Dorico and MuseScore can't open Finale files. Only Finale itself can turn a .musx or .mus file into something they understand, and that something is MusicXML. This guide shows you how to convert one file or a whole folder, and what to do if you no longer have Finale.
Which of these is you?
- You have Finale and a folder full of old scores
- Your files are very old, from Finale 2005 or earlier
- You lost Finale, or it won't install any more
- You only have PDFs of the scores
Each one has a path below.
Step 1: Set up the export in Finale
Open Finale and choose File → Export → MusicXML Preferences. Then:
- Turn on Include subfolders. Without it, Finale only looks in the one folder you pick.
- Turn on Silence error messages and choose a log file. A bad file then won't stop the whole batch, and you can read the errors afterwards.
- Choose compressed (.mxl). The files are much smaller.
Step 2: Export
For one score, open it and choose File → Export → MusicXML.
For a whole folder, choose File → Export → Translate Folder to MusicXML. You don't need to open a file first. Finale puts each new file next to the original and overwrites any file with the same name, so work on a copy of your folder.
Do a few hundred files at a time. A batch of several thousand can run Finale out of memory.
Step 3: Old files
Finale 27.4.1 opens old .mus and .etf files directly, so you don't need an old version of Finale. It converts them to .musx when you open them, and you can export MusicXML from there as usual.
On a Mac, a very old file may have lost its extension. Add .mus to the name, and nothing else.
Step 4: Open the files in Dorico or MuseScore
In Dorico, choose File → Open to open the MusicXML file as a new project, or File → Import → MusicXML to add it to the project you already have open.
In MuseScore, choose File → Open and pick the file.
Your notes will be there. Small layout adjustments you made by hand in Finale usually won't be, so expect to tidy up. If anything looks wrong in Dorico, this guide fixes the common problems.
No Finale any more?
Try these in order.
- Get Finale back. Finale is no longer sold or developed, but the installer for any version you bought can still be downloaded from your MakeMusic account, and Finale can still be authorized on a new computer. Finale 27 doesn't work on macOS Sequoia, so use an older Mac if you have one.
- Use a PDF. If the score exists as a PDF that was exported from Finale, Tutti can turn it into MusicXML:
- Open tutti-studio.com, sign in, and drop the PDF on the page. Click Check compatibility for free. Nothing is uploaded at this point and no free pages are used.
- When you see This score is supported., choose the pages you want and click Convert pages.
- When you see Your MusicXML is ready, click Download MusicXML.
- Open the file in Dorico or MuseScore.
If Tutti says We can't convert this PDF., it is most likely a scan or a photo. Direct reading is the accurate way to go, and it only works on exported PDFs; programs that read printed pages work from pixels and make mistakes, as PDF to MusicXML: Best Free and Paid Converters explains.
If a scan is all you have, ScanScore, PlayScore 2 and PhotoScore are the usual choices, and that article shows which suits which kind of page. Finale also opens MIDI files, so a MIDI recording of the piece is another way to start, though it carries only the notes and the timing, not the layout.
For a short or messy score, the honest advice is to type it into Finale or Dorico yourself, or have a professional do it. Checking a recognition result takes longer than people expect.
Quick summary
Dorico and MuseScore can't read .musx or .mus files. Export MusicXML from Finale, one file or a folder at a time, and open that instead. If you don't have Finale, get it back from your account or convert a PDF with Tutti.
Ready to try? Drop your PDF on tutti-studio.com and run the free check.