MusicBee Synced Lyrics: How LRC Files Work and Why They Don't Show
Quick Answer
MusicBee synced lyrics come from one of two places. The lyrics are either embedded in the audio file's tag or they sit beside it in a .lrc file with the same name as the track. If the lines have timestamps MusicBee highlights each one as the song plays. If they don't you just get a static block of text.
When lyrics aren't showing it's almost always a filename that doesn't match or a .txt where you needed .lrc. Sometimes the lyrics panel just isn't open. Or the panel isn't open at all.
How MusicBee Reads Lyrics
You pick where lyrics are stored in Edit > Preferences > Tags (1) under lyrics storage. There are two options:
- embed lyrics in the music file. This is the default. The text goes into the file's own tag so it travels with the file.
- save as an external file. The MusicBee wiki describes this as a file "named the same as the music file but with a .txt or .lrc file extension". A forum moderator spelled out the split. Unsynced lyrics go to
.txtand synced lyrics go to.lrc.
Embedded lyrics work a bit differently depending on format. MP3 has two separate ID3 frames, USLT for unsynchronised and SYLT for synchronised. The wiki notes that only MP3s let you store the two separately. For FLAC the wiki maps both kinds to a single LYRICS field, and even puts a question mark next to it.
Online lookup is its own thing. Under Edit > Preferences > Tags (2) > auto-tagging > lyrics you'll find auto-retrieve missing lyrics for the playing track (ticked by default) and and save without prompt (unticked by default). The provider list is right there too. But most of the built-in providers only return plain text without timing.
The wiki pages for these settings say they were last checked against version 3.0. The forum posts quoted here go up to 2024 and still name the same paths. MusicBee is at 3.6.9668 as of June 2026.
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File Naming and the Rescan Step
MusicBee matches a sidecar by its filename and ignores the tags. 03 - Harvest Moon.mp3 wants 03 - Harvest Moon.lrc in the same folder. That's the only match it makes.
MusicBee only matches on the track's filename. So if your .lrc files follow some other pattern like Artist - Title.lrc you rename one side to match the other. Rename the music files, rescan, then re-organize everything to whatever pattern you want and the .lrc files get moved along with the music.
So do it in this order:
- Put the
.lrcnext to the track with the exact same base name. Watch out for trailing spaces and different dash characters. - Play the track. The lyrics panel reads the file at playback time.
- If the library's Lyrics? column still says the track has none, a rescan won't fix it. A 2021 wishlist post says scanning new MP3s didn't register
.lrcsidecars in the database even though playback showed the synced text. Open the Tag Editor, click into the Lyrics tab and hit Save, and that writes the link to the database. So trust the panel over the column.
The Lyrics Panel
The panel can go in the left or right side panel or float in its own window. Right-click inside it to get Edit Displayed Lyrics and Save Lyrics into Music File.
You can also make your own timings from that right-click menu without any other tool. Open Edit Displayed Lyrics and play the track. Press Ctrl-T at the start of each paragraph and MusicBee inserts a timestamp and jumps to the next line. Save when you're done. If Ctrl-T is awkward you can rebind it under Preferences > Hotkeys. Current builds call it Edit: Insert Timestamp for Synchronized Lyrics (the wiki still uses older wording).
To find tracks that need lyrics go to Tools > Tagging Tools > Show Files with Missing Lyrics. Or build an auto-playlist where Lyrics? has no value.
The Tag Editor's Lyrics tab has a mark as having no lyrics box. Tick it on instrumentals and MusicBee stops searching online for them.
MusicBee Lyrics Not Showing: Fixes
Nothing shows. Compare the base name of the .lrc to the audio file character by character. Make sure it's in the same folder. Make sure the panel you have open is actually the lyrics panel and not artwork or track info.
Lyrics show but don't scroll. The file has no timestamps. A forum moderator put it plainly. You can't rename a .txt to .lrc and expect it to become synchronised. Open the file and look. Every lyric line should start with something like [00:12.50] and if the lines are bare text the panel shows them as one block.
Scrolls but highlights the wrong line. The .lrc was timed against a different edit of the song. Retime it or regenerate it from the audio you actually have.
Word by word timestamps don't work. Enhanced LRC puts a timestamp before every word. The LRCLIBee plugin's readme says MusicBee doesn't support that form, so stick with plain line level LRC.
Odd characters, boxes or question marks. Save the .lrc as UTF-8. Lyrics in Chinese, Japanese or Korean will break in a file saved as ANSI or UTF-16. Same for anything with accents.
Old lyrics keep appearing. Maybe you switched storage from embedded to external. The embedded tag still holds the old text in that case. Check the Tag Editor's Lyrics tab to see what the file really contains.
Getting an LRC for Songs With None Online
The built-in providers rarely return synced lines. As one forum regular put it, very few servers deliver synced lyrics. So you either add a source that does or make the file yourself.
1. LRCLIBee inside MusicBee. This plugin queries LRCLIB, which is a free and open lyrics database. Extract the .dll files into %APPDATA%\MusicBee\Plugins\ and enable it under Preferences > Plugins. Then pick LRCLIB via LRCLIBee in Tags (2) > Lyrics. Put a lrclibee.conf in %APPDATA%\MusicBee\ with preferSyncedLyrics or onlySyncedLyrics set to true. Otherwise it may hand you plain text even when timed lines exist. Restart MusicBee after you edit the conf.
2. LRCGET for the whole library. LRCGET is the official LRCLIB desktop client for Windows, macOS and Linux. Point it at your music folder and it scans every track and fetches what LRCLIB has. Then run its export, which writes a .lrc with the same name in the same folder. MusicBee wants exactly that layout. Set save as an external file in Tags (1) and the two line up.
3. Nothing online. Then you generate the timing from the audio. Upload the track to EasyLRC and wait 10 to 20 seconds. Check the lines and export plain LRC. Rename it to match the track and drop it in the folder. The free plan is 5 minutes of audio a month with no card. Don't bother with the Enhanced LRC export for MusicBee since it won't read the word timestamps.
The LRC format complete guide covers the format itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does MusicBee support synced lyrics
Yes. It reads timestamped lyrics from an embedded tag or from a .lrc file next to the track and highlights each line during playback. It expects one timestamp per line though. Per word timing won't work.
Where do I put .lrc files for MusicBee
In the same folder as the audio file with the same base name. 03 - Harvest Moon.mp3 pairs with 03 - Harvest Moon.lrc. If you want MusicBee to write them that way too, set lyrics storage to save as an external file in Edit > Preferences > Tags (1).
Why are MusicBee lyrics not showing
Usually it's a filename mismatch or the file is in a different folder. It can also be the lyrics panel not being open. Check those first.
Why do my lyrics show but not scroll in MusicBee
The text has no timestamps. Renaming a .txt to .lrc doesn't add timing. Each line needs a [mm:ss.xx] tag at the start. You can retime it in the lyrics panel with Ctrl-T or generate a new LRC from the audio.
Can MusicBee download synced lyrics automatically
Not really with the built-in providers, which mostly return plain text. Install the LRCLIBee plugin and enable LRCLIB via LRCLIBee under Tags (2) with preferSyncedLyrics set in its config. For a whole library LRCGET fetches in bulk and its export writes the .lrc files.
Can I make an LRC file for a song that has no lyrics online
Yes. You can time it by hand in MusicBee's lyrics panel with Edit Displayed Lyrics and Ctrl-T. Or upload the audio to EasyLRC and let it transcribe and time the lines. Then export LRC and name it after the track.
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