LyricsX is a lyrics display application for macOS that integrates with music players to show song lyrics on the desktop and menubar.
The tool solves the problem of viewing lyrics while listening to music by automatically searching and downloading lyrics from multiple online sources and displaying them synchronized with playback. It works by integrating with supported music players including Apple Music, Spotify, iTunes, Audirvana, Vox, and Swinsian, fetching lyrics from various sources, and rendering them on screen with customizable fonts, colors, and positions. Users can adjust timing offsets through the status menu and navigate songs by clicking on specific lyric lines.
LyricsX suits macOS users who want an always-visible lyrics companion for their music listening. It works with most major music players on the platform and requires macOS 10.11 or later. The tool distinguishes itself through support for a custom LRCX file format that enables word-level timing, multi-language translations, and more advanced metadata than standard LRC files, though it remains compatible with standard LRC format. The application can automatically launch and quit alongside your music player and includes automatic conversion between Traditional and Simplified Chinese. Lyrics can be imported and exported via drag-and-drop, and the tool provides a menubar interface for quick access to offset adjustment and playback navigation.
The project maintains a modular architecture with separate components for lyrics fetching and music player integration published as independent libraries. Development activity shows ongoing maintenance with regular updates to support new music players and lyrics sources through the underlying component libraries.
