Services

The Services panel lets you work with files stored in cloud storage services (like Dropbox and Box), to access the system’s file browser, and to download your purchases from content providers (like Musicnotes, Noteflight, Virtual Sheet Music, and more).

Cloud Storage

Tap the + button to add your preferred cloud service to the accounts list, then select it and log in when prompted. Once you’ve done so, you can navigate through your folders and see your files. You can upload, download, move, and delete supported file types including PDFs, forScore-specific formats (4SC, 4SS, and 4SB), audio files, comma-separated value (CSV) files, and some text formats (TXT, RTF, DOC, and DOCX) which are automatically converted to PDFs for you once downloaded.

Tap on a file to download it and a copy will be saved to your forScore library. If a file with the same name already exists, you’ll be asked to duplicate or overwrite the file, or to cancel the transfer. Tap the stop button in the middle of the progress wheel to cancel a file transfer. Swipe from right to left over an item (or tap and hold to reveal its contextual menu, if using a system version that supports them) to download the item directly into a setlist.

Items you add to your library are downloaded to your device so you don’t need an internet connection to view them. If the copy stored in the cloud is modified later, you’ll need to re-download it to see those changes.

You can also move your files: while in edit mode, tap to select one or more files, then tap the tray icon in the toolbar. The selected files will turn blue, and you’ll be able to select directories or use the back button to navigate to the desired destination. When you’re ready, tap the “Move” button once again to send the selected files to the current directory.

To upload files, tap the + button in the toolbar to select the item(s) you’d like to upload. Use the tab bar along the bottom to switch between content types. If you’re sharing scores, bookmarks, or setlists, you’ll be presented with forScore’s sharing interface so you can choose which format to use and take advantage of other sharing options like restrictions or specific page ranges.

Files (iCloud Drive) and Other Services

The Services panel can also be used to access iCloud Drive and third-party cloud storage (including Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Amazon Drive, as well as FTP, SFTP, or WebDAV servers) through a system-provided interface. Visit The Files App section later in this guide for more information.

Tip: The Files interface that appears when you use the Services panel is also available from forScore’s main menu (tap the import button). In general, that’s an easier way of adding scores or other files to your forScore library.

Content Providers

Purchases you’ve made using supported content providers are listed by title and composer (or primary performer) and can be sorted alphabetically by either value, by date purchased, or by key. Tap any item to download it as a standard PDF file, or swipe over an item from right to left and use the Download action to download it to a specific setlist (or tap and hold to use contextual menus, if available). Tap “Edit” to select multiple files and download them all simultaneously.

If a content provider supports downloading transposed PDFs, you’ll see an ellipsis button to the right of that item. Tap here to see a list of available keys and choose which one you’d like to download.

While viewing a list of purchases, tap the gear icon in the toolbar to enable or disable automatic downloads for that folder. After enabling this feature, any purchases that become available in this location will be automatically downloaded into your library as soon as they’re discovered by forScore.

Account Management

To log out of an account or reset its authentication status, return to the accounts list and swipe over it from right to left, then choose Log Out (for content providers) or Delete (for cloud storage services).

Settings

General

• Auto-lock: Disable this setting to prevent your device from sleeping automatically while forScore is open.
• Search: Adjust which kinds of results are shown and in which order, how many recent items are listed, and more.
• Show recent items: Choose how many recent items to show in the search panel before you’ve typed anything into the search field (enter 0 for none).
• Search results: Check or uncheck specific result types and reorder them to prioritize those you want to see first.
• Search PDF text for title: When creating a bookmark, as you type in the title field this feature can offer page number suggestions based on occurrences of that text within the PDF file (not available for image-based files).
• Devices: Connect to certain types of accessories like the AirTurn PED or IKMultimedia BlueBoard.
• MIDI: Toggle the ability to send and receive MIDI commands or use the piano keyboard as a synthesizer.
• Send commands: Allow forScore to send signals you’ve added to specific scores each time you open them (see Metadata)
• Receive shortcuts Allow forScore to interpret some incoming MIDI signals as score shortcuts (see the Metadata section) or action shortcuts (see Page Turners & Shortcuts)
• Synthesizer: Allow forScore to play piano sounds in response to incoming note messages.
• MIDI network setup: Connect to a nearby network MIDI session.
• Bluetooth MIDI devices: Connect to nearby Bluetooth LE-enabled MIDI devices.
• forScore Pro: Get more out of forScore with this optional, auto-renewing subscription.
• Manage subscription: Learn more about, and sign up for, the forScore Pro service.
• Pop-up menus: Enable or disable popup menus and manage your pinned tools.
• Face gestures: If your device supports it, choose which face gesture mode to use and calibrate its sensitivity.

Navigation

• Up next: See the next queued item’s title in the status bar when you reach the last page of the current item.
• Gestures: Configure forScore’s taps, swipes, and shortcuts to better suit your needs.
• Page turners & shortcuts: Use keyboard shortcuts, MIDI signals, page turner pedal presses, or an Apple Pencil 2 double tap gesture to trigger certain actions.
• Page transitions: This setting affects the transition animation that is used when turning pages.
• Flip between scores: Choose when to advance from the end of one score to the beginning of the next, like a book.
• Landscape scrolling: When using landscape orientation, scroll up and down by half or a third of a page (11-inch iPad Pro only).
• Two-up page advance: Choose whether to advance one or two pages at a time when using two-up mode.

Appearance

• Show status bar: Controls whether the system status bar along the top of the screen is visible while using forScore.
• Controls: Prevent the seek bar from hiding when the title bar is dismissed, show the tab bar when a single tab is open, and control how the title bar behaves (if your device supports resizable windowing).
• Menus: Enable or disable section headers and control which kinds of metadata are shown below items and setlists.
• Theme: Adjust the look and feel of forScore’s interface.
• Colors: Change forScore’s primary interface colors or choose from a list of built-in themes.
• Interface style: Choose to always use light mode, always us dark mode, or follow the system setting instead.
• Icon weight: Choose a bolder or lighter style for most icons and buttons.
• Background color: Control whether the main view’s navigation bar is tinted slightly to match your current color theme.
• Page dimming: When using dark mode, forScore can dim your pages to reduce contrast in low light environments.

Metadata

• Use external audio: When forScore launches, it checks to see if iOS’ shared audio system is currently in use. If so, this option will allow you to control playback of that track, temporarily overriding any linked tracks.
• Sorting: Adjust how forScore sorts your composers, scores, and bookmarks.
• Show bookmarks in library: Bookmarks typically appear in two places—the bookmarks menu itself, and alongside other files in the score menu. Disable this to hide bookmarks from the score menu.
• Smart sorting: For checked items, sorting ignores common prefixes like “the,” “a,” or “an.”
• PDF annotations: Choose which kinds of embedded PDF annotations should be visible (and interactive, if applicable).

Annotation

• Exit two-up mode to annotate: If you’re using two-up mode, use this setting to control whether or not forScore should temporarily return to one-up mode and enlarge the current page while annotating.
• Apple Pencil: Adjust how annotation works when using Apple Pencil or the similar Logitech Crayon.
• Automatically enter annotation mode: Allows you to begin drawing at any time without entering annotation mode first.
• Automatically exit annotation mode: Allows forScore to save your work and exit annotation mode after a brief period of inactivity (defaults to Never).
• Prevent finger drawing: Restricts drawing to Apple Pencil in order to prevent accidental input.
• Variable width: Choose whether to increase drawing width based on tilt and/or pressure.
• Switch tools: Apple Pencil 2’s double tap gesture can control which annotation tool is currently active, and by default only works while you’re in annotation mode. Enable this setting to allow the gesture to work at all times (if you do, this gesture will no longer be configurable within the Page Turners & Shortcuts panel).
• Annotation tools: Control how forScore saves your last-used preset between annotation sessions.
• Remember tool selection: Allow or prevent forScore from saving your last-used annotation tool.
• Default tool: Choose a specific tool to always be selected when you enter annotation mode. If an item is selected in this section, the previous section has no effect.
• Add period with double-space: iOS automatically adds a period when you type two spaces into a text field. Disable this setting to prevent that behavior while using forScore’s text annotation tool.
• Variable width: Adjust how much forScore should emphasize your drawings based on speed or Pencil pressure and tilt.

System

• Accessibility: Enable or disable certain features, adjust the size of links and buttons, or customize the metronome’s sounds.
• App icon: Change forScore’s app icon.
• In-app purchases: Access any downloadable content you’ve previously purchased through forScore’s storefront.
• Advanced options: Access advanced/older settings and temporarily re-enable retired features that have limited support and may be removed in future updates.
• Restrictions: Set a passcode and hide certain features.
• Reset: Restore default app settings, stamps, or drawing presets, or scan your library and remove any unused data.

Introduction

Getting the most out of this guide

This document was designed to introduce you to forScore’s many features, and to give you a framework of knowledge to use as you continue exploring and learning on your own. It’s not a technical manual and isn’t intended to provide exhaustive step-by-step instructions for every situation.

Every person learns differently, and while we do our best to make things clear for users of all levels of experience, you may have some questions that aren’t answered here. If that’s the case, visit forscore.co/support to find more specific answers and topics.

Devices

forScore is compatible with iPads running iPadOS 17 or later, iPhones on iOS 17 or later, Macs using macOS 14 or later, and Vision Pro with visionOS 1.3 or later. Except where noted, functions available on one device are also available (and work similarly) on the others. Exact placement and appearance of features and icons may vary based on your OS version, device, settings, and multitasking mode.

iPadOS and iOS are nearly identical in most respects, so to keep things concise we sometimes refer to them collectively as “iOS” in this guide. Unless otherwise noted, those references apply equally to both platforms.

Terminology

forScore is designed to be used with a variety of input methods including touch, keyboards, and trackpads or mice. In general, we use words like “tap” and “drag” or “swipe” which translate to “click” or “scroll” when using a mouse or trackpad. When we refer to screen size or device orientation, these concepts translate to window size and aspect ratio when windowing is used.

A note about Drag and Drop and Contextual Menus

Since they were introduced, forScore has fully supported and made extensive use of both Drag and Drop and Contextual Menu interactions. To keep things simple, this guide doesn’t call out every situation where these features are available. Instead, we provide two sections at the end of this document that help you understand when these interactions can speed up the tasks you’ve learned about in earlier sections.

Additional information about this user guide

This user guide is provided as a courtesy, as-is and without guarantee or warranty. Although we thoroughly proofread the content herein for accuracy and clarity, you are solely responsible for the integrity and protection of your information while using forScore.

This guide was last updated for version 15.0, and all features are subject to change without notice. If you are unsure how any of the processes described in this guide may affect your information, consider backing up your data before proceeding.

Please remember that many musicians rely on the legitimate sale of their sheet music as an essential part of their income. Although forScore provides the mechanism for importing PDF files from the numerous sources, it is solely your responsibility to ensure that doing so does not infringe upon any current laws or restrictions under which you are subject.

For any questions, corrections, suggestions, or concerns, please visit forscore.co/support and send us a message—your feedback is how we make better products.

All content copyright © 2025 forScore, LLC. All rights reserved. No portion of this document may be reproduced, modified, or distributed without permission.

forScore Pro

Features

forScore Pro is an optional, auto-renewing subscription that allows us to offer more advanced features, ensures we can be ready for the latest devices, accessories, and software updates on day one, and gives you access to certain features and benefits like the ones described below (the exact list is subject to change; for the most current information visit forScore.co/pro).

Face Gestures:

If your device supports face tracking, you can use facial gestures to turn pages—by turning your head, by winking, or by moving your lips to the left or right. Choose whichever mode works best for you and adjust its sensitivity in the forScore Pro section of forScore’s settings panel, if needed. For best results, ensure that there’s sufficient lighting and, if using mouth movements, take advantage of the automatic calibration method for easy setup.

Pop-up Menus:

Many of the buttons in forScore’s navigation bar feature pop-up menus to let you quickly perform common tasks related to each of them. Touch the button and drag your finger downward to see the list of shortcuts, or tap and hold an item until the menu appears.

While in annotation mode, use pop-up menus to switch between layers or adjust the size of any drawing preset as well as the stamps, shapes, and eraser tools.

Note: when using a mouse or trackpad, right clicking any of these buttons will immediately present its pop-up menu. You can also click and drag downward to show the menu, but due to conflicts in the way iPadOS and macOS handle Drag and Drop this will not work for buttons that also support rearranging (annotation drawing presets).

Page Copy & Paste:

Each page has a single annotation layer by default, but forScore Pro subscribers will also see an additional “PDF” layer at the top of the Layers list for every page of a score. This layer works much like other layers do, but with one important distinction: when you use the selection tool’s Copy or Cut actions, forScore copies any annotations on that layer as well as the contents of the page itself. This allows you to move measures around or copy and paste them between pages to better suit your needs. Learn more about the selection tool in the Annotation section of this guide, or see this knowledge base article for step-by-step instructions.

If you’re a forScore Pro subscriber and you make structural edits to a document, you can share those changes with colleagues—either send an annotated PDF file with permanently embedded annotations, or share a 4SC file (the receiver can show, hide, or clear the PDF layer but can not make any changes of their own).

Note: forScore cannot copy vector information stored within a PDF file, it can only copy a high-resolution image of the selected portion of a page. If you’re working with vector-based files (which can be enlarged without limit), changes made using Page Copy & Paste will appear pixelated at higher zoom levels. Whenever possible, permanent or archival changes should be made using the same source material and application that was used to create the original PDF file in the first place.

Stamps & Symbols:

Swipe left and right in the Stamps palette to access six additional stamp sets (almost 400 additional symbols) and use them as is or copy any of them to your personal collection to edit or reorder them. Pro users can also create stamps using Apple’s SF Symbols library—just find a symbol using the SF Symbols app and type in its name to add it to your stamp collection. That gives you access to over 6,000 symbols as of iOS 18 and any that are added with future OS updates.

SF Symbols can be used for more than just stamps: open the metadata panel and tap a metadata category to customize it. In addition to the symbols offered there by default, Pro users can add any other SF Symbol by name to perfectly personalize their organizational system.

Apple Pencil:

On supported devices, while holding Apple Pencil near the screen, you can use customizable pinch, swipe, and tap gestures to resize or cycle through presets, undo or redo drawings, or show a rotary preset picker that makes accessing your presets faster and easier than ever. With Apple Pencil Pro, you can even configure the squeeze gesture to show this rotary picker for instant access with one hand.

Profiles:

Create multiple settings profiles for separate forScore users or customize your forScore experience for any situation. When you switch back and forth between profiles they’re updated and restored automatically.

Sharing:

When sharing scores, bookmarks, or setlists, an additional “automation” option allows you to easily copy the relevant URL so you can save it wherever you like.

App Icons:

Customize your home screen by choosing from additional app icon options.

Subscribing

Choose Settings from forScore’s tools menu and select “forScore Pro” to learn more, subscribe, access settings for subscriber-only features, and restore or manage an existing subscription.

Note: if you’re currently subscribed to forScore Pro and you start using forScore on a new device, you may need to use the Restore button found within this panel to start using your membership on that device—your original device(s) will still be able to use forScore Pro.

If you choose to become a forScore Pro subscriber, you’ll not only be getting the benefits outlined above: you’ll also be supporting us and making sure we can keep releasing updates for years to come. After the first year, Apple takes a smaller cut so more of your money goes directly to supporting our app.

And if you’re perfectly happy with forScore just the way it is, there’s no pressure to become a subscriber. No existing features require any further payment, so you can use them forever. If your needs grow, we’ll be ready to serve them.

Complete terms of service are available at forScore.co/terms-of-service and our privacy policy can be found at forScore.co/privacy.

forScore Pro Pass

With forScore 14 we introduced a forScore Pro 30-day pass that unlocks all forScore Pro features for 30 days with no auto-renewal. Although a forScore Pro subscription is more cost-effective, this pass gives you an opportunity to try these features so you can decide if subscribing is right for you.

Links & Buttons

Customize the size of links and buttons in the Accessibility section of forScore’s settings panel to better suit your needs.

Tap and hold a button to edit it

Links

Create a link between two points in your score to handle repeats with a single tap or click. Every link that you create consists of two components: a blue circle and an orange circle (an activation point and a target point). Blue circles are visible on the page at all times and take you to their destination when tapped. When you arrive, the corresponding orange circle flashes twice, showing you where to begin playing, but remains invisible the rest of the time.

Note: Links don’t have to be on different pages, they can also be used as visual cues on the same page. If needed, the page scrolls up or down to the correct position.

To create a link, select “Links” from the tools menu, and you’ll see a new screen appear with two copies of the current score displayed side-by-side. Use the seek bar or swipe to flip through the pages of either stack.

Tap anywhere on the left-hand page to create a blue circle, and tap anywhere on the right-hand page to create a corresponding orange circle. Both points are required to create a link. If you need to adjust the placement of a link point, simply tap the screen again in the correct position and the circle will move.

Tip: Tap and hold the page for a moment and a magnifying glass will pop up just above your finger, letting you position your links more precisely.

Buttons

Like links, buttons are tappable dots that can be placed anywhere on the page. Unlike links, however, buttons work alone and can be customized to perform a wide range of actions. They can open a score or bookmark, send MIDI commands, start or stop the metronome or change its tempo, control audio track playback, play a pitch, display a text note, and more. Each type of action is color-coded and can be customized for easy recognition.

Although you set up your button’s action when you create it, you can edit it at any time: just tap and hold your finger on a button until the editing interface appears.

Editing Links and Buttons

To delete or reposition a link or button, enter annotation mode by choosing “Annotate” from the tools menu or by tapping and holding the page for a few moments. With the erase tool selected, tap a link or button to remove it. If any other tool selected, links and buttons will appear as white circles that can be dragged around on the page.

Note that only the blue (source) dot of a link can be edited after creation. If you need to move the orange (destination) dot, you’ll have to delete the link and recreate it.