. . Only the "style for text inside certain type of object" a text object on a score uses can be changed, they includes the "User-1" ... "User-12", see . See .
The Properties panel is used for assigning formatting to the Text object(s). When a Text object is changed, all of the characters inside it may change. The panel also is used for assigning formatting to individual characters inside a Text object, when characters are selected.
In the panel, Use Position property under More to change layout of the Text object. If a overriding option exists for this type of object, is in "style for certain type of object", but not in "style for text inside certain type of object", see section below. See also the main chapter .
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Understand first. To change values inside a style, use the "Style" window: Format→Style.
