Setliner™

Moving your forScore library to Setliner™

Copy the PDFs out, import, and what to check afterwards.

For musicians whose library is mostly PDF scores and who want chord charts they can transpose and edit, on more than Apple devices. forScore keeps your PDFs plus its own library data (annotations, setlists, bookmarks and metadata). Setliner™ can take the PDFs, not forScore’s library data.

Export from forScore

  1. forScore stores your PDFs in its Documents folder. On an iPad or iPhone, forScore’s help says you can reach that folder through the Files app, or through Apple’s File Sharing panel on a computer connected to the device. Copy the PDFs you want to a folder on your computer or cloud service.
  2. Those copies do not carry your markings. forScore’s help says annotations are kept in its private library data, not inside the PDF files. To keep a score’s markings, share it from forScore as an annotated PDF, which adds them to the pages permanently.
  3. For a safety copy of everything, create an archive from forScore’s Tools menu, under Backup. It is one 4SB file with a copy of every document and the private data. Setliner™ cannot open a 4SB file, so keep it only as a backup.
  4. For setlists, open each one in forScore, select its songs and share them as a text list, so you have the song order to rebuild it.

Import into Setliner™

  1. Install Setliner™ and choose the folder your library will live in.
  2. In the Library, choose Import and select all the PDFs at once.
  3. For each PDF, Setliner™ asks whether to keep it as PDF pages or convert it into an editable chart. Keep a PDF as pages if you only want to read it, and keep annotated PDFs as pages; convert an unmarked PDF whose chords and lyrics are text if you want to transpose it.
  4. Rebuild each setlist from its text list. Setliner™ imports only its own set files, not forScore setlists.

What comes across / what to check

  • Comes across: the pages of each PDF, or a chart converted from it.
  • Check: a converted PDF against the original, line by line, before you rely on it.
  • Check: a PDF kept as pages cannot be transposed.
  • Does not come across: forScore’s setlists, bookmarks and metadata, its 4SB backups, and annotations as editable marks. An annotated PDF brings markings across only as part of the page.

Features in forScore that are not currently in Setliner™

  • Setliner™ is built for chord charts, with chords above lyrics. It shows PDFs as pages but does not turn a notated score into editable notation.

What you get in Setliner™

  • Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, with iPad coming.
  • Songs are files in a folder you choose, and the free app works offline. Put that folder in a sync service you already use, such as Google Drive or OneDrive, and your devices share one library, with no Setliner™ account needed. Setliner™ has no sync service of its own: sync depends on that service and your platform.
  • Convert a chord-and-lyric PDF to an editable chart, then change the key or add a capo and every chord changes with it. Tap any chord to see how to play it and hear how it sounds.
  • Draw or write notes on a chart, as you would on paper. Build a set for the night with each song’s own key and sequence; the chart can scroll by itself, or a foot pedal turns the page and moves you through the set.
  • Back up and restore: Back up library in Settings saves your songs, setlists, marks, tags, play history and settings to one .slnbackup file. Licenses are not included.
  • The free app needs no account, and its core features have no time limit. Optional extras are one-time purchases, each with a 90-day free trial; see Licensing and the prices. Trials and purchases need a verified email and a connection to start, then a check-in at least every 90 days. Purchases are not available to buyers in the EEA or the UK.

Common questions

Can I import my forScore PDFs into Setliner™?

Yes. Copy the PDF files out of forScore (its help says its Documents folder is reachable through the Files app or File Sharing), then import them from the Setliner™ Library. Each PDF can stay as pages or be converted into an editable chart.

Does Setliner™ read forScore backups or archives?

No. forScore’s 4SB backups and archives hold its library data, and Setliner™ does not open them. Keep one as a backup and import the PDFs.

Do my forScore setlists and annotations come across?

Not as forScore data. Share each setlist’s songs from forScore as a text list and rebuild the setlist in Setliner™ from it. Plain PDF copies do not carry annotations; share a score as an annotated PDF to keep its markings on the pages.

Download Setliner™

The free app runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android, with iPad coming. It needs no account, and the core features have no time limit. Optional extras come with a 90-day free trial.

Download Setliner free

Read the FAQ · Other moving guides

Facts about forScore checked on its website on 2026-10-19: Understanding Backups, Syncing, and iCloud, Backing up your data, Adding Files, Sharing scores. Setliner™: current app source.

forScore is a trademark of its owner, used here only to name the app this guide is about. Setliner, LLC is not affiliated with or endorsed by forScore’s owner. Tell us through the contact page if something here has changed.