Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about joining rooms, turning pages, pedals, and what happens when the Wi-Fi drops.
Getting Started
What is Page Turner?
Page Turner keeps a group's sheet music on the same page. One person, the leader, uploads a PDF and turns the pages, and every other device in the room follows along in real time. It's built for choirs, worship teams, bands, and music lessons, and works best on iPads and tablets.
Is it free? Do I need an account or an app?
It's free, and there's nothing to install: it runs in the web browser. You don't need an account to lead or join a room; leaders can sign in if they want to keep set lists on every device. It's supported by ads on the home page only; ads never appear inside a room or over your music.
How is Page Turner different from forScore or MobileSheets?
forScore and MobileSheets are sheet music library apps that musicians install and keep their own scores in. Page Turner runs in any web browser and does one job: one leader turns the pages for the whole group, and everyone gets the leader's music by link, QR code, or room code, with nothing to install. They work well together: export a PDF from your library app and open it in a room. See the full comparison.
How do musicians join a room?
The leader shows the QR code, shares the link, or reads out the six-character room code. Musicians scan the code with their camera, open the link, or type the code into the "Join With a Code" box on the home page. They don't need to sign up.
Which devices and browsers work?
Any current browser on an iPad, Android tablet, phone, or computer. Page Turner is designed around Safari on iPad. For a full-screen view, use the toolbar's Full Screen button (iPadOS 16.4 and later) or Safari's Share → Add to Home Screen.
How big can a PDF be, and how many can a room hold?
Each PDF can be up to 100 MB, and a room's set list can hold up to 50 PDFs. You can upload several at once, or a whole folder on a computer; they're added in file-name order, so names like "01 Opener" set the order.
Turning Pages
Who can turn the pages?
Only the leader turns pages for everyone (in a room with parts, each part's leader turns that part). Viewers follow the leader's page automatically. The leader taps the right or left half of the page, swipes, or uses a Bluetooth page-turner pedal. Viewers can swipe (or use the arrow keys or a pedal) to peek ahead or back on their own screen; tap Back to the Leader at the top to return, or it does so by itself after 30 seconds. (If a viewer's connection drops, they can turn pages themselves until it's back; see below.)
Can each section read its own part?
Yes. In the room, open ☰ → Set List and tap + Add a Part. The music already in the room becomes the first part (named Score unless you change it); name the new part, such as Violin II or Vocals, and choose its PDFs, one per piece, named so they sort in set list order. On a computer, you can choose a folder with a subfolder for each part instead, to add several parts at once, or choose or drop one on the home page to start a room with its parts. A room can have up to 12 parts. Players choose their part when they join, and can change it from ☰ → Part. To give a part its own page turner, such as a section's principal, send them that part's link from Share → Lead a Part. A part with no leader turns its own pages. When the room's leader switches pieces, every part switches. Save This Set List keeps every part, and a room started from the saved set list gets them all back.
My pedal isn't turning pages
Pair the pedal in your device's Bluetooth settings and set it to a mode that sends arrow keys or Page Up/Page Down. Most pedals have one. If nothing happens, tap the page once so the browser is ready for key presses. Only the leader's pedal turns pages for everyone; a viewer's pedal just peeks on their own screen. The Guide to Pedals covers setup and troubleshooting step by step.
Can I lead from a different device?
Yes, a few ways. If you're signed in, any device signed into your account can already lead rooms you create, with no extra step. In the room, open ☰ → Share → Lead From Another Device to copy your leader link there too (anyone with that link can turn pages, so keep it private), or Hand Off Leadership for a one-time link or QR code that moves leading to another device and stops this one from leading.
What are half-page turns?
With half-page turns on, each turn first swaps just the top half of the page for the top of the next page, while the bottom half still shows the end of the current one. Musicians see the next line before they reach it, with no rush at the turn. The leader turns them on from ☰ in the room, and they apply to everyone; each page then takes two taps or pedal presses.
Can page turns follow repeats and codas?
Yes. The leader opens ☰ → Repeats & Jumps and types the pages in the order they're played, such as 1-3, 2-3, 4-6 for a repeat of pages 2–3. Every turn then follows that order on every device. See repeats and codas in digital sheet music for D.S. al coda, D.C. al fine, and endings.
The screen keeps going to sleep
Page Turner asks the screen to stay awake while a room is open. This works in Safari on iPadOS 16.4 and later and in most current browsers. On older devices, turn off Auto-Lock while playing (Settings → Display & Brightness on iPad).
Rooms
"No room with code …"
Check the code with the leader. Room codes are six letters and numbers and never use 0, O, 1, I, or L. A room closes 24 hours after a piece was last added or shown, or when the leader deletes it. If it has closed, the leader can start a new room.
How long does a room last?
A room and its PDFs are deleted automatically 24 hours after a piece was last added or switched to, so a room used every day keeps going. The leader can also delete it at any time from the home page.
How do I get back to a room I closed?
Open the home page on the same device. Open Rooms lists the rooms you lead and the ones you've recently followed; tap one to rejoin.
Can I reuse a set list next week?
Yes. In a room, open ☰ → Set List and tap Save This Set List. Its pieces, in order, are kept along with any marks and repeats, and next time you can start a new room with them in one tap from Saved Set Lists on the home page. In a room started that way, the button becomes Update Saved Set List, to keep any changes. If you're signed in, set lists are kept in your account, on every device. If not, they're kept on that device; on iPhone and iPad, add Page Turner to your Home Screen so Safari doesn't clear them after a week without a visit (if it does, you'll just be asked to choose the missing files again).
Do I need an account? What does signing in do?
You never need an account to lead or join a room. Signing in is optional, for leaders who want to keep set lists: they're saved on our server, with their music, marks, and repeats, so you can start a room with them from any device you sign in on. There's no password. Enter your email on the account page and we'll email you a code and a link; either one signs you in. Set lists you saved on a device before signing in can be moved into your account from the home page. Each account can keep up to 1 GB of music, and you can delete your account, and everything in it, at any time.
Connection and Offline
My page isn't following the leader
Check the dot next to the page number. Green means connected, yellow means reconnecting, and red means disconnected. Devices catch up to the leader's piece and page automatically once the connection is back.
What happens if the Wi-Fi drops?
Each device saves the room's pieces as soon as it joins, so the music keeps working. While offline, viewers can turn pages and open saved pieces themselves, and the leader can keep turning; when the connection returns, everyone jumps back to the leader's page. A room that was opened on a device can even be reloaded there without a connection.
Reading the Music
Can I make the notes bigger on a phone?
Yes. Open ☰ in the room and turn on Trim Margins. It cuts the white margins around each page so the music fills the screen. Turning a phone sideways also helps with wide scores.
Is there a dark mode for dim stages?
Turn on Dark Stage from ☰ in the room. It shows the music as light notes on black. Like Trim Margins, it only changes your own screen and is remembered on that device. For more on bright sun, dark pits, and long gigs, see reading sheet music on stage and outdoors.
I only have paper music. How do I get a PDF?
Scan it with your phone or a scanner. The guide to scanning sheet music covers free phone apps, scanners that fit 9 × 12 pages, and tips for sharp scans.
My music is photos or screenshots. Can I use it?
Page Turner opens PDFs, so combine the images into one PDF per piece first. Phones, tablets, and computers can all do it for free with built-in tools; the guide to converting images to PDF shows how on each one.
Privacy
What happens to the PDFs I upload?
They're stored on our server only while the room exists, and devices in the room keep a copy until it's deleted. If you save a set list to your account, its music is kept until you delete the set list or your account. Anyone with the room's link can view the music, so only share it with people you want to see it, and only upload music you have the right to share. The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use have the details.
Still Stuck?
Get in touch. Include the device and browser you're using, what you expected to happen, and the room code if there is one.