Avid has released Sibelius 2025.4 across its desktop and mobile platforms. This is a small maintenance release to refine certain workflows related to Dynamic Parts, along with other bug fixes and improvements.
What’s new
Here’s what’s new in Sibelius 2025.4.
Score subsets and Dynamic Parts
W shortcut: Now that it’s more common to have multiple parts corresponding to a single staff in the score, the W shortcut, long used to switch between a score and a part, will now cycle through each Dynamic Part before returning to the full score.
Staff text: Staff text is now assigned into all voices (“voice 5”) when entered using a passage or system selection to help each Dynamic Part display dynamics and technique text in each part. This is consistent to the way hairpins and other staff lines have functioned already.
When using a single object selection, text will go into the voice of the object you have selected, which is no change from previous behavior.
Stability and usability
Sibelius 2025.4 brings a handful of useful fixes and improvements.
- Sibelius will now no longer crash when applying a rhythm dot to a passage selection, playing back scores over four years old, or when exporting scores to PDF.
- When selecting a passage that only contains hidden objects, the visibility buttons in the Inspector no longer disappear.
- Sibelius now more reliably ensures what you select with Alt+Click is what’s copied and pasted into your score.
- Sibelius will no longer automatically respace music of very old scores.
- Tab numbers now no longer disappear when copying from notation staff.
- When changing the font of text on a blank page, Sibelius no longer jumps to the top of the score.
- An issue with grace note respacing that was introduced in 2025.2 has been fixed.
- Beams are no longer broken when changing the voice of a passage of music.
- Together with the recently released Kontakt 8.3, you can now create a sound set for a newer sound library, for and Sibelius will now automatically load the sounds for you.
- Triplets with tremolos now play back correctly in Sibelius (see this follow-up post for instructions on how to create these triplets):
Compatibility and availability
Sibelius 2025.4 uses the same file format as Sibelius 2025.3.
Sibelius 2025.2 used a new file format. Files saved directly in 2025.4 will not be able to be opened in an earlier version of Sibelius prior to 2025.2 without first exporting them in File > Export > Previous Version. If you’re collaborating with someone else that’s using a previous version, be sure to find out what version they’re using.
The Sibelius 2025.4 desktop update is free for all Sibelius users with active subscriptions and upgrade plans. The updated installers for desktop are available through users’ Avid accounts and through Avid Link.
The Sibelius 2025.4 iOS/iPadOS update and the Sibelius app for Android and Chromebook are available in the usual way, and will be delivered automatically, or, if you’ve disabled automatic updates, you can manually update the app on your device. Some of the features may only be available on the desktop version of Sibelius.
Typically our Scoring Notes coverage only extends to the Sibelius Ultimate version of the application. Not all features are available in all tiers of Sibelius.
A reminder that if you’re an existing Sibelius customer with an active support plan or subscription, you get the mobile version at the same tier at no extra charge. If you have a subscription to Sibelius Artist (mid-tier) on your Mac or PC, that will carry over to Sibelius Artist for Mobile, and the same for Sibelius Ultimate — a Mac or PC subscription allows you full access to Sibelius Ultimate on iPhone and iPad.
Learn more
For the latest information about compatibility for Sibelius, Dorico, and MuseScore, as well as links to the latest news and reviews about product releases, please see the Scoring Notes Product Guide.
Avid also has a “What’s New in Sibelius” page highlighting the features in recent Sibelius updates.
Bill
“Together with the recently released Kontakt 8.3, you can now create a sound set for a newer sound library”
Can you expand on this?
Philip Rothman
According to Avid: “We’ve continued our work to improve compatibility with Native Instruments Kontakt 8 and Kontakt Player 8. Both Sibelius 2025.3 and Kontakt 8.2 (and earlier), could only load sounds from very old libraries (those with numerical library IDs). From Sibelius 2025.4, and together with the recently released Kontakt 8.3, you can now create a sound set for a newer sound library, for example the ‘Spitfire Symphony Orchestra’, the ‘Jacob Collier Audience Choir’ and so on, and Sibelius will now automatically load the sounds for you.”
Bill
Thanks Philip. Are you saying that it’s now possible to create a SS ,or that Sib will create it automatically?
Philip Rothman
Admittedly I have not personally tested this particular feature and was quoting what Avid provided, so I’d suggest reaching out to Avid via the usual support methods or on the forum or social media pages to obtain further information.
Tie
Thanks, How to make Triplets with tremolos in SIB
Philip Rothman
Here is the answer!
Andrei
I think making triplets was covered in junior high health class. Some come with tremolos built in. Fun! Proceed at your own risk
Otherwise, you make coffee, adding cream and sugar to taste. You open Sibelius. You search “triplets”. Take a sip of coffee, triggering uncommon inspiration. You then enter some mean triplets. You next search “tremolo”. You proceed to add some tasteful tremolos to your freshly-minted triplets. You then marvel at the world, blast a “yippee!”, having accomplished your task….
Philip Rothman
Haha! But actually making triplets with tremolos and getting correct playback and desired display settings is rather nuanced, so you may wish to have that pot of coffee handy. I will write up a Scoring Notes post with more details in the near future. Watch this space!
Jorge Grundman
It is strange. My Avid Link accout does not detect the new release. And when I try to synchonize it shows Servers not detected. And I went to Avid site and downloaded this release, but the installer do not launch on Windows 11.
In any case, Kontakt 8 is VST3… Does anyone know in which version of Sibelius started the support of VST3?
Bill
I imagine Kontakt 8 includes a VST2 version as well, the same as Kontakt 7.
Sibelius doesn’t support of VST3.
Mike Halloran
No. VST/VST2 is long depreciated. Kontakt 6 was the last version that supported it. Since K7, it’s been AU (Mac) or VST3 (Mac & Win). Finale never supported VST3 either and as we know, never will.