Better Lyrics
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Description
- Download
- Features
- Extension Permissions
- Manual Installation
- Usage
- Options
- Styling
- Funding
- Discord Community
- FAQ
- Why are the lyrics not showing up?
- How do I change settings?
- How do I turn on full-screen mode?
- How do I translate lyrics?
- Can I contribute to Better Lyrics?
- Some lyrics are out of sync/missing/incorrect. What can I do?
- How do I report a bug?
- I don't like the new update. Can I revert to the old version?
- How do I support the project?
- Do you plan on pay-walling the extension in the future?
- I want to use Better Lyrics along with another extension. Is that possible?
- Can I use Better Lyrics on mobile?
- Can I use a different lyrics provider?
- Can I use Better Lyrics on other browsers?
- Lyrics have stopped showing up completely for all songs. What do I do?
- Can I use Better Lyrics on other music streaming services?
- Contributing
- License
- Contributors ✨
Description
Better Lyrics for Youtube Music upgrades your Youtube Music experience by providing beautiful time synced lyrics for the currently playing song.
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Download
Features
🎵 Beautiful time-synced lyrics on Youtube Music\ 📦 No external dependencies or API key\ ⏩ Seek to a specific part of the song by clicking on the lyrics\ 🌏 Supports multiple languages\ 🪶 Lightweight and easy to use\ 🖥️ Support for full-screen mode
Extension Permissions
| Permission | Reason | Data Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Download files and read and modify the browser's download history | Firefox specific - Required to download styles and themes as CSS file | Does not read or modify browser's download history |
Better Lyrics does not collect any personal data or track your browsing activity. The extension is open-source and thoroughly reviewed by the community to ensure that your privacy is protected.
Manual Installation
Chrome
- Clone this repository or download the ZIP file from the releases page.
- Open Google Chrome and go to
chrome://extensions. - Enable "Developer mode" by toggling the switch in the top right corner.
- Click on "Load unpacked" and select the folder where you cloned/downloaded this repository.
- The Better Lyrics extension should now be installed and ready to use!
Firefox
- Clone this repository or download the ZIP file from the releases page.
- Open Firefox and go to
about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox. - Copy the contents of
manifest.firefox.jsonand paste it inmanifest.json. - Click on "Load Temporary Add-on" and select the
manifest.jsonfile inside the cloned/downloaded folder. - The Better Lyrics extension should now be installed and ready to use!
Usage
- Open YouTube Music and start playing a song.
- Click on the lyrics tab to view the time-synced lyrics. (This might take a few seconds to load)
- Click on a specific line to seek to that part of the song.
Options
| Option | Default Status |
|---|---|
| Logs | Enabled |
| Auto switch to Lyrics tab | Disabled |
| Blurred album art background | Enabled |
| Auto-hide cursor in full screen mode | Enabled |
| Full screen mode | Enabled |
| Stylized Lyrics (Background/Wobble/Glow) | Enabled |
| Translations | Disabled |
| Translation Language | English |
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To change defaults, click on the Better Lyrics icon in the extensions toolbar. The changes require a page refresh to take effect.
Styling
Custom styling for lyrics is available in Better Lyrics v1.7.0 and later versions. This feature allows you to personalize the appearance of both the lyrics and the entire YouTube Music interface. For detailed instructions on customizing styles, importing/exporting themes, and using pre-made themes, please consult our Styling Guide.
Funding
[!IMPORTANT]
The author is self-hosting the backend for Better Lyrics to ensure a smooth and reliable experience for all users. This involves maintaining servers, handling updates, and ensuring uptime. If you find Better Lyrics useful and would like to support the project, please consider making a donation.
Your support helps cover the costs of hosting and development, and ensures continued improvements and stability.
Discord Community
Join our Discord community to discuss Better Lyrics and get support from the developer and other users:
FAQ
Why are the lyrics not showing up?
Make sure that the extension is enabled and that you are on https://music.youtube.com. The extension won't work on the regular YouTube website.
How do I change settings?
Click on the Better Lyrics icon in the extensions toolbar to access the settings. The changes require a page refresh to take effect.
How do I turn on full-screen mode?
Press F on your keyboard (with the window in focus) or hover over the album art and press the full-screen icon (⛶). Make sure that the "Disable fullscreen mode" option is not checked in the extension settings.
How do I translate lyrics?
Enable the "Translations" option in the extension settings and select the desired language from the dropdown.
Can I contribute to Better Lyrics?
Yes you can! Please follow the contributing guidelines below.
Some lyrics are out of sync/missing/incorrect. What can I do?
Right now, the extension uses a wrapper around a third-party API to fetch lyrics. Unfortunately, this API is not always accurate. I have plans in my roadmap to improve this, but it will take some time. If you'd like to help / have any ideas, please consider contributing to the project!
How do I report a bug?
Please open an issue on the GitHub repository with as much detail as possible. Alternatively, you can join our Discord community and report it there under the #bug-reports channel.
I don't like the new update. Can I revert to the old version?
Yes, you can! Please follow the manual installation instructions above to install the old version of the extension. However, please note that the old version will most likely not be maintained or have the latest features.
How do I support the project?
Better Lyrics is a free and open-source project. The easiest way to support the project is by leaving a positive feedback on the Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, or Microsoft Edge Add-ons so that more people can discover it. If you want to support the project further, please consider making a donation to help cover the costs of hosting and development. You can donate via Github Sponsors.
Do you plan on pay-walling the extension in the future?
No, I have no plans to pay-wall the extension. Better Lyrics will always be free and open-source for everyone to use.
I want to use Better Lyrics along with another extension. Is that possible?
Yes, Better Lyrics should work with most extensions. However, if you encounter any issues, please report them under the #bug-reports channel in our Discord community or open an issue on the GitHub repository.
Can I use Better Lyrics on mobile?
Better Lyrics is currently only available for desktop browsers. However, if you use a browser that supports extensions on mobile (such as Kiwi Browser on Android), you might be able to use it on mobile as well since the extension is responsive.
Can I use a different lyrics provider?
No, Better Lyrics uses a custom backend to fetch lyrics. This is to ensure a smooth, reliable & consistent experience for all users. The backend is open-source and maintained by the author and cannot be changed yet. If you'd like to help / have any ideas, please consider contributing to the project!
Can I use Better Lyrics on other browsers?
Right now, Better Lyrics is only available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge (and other Chromium-based browsers like Brave, Opera, Arc, etc.). If there is enough demand, I might consider porting it to other browsers as well.
Lyrics have stopped showing up completely for all songs. What do I do?
First, make sure that this issue is not caused by the backend server being down. You can check the status of the backend server here. This page will show you the current status of the server and any incidents that might be affecting the service by checking every 30 minutes. While it's rare, there might be times when the server is down for maintenance or due to an incident and this page hasn't updated yet. In that case
- Check the extension logs/networks tab for any errors.
- Check Railway's status page for any incidents that might be affecting the service hosting the backend.
- If you're unsure, reaching out to me (@boidu) on our Discord server is the fastest way to get help. I'm usually active and can help you figure out if the issue is on your end or mine.
If the server is up and you're still facing issues, try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, try disabling and re-enabling the extension/updating the extension to the latest version. If everything fails, report the issue under the #bug-reports channel in our Discord community or open an issue on the GitHub repository.
Can I use Better Lyrics on other music streaming services?
No, Better Lyrics is specifically designed for YouTube Music. If you want something similar for other music streaming services, consider using other extensions - some of which are mentioned below. If you have suggestions for similar extensions for other services, please open a PR to add them to this list.
- Beautiful Lyrics - Spotify
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! If you have any ideas, suggestions, or bug reports, please open an issue or submit a pull request.
License
This project is licensed under the GNU GPLv3 License. As long as you attribute me or Better Lyrics as the original creator and you comply with the rest of the license terms, you can use this project for personal or commercial purposes.
Contributors ✨
Thanks goes to these wonderful people (emoji key):
 Oleh 💻 |
This project follows the all-contributors specification. Contributions of any kind welcome!