What Is an LRC File?
An .lrc file is a plain-text file that pairs each line of lyrics with a millisecond timestamp, so a music player can highlight the right line at the right moment. It's the de-facto standard for synced lyrics on desktop, Android, and karaoke setups.
The short answer
An LRC file is a text file, renamed from .txt to .lrc, where every
lyric line is prefixed with the time it should appear. When you play the matching song, the
player reads those timestamps and scrolls or highlights the lyrics in real time. That's the
whole trick: it's just lyrics plus timing.
Anatomy of an LRC file
Everything in an LRC file is one of two things: a metadata tag that describes the track, or a timed line that carries the lyric. Here's a minimal example, color-coded:
[ar:Artist Name] <- artist [ti:Song Title] <- title [al:Album Name] <- album [offset:+500] <- shift all lines +0.5 s [00:08.00] First line of lyrics [00:23.00] Second line of lyrics [00:38.00] Third line of lyrics
-
The timestamp
[mm:ss.xx]marks when the line starts: minutes, seconds, and hundredths of a second.[00:08.00]means eight seconds in. -
The metadata tags are optional but handy:
[ar:]artist,[ti:]title,[al:]album, and[offset:]a global time shift in milliseconds. - The lyric is everything after the closing bracket. Plain text, no markup.
Simple vs enhanced LRC
The basic format times whole lines. An enhanced (or word-by-word) variant adds timestamps inside the line so players can highlight each word as it's sung, which is what you see on some streaming apps. Basic LRC works everywhere; enhanced LRC works in a smaller set of players.
One timestamp per line
Timed by the line. Supported by every player that reads LRC at all.
[00:12.50] Hello, is it me [00:16.00] you're looking for
Word-by-word timestamps
Each word gets its own time, inside angle brackets. Highlighting follows word by word.
[00:12.50] <00:12.50>Hello,<00:13.00> is <00:13.50>it <00:14.00>me
Which players read it
LRC is the common currency of synced lyrics. If a player shows synced lyrics at all, it almost certainly reads LRC. The most-searched setups:
Each has its own way of finding the file, so we've written dedicated setup guides for the big ones. The files you make in Lyricron are standard LRC, so they drop straight into any of them.
LRC vs SRT
Both files are plain text with timestamps, but they solve different problems. SRT times subtitles for video; LRC times lyrics for music players.
| LRC | SRT | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary use | Synced song lyrics | Video subtitles |
| Timing unit | Line start time | Start and end time |
| Timestamp style | [mm:ss.xx] | 00:00:00,000 |
| Metadata tags | Yes ([ar:], [ti:], etc.) | No |
| Read by | Music players, karaoke apps | Video players, editors |
| Word-level timing | Enhanced LRC only | Built in |
Making your own
You can type an LRC file by hand, but timing lyrics by ear is exactly what Lyricron is for: play the track, tap along, and export a millisecond-accurate file. No re-recording, no upload, no account.
Make an LRC file in minutes
Time your lyrics by ear and export a standard .lrc file, right in the browser.