# File formats

What you can import — PDF, MusicXML, MEI, MIDI, images, ZIP, `.imslp` and `.sheetturner` — and which reader tools each format unlocks.

> Type: Reference · Status: Stable · Platforms: iPadOS 17+, iPadOS 17+ · Last reviewed: 2026-07-18

## Format overview

| Format | Extensions | What it becomes in your library |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PDF | `.pdf` | Fixed pages. Read, annotate, share, and print directly. Convert separately when you need notation-aware tools. |
| MusicXML | `.xml`, `.musicxml`, `.mxl` (compressed) | Engraved, structured notation with the full Smart Score toolset. |
| MEI | `.mei` | Engraved notation where the file is valid. Imported as-is; tool coverage can differ from MusicXML. |
| MIDI | `.mid`, `.midi` | Converted to notation on import. Notes and timing are kept; engraving detail is reconstructed — see the MIDI section below. |
| Image files | `.png`, `.jpg`/`.jpeg`, `.heic`/`.heif`, `.tif`/`.tiff`, `.gif`, `.bmp` | Page material, like a scan. Not structured notation until you convert it. |
| ZIP archive or folder | `.zip`, folders | A container, not a format. It is unpacked on the device; supported members import, unsupported or damaged members are skipped or fail individually. |
| IMSLP bundle | `.imslp` | The PDF held inside the bundle, plus the composer, title, copyright, and source link read from the bundle's own metadata — so those fields arrive filled in. |
| Page Turner bundle | `.sheetturner` | A shared piece package, not a new format of score. It lands the shared system map, reprises, take anchors, section override, and stamps on the matching piece in your library, and materializes the shared score when you do not already have it. Audio takes are not included. |

A recognized container does not guarantee that its contents are valid or musically accurate.

## Import paths

- `Add score` > `Import files…` opens the Files picker for one file, several files, a folder, or a ZIP archive. `.imslp` and `.sheetturner` bundles are accepted here too.
- `Add score` > `Scan a score` captures paper pages with the camera.
- The system share sheet imports a PDF, `.musicxml`, `.mxl`, `.imslp`, or `.sheetturner` file handed off by another app. `.imslp` and `.sheetturner` are Page Turner's own file types, so the app is offered first for them. Page Turner does not appear as a share destination for MEI, MIDI, image, or bare `.xml` files — save those to Files and bring them in with `Import files…`.
- Files providers (iCloud Drive or another enabled provider) work through the same picker. The provider manages authentication and download state.

## What each format unlocks in the reader

Several rows of the reader `Toolbox` depend on the format of the score version you have open. A row you cannot use yet is either greyed out with a hint naming what it needs, or hidden entirely.

- `Rearrange pages` and `Dewarp & Clean` need a PDF version of the score. Without one they stay in the list, greyed out with their hint.
- `Crop` also needs a PDF version, but the row is removed from the `Toolbox` when the score has no PDF. On a MusicXML or MEI score there is no greyed-out `Crop` row to find.
- `Convert to Smart Score` needs a PDF version. After conversion, it greys out and its counterpart `Fix a Wrong Conversion` becomes available — the two rows are mutually exclusive.
- `Share` and `Print` need a PDF or MusicXML version.

> **Important** Importing a PDF, images, or a ZIP does not create a Smart Score. Run `Convert to Smart Score` from the `Toolbox` as a separate step when you need structured notation; conversion uses a network connection.

## MusicXML and MEI

- Uncompressed MusicXML (`.xml`, `.musicxml`) gets an automatic repair pass at import, so common structural faults — such as a two-clef piano part missing its grand-staff declaration — render correctly instead of collapsing onto one staff. Compressed `.mxl` is repaired when it is first opened.
- Every MusicXML and MEI file is validated at import. A file that cannot be rendered safely is rejected with an error instead of being added to your library in a broken state.
- MEI files are imported exactly as written: they do not go through the MusicXML repair pass, so a structurally flawed MEI stays flawed, and some notation tools cover MEI less completely than MusicXML.

## MIDI

A MIDI file is converted to notation during import; the original MIDI file is kept with the piece.

- Pitches and timing are preserved, so tracking and playback run on the converted score.
- MIDI carries no engraving: enharmonic spelling is a best guess, and slurs, articulations, and written dynamics are absent from the result. Expect a readable but plainer score than an edition.
- An empty or unconvertible MIDI file fails the import with an error; nothing is added to the library.

## Before a large import

1. Open representative files outside Page Turner to confirm they are complete and readable.
2. Remove password protection you are authorized to remove.
3. Confirm page order and orientation.
4. Test one item before importing a folder or archive.
5. Keep the sources until you have checked the imported copies.

> **Limit** This table is the maintained compatibility list. Do not infer support for a format, compression variant, embedded media type, or proprietary package that is not listed here.