How to use V‑Songbook

Getting started

1. 1

   Create a songbook — File → New Songbook (Ctrl+Shift+N) and give it a name. A .vsdb file is created in your Documents/VisualSongbook folder.

2. 2

   Add songs — select a song (or nothing at all) and click Add (Ctrl+N). Enter the title and lyrics; separate verses with a blank line.

3. 3

   Project — select a song and click Project (or press Ctrl+P) to put the lyrics on your second screen.

You can also skip step one: File → Open (Ctrl+O) opens any .vsdb — or a .vsb file, which is converted automatically the first time you open it.

Adding & editing songs

• New verses, blank line apart. In the song editor, separate verses with an empty line. Lines starting with the word chorus are automatically detected and repeated after each verse.
• Update a song with Ctrl+U after selecting it; delete the selected song with the Delete key.
• Song numbering is per songbook, so each book keeps its own numbering even inside the same .vsdb file.
• Search everything — press Ctrl+F to focus the search box and filter by number, title, songbook, or lyrics. Alt+C clears the search.

Presenting a song

1. 1

   Select a song in the list on the left — its details appear on the right.

2. 2

   Click Project (or press Enter / Ctrl+P) to open the presenter and start projecting on your second screen.

3. 3

   Move between verses with the arrow keys, Space, or by clicking a verse in the list — the projection updates instantly and the verse list follows along.

4. 4

   Press Esc to close the projection.

The projection window is clean and frameless, always stays on top of the second screen, and sizes the verse to fit — lines shrink automatically and long titles are trimmed to one line.

Importing Visual Songbook files

• Use File → Import Songbook (Ctrl+I) to copy all songs from a .vsb file into the songbook you currently have open, with a progress bar at the bottom of the window.
• Opening a .vsb file directly converts it automatically — no extra drivers needed, JET/Access files are handled in-app.
• Re-importing the same file skips songs you already have, so it is safe to run twice.

Managing songbooks

Open the Songbooks Manager withCtrl+M to see every songbook inside the current.vsdb file, rename them, and keep numbering tidy. The whole library lives in that one portable file — copy it to a USB stick to move it between the office laptop and the hall computer.

Themes & settings

• Open settings with Ctrl+'.
• Choose between the light and dark themes for the app itself.
• Customize the projection screen — its font and colors — so the lyrics read well on your projector.
• Press F1 any time to see the shortcuts reference inside the app.

Keyboard shortcuts

Troubleshooting & FAQ

Still stuck? Open an issue on email wawerujose1@outlook.com.