ProPresenter Lyrics Export

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Extract and export worship song lyrics from ProPresenter 7

View the Project on GitHub adamswbrown/propresenterlyricexport

FAQ & Troubleshooting

← Back to Home Getting Started

Common questions and solutions for ProPresenter Lyrics Export.

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⚠️ Start Here: Did You Configure ProPresenter?

Q: The tool won’t connect. What should I check first?

A: 99% of connection issues are because ProPresenter’s Network API isn’t enabled. Before troubleshooting anything else:

  1. Open ProPresenter 7
  2. Go to Preferences → Network
  3. Verify “Enable Network API” is checked
  4. Verify the Port matches what you entered in the tool (default: 1025)
  5. Restart ProPresenter after making changes

If the Network API wasn’t enabled, enable it and restart ProPresenter. Then try connecting again.

See the Getting Started guide for detailed setup instructions.

Connection Issues

“Connection refused” - What does this mean?

Problem: The app can’t reach ProPresenter.

Checklist:

Fix:

# Test connection
propresenter-lyrics status --host 127.0.0.1 --port 1025

Remote computer shows “Connection timed out”

Problem: Can’t connect to ProPresenter on a different computer.

Checklist:

Fix:

# Find the remote computer's IP
# On ProPresenter computer:
ipconfig        # Windows
ifconfig        # macOS

# Then connect from another computer
propresenter-lyrics status --host 192.168.1.100 --port 1025

“Network API disabled” error

Problem: ProPresenter is running but Network API is off.

Fix:

  1. Open ProPresenter
  2. Go to Preferences → Network
  3. Check “Enable Network API”
  4. Click Save
  5. Restart ProPresenter
  6. Try connecting again

Installation Issues

macOS: “App is damaged and can’t be opened”

Problem: macOS Gatekeeper blocks the app.

Fix:

# Run this command in Terminal
xattr -cr "/path/to/ProPresenter Lyrics.app"

# Example:
xattr -cr "/Applications/ProPresenter Lyrics.app"

Windows: “Windows protected your PC”

Problem: Windows SmartScreen blocks the installer.

Fix:

  1. When the warning appears, click “More info”
  2. Click “Run anyway”
  3. Grant administrator permissions if prompted

CLI: “Command not found”

Problem: Executable isn’t in your PATH.

Fix:

# Use full path
/Users/adam/Downloads/propresenter-lyrics-macos-x64 status

# Or add to PATH
export PATH="/Users/adam/Downloads:$PATH"
propresenter-lyrics status

# On Windows
C:\Tools\propresenter-lyrics-win-x64.exe status

Export Issues

“No playlists found”

Problem: App shows empty playlist list after connecting.

Solutions:

  1. You might not have any playlists - create one in ProPresenter
  2. Try disconnecting and reconnecting
  3. Verify you have permission to view playlists
  4. Check library filter - might be filtering out all playlists

PowerPoint file is blank or missing lyrics

Problem: Exported PPTX has no content.

Solutions:

  1. Verify the playlist has presentations in it
  2. Check library filter isn’t hiding all songs
  3. Try exporting a different playlist
  4. Use the --debug flag to see what’s happening
propresenter-lyrics pptx abc123 output --debug

“Unknown font” in PowerPoint

Problem: Font isn’t recognized when opening PPTX.

Solutions:

  1. The font isn’t installed on the computer opening the file
  2. Use system fonts (Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman) for compatibility
  3. Or install the font on the destination computer

How to fix:

PPTX file is huge (50MB+)

Problem: File size is much larger than expected.

Solutions:

  1. Check logo image isn’t oversized
  2. Some fonts increase file size - use simpler fonts
  3. Try with fewer slides
  4. Compress the PPTX file (it’s a ZIP archive)

Can’t open PPTX file

Problem: “Corrupted file” or won’t open.

Solutions:

  1. Try on a different computer
  2. Use LibreOffice Impress (free) to open it
  3. Re-export the playlist
  4. Check disk space on export computer

Feature Questions

How do I export just one song?

Not directly supported, but you can:

  1. Create a temporary playlist in ProPresenter
  2. Add just that song to it
  3. Export the playlist
  4. Delete the temporary playlist

Or use the CLI to find the presentation UUID and export it individually.

Can I export multiple playlists at once?

Desktop App: No - one playlist at a time.

CLI: Yes - use a script:

#!/bin/bash
for uuid in playlist1 playlist2 playlist3; do
  propresenter-lyrics pptx "$uuid" "output-$uuid"
done

Can I edit the PPTX after export?

Yes! PPTX files are fully editable:

  1. Open in PowerPoint, Google Slides, or LibreOffice Impress
  2. Edit text, fonts, colors, layouts
  3. Add or remove slides
  4. Save your changes

This is useful for adding:

How do I update the lyrics?

PPTX files are static, so:

  1. Edit the original presentation in ProPresenter
  2. Export again to a new PPTX file
  3. Or manually edit the PPTX in PowerPoint

Service Generator Questions

Which service order formats work?

Tested and confirmed:

Unsupported:

Songs aren’t matching - what’s wrong?

Possible issues:

  1. Song titles in PDF don’t exactly match your library
  2. Song has multiple versions and it’s picking the wrong one
  3. Song isn’t in your library at all

Solutions:

  1. Use Search Library - Click “Search Library” in the match review to search all your ProPresenter libraries and pick the right song
  2. Create an alias - If a song is consistently listed under a different name (e.g., “Be Thou My Vision” vs. “You Are My Vision”), click “Save as Alias” to remember the mapping permanently
  3. Check spelling in Planning Center vs. your library
  4. Add missing songs to your library via CCLI Song Select, then click “Rescan Libraries”

How do song aliases work?

Song aliases let you permanently map an order-of-service song title to a specific ProPresenter presentation. They’re useful when:

Create aliases in two ways:

  1. Desktop App - In Step 4 (Match Songs), select the correct song, then click “Save as Alias”
  2. CLI - Run propresenter-lyrics alias add "Song Title" and search interactively

Aliases are stored at ~/.propresenter-words/aliases.json and shared between both the Desktop App and CLI. They’re checked before fuzzy matching with 100% confidence.

Manage aliases:

propresenter-lyrics alias list       # See all aliases
propresenter-lyrics alias remove "Song Title"  # Remove one

Bible verses won’t match

Problem: Verses show “No match” even though you have them.

Solutions:

  1. Make sure the verse presentation has been imported into ProPresenter’s Service Content library
  2. Check verse format (should be “John 3:16” style)
  3. Bible verses might be in a different library than Service Content — configure the correct one in Setup
  4. Different Bible translations are separate presentations
  5. Use “Copy Reference” to copy the verse, then open ProPresenter’s Bible panel (Cmd+B) to create it

If the verse isn’t in your library yet:

  1. Click “Copy Reference” to copy it
  2. Open ProPresenter and press Cmd+B for the Bible panel
  3. Search for the verse, create a presentation, and save to your Service Content library
  4. Come back and click “Rescan” — or click “Skip Verses” to bypass this step entirely

Can I re-run Service Generator on same PDF?

Yes! You can:

  1. Update your library (add missing songs)
  2. Re-run Service Generator on the same PDF
  3. It will find better matches this time

Useful for:

What if a song/verse truly isn’t in my library?

The app shows specific actions depending on the type of content:

For worship songs:

  1. Click “Copy Song Name” and “Search CCLI” to find and import the song via CCLI SongSelect
  2. Import it into your Worship library in ProPresenter
  3. Click “Rescan Libraries” to find the newly imported song

For kids songs (typically YouTube videos):

  1. Click “Copy Song Name” and “Search YouTube” to find the video
  2. Import the video into your Kids library in ProPresenter
  3. Click “Rescan Libraries” — or skip the item (it won’t be added to the playlist)

For Bible verses:

  1. Click “Copy Reference” to copy the verse reference
  2. Open ProPresenter, press Cmd+B for the Bible panel, and create the presentation
  3. Save to your Service Content library, then click “Rescan”
  4. Or click “Skip Verses” to bypass the entire verse step

Performance Questions

Why is it slow?

Common reasons:

  1. Network lag - Remote connection takes 5-10 seconds per request
  2. Large playlists - Hundreds of songs take longer to export
  3. Slow network - Check your network speed

Tips to speed up:

  1. Use local ProPresenter connection if possible
  2. Export smaller playlists
  3. Close other apps using the network
  4. Use the CLI (slightly faster than desktop app)

Why does it timeout occasionally?

Reasons:

  1. Network connectivity issue
  2. ProPresenter API is busy
  3. Too many concurrent requests

Solution:

Compatibility Questions

What versions of ProPresenter are supported?

Required: ProPresenter 7.x

Not supported:

macOS version requirements?

Desktop App: macOS 10.14+

CLI: macOS 10.12+

Windows version requirements?

Desktop App: Windows 10 or later

CLI: Windows 7 or later

Can I use it on Linux?

Desktop App: No - Electron app for macOS/Windows only

CLI: Technically possible - would need to compile from source

If needed, open an issue on GitHub to discuss.

Still Need Help?

Still stuck?