# Import lyrics

> Import lyrics into InnerHook, a lyrics writing app, from text, Markdown or Word files, or paste them; they are split into songs and sections.

Canonical: https://innerhook.com/docs/import/
Last updated: 2026-10-06

Have lyrics in Notes, Word or Google Docs already? The import reads text (.txt, .md) and Word (.docx) files, or text you paste, finds the songs and their sections, and lets you look everything over before anything is saved. Your files are read on your own device; only the songs you import are saved to your library.

## Where to find it

- **Songs** page: the **Import** button at the top, or drop files anywhere on the page (a frame says **Drop lyrics to import**).
- **Home**, in a new account: **Have lyrics already? Import them**.
- An artist profile's page: **Import songs**, with that profile already chosen.

## Step by step

1. Open **Import lyrics** from one of the places above.
2. Drop files on the dialog or click **Choose files…**. Or paste lyrics in the box under **Or paste lyrics** and click **Show the songs**.
3. Look over what was found. Each song has a check box, its title (you can edit it), its sections as chips and its first lines. **Show all lyrics** opens the whole text.
   - **Split here**, beside a line in the full text, makes two songs of one.
   - **Merge with the one above** joins a song to the one before it.
   - Untick a song to leave it out.
4. Pick a **Profile for all** if the songs belong to an [artist profile](https://innerhook.com/docs/artist-profiles/), or leave **No profile**.
5. Click **Import 12 songs** (the number is yours), or press ⌘ ↩ (Ctrl+Enter on Windows and Linux).

When it's done, a notice says **Imported 12 songs** with **Undo**, which moves them all to Recently deleted. **Add files…** and **Paste more…** add to the same import before you finish.

## How songs are found

A file is one song, unless it clearly holds several. A new song starts at:

- a Markdown title line (`# Van Keys`);
- a separator line: `---`, `***`, `===` or `___`;
- three or more blank lines in a row;
- a `Title:` or `Song:` line.

The title comes from that heading or Title line, else the file's name (for a file with one song), else the song's first line.

If a file has `# Song title` headings with `## Verse 1`, `## Chorus` and so on under them, the `##` lines are read as section headers, not new songs, so an album's worth of lyrics in one document comes in song by song.

## How sections are found

A blank line ends a section. A header line starts one and names its type. These all work, in any case:

- `[Verse 2]`, `### Chorus`, `Chorus:`, or `Bridge` alone on a line;
- a repeat on the header, such as `Chorus (2x)` or `Chorus x2`; a `#` heading or a header in brackets can also carry a note, such as `## Chorus (Final)` or `[Final Chorus]`;
- other names: `Hook` and `Refrain` become a Chorus, `Pre` a Pre-Chorus, `Post-Chorus` a Chorus;
- Finnish names: `Säkeistö`, `Kertosäe`, `Kertsi`, `Esikertosäe`, `C-osa`.

A section with no header becomes a **Chorus** when its words come back later in the song. When it repeats the words of a section that has a header, say a `[Bridge]`, it takes that section's type. Anything else becomes a **Part**: InnerHook doesn't guess a type it can't tell. A header that names no type, such as `[ ]`, is a Part too.

### After the import

A song with Parts shows **Some parts have no type yet.** with **Detect structure** under the hint. Detect structure turns a Part whose words repeat into a Chorus and the rest into Verses, without AI. You can also set each type yourself from the section's chip. See [Sections & song form](https://innerhook.com/docs/sections/).

## What's left out

- **Front matter** at the top of a Markdown file (between `---` lines); its `title:` becomes the song's title.
- **A details block** right under a title, such as `**Album:** …` and `**Release Date:** …` lines. If any line in it might be a lyric, the whole block stays in.
- **Notes at the end of a song** under a heading like `## Notes`, `## Credits`, `## Chords` or `## Translation`. The preview says **Notes left out**.
- Markdown formatting such as `**bold**`, `_italics_` and `>` quote marks. The words stay.

> **Tip**
>
> Pasting into a song works the same way for one lyric: blank lines split sections and `[Chorus]`-style headers set their type. Use the import when you have whole songs or files.

## Limits

> **Limits**
>
> - File types: .txt, .md and .docx (also .text and .markdown). Old .doc files and PDFs aren't read; the dialog lists them with the reason.
> - Up to 20 files per import, 2 MB each.
> - Up to 100 songs at a time. A song too large to save says **Too long to save as one song: split it.**
> - Your library holds up to 2,000 songs.
> - Not supported yet: PDFs, Google Docs links and chord lines.