Free online MID to MUSICXML converter

A notation program may require MusicXML when a composition arrives as a .mid file and must be edited, printed, or shared with another score editor. Converting it changes performance events into written notation, so the imported score usually requires correction.

What the MID format is

MID files are Standard MIDI Files, commonly identified by the .mid or .midi extension. They store musical instructions such as note pitches, note-on and note-off timing, velocities, MIDI channels, controller events, program changes, tempo, and time signatures. They contain no recorded sound and do not preserve the exact visual layout of a printed score.

MIDI files are used by digital audio workstations, sequencers, notation programs, arranger keyboards, electronic instruments, and composition software. A keyboardist might export a performance as MIDI, or a composer might use it to exchange a part between applications. MIDI tracks and channels describe playback data; they do not necessarily identify the intended written voices, instruments, or engraving.

What the MUSICXML format is

MusicXML is an XML-based interchange format for written music. It can represent measures, notes, rests, rhythms, voices, pitches, clefs, key and time signatures, dynamics, lyrics, articulations, repeats, and other notation objects. Compatible notation programs can use this information to reconstruct an editable score or part.

MusicXML is better suited than MIDI for editing notation, transposing music, printing parts, and exchanging scores between applications such as MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale, Dorico, and other compatible programs. Uncompressed files commonly use .musicxml or .xml; compressed MusicXML packages use .mxl. MusicXML can carry notation and some layout information, but it cannot restore score details that were never present in the MIDI file.

How to convert a MID file with MuseScore

1. Install and open MuseScore, then choose File → Open and select the .mid file.
2. Review the MIDI import settings. Choose a shortest-note or quantization value that matches the intended notation. A coarse value can erase rhythms; an excessively fine value can create unnecessary ties, rests, and tuplets.
3. Select or retain the required tracks and instruments, then open the imported file. MuseScore creates notation from the MIDI events.
4. Correct the score before exporting. Check the tempo, meter, key signatures, clefs, barlines, note durations, rests, tuplets, enharmonic spellings, voice assignments, instrument names, and unwanted empty measures. Split or merge voices where the MIDI data does not represent them correctly.
5. Choose File → Export, select MusicXML or Uncompressed MusicXML, and save the file with a .musicxml extension. Choose compressed MusicXML only when the receiving application accepts .mxl.

MuseScore is a practical free desktop converter for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Other notation programs, including Sibelius, Dorico, and Finale, can generally import MIDI and export MusicXML, but their import and export commands vary by version. A digital audio workstation may read MIDI without providing a reliable notation-to-MusicXML workflow, so dedicated notation software is preferable.

You can also convert the file for free on 101convert.com without installing software. Inspect the resulting file in a notation editor, especially when the score must be printed or further edited.

Quality and compatibility limitations

MIDI often lacks lyrics, articulation markings, phrase directions, notation-ready beaming, meaningful voice separation, intended enharmonic spelling, page layout, and reliable instrument information. Program changes identify playback sounds, not necessarily the correct notation instruments or transpositions.

A live performance contains timing variation that can import as irregular note values, excessive tuplets, rests, or ties. Quantization improves readable notation but may remove intentional swing, rubato, or expressive timing. When possible, create a cleaned or quantized MIDI export before conversion, while retaining a copy of the original performance file.

Separate MIDI channels commonly become separate instruments, but overlapping parts on one channel may require manual voice assignment. Sustain-pedal events can lengthen the heard sound without changing the written note duration. Check playback, measure boundaries, transposition, part extraction, and the score in the destination application after export.