# mpz > Music player for large local collections. Native C++/Qt, 3-column folder-based UI, CUE sheets, lyrics (embedded, .lrc/.txt sidecar, or online), built-in tag editor (since 2.0.8), OS media integration (MPRIS on Linux, SMTC on Windows, Now Playing on macOS), and an experimental mpd client mode. Free and open source under GPL-3.0. Runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. This is the self-contained, full-content version of . The shorter `llms.txt` lists outbound links; this file inlines the same information so a single fetch is enough to answer common questions about mpz. ## Overview mpz treats your folder structure as the library — there is no global indexing step. Middle-clicking a folder in the directory tree creates a playlist from it. The UI has three columns: directory tree (library), playlists, and tracks for the selected playlist. The design is inspired by Foobar2000's "Album list" but is not an attempt to clone Foobar — mpz keeps only the features the author has been using daily for many years, with no plugin system or extensive customization layer. Built with C++ and Qt 6. Lightweight, fast, follows your desktop theme. Open source under GPL-3.0. Cross-platform: Linux, macOS, and Windows. ## Features - Folder-based library — no global indexing step - 3-column UI: directory tree, playlists, tracks - Middle-click a folder to create a playlist from it - Drag and drop files and folders from your file manager to add them - Reorder tracks within a playlist by dragging - CUE sheets, with seamless playback of single-file albums - OS media integration — MPRIS on Linux (remote control via e.g. KDE Connect), SMTC and taskbar controls on Windows, Now Playing and native menu/Dock on macOS, plus a system tray with playback controls - Global media-key hotkeys and a built-in keyboard shortcuts dialog - Experimental mpd (Music Player Daemon) client mode — add an mpd server as a library folder - m3u, m3u8, and pls playlist formats, including internet radio streams - Playback order per playlist and global — sequential, random, or no-loop - Tracks sorting presets - Lyrics from embedded tags, `.lrc`/`.txt` sidecar files, or fetched online from LRCLIB (with NetEase, QQ Music, and Lyrics.ovh available too); shown in the Track Info dialog - Tag reading and editing via TagLib (ID3v2, Vorbis Comment, MP4, APE) — built-in tag editor dialog for track metadata since version 2.0.8 - Cover art from tags or folder images - Common audio formats — FLAC, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, Opus, AAC, ALAC, M4A/MP4, WAV, WMA, APE, DSD — through system codecs (QtMultimedia + GStreamer/ffmpeg on Linux, native backends on macOS and Windows) - Playback log of recently played tracks — useful for identifying tracks heard on internet radio streams - Update check on Windows and macOS - UI languages: English, Russian, Japanese, Serbian — follows your system language by default - Configuration in two YAML files: a portable global config and a machine-local one - Built-in feedback form, or open a GitHub issue - Native C++/Qt 6 (Qt 5 builds also available — AUR `mpz-qt5` on Arch, and omnipackage builds for older Debian/Ubuntu/etc.) - Follows your desktop theme ## Install - openSUSE, Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, RedHat, Mageia, Arch, Manjaro: install from the omnipackage stable repositories (recommended) at , or the unstable repositories for builds from master at . The previous Open Build Service repositories still exist and existing installations keep working, but both new and existing users are encouraged to switch to omnipackage. Note: OBS builds on Debian/Ubuntu were always Qt5; omnipackage builds use Qt6 where the distro supports it. - Arch and Manjaro: covered by the omnipackage repositories above. An AUR package is also available if you prefer it over the binary repositories — Qt6 at or the Qt5 variant at . - AppImage: Linux builds for x86_64 and arm64 at . Prefer the native repositories above if your distro is supported. - Windows: download the latest installer or portable binaries from . Builds are available for x64 (recommended), native ARM64 (for Windows on ARM devices), and legacy 32-bit. - macOS: download the `.dmg` from . Universal binary for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs (macOS 11 Big Sur or later). The build is not signed with an Apple Developer ID, so macOS Gatekeeper blocks it on first launch — after dragging `mpz music player.app` to `/Applications`, either remove the quarantine flag with `xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/mpz music player.app"`, or open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway after the first blocked launch. See the README at for details. - From source: clone and follow the README. Works on any platform with Qt and a C++ compiler. ## mpd client mode mpz can act as a client to mpd (Music Player Daemon, ). You add an mpd server as a library folder, then browse and play remote music as if it were local. This is an experimental feature added in version 2.0.0, and there are caveats — see the "mpd impedance mismatch" section of the README at . In short: mpd's library model and mpz's folder-as-playlist model don't map perfectly onto each other, so a few interactions behave differently than they do with local folders. ## FAQ **What is mpz?** A free and open-source music player for large local music collections, built with C++ and Qt. It treats your folder structure as the library and offers a 3-column UI for the directory tree, playlists, and tracks. **Is mpz a Foobar2000 alternative?** Sort of. mpz is inspired by Foobar2000 — especially its "Album list" — but it isn't a Foobar2000 clone; a faithful cross-platform clone isn't feasible and isn't the goal. It keeps the features the author has used daily for years, in a native, folder-based player that runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, whereas Foobar2000 is Windows-only. If you organize your music in folders and want a Foobar2000-style workflow on Linux or macOS, mpz may suit you. **Can mpz handle very large music collections?** Yes — that's what it's built for. mpz treats your folder structure as the library, with no global indexing step, so it doesn't scan a whole collection into a database before you can play anything. **What platforms does mpz support?** Linux, macOS, and Windows. On Linux, install from the omnipackage repositories (openSUSE, Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, RedHat, Mageia, Arch, Manjaro) or the AUR on Arch. On Windows, download a release from GitHub — builds for x64, native ARM64 (Windows on ARM), and legacy 32-bit. On macOS, download the `.dmg` from GitHub releases — the build is unsigned, so Gatekeeper blocks it on first launch — either remove the quarantine flag with `xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/mpz music player.app"`, or click Open Anyway under System Settings → Privacy & Security after the first blocked launch. Building from source is supported on any platform with Qt and a C++ compiler. **Does mpz have a mobile app (Android or iOS)?** No. mpz is a desktop music player for Linux, macOS, and Windows only; there is no Android or iOS version. On Linux, you can control desktop playback from a phone over MPRIS — for example via KDE Connect (). **Is mpz free?** Yes. Free and open-source under the GNU GPL v3 (). **Does mpz support streaming services?** No. mpz focuses on local music files. Internet radio streams in m3u and pls playlist formats are supported, but online streaming services (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) are not. **What audio formats does mpz support?** Common formats — FLAC, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, Opus, AAC, ALAC, M4A/MP4, WAV, WMA, APE, and DSD — played through your system's codecs (QtMultimedia with the GStreamer or ffmpeg backend on Linux, native backends on macOS and Windows). Because playback uses system codecs, exact format availability depends on what's installed on your machine. **Does mpz support CUE sheets?** Yes, including seamless playback of single-file albums split by a CUE sheet. **What languages is mpz available in?** The interface is translated into English, Russian, Japanese, and Serbian, and follows your system language by default. **Can mpz act as an mpd client?** Yes, since version 2.0.0, as an experimental feature. You can add an mpd server as a library folder. See the mpd impedance mismatch note in the README for caveats. **Does mpz support lyrics?** Yes. Lyrics can be embedded in tags, loaded from `.lrc` or `.txt` sidecar files, or fetched online from LRCLIB (). They are shown in the Track Info dialog. **Can mpz edit tags?** Yes. Since version 2.0.8, mpz ships with a built-in tag editor dialog for editing track metadata (title, artist, album, etc.) on common formats supported by TagLib — ID3v2, Vorbis Comment, MP4, and APE. **Why is it called "mpz"?** The "z" reflects a no-nonsense approach — no clutter, no distractions. ## Links - Landing page: - Source on GitHub: - README: - Changelog: - Issues and feedback: - Author: Oleg Antonyan, - License: GPL-3.0,