Guide
How to import MusicXML into Finale.
Sent a .musicxml, .xml, or .mxl file, or converted a scan into one? Here's what Finale does with it.
The import, step by step
- Check what you have. Finale reads .musicxml, .xml, and .mxl. Keep the extension as is.
- Bring the file in from the File menu. Use File › Open or File › Import › MusicXML, depending on your version.
- Answer the import prompts. A standard default template usually gives a cleaner page than the source formatting.
- Check the staves and the first system. Confirm staff order, instrument names, clefs, key, and time signature before editing.
- Save as a Finale document. Save in Finale's format and keep the MusicXML as your source.
Finale converts on the way in, so re-importing an updated file makes a new document rather than updating the one you've been editing.
What comes across reliably
Notes, rests, key and time signatures, clefs, voices, ties, slurs, dynamics, articulations, tempo, repeats, and lyrics transfer well. Staff names and grouping generally survive too.
Page layout does not: Finale recalculates spacing, breaks, and page turns with its own document settings, so expect a different page count than the source.
What usually needs cleanup
- Beaming. Re-derived from the time signature; may need regrouping.
- Tuplet grouping. Durations are usually right; bracket and number placement need adjusting.
- Layout. Make global layout changes rather than editing measure by measure.
- Expressions and text. Titles and rehearsal marks can land in the wrong category, affecting playback too.
- Specialised notation. Check percussion mapping, custom noteheads, and figured bass first.
Troubleshooting
The file will not open. Confirm the extension is .musicxml, .xml, or .mxl; if a .mxl was unzipped in transit, open the .musicxml inside instead.
The parts are garbled. Wrong staff order or a split part usually means the file's part assignments are wrong, not the import — fix them at the source.
Bars hold the wrong number of beats. That is a content fault in the file and will appear the same way in any program that reads it.
The document is empty. Usually an empty or truncated file — check its size first.
Starting from a PDF or a scan instead
Have a PDF or photo instead? StaveWave converts it to MusicXML and flags measures to check before you import into Finale — no installation needed.
Start at PDF to MusicXML. Already have MusicXML and want a print-ready edition? The engraving service returns PDF, MusicXML, and MIDI.