Muse Group has released MuseScore Studio 4.6, featuring improvements in engraving, workflow and playback. Major engraving updates touted in this release include full support for custom SMuFL fonts, improved staff hiding functionality, and increased options around measure numbers and chord symbol display.
Like other MuseScore 4 releases, version 4.6 includes several new playback options in addition to the engraving improvements including long-awaited VST support for Linux users. This latest release rings in significant changes to handbells, presents new engraving and playback options for guitar, and adds several new workflow improvements.
About this release, MuseScore Studio product owner Bradley Kunda said, “We’ve worked closely with the engraving team at Hal Leonard on this release, with the aim of equipping MuseScore Studio with a number of features they need to start using the app for piano/voice/guitar scores. A lot of these features also align with what our users have been requesting for the app, such as better chord symbol control, and the ability to use different fonts. What this means is that MuseScore Studio will now be used by a major music publishing house, properly marking its arrival as a professional engraving tool. We’re of course going to continue working hard to keep improving the app so it can fully meet the requirements of complex music notation — and we know our work here is far from over! — but we’re proud to have accomplished so many improvements with version 4.6 that we think will encourage more musicians to try out MuseScore Studio for their composing and arranging needs.”
On October 8, 2025, Muse Group released MuseScore 4.6.1, with “critical fixes to improve app stability and performance.”
On October 10, 2025, Muse Group released MuseScore 4.6.2, which “fixes several important regressions. This release also restores compatibility with macOS 10.15 and 11, which was lost inadvertently in 4.6 when we updated to Qt 6.9.2. We’ve now patched Qt to maintain compatibility with those versions as well as the very latest macOS Tahoe 26.”
On October 22, Muse Group released MuseScore 4.6.3, with “with a number of important fixes and refinements, including crash fixes and restored Braille panel functionality.”
Engraving updates
Hiding and showing staves
A new “eye-con” appears at the end of systems that include empty staves and are now hidden by default. This option gives you easy access to make quick changes and greatly improves the clunky workarounds with hidden notes that were previously required to achieve this kind of control in formatting a score.
To enable this feature, go to Format > Style > Score and enable Automatically hide all empty staves, which also includes a couple of sensible options to not hide empty staves in the first system and to show (or not show) brackets on a single staff, when a result of staves being hidden.
Hiding options for an instrument have been moved from the Staff/Part Properties to the settings found on the instrument in Layout panel.
Chord symbols
Chord symbols get an update, allowing new presentation options under Format > Style > Chord Symbols including new display options for polychords and chord modifiers.
While not providing total control over chord symbol suffix formatting, this upgrade gives users more options for formatting extensions and modifiers and makes it easier to use fonts in chords beyond Edwin more successfully.
Guitarists now have a simple way to add a chord diagram legend at the top from the Fretboard diagram palette that can customized in the properties once added. It automatically populates with the chords in your score, but you have full control over what is shown here.
Version 4.6 also includes another fretboard diagram related update as well. When entering a chord onto a blank fretboard diagram you have added from the palette, the diagram will now update automatically, reflecting a default way to play the chord.
Polychords can now be displayed using an alternate method than as a slash chord using the vertical line or “Pipe” character. By entering Db|G you will get the symbol displayed in the example below. Although playback is not yet supported for this presentation, it is planned for a future release.
Various presets are available, including a Legacy MuseScore setting which will preserve the look of older files, and will be selected by default when opening files created prior to 4.6.
Measure numbers
Several features have been added for measure numbers including updates to positioning on a score and displaying on multirests. Measure numbers have been reworked in MuseScore Studio to become system markings, a feature that was overhauled in version 4.5. MuseScore Studio 4.6 included an update that allows system markings to be set below a system which measure numbers can now tap into.
The new measure number placement options found at Style > Measure Numbers are particularly useful for large ensemble scores that often include measure numbers for each measure at the bottom of the score, which required workarounds in previous versions of MuseScore Studio.
Horizontal spacing
Previous changes to MuseScore Studio 4.5 generally tightened up horizontal note spacing. Depending on the situation, this may or may not have been a good fit for your score, but as a default it was a bit too tight for many users. Version 4.6 essentially rolls back this change in version 4.5 by introducing a parameter called System density that controls the overall default note density within a system.
There is now a Style > Spacing section within in MuseScore Studio 4.6 that retires the options Style > Page and Style > Measures that previously controlled vertical and horizontal spacing options. Style > Spacing > Horizontal Spacing > System Density now controls default spacing options specifically.
Scores last opened in version 4.5 will see System Density set to 130% in order to best preserve the look of the score when last opened, but new scores will see it set at 100% by default. It is important to note that any system breaks or locked systems previously added are not impacted by this setting, as system density strictly impacts the default placements of systems breaks.
Custom SMuFL font support
MuseScore Studio 4.6 now allows users to successfully bring any font that adheres to the Standard Music Font Layout specification, or SMuFL, into the software for use. This update aligns MuseScore with Dorico on this feature, along with the last version of Finale, and provides access to a growing number of high quality music fonts.
Switching among them is easy, in Format > Style > Score, with options to use the font’s corresponding musical text font along with recommended style settings contained in the SMuFL font’s accompanying JSON metadata file:
If you have Dorico or Finale v27 installed on your computer, all of the SMuFL fonts installed by those applications will now be available in MuseScore Studio 4.6. And, at Notation Central, our marketplace for music notation technology, we offer a growing list of custom SMuFL fonts for sale from top vendors like NorFonts and Music Type Foundry.
In a related update also opening up more font options, MuseScore Studio 4.6 also now allows the use of any text font to display your tablature numbers in Style > Text Styles > Tablature Fret Number.
Play count
Some users might not have been aware of this functionality in MuseScore Studio previously, but you can specify the number of times you repeat when encountering a right repeat sign. This was, and still is, an option found in the Measure Properties when selecting a measure that includes a right repeat barline at the end of it.
To help make this feature more discoverable, a new update in version 4.6 now allows you access this information in the properties when selecting the barline itself.
Beyond setting the play count, you can adjust text displayed automatically to indicate the number of times you repeat, and you can control the formatting of this text in the score in Style > Text Styles > Repeat Play Count.
Handbells
Everyone knows if you are going to get involved with handbells, you need to go big or go home, and to meet the moment, the handbell update to MuseScore Studio 4.6 is very comprehensive. It includes a new — and free — MuseSounds Handbell library and an updated palette ready for anything around the preparation of handbell notation.
Options to indicate lifts, damps, plucks and swings are all here — with bells on — and many of the options found in the newly revamped palette are reflected in the playback you hear when using the MuseSounds Handbell library.
Other updates
There are many more smaller engraving updates beyond the bigger ones mentioned above, including new options for:
- Rest alignment
- Tuplet layout
- Barlines before key and time signatures
- Slurs with Hammer-ons and Pull-offs for guitar
- Right hand and left hand tapping symbols for guitar
- Ending/Volta lines
- Repeat Text and Coda symbol alignment
- Dashes in lyrics
For a full list of other engraving updates, you can check out this article posted on musescore.org.
Workflow updates
Selection filter
The selection filter has been improved in both design and functionality. Notably, notes within chords can now be filtered making a variety of editing needs easier for users.
Text formatting
Version 4.6 includes an update to text formatting by making a handy widget easily available when editing. A nice addition to this widget is the option to add musical symbols easily; this was difficult to find in previous versions.
Other updates
Some other notable updates around workflow include:
- More drum pads are now available to be added by increasing the number of columns in the percussion panel under the layout option
- Screen reader updates to support more functionality for visually impaired users
Playback
Selection from playback
When playing back a score, typing Alt/⌥ + Spacebar now stops the playback and selects the notes where you stopped. This feature is handy for quick edits when listening for issues and lets you get right into editing something your hear as off.
The selection is based on the staff selected when you start playing. As a result, the selected note below is on the second staff because the rest in the second staff is selected when playback begins.
Performance using MIDI
Performance with a MIDI keyboard now feels more natural, supporting dynamic playing and supporting the sustain pedal. These improvements makes it easier to work out what you’re writing, and is in effect when entering notes. Playing into MuseScore studio with a MIDI keyboard now works with supported VSTs and MuseSounds.
Other playback updates
There are a few other noteworthy updates to playback in MuseScore Studio 4.6 including:
- The count-in feature before playback starts once available in MuseScore 3 is once again an option. This can be added from the playback settings area.
- Linux users can now use VST3 plugins in MuseScore Studio.
- Slurs and tapping on guitar are now reflected in playback when using the MuseSounds Guitars Vol. 2 library.
- Euphonium is now offered for sale in Muse Hub with a library from ebbandflow fully integrated with MuseSounds for an introductory price of $14.99
Availability
MuseScore Studio 4.6 is free and available now for Mac, Windows, and Linux. You can download it directly from MuseScore.org or through Muse Hub. Existing MuseScore Studio users will see a prompt when launching the software to update.
Learn more
For full coverage of MuseScore Studio 4, please read our comprehensive reviews of MuseScore 4, MuseScore 4.1, MuseScore 4.2, MuseScore Studio 4.3, MuseScore Studio 4.4, and MuseScore Studio 4.5.
For the latest information about compatibility for Sibelius, Dorico, and MuseScore Studio, as well as links to the latest news and reviews about product releases, please see the Scoring Notes Product Guide.
Frank Gregorio
I really would love to start using Musescore Studio 4, BUT … the big goose in the room is the continued lack of volume control for hairpins and dynamics. I continue to use MS 3.62 because it allows me to fine tune the volume of a stretch of notes, particularly at the beginning of a string of measures. All I need do is insert a custom hairpin or dynamic in front of that measure, tuned to small or large changes in volume during playback. I’d say most scores use custom hairpins or dynamics in their scores, especially in symphony scores where the conductor tells the horn or violin music section to “play a bit softer” or “play a bit louder”. For example, “pp” is set at default at 33, but I can set it at 38 or 42 with 3.62, but not MS 4.
Please please please add this volume adjustment feature to your next update for MS 4.