# How to import ChordPro lyrics into your song library

> Bring an existing ChordPro chart into Lyrics Library, keep chords on the right words, and make it ready for transpose, capo, and stage view.

Source: https://lyricslibrary.app/blog/import-chordpro-lyrics

ChordPro is a simple way to store a lyric and its chords in one text file. A chord sits in brackets before the word where it changes, like `[G]we walk the long way [D]home`. That plain text can travel by email, cloud drive, or chat without turning into a screenshot.

Lyrics Library supports ChordPro so you can bring existing charts into your library instead of rebuilding them one chord at a time.

## Start with plain text

The best ChordPro file is readable even before an app touches it. It should look like text, not a PDF copy or an image. A tiny invented example:

```text
{title: Porch Light}
[G]We walk the long way [D]home
[Em]The porch light is still [C]on
```

That format tells the app where the chords belong. If a chart comes from a rich-text document, paste it into a plain text editor first if the spacing looks strange.

[Download Lyrics Library free](/#download) if you want a ChordPro chart to become a readable phone chart for stage.

## Paste once, then review

After you paste the ChordPro chart, review the first verse, chorus, and bridge. You are checking for two things:

- The lyric line breaks still make sense on a phone
- The chord marks land on the syllables where the changes happen

ChordPro is good, but it is not magic. If the original file had `[D]` in the wrong place, the app will faithfully put it there. Fix the source chart once and the saved version becomes useful every time.

## Use transpose and capo after import

The advantage of importing a real chord chart is what happens later. Once the song is in Lyrics Library, you can [transpose lyrics and chords](/blog/transpose-lyrics-and-chords), think in capo, and keep a single chart for different singers.

That is better than keeping five files:

- `Song in G`
- `Song in A`
- `Song capo 2`
- `Song new key`
- `Song final final`

One clean chart is easier to trust.

## Keep ChordPro simple

ChordPro can include comments and directives, but a stage chart should stay practical. Use the title, section labels, and chord tokens you actually need. Avoid filling the file with notes nobody will read during the count-in.

If the chart is handwritten in the app first, you can still treat it like a normal library song: add it to a [setlist](/blog/build-a-setlist-for-tonight), open stage view, or export it later.

## Import does not grant rights

ChordPro is a format, not a license. Add and perform material you have the right to use. For the legal side, see the [Terms of Use](/terms).

For manual placement tips, read [how to add guitar chords to lyrics](/blog/add-guitar-chords-to-lyrics). If you need to send the chart to someone else, read [how to share lyrics as text, ChordPro, or PDF](/blog/share-lyrics-chordpro-pdf).