Tunarrange cleans up the tags, cover art, filenames, folders and duplicate copies in your music library. Scan first, preview every change, then apply — your originals are backed up before anything is written.
Before You Install
What you need
- Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit. 32-bit editions are not supported. The installer asks for administrator rights and installs to
Program Files\Tunarrange. - An internet connection for online lookups. Song information, lyrics and cover art come from online services, and activation also needs internet. Everything local — scanning, manual tag editing, naming and folder rules, duplicate review, reports and undo — works offline.
- No extra tools to download. FFmpeg, which powers the optional Export Compatible Copies and CUE album splitting features, is included with Tunarrange. Both work right after installation — there is nothing to install separately and nothing to add to your Windows PATH.
- Free disk space. Before changing a file, Tunarrange copies the original into a backup folder. A large repair can temporarily need roughly as much free space again as the files being changed.
Supported audio formats: MP3, FLAC, M4A, AAC, WMA, WAV, AIFF / AIF, OGG / OGA and Opus. Files with other extensions are ignored by the scanner. CUE album images are detected separately.
How repairs stay safe: every repair shows a preview before it writes anything, your originals are backed up first, and duplicate cleanup moves copies to the Windows Recycle Bin instead of deleting them for good.
Your First 10 Minutes
The chapters below are a reference — every button, every rule, every option. If you just installed the app, do this instead.
- Point it at one small folder. Click Add Folder and choose 20–30 songs, not your whole library. This is the easiest way to see what the app will do before you trust it with everything.
- Read the three cards. After the scan, check Song fixes, File organization and Duplicates. Nothing on your disk has changed at this point — a scan is read-only.
- Fix song information first. Title, artist and album drive almost every other fix: lyrics, cover art, filenames and folders all wait for them. Use Edit Tags by hand for tracks the online lookup cannot identify.
- Then clean names and folders. Always open the preview and compare the current name and location with the suggested one. Set the naming and folder rules in Settings before applying.
- Review duplicates last, and slowly. Expand each group and compare duration, bitrate and file size. Live versions and remixes are not duplicates. Only the copies you select move to the Recycle Bin.
- Check the result, then decide. The result summary lists what succeeded, was skipped or failed. If something looks wrong, use Undo right away — it only covers the most recent run.
If nothing shows up or a step fails, go straight to Troubleshooting at the end of this manual.
1. What Tunarrange Does
Tunarrange is a Windows desktop app for checking, fixing, and organizing local music files — turning a messy library into files that are easier to read, browse, and keep.
Tunarrange can help with common problems such as:
- Missing song information, such as title, artist, or album.
- Missing lyrics.
- Missing album artwork.
- Album artwork that is too small or too blurry.
- Filenames that are hard to read or do not match the current naming rule.
- Folder locations that do not match your organization rules.
- Missing volume information, which can make songs play at noticeably different loudness.
- Possible duplicate songs.
- CUE album images that can later be split into individual tracks.
Tunarrange is conservative by default. It scans first, shows what it found, lets you preview changes, and only writes changes after confirmation. It avoids overwriting valid existing information unless the workflow clearly says it will.
2. Main Window
The main window is organized around a few working areas:
- Top actions: add files, add a folder, scan the computer for music, empty the list, open history, and open the main menu.
- Scan results: shows how many tracks were scanned, what still needs manual review, and separate completion states for song fixes, file organization, and duplicate review.
- Track list: shows each track, artist, album, and problem labels. You can filter by all tracks, song info, lyrics, cover, low cover, filename, volume, and folder. Right-click one track and choose Open File Location to open its folder in File Explorer.
- Selected track panel: shows the selected track’s artwork, song details, changes made or suggested changes, and actions such as opening the file location or editing tags.
- Results and history: shows the latest run, detailed reports, CSV export, logs, and undo for the most recent run.
3. Import Music
You can import music in three ways:
- Click Add Folder and choose a music folder.
- Click Add Files and choose one or more audio files.
- Click Scan Computer to let Tunarrange look for music on this PC.
You can also drag files or folders into the large track area when the library is empty. After import, Tunarrange scans the files and builds a problem list.
The top import buttons stay available after the first import. Use them again when you want to add music from another folder or add more files to the current list.
If the import area says only folders or audio files are supported, the dropped item is not a recognized music source.
4. Review Scan Results
After scanning, Tunarrange shows a summary:
- A clear summary that shows what Tunarrange already handled automatically and what still needs manual review.
- Song fixes: song information, lyrics, artwork, and volume items that may need attention.
- File organization: file name and folder changes that may be useful.
- Duplicates: possible duplicate groups that should be reviewed separately.
- CUE album images: whole-album audio with a CUE track list. Tunarrange still detects these separately because splitting them creates new files instead of editing the original album file.
The Song fixes, File organization, and Duplicates cards each show their own state. You can see at a glance what is finished and what still needs a decision — and a scan is read-only, so nothing on your disk changes until you apply a fix.
Click Review tracks or Review duplicate groups to open a more focused view. A good workflow is to start with the summary, then handle the clearest and largest group of problems first.
Problem labels in the track list mean:
- Info: title, artist, album, or related song information is missing or unclear.
- Lyrics: lyrics are not saved in the file.
- Cover: artwork is missing.
- Low Cover: artwork is too small or too low quality for a clean library.
- Filename: the filename is messy or does not match the current naming rule. When Tunarrange can build the expected name, it shows the current filename and the expected filename.
- Folder: the file is not stored in the expected folder structure.
- Volume: volume information is missing.
Tunarrange remembers files it has already scanned, so later scans are much faster and it will not keep offering a suggestion you rejected.
When Tunarrange finds a .cue file for a whole-album audio file, it shows a scan message with a review action instead of changing anything automatically. In the split preview window, you can review the track list, start times, output filenames, warnings, and output folder before Tunarrange creates any new single-track files. The original album audio and the CUE file are kept in place.
If the output folder is not valid yet, the split is blocked until you choose another. If a target filename is already taken, the new track gets a numbered name instead of overwriting the existing file.
5. Fix Song Information, Lyrics, Artwork, and Volume
Tunarrange supports these repair actions:
- Song info repair: fills in missing title, artist, album, and related fields when a reliable result is available.
- Refresh from online: replaces local song information and artwork with a reliable online match.
- Lyrics repair: finds matching lyrics and writes plain lyrics into the file, without sync time markers at the start of each line.
- Cover art repair: adds missing artwork or replaces low-quality artwork.
- Volume normalization: writes loudness information so supported players play songs at a more even level, without re-encoding the audio.
Recommended workflow:
- Select the tracks you want to fix.
- Choose Fix This Problem, Fix Selected Tracks, or the matching repair action.
- Review the preview so you know what Tunarrange plans to change.
- Confirm to start processing.
- Review the result summary after the run finishes.
During repair, the progress card shows the file being handled, how many are done and the time remaining. You can click Cancel to stop after the current file finishes. Files already done keep their changes; files not started are untouched.
If a multi-step repair hits a file it cannot change, that file is recorded as failed and the rest of the batch continues. The result view shows which file failed and confirms it was left in place.
Why a fix is missing: lyrics, cover art, filenames and folders all need a usable title, artist and album first. If the online lookup cannot find them, open Edit Tags, fill them in by hand and scan again. Those tracks are left unchanged in the meantime.
Song info repair is conservative. It fills missing fields but does not overwrite fields that are already filled in. Use Refresh from online when you intentionally want to replace existing song information with an online match.
When Tunarrange saves lyrics from online sources, it saves the readable lyric text. Timing markers and other LRC information are removed before the lyrics are written into the music file.
The free trial may limit automatic writes. Manual tag editing does not use the automatic repair allowance.
6. Filename Cleanup
Filename cleanup renames files using the current naming rule. Naming rules can use fields such as artist, album, title, track number, disc number, year, the current filename, or the current parent folder.
Recommended workflow:
- Make sure song information is mostly correct before renaming files.
- If the rule uses track numbers, fill or verify track numbers first.
- Always preview filename changes before applying them.
You can change the naming rule from Naming Rule in the menu or from Settings.
Open Advanced rules in Settings when you need more control. You can use custom fallback text such as {artist|Unknown Artist}, optional parts such as [{track2} - ], and title-case fields such as {artist_titlecase}. Tunarrange also replaces characters Windows cannot use in filenames and removes common download-site text before building the new name.
Before applying a rename, use the filename preview to compare the current name, current location, and suggested name across many tracks.
If the suggested filename would make the full Windows path too long, Tunarrange shortens the filename automatically before it writes the change. The preview shows the shortened result that will actually be used.
If another file already uses the exact target filename, Tunarrange adds a number such as (2) or (3) to avoid overwriting the existing file. The scan, preview, and repair result use the same numbered target, so the file should not keep showing the same filename problem after it is renamed.
7. Folder Organization
Folder organization moves tracks into a cleaner folder structure, such as artist and album folders.
In Settings, you can choose:
- A common folder rule.
- A custom folder rule.
- The root folder where organized music should be placed.
Common rules include album artist folders, Various Artists compilation folders, and Disc subfolders for multi-disc albums. If a target folder already contains a file with the same name, Tunarrange keeps both files by adding a number to the new filename instead of overwriting the existing file.
If the target Windows path would become too long, Tunarrange first tries to keep the folder rule and shorten the filename. If the folder path is still too long after that, the move is skipped and the result explains that the target path still needs to be shorter.
If no root folder is set, Tunarrange organizes from the track’s current folder. After a move, the result view shows both the previous location and the current location so you can see exactly where the file went.
8. Compatible Export
Select one or more tracks, then right-click the track list and choose Export Compatible Copies. You can also use the same action from the selected track panel.
Compatible Export creates new audio files in the output folder and leaves your original files untouched.
You can choose a device preset, such as car / USB player, Audio CD / CD-ready WAV + CUE, phone storage saver, or Apple library copy. You can also choose a plain output format, such as MP3, AAC/M4A, Opus, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, ALAC/M4A, WAV, AIFF, or WMA.
The Audio CD / CD-ready WAV + CUE preset prepares a folder for burning an Audio CD later: the preview shows WAV files plus album.cue and README.txt, and checks the total duration against the usual 80-minute CD capacity.
Before the export starts, Tunarrange shows the selected track count, the export choice, the expected output, and the output folder. Nothing is written until you confirm.
After an export finishes, the bottom-right message includes Open Export Folder so you can inspect the new files immediately.
9. Duplicate Review
When Tunarrange finds possible duplicate songs, it shows them as groups in the scan results for you to review.
Matches are found locally: exact copies share the same content hash, and likely duplicates are compared by title, artist, album, duration, bitrate, file size and saved MusicBrainz recording IDs. When only the title and artist match, the tracks are grouped for your review.
To review duplicates:
- Click Review duplicate groups or Find Duplicate Songs.
- Expand each group and compare the cover image, title, artist, album, duration, bitrate, file size, match confidence, and the recommended keep item.
- Select only the copies you are sure you want to remove.
- Click Move to Recycle Bin.
The recommended keep item favors lossless files, higher bitrate, embedded cover art, saved lyrics, complete song information, and a cleaner folder path.
Selected duplicate files are moved to the Recycle Bin, not permanently deleted. Before removing anything, pay special attention to live versions, remixes, single versions, album versions, and other tracks that may look similar but are not actually the same file.
If a selected duplicate file has already been moved or deleted before cleanup starts, Tunarrange reports that item as failed instead of saying it was moved to the Recycle Bin.
10. Edit Tags Manually
Select one track and open Edit Tags to review or change the song information saved inside the file.
The tag editor can handle:
- Title, artist, album, year, and genre.
- Album artist, composer, conductor, publisher, and other extended fields.
- Track number, disc number, track count, and disc count.
- Sorting fields and ISRC.
- Cover art.
- Lyrics and comments.
Click Save Tags when you are done. If saving fails, the message tells you whether the file is in use, the app lacks permission, or the file could not be written.
11. Batch Edit Song Information
Select multiple tracks to batch edit shared fields. This is useful for applying the same album name, album artist, year, genre, comment, or artwork to many tracks at once.
Important details:
- Only checked fields are written.
- Unchecked fields keep each file’s existing values.
- Batch artwork requires choosing an image first.
- Track numbers can be filled in the current list order.
- The track number preview lists the first song names beside their new numbers, so you can check the order before applying it; a large batch shows its progress as it runs.
12. Find and Replace
Use Find and Replace on selected tracks to update text across song information fields.
This is useful for:
- Removing download-site text from titles or comments.
- Replacing an incorrect artist name.
- Cleaning repeated text in titles, albums, lyrics, or comments.
Tunarrange shows a preview before writing changes. The preview lists the affected field, the current value, and the new value.
13. Copy and Paste Song Information
You can copy song information from one track and paste it into other selected tracks. This is useful when one track has the correct shared metadata and you want to use it as a starting point for related songs.
Check the current selection before pasting so the information is not written to the wrong tracks.
14. Settings
Settings can control:
- App language: system language, English, or Simplified Chinese.
- Filename cleanup rule.
- Folder organization rule and target root folder.
- Embedded cover art write mode:
- Compatibility first: longest edge around 600px, best for car players and older devices.
- Standard: longest edge around 1000px, good for everyday use.
- High quality: longest edge around 1600px, keeps more detail but may be less stable on older devices.
- Import checks:
- Song information.
- Lyrics.
- Cover art.
- Filename: checks imported files against the current naming rule when enough song information is available.
- Folder structure.
- Volume normalization.
- Duplicate songs.
- Online lookup cache: clear saved online song info, lyrics, and cover search results when you want Tunarrange to check online sources again.
Settings only take effect after you click Save Settings.
The online lookup cache clear button works immediately. It does not change your music files, license, repair history, or saved cleanup rules.
15. Top Menu and About
Use the top-right menu when you need product links or app information:
- Home opens the main Cinch Solutions website.
- Product Page opens the Tunarrange product page in your browser.
- Support opens the Cinch support center.
- Enter Registration Code opens the activation window.
- Settings opens app settings.
- Open Logs Folder opens the local log folder so you can share it when reporting a problem.
- About shows the product name, app version, license status, and the main website links in one place.
16. History, Reports, and Undo
After each repair or organization run, the results area shows the latest run.
You can review:
- Which tracks were processed.
- Which actions succeeded, were skipped, or failed.
- Previous and current file locations.
- A detailed report.
- CSV export.
- Undo for the latest run.
Undo restores the files touched by the latest run, and only when that run created a backup.
If a file was moved or renamed, the original comes back from the backup first, then the changed copy is removed.
If another app is using that copy, the original is still restored and the result shows where the leftover copy is.
If a file cannot be restored, it is left in place and the result explains why, such as the file being open in another app or the folder not being writable. After undo, the track list refreshes so you can see the restored files.
17. License and Trial
The trial version can scan, preview, and run a limited number of free automatic repairs. Manual editing remains available and does not use the automatic repair allowance.
If the automatic repair allowance is used up:
- Files are not changed just because the allowance ran out.
- Manual editing can still be used.
- The upgrade window shows the current Pro discount and opens the purchase page if you want to continue automatic repairs.
- If you already purchased, choose the registration code option in that window to activate Pro.
Activation requires the email and registration code from the purchase.
Activation needs an internet connection, but local scanning and preview features remain available.
After activation succeeds, Tunarrange saves the email and registration code on this PC so you can review them later from the license window.
If you need to use the license on another device, open the same window and choose Deactivate License first.
Tunarrange registration codes only work with Tunarrange. If activation says the code belongs to another product, check that you are using the Tunarrange app build and the matching purchase details.
After activation, the top bar shows Pro. Tunarrange keeps the saved registration details on this PC when the app is rebuilt or updated, unless you deactivate the license.
18. FAQ
Why did the scan find no problems?
The library may already be clean, or some checks may be turned off in Settings. Open Settings and review the import check options.
Why were some tracks skipped?
Tracks are usually skipped when Tunarrange cannot find a reliable online result, the file already matches the target rule, or changing it would be too risky. Skipped means the file was not forced to change.
Why did the file location change after folder organization?
Folder organization moves files according to the current rule. The result view shows the previous location and current location, and you can open the file location from there.
Why do some songs still sound louder than others?
Nothing has gone wrong. Volume cleanup adds loudness information (ReplayGain) for players that support it; the audio itself is never re-encoded, so the file sounds the same. If your player ignores that information, volumes will still vary.
Why do duplicates need separate review?
Different versions can share the same title and artist. Tunarrange can recommend what to keep, but duplicate removal requires separate confirmation.
Does it work without an internet connection?
Yes for local work: scanning, manual tag editing, naming and folder rules, duplicate review, reports and undo. Song information, lyrics and cover art lookups, and license activation, need internet.
Will Tunarrange delete my music?
No. Normal repair never deletes a file. Duplicate cleanup moves the copies you select to the Windows Recycle Bin, and volume normalization writes a loudness tag instead of re-encoding the audio.
Can I use it with an external or network drive?
You can add any folder Windows lets you read and write. If the drive is offline, read-only, or holds OneDrive online-only placeholders, the scan may find nothing and writes may fail — see Troubleshooting.
Why does the first scan take so long?
It reads every file, checks its tags and computes a content hash. Later scans reuse the saved library record for files that have not changed, so they are much faster.
Can I undo more than the last run?
Undo restores only the most recent run. Originals from older runs are still kept as backup copies — each run folder has a manifest.json that lists the original path of every file, so they can be recovered by hand.
Does it change the audio itself?
No. Song info, lyrics and cover art changes rewrite the tag area of the file, and volume normalization writes loudness information. Export Compatible Copies creates new files in an output folder and leaves the originals untouched.
Why is a track still flagged after I fixed it?
Scan again so the result is refreshed, then check that the filename or folder actually matches the saved rule in Settings. If an online lookup keeps returning an old match, use the clear-cache button in Settings.
How do I move Tunarrange to another PC?
Open the license window on the old PC and choose Deactivate License first. Install on the new PC and activate with the same email and registration code.
What should I send to support?
Use the top-right menu and choose Open Logs Folder, then attach the newest log file and a screenshot of the result or error message. Logs contain paths and diagnostic details, but not your audio.
Troubleshooting
Find the symptom that matches your screen. Every check below is safe to try — none of them changes your music files.
No tracks appeared after I added a folder
Check three things: the files must use one of the formats listed under Before You Install; they must actually be on this PC (OneDrive online-only placeholders and disconnected network drives look like files but cannot be read); and the checks you expect must be switched on in Settings → Import checks. Then add the folder again. If it lives on a network share, try a local copy first to rule out permissions.
The scan or a repair looks stuck
Read the stage shown in the progress card. During a large repair, progress often moves quickly at first and then pauses between files — that usually means the fast local fixes are done and the app is waiting for an online lookup or reusing a recent saved result. Give it a few minutes. If nothing changes at all, click Cancel (it stops after the current file; finished files keep their changes and unstarted files are untouched) and retry with a smaller batch.
A track was skipped or did not change
This is intentional. The usual reasons are: no reliable online match, the file already matches the current naming or folder rule, or a later fix is waiting for song information. Click the track and read the selected-track panel — it says which one. Use Edit Tags to fill in title, artist and album by hand, then scan again.
A repair failed with a "file in use" or permission message
Close any player, tag editor or sync tool that has the file open, then retry. Check that the folder is not read-only and that your Windows account can write to it. Failed files are left in place and listed in the result summary; the rest of the batch continues.
Windows SmartScreen or an antivirus warns about the installer
A fresh release can trigger a "Windows protected your PC" prompt until that build has built up reputation. Make sure you downloaded it from the official site, then choose More info → Run anyway. If your antivirus blocks the app while it edits tags, add the install folder and %LOCALAPPDATA%\MusicCleaner\ to its exclusions.
Export Compatible Copies says the export tool is not available
FFmpeg is already included with Tunarrange, so there is nothing to download or add to your PATH. If this message appears, reinstall the latest version, restart the app and try the export again. The check runs before anything is written, so your originals stay untouched. If it still fails, choose Open Logs Folder in the top-right menu and send the newest log file to support.
Online lookups find nothing, or take a long time
Song information, lyrics and cover art come from public online services. Check your connection and any corporate proxy or firewall; the app uses Windows' system proxy settings. You can clear the online lookup cache in Settings to force a fresh lookup. Tracks with no match are marked for manual review — use Edit Tags.
Non-English song names show as garbled text
Older MP3s sometimes store text tags in a local code page instead of Unicode. Open Edit Tags, correct the title, artist and album by hand and save. That also gives the later fixes usable information to work with.
Activation fails
Activation needs an internet connection. Recheck the email and registration code from your purchase, and make sure the code is for Tunarrange — codes from other products are rejected. If it is still active on another PC, deactivate it there first. Local scanning and preview keep working while the app is unactivated.
Undo did not put everything back
Undo restores files from the latest run's backup. If the changed copy is open in another app, Windows may refuse to delete it; the original is still restored and the result tells you where the leftover copy is. Close other apps, then check both locations. The originals are also available directly in the backup folder described below.
Backups, Undo, and Your Data
Tunarrange keeps its working files in one place: paste %LOCALAPPDATA%\MusicCleaner\ into File Explorer's address bar. Your music stays wherever you put it — the app only stores copies and records here.
| What | Where | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| Backups | backups\<run id>\files\ | A full copy of every original file before it was changed, plus a manifest.json listing each file's original path. |
| Logs | logs\ | Diagnostic logs, cleaned up after 45 days or 60 files. Use the top-right menu → Open Logs Folder when contacting support. |
| Library record | library-records.json | Paths, sizes, content hashes, last scan result and skipped items — not your audio. |
| Online lookup cache | OnlineLookupCache\ | Recent online matches, so restarting the app does not repeat the same lookups. |
| Settings and license | JSON and TXT files in the root of that folder | Naming rule, folder rule, import checks, language, recent imports and activation details. |
Undo covers the latest run only, and only when that run created a backup. Originals from older runs remain as backup copies, and each run's manifest.json tells you where each file came from.
Backups are not deleted automatically. Once you are happy with the results, you can delete older folders inside backups\ to reclaim disk space; that removes the ability to undo those runs. Do not delete anything while a repair is running.
Uninstalling does not delete your music. The installer deliberately leaves your music, settings, library record and backups in place, so reinstalling keeps your rules and history. Delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\MusicCleaner\ manually only if you want a completely fresh start.
