Finale Discontinued: Move Your Scores via MusicXML

Finale isn't going to vanish from your computer tomorrow. But MakeMusic stopped developing it in August 2024, support has ended, and every operating system update is now a risk. Your scores are safe only as long as you can still open them, so the job is to get them into a format another program can read while Finale still runs.

Where Finale stands in September 2026

Everything here is from MakeMusic's own "The End of Finale" post, which it has kept updating since August 2024.

The authorization change is good news, but it isn't a guarantee. MakeMusic's own August 2024 clarification says "future OS changes can still impact your ability to use Finale on new devices." A Finale install that works is a resource worth protecting until your export is done.

Why MusicXML, not the Finale file

Keeping the .musx files isn't enough. MakeMusic's migration FAQ is plain: "Dorico cannot directly import Finale .mus or .musx files." Steinberg's blog post on translating Finale projects explains why no one is likely to fix that: "Finale's native document format was never designed to be read or understood by any other program," and reading it would mean reverse-engineering much of Finale itself.

MusicXML exists for exactly this. Steinberg describes Finale's export as "very rich", capturing "not only all of the musical content of the document, but also a good deal of the graphical appearance." Avid's Sibelius Reference Guide calls MusicXML "the recommended way of moving music between Finale and Sibelius." If you're new to the format, our explainer on MIDI vs MusicXML vs PDF sets out what each file keeps and loses.

Step 1: protect the machine that runs Finale

1. Hold off on operating system updates on that computer until the export is finished.
2. Back up the Finale library as it is, .mus and .musx files included, before converting anything.
3. Note your Finale version. Finale v27 exports MusicXML 4.0; older versions export older MusicXML versions.
4. Remove leftovers that break imports in scores you care about most (see step 3 below): hidden Human Playback notes and staves with hidden time signatures.

Step 2: batch-export the whole library

Finale's manual describes a batch command, Translate Folder to MusicXML, with its options set in the MusicXML Preferences dialog (reached from File → Export in the current manual; Avid's Sibelius guide gives File → MusicXML → Export for Finale 2006 or later, so the menu depends on your version).

1. Copy your Finale folder to a working location, so the originals stay untouched.
2. Open MusicXML Preferences. Finale's manual lists the export options: the MusicXML version, and Include linked parts in compressed files, which puts linked parts in the .mxl file alongside the score.
3. Choose the batch options. Export compressed (.mxl) is selected by default; Include subfolders converts the whole tree; Silence error messages collects MusicXML error messages in a log file (the manual notes Finale's own error messages still appear).
4. Run Translate Folder to MusicXML on the copy.
5. Read the log and note any files that reported errors.
6. Export a PDF of each score you'll ever want to see again, and a MIDI file if playback matters. Steinberg recommends "PDF, MusicXML, and MIDI versions of your Finale projects", kept together "with the original Finale documents", with backups "in at least one off-site location."

For scores you're only keeping, that's the end of the job. Steinberg makes a point worth repeating: "You do not need to translate all your existing Finale projects to Dorico (or any other program)." If you only need to print or share a piece, use the PDF. Import a score into a new program when you actually need to revise it.

Step 3: fix the problems before they travel

Steinberg's post names the Finale habits that break MusicXML imports most often. They're far easier to fix in Finale than afterwards.

• Rhythms that don't add up. "In Finale it's quite easy to create tuplet structures that contradict the time signature". In Dorico the symptom is an instrument whose music "simply stops" part way through. Correct the bar in Finale and export again.
• Human Playback's hidden notes. Steinberg says hidden or grey notes added by Human Playback can cause timing problems and "extra notes at trills and tremolos". Remove them in Finale, then re-export.
• Large time signatures. If your score shows time signatures on only a few staves, the MusicXML says exactly that, and Dorico shows open meter on the rest. Make every staff show its time signature before exporting.

Step 4: import into your new program

Dorico

Before importing, Steinberg recommends looking at Dorico's MusicXML import preferences, which decide how much of Finale's graphical detail to keep. Its advice is to "allow Dorico as free a hand as possible", because the project will have "fewer overrides that interfere with its automatic behaviours." Dorico "aims to import all the musical information, but leave the fine graphical details to its own sophisticated algorithms." Then fix layout globally first, in Layout Options (staff size, vertical gaps, casting off), before touching individual systems. The details of staves and piano layout after import are in our guide to importing MusicXML into Dorico.

Sibelius

Open the file with File → Open. The 2024.3 Reference Guide lists the options in the import dialog: use page and staff size from the MusicXML file, use its layout and formatting, choose a house style, and let Sibelius choose instruments or map them yourself. For a library, Home → Plug-ins → Batch Processing → Convert Folder of MusicXML Files converts a whole folder to .sib files. Two cautions from that guide: its converter is "based around MusicXML 3.0", so newer files open "though new features will not be imported"; and it lists limitations, including articulations, cross-staff notes and tuplets. Avid's crossgrade FAQ says Finale owners can crossgrade to Sibelius Ultimate by entering a qualifying Finale serial number. We go through the import settings in importing MusicXML into Sibelius.

MuseScore Studio

MuseScore Studio is free and opens MusicXML directly. Its handbook lists the import options under Edit → Preferences → Import: import layout, import system and page breaks, apply the default typeface, and "Infer text type based on content where possible", which is off by default but "often saves a huge amount of time required in manual cleanup." The handbook is candid that "it is usually necessary to do some clean-up work." The fixes are in opening MusicXML in MuseScore Studio.

What to check after every import

Compare each imported score with the PDF you exported from Finale, in this order:

1. Every instrument plays to the end. Missing music after a point means a broken rhythm.
2. Time and key signatures on every staff.
3. Tuplets and cross-staff notes, which both Steinberg and Avid flag.
4. Articulations, ornaments and symbols, several of which Sibelius's guide says may not import.
5. Lyrics and chord symbols, if the score has them.
6. Parts, if you rely on them for players.
7. Layout last. Staff size and system breaks are the cheapest thing to redo.

If the Finale file is gone but the music isn't

Some Finale users find the gap the hard way: an old computer died, a file won't open, or a piece was only ever sketched in Finale and performed from memory since. If there's still a PDF, a scanning program that exports MusicXML is one route; a reply from the Dorico team under Steinberg's post notes that any music scanning software can feed Dorico, because they all export MusicXML.

If all that's left is a recording of you playing it, a draft can come from the audio instead. That's a longer road than a MusicXML export, because a transcription writes down one performance, not the score you engraved: dynamics, articulations, repeats and layout all have to be put back by hand.

Piano to Sheet Music takes solo piano audio only. It can't read a .musx file, a PDF or a MIDI file, so if any of those still exist, use them first.

If you sell or publish your Finale scores

A catalogue on a sheet music platform raises the stakes, because customers will ask for revisions and new editions long after Finale stops running. Export the MusicXML and a PDF of every published score first, and keep the PDF you actually uploaded as the reference edition. Our guide to selling sheet music of your own songs covers what the platforms ask for.

Frequently asked questions

Is Finale still working after it was discontinued?

Yes, where it is already installed and the operating system still supports it. MakeMusic ended development in August 2024. Its July 2026 update says authorization on new devices will continue indefinitely, but technical support has ended and MakeMusic warned that macOS Sequoia does not meet Finale's system requirements. Future OS updates can still stop it running.

Can Dorico, Sibelius or MuseScore open Finale .musx files directly?

No. MakeMusic's migration FAQ says Dorico cannot directly import Finale .mus or .musx files, and recommends exporting MusicXML from Finale first. Steinberg's blog explains why: Finale's native format was never designed to be read by another program. Sibelius's Reference Guide calls MusicXML the recommended way of moving music between Finale and Sibelius.

How do I export all my Finale files to MusicXML at once?

Use Finale's Translate Folder to MusicXML command. Finale's manual says it can include subfolders, exports compressed .mxl files by default, and can collect MusicXML error messages in a log file during the batch. Point it at a copy of your library, then open a few results in your new program before trusting the whole batch.

Will my score look the same after importing the MusicXML?

Usually not exactly. Steinberg says Dorico aims to import all the musical information but leaves fine graphical details to its own layout engine. Sibelius's Reference Guide lists import limitations, from articulations to tuplets. MuseScore's handbook says some clean-up work is usually necessary. Keep a PDF of each Finale score to compare against.

What should I keep besides the MusicXML files?

Steinberg's Dorico team recommends creating PDF, MusicXML and MIDI versions of each Finale project, keeping them with the original Finale files, and backing everything up off-site. An audio export is useful too if you want to hear the playback later. The PDF shows what the score looked like; the MusicXML is what you edit.

Sources

• MakeMusic: The End of Finale (with updates to July 2026)
• MakeMusic: From Finale to Dorico, A Migration Guide
• MakeMusic: macOS Sequoia Incompatible with Finale v27
• Finale User Manual: MusicXML Preferences dialog box
• Steinberg Dorico blog: Translating Finale projects to Dorico using MusicXML
• Avid: Sibelius Reference Guide, version 2024.3 (PDF), section 1.9 Opening MusicXML Files
• Avid Knowledge Base: Finale to Sibelius Crossgrade FAQ
• MuseScore Studio Handbook: Working with MusicXML files
• MuseScore Studio Handbook: File export

Pages checked 16 September 2026.