# How to rename an instrument? **URL:** \ **Category:** Dorico\ **Created:** [April 16, 2024, 1:31am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994 "2024-04-16T01:31:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TheHansen01](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/thehansen01/32/209992_2.png) [@TheHansen01](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/TheHansen01)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 1:31am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/1 "2024-04-16T01:31:08Z")
How do I rename these instruments (red rectangle)? I’ve gone through the manual, a ton of forum posts here, and YouTube videos… totally lost. Using Dorico Elements 5. ![How to rename instrument](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/original/4X/5/2/0/52029507d19aeb28da480e4e167880723bdd7067.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Craig\_F](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Craig\_F](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Craig_F)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 1:43am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/2 "2024-04-16T01:43:04Z")
Click the 3 dots **…** next to **Clarinet (B)**. Then choose **Edit Names…** ---
**Author:** ![Christian\_R](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/christian_r/32/188142_2.png) [@Christian\_R](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Christian_R)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 1:49am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/3 "2024-04-16T01:49:41Z")
Hi @TheHansen01 , if you search the manual of Dorico Elements for “rename instruments” one of the very first results brings you to this page of the manual (exactly what @Craig_F was helpfully suggesting): > **[Changing instrument names](https://steinberg.help/dorico_elements/v5/en/dorico/topics/setup_mode/setup_mode_instruments_renaming_t.html?hl=rename%2Cinstruments)** > > By default, instrument names are used in staff labels and instrument change labels shown above the staff. You can change the different instrument names used for each instrument. ![CleanShot 2024-04-16 at 03.48.30@2x](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/original/4X/b/3/0/b3040ca9cfa42130aeaf27e74854e8cccc9bf9a0.jpeg) May I ask why do you need renaming it/them? (If you need them to appear in another language you can obtain it in the **Engraving Options/Language** screen) ---
**Author:** ![TheHansen01](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/thehansen01/32/209992_2.png) [@TheHansen01](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/TheHansen01)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 1:53am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/4 "2024-04-16T01:53:53Z")
I came across this menu, but when I change the instrument name and hit “OK” at the bottom, nothing changes. Same for editing the short name, and the plural names. ![image](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/original/4X/8/2/6/8265ecafc9635ac0642c86b57ab2f1649ebb8b9b.png) ---
**Author:** ![Christian\_R](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/christian_r/32/188142_2.png) [@Christian\_R](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Christian_R)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 1:57am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/5 "2024-04-16T01:57:32Z")
This is a little regression of the last update [_for Elements_] that was discussed, and will be resolved in future updates: > [@Edit Instrument Names dialog changes ignored after update](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/edit-instrument-names-dialog-changes-ignored-after-update/907900/17): > > I guess Lillie might well have been running Dorico Pro when she was testing this rather than Dorico Elements. I’m afraid the problem will definitely affect Dorico Elements, and you won’t gain anything by reinstalling. We will fix this problem as soon as possible, and I’m very sorry for the inconvenience. and also this post where I suggested a temporarily workaround renaming players instead of instruments, and @Lillie_Harris guided through the language renaming with a link to the Manual to do that: > [@Renaming of instruments is ignored. Bug? (Dorico Elements 5.1.30.2109)](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/renaming-of-instruments-is-ignored-bug-dorico-elements-5-1-30-2109/907533/4): > > Sorry for the inconvenience caused by this regression bug. We’ll make sure this gets fixed as soon as possible. ---
**Author:** ![TheHansen01](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/thehansen01/32/209992_2.png) [@TheHansen01](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/TheHansen01)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 1:57am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/6 "2024-04-16T01:57:46Z")
> [@Christian\_R](#): > > May I ask why do you need renaming it/them? The reason this issue came up is because I had a .musicxml file I exported from Musescore and imported into Dorico… but some of the instrument names show up in another language (German?). And if I add any new instruments to this score, they show up as the same language. ![image](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/original/4X/7/e/0/7e0e0230554f9d91c25a26266ea6f6461b95adc6.png) ---
**Author:** ![TheHansen01](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/thehansen01/32/209992_2.png) [@TheHansen01](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/TheHansen01)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 2:00am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/7 "2024-04-16T02:00:18Z")
> [@Christian\_R](#): > > This is a little regression of the last update that was discussed, and will be resolved in future updates Ah perfect! That fixes all my issues, I’ll try to follow the forum more closely for those bug threads. Thank you so much! ---
**Author:** ![Christian\_R](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/christian_r/32/188142_2.png) [@Christian\_R](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Christian_R)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 2:03am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/8 "2024-04-16T02:03:34Z")
> [@TheHansen01](#): > > I’ll try to follow the forum more closely Yes: a combination of following the Forum, consulting the Manual, and asking here (in the Forum), brings the needed answers most of the time 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Christian\_R](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/christian_r/32/188142_2.png) [@Christian\_R](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/Christian_R)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 2:32am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/9 "2024-04-16T02:32:47Z")
> [@TheHansen01](#): > > some of the instrument names show up in another language (German?). And if I add any new instruments to this score, they show up as the same language. also there is a command in the Setup menu (that appears when you are in Setup mode): **Reset Instrument names** that resets the names to the language set in **Engraving Options/Language** (when you change the language of instruments names there is also a checkbox for this in the said option). This can be useful in case you renamed something manually but you want to reset all the names with one click, or for example very useful if you need to change manually the order of, for example, Flute 1 and Flute 2 in setup (and the automatic numbering is then not the desired one): **clicking on _Reset Instrument names_, renumbers also the instruments with your new order.** : ![CleanShot 2024-04-16 at 04.30.21](https://europe1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/original/4X/c/a/0/ca0afd475cd920d9a5cf66198c952f38f43d10c1.gif) ---
**Author:** ![TheHansen01](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/thehansen01/32/209992_2.png) [@TheHansen01](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/TheHansen01)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 2:55am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/10 "2024-04-16T02:55:57Z")
That’s a really slick command, thanks for sharing that! ---
**Author:** ![MarcLarcher](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/marclarcher/32/1623_2.png) [@MarcLarcher](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/MarcLarcher)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 8:43am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/11 "2024-04-16T08:43:59Z")
If you’re working on XML imports, I really suggest you to go through each and every instrument in Dorico\>Setup mode\>Instrument’s menu and Change Instrument… to _the apparent same_. You will ensure Dorico has the appropriate instrument mapped for it now, and not some kind of instrument that happens to show the same name. It’s a little bit tedious at first but has earned me a great amount of time in the end (not having bizarre problems to solve, etc?) NB: this might be _not as crucial as it was before_, but until someone from the team tells me it’s now useless, I’d still recommend this. ---
**Author:** ![dspreadbury](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/dspreadbury/32/328687_2.png) [@dspreadbury](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/dspreadbury)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 10:21am UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/12 "2024-04-19T10:21:13Z")
This problem is fixed in today’s 5.1.32 update. ---
**Author:** ![TheHansen01](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/steinberg/user_avatar/forums.steinberg.net/thehansen01/32/209992_2.png) [@TheHansen01](https://forums.steinberg.net/u/TheHansen01)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 12:24pm UTC](https://forums.steinberg.net/t/how-to-rename-an-instrument/908994/13 "2024-04-19T12:24:08Z")
Confirmed, works perfect. You folks are great, thanks Daniel!