Better Lyrics
June 26, 2026 · View on GitHub
Better Lyrics
Better Lyrics upgrades your YouTube Music™ experience by providing beautiful time-synced lyrics for your favorite songs.
Stats
Table of Contents
- Features
- Download
- Usage
- Options
- Styling
- Theme Marketplace
- Extension Permissions
- Manual Installation
- FAQ
- Funding
- Discord Community
- Contributing
- License
- Privacy
- Trademarks
- Star History
- Contributors ✨
Features
🎵 Displays beautiful time-synced lyrics on YouTube Music™
📦 Requires no external dependencies or configurations
⏩ Lets you seek by clicking on any line
🌏 Translations and romanization for foreign-language tracks
🌐 UI available in multiple languages
🪶 Runs lightweight and fast
🖥️ Includes full-screen mode
🎨 Theme Marketplace with community themes
🔧 Customizable lyrics providers from multiple sources
✨ And much more!
Download
Usage
- Open YouTube Music™ and start playing a song.
- Click on the lyrics tab to view 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
Settings are organized into tabs in the extension popup:
General
| Option | Default |
|---|---|
| Show logs | Enabled |
| Auto switch to Lyrics tab | Disabled |
| Cache Details | - |
Display
| Option | Default |
|---|---|
| Blurred album art background | Enabled |
| Full screen mode | Enabled |
| Auto-hide cursor in full screen mode | Enabled |
| Stylized animations (Background/Wobble/Glow) | Enabled |
| Passive scroll for unsynced lyrics | Enabled |
| Unison Actions (pinned dock position, etc.) | Manage |
Language
| Option | Default |
|---|---|
| Display Language | Auto-detect |
| Romanization | Disabled |
| Translations | Disabled |
| Translation Language | English |
Sources
| Option | Default |
|---|---|
| Provider priority | Drag to reorder, toggle on/off |
Themes
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Theme selector | Choose from installed themes |
| CSS Editor | Customize styling with live preview |
| Marketplace | Browse and install community themes |
Identity
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| Display name | The handle attached to themes you publish |
| Export / Import | Back up or transfer your identity key between devices |
Tip
To change settings, click the Better Lyrics icon in your extensions toolbar. Changes apply immediately without needing to refresh the page. However, in some cases, for example, after updating the extension, you might need to refresh for settings or CSS updates to take effect.
Styling
Custom styling for lyrics is available from Better Lyrics v1.7.0 onwards. This allows you to personalize the appearance of both 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.
For AI agents creating themes, see the Theme Creation Guide for AI Agents.
Theme Marketplace
Browse and install community-created themes directly from the extension. Access the Marketplace via the Themes tab in extension settings. You can search, filter by ratings or downloads, and install themes with one click. Installed themes auto-update when creators publish new versions. You can also install themes from GitHub repositories by entering a repo URL.
Extension Permissions
| Permission | Reason | Data Usage |
|---|---|---|
Access to music.youtube.com | Required to inject the lyrics UI into YouTube Music™ pages. | No data is read or sent from any other site. |
| Storage | Saves your settings, installed themes, identity key, and the local lyrics cache. | All stored locally in your browser; settings are synced across devices via your browser's built-in sync. |
| Alarms | Schedules background tasks such as periodic theme update checks and cache cleanup. | Does not collect or transmit any data. |
| Downloads (optional) | Required when exporting themes or your identity key as a file. | Only used at the moment you click an export button. Browser download history is not read or modified. |
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
The simplest path is to grab a pre-built ZIP from the releases page. It contains both Chrome and Firefox builds, ready to load. If you'd rather build from source, clone the repo and run npm install && npm run build. The build outputs are written to dist/chrome/ and dist/firefox/.
Chrome
- Download a release ZIP and unzip it (or build from source, see above).
- Open Google Chrome™ and go to
chrome://extensions. - Enable "Developer mode" with the toggle in the top-right corner.
- Click "Load unpacked" and select the unzipped folder (or
dist/chrome/if building from source). - Better Lyrics should now be installed and ready to use!
Firefox
- Download a release ZIP and unzip it (or build from source, see above).
- Open Firefox and go to
about:debugging#/runtime/this-firefox. - Click "Load Temporary Add-on" and select the
manifest.jsoninside the unzipped folder (ordist/firefox/manifest.jsonif building from source). - Better Lyrics should now be installed and ready to use!
Note
Firefox unloads temporary add-ons when the browser is closed. For a permanent install, use the signed Firefox Add-on listing.
FAQ
Why can't I see the lyrics?
Make sure the extension is enabled and you're on https://music.youtube.com. The extension won't work on https://youtube.com.
How do I change settings?
Click the Better Lyrics icon in your extensions toolbar to access settings. Changes apply immediately without needing to refresh the page. However, in some cases, for example, after updating the extension, you might need to refresh for settings or CSS updates to take effect.
My CSS changes aren't showing up. What should I do?
Try refreshing the page, especially if you recently updated the extension. Your CSS changes are saved either way. If that doesn't work, try disabling and re-enabling the extension.
How do I install custom themes?
Open the extension settings, go to the Themes tab, and click "Marketplace" to browse community themes. You can also install themes directly from GitHub by clicking "Install from URL" and entering a repo URL. Alternatively, you can import/export CSS from any editor view and save it as a custom theme.
How do I enable full-screen mode?
Press F on your keyboard (with the window in focus) or hover over the player bar and click the full-screen icon (⛶). Make sure "Disable fullscreen mode" option isn't checked in extension settings.
How do I translate lyrics?
Enable the "Translations" option in extension settings and select your 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, or incorrect. What can I do?
Better Lyrics fetches from many providers, so the first thing to try is switching to a different one in extension settings (Sources tab); a better version may already exist elsewhere.
If you want to fix the lyrics for everyone, use Unison, our built-in community lyrics platform. Unison is the recommended contribution path going forward (it replaces LRCLIBup, which we no longer use).
You can:
- Vote or report directly from the lyrics panel. When Unison is the active provider, an Unison card appears below the lyrics with upvote, downvote, and report buttons. Reports include reasons (wrong lyrics, bad timing, offensive content, etc.) so curators know how to act.
- Submit corrected lyrics. Click the "Submit to Unison" button at the bottom of any song's lyrics view, or open Unison directly from the Unison card. The submit form is pre-filled with the current song's metadata; just paste your corrected lyrics in your preferred format (LRC, plain text, or rich-sync).
- Browse, search, and manage your submissions. The Unison page has a feed of recent contributions, a search view, and a "My submissions" tab so you can track and edit your own entries.
Please be mindful of quality when contributing, since these lyrics are served to everyone using the extension.
Other providers (Musixmatch, BiniLyrics, etc.) have their own external catalogs and contribution channels; corrections submitted there will flow back into Better Lyrics automatically once those upstream databases update.
How do I report a bug?
Open an issue here with as much detail as possible. Alternatively, join our Discord community and report it under #bug-reports.
I don't like the new update. Can I revert to an old version?
Yes! Follow the manual installation instructions above to install an older version of the extension. Keep in mind that older versions probably won't be maintained or get new features.
How do I support the project?
Better Lyrics is free and open-source. The easiest way to support it is by leaving positive feedback on the Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, or Microsoft Edge Add-ons so more people can discover it.
If you want to support the project further, consider making a donation to help cover hosting and development costs. You can donate via GitHub Sponsors.
Will this extension ever be paywalled?
No. Better Lyrics will always be free and open-source for everyone.
Can I use Better Lyrics with other extensions?
Yes, Better Lyrics should work with most extensions. If you encounter issues, report them under #bug-reports in our Discord Server or open an issue here.
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 should be able to use it since the extension is responsive and has feature parity across platforms.
Can I use a different lyrics provider?
Yes! Better Lyrics supports switching between different providers. You can reorder or toggle providers via extension settings:
- Click the Better Lyrics icon in the extensions toolbar
- Go to "Sources" tab
- Reorder or toggle providers as per your needs
Available providers (default priority order):
| # | Provider | Sync Level |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Better Lyrics | Syllable |
| 2 | Unison | Syllable |
| 3 | BiniLyrics | Syllable |
| 4 | Better Lyrics Portato | Word |
| 5 | Musixmatch | Word |
| 6 | Better Lyrics | Line |
| 7 | Unison | Line |
| 8 | YouTube Captions | Line |
| 9 | BiniLyrics | Line |
| 10 | LRCLib | Line |
| 11 | Better Lyrics Legato | Line |
| 12 | Musixmatch | Line |
| 13 | YouTube | Unsynced |
| 14 | Unison | Unsynced |
| 15 | LRCLib | Unsynced |
Adding custom providers isn't currently supported.
Can I use Better Lyrics on other browsers?
Right now, Better Lyrics is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge (and other Chromium-based browsers like Brave, Opera, Arc, etc.). If there's enough demand, I might consider porting it to other browsers.
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 streaming services, check out these extensions. If you have suggestions for others, open a PR to add them to this list:
- Spicy Lyrics - Spotify
- Beautiful Lyrics - Spotify
- YouLy+ - Apple Music, Tidal
Funding
Important
Contributors currently self-host multiple backends for Better Lyrics to ensure a smooth and reliable experience for all users. This involves maintaining servers, handling updates, and ensuring uptime.
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 developers and other users:
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! If you have any ideas, suggestions, or bug reports, please open an issue or submit a pull request. See our Contributing Guide for details on code and translation contributions.
License
This project is licensed under the GNU GPLv3 License. As long as you attribute me or Better Lyrics as the original creator and comply with the rest of the license terms, you can use this project for personal or commercial purposes.
Privacy
We take your privacy very seriously. Better Lyrics is built to be privacy-conscious by design.
- We only collect the absolute minimum standard data needed for the extension to work (e.g., song metadata to fetch lyrics, and your IP address for security, authentication and service delivery).
- API request logs are kept for a maximum of 7 days for debugging purposes.
- We never have and never will sell or monetize your personal data.
For a complete overview, please read our full Privacy Policy.
Trademarks
YouTube Music™, YouTube™, Google™, and Chrome™ are trademarks of Google LLC. Firefox® is a trademark of the Mozilla Foundation. Microsoft Edge is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Musixmatch® is a trademark of Musixmatch S.p.A. Use of these trademarks is subject to their respective owners' guidelines.
Star History
Contributors ✨
Thanks goes to these wonderful people (emoji key):
This project follows the all-contributors specification. Contributions of any kind welcome!