What is the LRC file format?
.lrc is a plain-text sidecar file that stores synchronized lyrics for an audio track. Each lyric line is prefixed by one or more bracketed time tags in the format [mm:ss.xx] - for example, [01:23.45]Some lyric line - so a music player can scroll or highlight the correct line at exactly the right moment during playback.
At the top of the file, optional ID tags supply metadata: [ti:] for the track title, [ar:] for the artist, [al:] for the album, [by:] for the LRC editor's name, and [offset:] to shift all timing values by a fixed number of milliseconds when the lyrics drift early or late.
A simple .lrc file applies one timestamp per line. The Enhanced LRC variant (also called A2 LRC) adds per-word <mm:ss.xx> inline tags inside each line, enabling word-by-word highlighting similar to karaoke, much like what the .KAR format does with MIDI.
.lrc files carry the MIME type text/plain and have no binary signature, so players identify them by the bracketed timestamps. Modern files use UTF-8 encoding; older files from the 1990s and early 2000s are often encoded in ANSI, GBK, or Shift-JIS. Placing a .lrc file in the same folder as its audio file - for example, song.lrc beside song.mp3 - lets most players load it automatically. For video subtitles without timing-critical lyric sync, the .SRT or WebVTT formats are more common.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWLRC is plain text and harmless - it cannot execute code. Open it in any editor without concern. The only practical issues are non-malicious: wrong character encoding causing garbled (mojibake) text, and lyrics that don't appear because the filename doesn't match the audio track or the player lacks a lyrics plugin. As always, download lyric files from reputable sources rather than ad-heavy 'free lyrics' sites.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open LRC files
Windows4 apps
Winamp
Freemium With a lyrics plugin, Winamp loads the .lrc matching the playing track and displays synced lyrics. 
Notepad / Notepad++
Open-source Open the .lrc as text to read or edit the lyrics and timestamps; set encoding to UTF-8 if you see garbled characters.
MusicBee
Free Place the .lrc next to the matching audio file (same name); MusicBee shows synced lyrics in its Now Playing panel.
foobar2000 (with lyrics plugin)
Free Install a synced-lyrics plugin (e.g. foo_openlyrics); it reads the .lrc beside the track and scrolls it. 
macOS2 apps
Doppler / Swinsian (synced-lyrics players)
Paid Modern macOS music players that display LRC synced lyrics for local tracks. 
Linux2 apps
Audacious (with lyrics plugin)
Open-source Enable a lyrics plugin; Audacious displays the .lrc that matches the playing file. 
Android2 apps
Poweramp
Paid Place the .lrc next to the track (or in the lyrics folder); Poweramp shows synchronized lyrics during playback. Technical details
deep spec| File structure | Line-based plain text; each lyric line prefixed by one or more `[mm:ss.xx]` time tags; optional `[id:value]` metadata tags in a header block at the top |
| Time tag syntax | `[mm:ss.xx]` where mm = minutes, ss = seconds, xx = hundredths of a second - for example `[02:34.56]` |
| Metadata tags | `[ti:]` title, `[ar:]` artist, `[al:]` album, `[by:]` LRC file author, `[offset:]` global timing offset in milliseconds, `[length:]` track duration |
| Timing offset tag | `[offset:+/-N]` shifts all line timestamps globally by N milliseconds; positive delays lyrics, negative advances them |
| Multiple time tags per line | A single lyric line may carry multiple time tags - e.g., `[00:12.34][01:45.67]Chorus text` - to reuse it at repeated timestamps such as chorus repetitions |
| Enhanced / A2 LRC variant | Per-word inline tags `<mm:ss.xx>` inserted within a line enable word-by-word karaoke-style highlighting; support varies by player |
| Character encoding | UTF-8 (modern standard); legacy files commonly use ANSI, GBK (Simplified Chinese), or Shift-JIS (Japanese) |
| MIME type | `text/plain` |
| File identification | No binary magic bytes; identified at runtime by the `[mm:ss.xx]` pattern appearing at line starts within the file content |
| Naming convention | Must share the base filename of its audio file - e.g., `song.lrc` alongside `song.mp3` - so players auto-load it without configuration |
| Typical file size | 1 KB - 10 KB for a single song's lyrics |
| Compression / encryption | None; file is uncompressed, unencrypted plain text |
| Developer / origin | Originated mid-1990s in PC karaoke and music-player software; popularized by Djun Kim within the Lyrics3 / MiniLyrics ecosystem |
| Platform support | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS - natively or via plugins in dedicated music players and media apps |
| Released | Mid-1990s (popularized by software music players and karaoke tools) |
| Latest version | Enhanced LRC (A2 / word-level time tags) - de facto extension, no formal spec body |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | en.wikipedia.org |
LRC conversions
Community Q&A
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