Most problems in Orfeo have a quick fix that doesn’t need a reinstall. Find your symptom below and work through the checks in order; if nothing helps, report a bug.
Windows says “Windows protected your PC”
Orfeo isn’t code-signed yet, so Microsoft Defender SmartScreen warns about it the first time you run the installer or the portable file. Click More info, check that the app is Orfeo, then click Run anyway. Only do this for files downloaded from the official Orfeo download page. The Microsoft Store version doesn’t show this warning. See Download and Install.
No sound
Check the volume knob in the top bar isn’t turned all the way down.
Open the Tracks panel: are the tracks muted (M), is another track soloed (S), or is Focus Mode on?
Check the Windows volume and that the right output device is selected, in the speaker icon on the taskbar.
If sound stopped after plugging in headphones or changing the output device, restart Orfeo.
Switch the sound engine in Settings → Audio and try again. If one engine plays and another doesn’t, please report it.
Playback stutters or crackles
Close other heavy programs, especially other music software, browsers with many tabs and video calls.
Turn off Visual Effects, or set their scope to Piano only, in Settings → Piano Roll.
Try the GM sound engine. The Studio engine sounds better but needs more processing power, especially with large soundfonts.
With the Native engine (beta), choose Shared in Settings → Audio, or go back to Studio, and report it: the engine is new and some sound cards may need a larger buffer. The log you save from the Delay check includes your sound card connection, which makes the problem much easier to find.
On a laptop, plug in the charger and set Windows to a balanced or best-performance power mode.
Update your graphics drivers. The piano roll is drawn by the graphics card, and outdated drivers are a common cause of uneven animation. See System Requirements.
Other apps go silent while Orfeo is open
That’s the Native engine’s Exclusive mode at work: it takes the sound card for Orfeo alone, for the shortest delay. Orfeo turns it on while a MIDI keyboard is connected and back to Shared when you unplug the last one. To hear a browser lesson, a video call or other music while a keyboard is connected, choose Shared in Settings → Audio, switch off the keyboard switch under MIDI Keyboard › Sound & Latency, or pick the Studio engine. See Native engine.
My MIDI keyboard isn’t recognised or lags
Hover the MIDI indicator at the right of the top bar. It shows the name of the connected keyboard, or No MIDI keyboard connected.
Unplug the keyboard and plug it in again. Orfeo picks it up without a restart.
Close other programs that may be using it, such as a DAW or another piano app. On Windows, a MIDI device can usually be used by only one program at a time.
Try another USB port or cable, and avoid unpowered USB hubs.
If the keyboard needs a driver from its maker, install it, then restart Orfeo.
Delay between pressing a key and hearing it: choose the Native engine (beta) in Settings → Audio, which in Exclusive mode plays what you play in under 10 ms on wired headphones or a USB audio interface. Bluetooth headphones and speakers always add a noticeable delay; use wired ones for playing along. The Delay check shows where every millisecond goes on your computer. More in Play along with a MIDI keyboard.
The chord names look wrong
Chord names are worked out automatically from the notes, so on some arrangements they need a nudge.
Blank or too thin: switch Chord tracking from Auto to Harmony.
Changing too often or showing the melody: stay on Auto, or use Follow and pick the instrument that plays the chords.
Missing a 7th or other extra note on short chords: set Chord reading to Progressive.
Names in an unfamiliar system (for example H instead of B): check the Display system.
Accuracy is still being improved for sheet-music arrangements that print the sung melody inside the piano part, and for inversions in solo piano. If a song reads clearly wrong, sending the MIDI file with a bug report helps. How detection works is explained in How Orfeo reads chords.
I can’t find my saved version
Saved versions go into an Orfeo folder next to the original file, named <song>_ORFEO_v1.mid, _v2 and so on. See How saving works.
In the library, expand the Orfeo folder beside the original song.
If the original was opened from outside your library folder, the new version is saved beside it there, not in the library. Right-click the song and choose Show in folder, or move the original into your library folder.
Click the library’s refresh button to rescan.
A file won’t open
Check the file type is one Orfeo reads: see Supported formats. PDF scores and audio files such as MP3 can’t be opened.
Dragging onto the library needs a library folder set first. Dragging onto the piano roll or Ctrl+O work without one.
Some downloaded files are damaged or incomplete. Try opening the file in another program, or download it again.
If a MusicXML or Guitar Pro score fails to convert, export it as MIDI from your notation program instead. See Get clean MIDI from notation software.
Two Orfeo installs, or one in Program Files
An early version of the installer put Orfeo in C:\Program Files\Orfeo for all users. Current versions install just for your Windows account, in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Orfeo, without an administrator prompt. If you see two Orfeo entries in Settings → Apps → Installed apps, uninstall both, then install the latest version. Choose No when the uninstaller asks about your data, so your edited files are kept. See Uninstalling Orfeo.
Start fresh
Reset the current song: click the Orfeo logo at the top left. It closes the file and resets tempo, key and playback, without restarting.
Reset all settings: close Orfeo and delete orfeo-prefs.json from your Orfeo data folder. Orfeo starts with default settings next time; your MIDI files are not affected. Where that folder is depends on your build, see Where your data lives.
