Free desktop karaoke

Turn your own songs into karaoke tracks.

OpenKara removes vocals, shows lyrics or CD+G graphics in time with the music, and keeps the whole workflow on your computer.

Download OpenKara Read the FAQ

macOS, Windows, and Linux

The app

A clean interface that stays out of your way.

Sidebar for your library, central player with lyrics, mixer for stems. Every control is where you expect it.

OpenKara application interface showing the song library, karaoke player, and lyric display

Overview

Made for people who already have the music they want to sing.

Use the files you already own.

Open MP3, FLAC, WAV, OGG, or AAC songs from your own library.

Keep existing CD+G sidecars in play.

If a track already has a same-name .cdg file, OpenKara renders it during fullscreen playback.

Keep audio processing on your machine.

Your music stays local while OpenKara prepares the karaoke track.

Move your karaoke library easily.

Keep songs, processed tracks, and metadata in one folder you can move between machines.

What it does

Designed to stay clear from the first song.

The interface keeps the main job simple: pick a song, let OpenKara prepare it, and start singing.

Vocal removal

Remove the vocal on your computer.

Start with a vocal-free track, or use separate instrument controls when a song needs more adjustment.

Lyrics

Show lyrics in time with the music.

OpenKara looks for timed lyrics automatically and can also use lyrics already saved with your files, or render a matching .cdg sidecar when one is available.

Resume later

If processing stops, you can continue later.

Longer jobs pick up where they left off, so you do not need to start from the beginning again.

Same library

Keep the same library on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Keep your karaoke library in one folder and move it between computers without rebuilding it from scratch.

Getting started

Import your first song in seconds.

Drag a file in or use the import button. OpenKara handles the rest — extracting metadata, separating stems, and fetching lyrics in the background.

Screen recording showing a song being imported into OpenKara's library

Install

Download the app, or build it yourself.

Most people only need the download. Build from source only if you want to contribute or inspect the code.

Recommended

Download a release build

macOS Apple Silicon.dmg
macOS Intel.dmg
Windows.exe installer
Linux.AppImage / .deb

Or install with Homebrew on macOS:

brew install thedavidweng/tap/openkara

If macOS blocks the app on first launch:

xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/OpenKara.app

On first launch, OpenKara helps you create a karaoke library and starts downloading the default audio model in the background.

See downloads

For contributors

Build from source

Node.js 20 or later
pnpm 10 or later
Rust stable toolchain
Tauri 2 desktop prerequisites

git clone https://github.com/thedavidweng/OpenKara.git
cd OpenKara
pnpm install
./scripts/setup.sh
pnpm tauri dev