PDF to MusicXML — sheet music recognition
Short answer: Open Piano: Soloist in your browser, choose Load score → PDF, and pick your score (a PDF, or photos of the pages). Notes are recognized in about 10–20 seconds per page, then the score plays with falling notes and you can download it as MusicXML. It's free for 3 scores a month, up to 10 pages each, with no account.
Load a printed PDF score — or photos of the pages — and the notes are recognized automatically (optical music recognition). The result opens as an interactive score you can play with falling notes, and you can download it as MusicXML to edit in MuseScore, Finale or Sibelius.
How it works
- Open the app — the Load score window opens with PDF selected.
- Pick your PDF, or one or more photos of the pages (PNG, JPG, WebP). Several photos become one piece, in the order you pick them.
- Start the conversion — usually 10–20 seconds per page.
- Play it right away, or download the MusicXML and fix any wrong notes in a notation app.
Works best with
- Clean printed scores: IMSLP downloads and PDFs exported from MuseScore, Finale, Sibelius or Dorico
- Sharp, straight photos of printed pages, taken in good light
Limits
- Blurry or tilted photos and scans, and handwritten scores, come out with many wrong notes
- Lead sheets (a melody line with chord symbols) and guitar scores with tab staves are not read reliably — chord symbols are not turned into notes
- A PDF made from Word, PowerPoint or a phone scanner app often contains a low-resolution picture of the music — export the original at full size if you can
- Basic (free): 3 scores a month, up to 10 pages each · Pro-Lite: 3 a day, up to 20 pages · Pro: 10 a day, up to 30 pages
- Failed conversions don't count. Files up to 30 MB
How it compares
| Piano: Soloist | MuseScore (PDF import) | PlayScore 2 | Audiveris (desktop) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Any browser, phone included | musescore.com import service, opened in MuseScore | iPhone, iPad, Mac app | Windows, macOS, Linux program |
| Price for PDF → MusicXML | Free 3/month (up to 10 pages) | Free | Professional subscription ($6.99/month or $59.99/year in the US App Store) | Free, open source |
| Plays the result with falling notes | Yes | No (notation playback) | Plays the scanned score | No |
| Photos of pages | Yes | No (PDF) | Yes (camera) | Yes (images) |
Checked 2026-10-30 from the PlayScore 2 App Store listing and MuseScore forum answers (MuseScore's PDF import runs an older Audiveris on musescore.com). Piano: Soloist also uses Audiveris for recognition.
FAQ
- Is PDF to MusicXML conversion free?
- Yes, 3 scores a month for free with no account. Pro-Lite gives 3 a day (up to 20 pages) and Pro 10 a day (up to 30 pages).
- Can I convert a photo of sheet music?
- Yes. Choose PDF in the Load score window and pick one or more photos (PNG, JPG, WebP). Each photo becomes one page; several photos become one piece in the order you picked them. Sharp, straight photos work best.
- What engine does it use?
- Audiveris, the open-source optical music recognition program, running on our server.
- What happens to my PDF?
- It is sent to our conversion server only for the conversion and deleted right after. Nothing is stored.
- It says no music was found — why?
- This usually means the pages are too blurry or small to read, or the PDF has no printed notation (lyrics or chords only). Try the original PDF instead of a scan, or a sharper photo.
- The result has mistakes — what now?
- Download the MusicXML, fix it in MuseScore (free), and upload it again for exact playback.
Last checked:
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