Power Tab Editor for Windows

Used Power Tab Editor for Windows?

Editors’ Review

Download.com staffNovember 4, 2025

For guitarists and bassists venturing into the world of musical notation, Power Tab Editor is a dedicated solution for crafting tablature. Developed by Brad Larsen, this free tool allows musicians to create, edit, and print sheet music with familiar tab symbols in the common tablature format.

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Free

Power Tab Editor offers a rich set of features tailored for guitar and bass tablature creation. It includes playback functionality for created scores and supports a wide array of common music and tab symbols, such as chord names, diagrams, rhythm slashes, bends, slides, hammer-ons/pull-offs, harmonics, and palm muting.

Playback and print

The program also boasts a full print preview, ensuring that your hard-earned transcriptions look sharp and professional when printed. However, the playback relies on basic MIDI sounds, which can feel quite rudimentary compared to the rich, simulated instrument tones offered by modern software.

Pros
- Comprehensive tablature symbols
- Useful playback and print capabilities
Cons
- Basic MIDI playback

Bottom Line

A rich canvas

With its comprehensive set of tablature-specific symbols coupled with its playback and printing capabilities, Power Tab Editor makes an excellent tool for transcribing music or creating custom lessons. While the basic playback can be a minor setback, its enduring utility, especially for solo work, is undeniable.

What’s new in version 2.0.22

Updated translations

Power Tab Editor for Windows

Used Power Tab Editor for Windows?

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Full Specifications

GENERAL

Release: February 28, 2006

Latest update: November 4, 2025

Version: 2.0.22

OPERATING SYSTEMS

Platform: Windows

Operating System

Windows 2003
Windows 11
Windows 98
Windows 98 SE
Windows 2000
Windows NT
Windows ME
Windows XP
Windows 95

POPULARITY

Total Downloads: 5,716,523

Downloads Last Week: 37

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Last Updated

User Reviews

4.1/5

92 User Votes

Good But Clunky
KingMangoMay 17, 2014
Pros
Easy to learn. Entering notation is very easy and fluid.
Cons
Just feels clunky for some things. Changing tempo. Playback. No deal breakers, just not how I would have done it I guess.
Summary
I just need a piece of software to quickly enter notation when a riff or a melody pops into my head. I have never tried any of the fancy commercial software out there so I can't make a comparison. But this suits my needs just fine.
mierda de nuevo
raftorresMay 16, 2012
Pros
ninguno!!!!
Cons
todas las esperadas
Summary
Because of your downloader I couldn't download it so i don't know if it is good or not, but your downloader is a real S#@&%
Cracking program
spoffsJanuary 19, 2012
Pros
Easy to use
Cons
Old Program but ticks all the boxes
Summary
Can't go wrong
Interesting Tool
mrbiscuit76December 19, 2011
Pros
You can punch fret numbers in there and listen to it playback as different instruments.Seems to have all the little tab symbols on it.
Cons
none,it is free after all
Summary
I thought it kind of fun to play around with.I'm not a tab guy or able to read music,I've always played by ear but it does seem to work good.This is probably great for someone giving lessons or just trying to use tab
This thing is awesome.
psimmons0524October 3, 2011
Pros
Great shortcuts. Easy to use. Wide range of ability. Chord finder is an amazing tool to have.
Cons
Umm... It won't deliver pizza. Or your soul mate.
Summary
I'm a newbie just picking out notes, and this helps me to record what I play. It's so quick to learn. Be sure to check out the hot keys in the help menu.
Can't make this do anything useful at all
gkcarverAugust 7, 2011
Pros
none that I can find
Cons
Can't make this do anything useful at all, and can't uninstall.
Summary
I just wanted to stick some notes on a staff but this thing doesn't do anything but give me one lousy empty measure. Useless. If it really does do what I want it to do, then its interface must just be counter-intuitive. I would uninstall if there was any such function. Can't believe I downloaded this bag of dog poo.
WAS ABLE TO WRITE MY PIECE WITHOUT READING DIRECTIONS.
JOHNNYCHICAGOJuly 9, 2011
Pros
i AM JUST LEARNING AND IT IS SO EASY TO JUST PUT IN THE TAB AND IT AUTOMATICALLY SHOWS THE NOTES. (IMPORTANT IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO READ MUSIC GOOD YET).
Cons
DOE'S NOT PRINT OUT ALL THE LYRICS I PUT DOWN NOR PRINT THE WORDS WHERE I PUT THEM. (I HANDWRITE WHAT'S MISSING).
Summary
IT'S FREE, IT'S EASY, AND MAKES LEARNING A SONG MUCH MORE SIMPLE THAN TO STOP YOUR PRACTICE TO TURN PAGES FROM A BOOK.
Wonderful program.
nirvnanowJune 1, 2011
Pros
Easy to use, tons of down-loadable songs available.
Cons
None that I can think of yet.
Summary
Very highly recommended for all guitarist. Can also help to learn to sight read music.
Beautiful layout and Extensive Menu Options
JonBradInVicMay 7, 2011
Pros
-Free -Lots of options -Nice crisp GUI
Cons
-May be a little more than some need
Summary
Very good program
HatheiMarch 14, 2011
Pros
- It's free - Has many song customization features (over 100 MIDI options, various tunings and effects, different time and key signatures, etc) - Helpful score checker for correcting any mistakes
Cons
- Adding a drum track is impossible - 7 instrument limit - Effects are not particularly well done (slides and harmonics, for the most part) - Sound occasionally stops working for some reason
Summary
Despite minor flaws, this program is quite useful and lacks only a few features a professional program would have. That is all.

Developer’s Description

Create, play, and print tablature scores.