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Importing ChordPro Files

Learn how to import an existing ChordPro-style file into Chordly, where to find the import action, and what the current parser handles.

If you already have a ChordPro-style file, use Import ChordPro in the dashboard sidebar to bring it into Chordly.

Where to import a file

The import action lives in the dashboard sidebar as Import ChordPro.

When you choose a file, Chordly reads its text content, parses the ChordPro-style syntax it recognizes, creates a new song, and opens that song in the editor.

Supported file types

Chordly supports imports for these file extensions:

  • .chordpro
  • .pro
  • .cho
  • .crd
  • .chopro
  • .chord
  • .txt

What import does well

The current importer works best with files that already follow the usual ChordPro pattern:

  • chords written in square brackets inside lyric lines
  • metadata directives like title, subtitle, artist, key, tempo, time, capo, and copyright

For example, if you import this:

{title: Hallelujah}
{artist: Leonard Cohen}
{key: C}

[C]Now I've [Am]heard there was a [C]secret chord
That [F]David played and it [G]pleased the Lord

Chordly will create a new song, turn the bracketed chords into chord elements, and open the result in the editor so you can keep working visually from there.

What the imported song looks like

Based on the current parser behavior, Chordly:

  • creates a centered title at the top
  • adds subtitle or artist lines when present
  • groups key, capo, tempo, and time into a song-info line
  • converts bracketed chords into Chordly chords above the lyric text
  • turns comment lines and some non-mapped directive content into readable italic text lines

Important limitations to know

The import flow is useful, but it is not a promise that every ChordPro file will map perfectly into Chordly.

Bracketed chords matter

The parser recognizes chords in square brackets inside lyric lines.

So this works well:

[G]Take me [D]home

But plain chord-over-lyrics text without brackets is a different kind of file:

G        D
Take me home

That kind of text does not give the importer the same placement information.

Chordly reads a practical subset of directives best

Chordly understands some common value-based directives directly, especially metadata like title, subtitle, artist, key, capo, tempo, time, and copyright.

That does not mean every ChordPro directive becomes structured editor data. The current importer is strongest on bracketed chord lines and common metadata. More specialized directives, shorthand forms, or bare section commands like start_of_verse and end_of_chorus are not recreated as first-class structure inside the editor and may be dropped during import.

.txt files still use the ChordPro parser path

If you import a .txt file, Chordly still runs it through the ChordPro parser path that looks for bracketed chords and directive-like lines. In other words, .txt is accepted, but it is still most useful when the file content is already ChordPro-style or close to it.

Best results when importing

You will usually get the cleanest result when the file:

  • already uses bracketed chords
  • uses common metadata directives
  • keeps to common metadata and chord-line patterns
  • avoids depending on app-specific or highly specialized ChordPro features

If the imported result needs cleanup, you can keep editing visually once the song opens in Chordly.

After import

Once the imported song opens, the next useful pages are:

If you want the background on the format itself, see ChordPro Syntax and ChordPro Directives.