How to get there
The Main Tool Palette is almost always open on the screen. If it’s not, choose Window > Main Tool Palette.
What it does
This palette contains all of Finale’s primary tools, which you can rearrange or hide. You can move, resize, reshape, or hide the palette itself. Hover your mouse cursor over any of the tools to reveal the name of the tool. Click on the name of the tool in the picture below to view that section of the manual.
- Articulation tool
. Click a note to attach a marking; click a 
handleA small square which appears on currently "selectable" elements in the score. Handles allow you to select, edit and adjust musical elements in the score. to move or delete one. - Chord tool
. Choose an input method from the menu; click a note to add or edit chord symbols. - Clef tool
. Double-click a measure to insert a clef change. - Expression tool
. Double-click a measure, note or rest to attach text or a shape to one or more staves. - Graphics tool
. Use this tool to exchange PostScriptA page-description language that computers and high-resolution printers use to communicate with each other. and bitmap graphics between programs. - Hand Grabber tool
. Set up menu, then click a measure and play, for an instant transcription. - Key Signature tool
. Double-click a measure to insert a key change. - Lyrics tool
. Use the menu to create or edit lyrics and position them in the score. - Measure tool
. Double-click a measure to set characteristics; drag to move a barline. Click or double-click the tool icon to add blank measures to the end of the score. - MIDI tool
. This tool lets you edit the actual MIDI data that Finale stores with your music. - Note Mover tool
. This tool lets you move one note at a time (or several within a measure) to another measure, even on a different staff. - Ossia tool
. Use this tool to create floating measures—one-bar alternative passages that you can place anywhere in the score. - Page Layout tool
. Click the page to adjust margins or systems. - Repeat tool
. Double-click a measure to create repeats, ending brackets or text such as 'To Coda'. - Resize tool
. Click a note, to the left of a system or top left page corner to change its size. - Selection tool
. Double-click an object to go to its editing tool. Click and drag to move an object. - Simple Entry tool
. Click or use keystrokes to select values from the palette, and then use your mouse, computer keyboard, or a MIDI keyboard to enter notes. - Smart Shape tool
. This tool lets you create markings such as slurs, crescendo hairpins, 8va and 15ma markings, solid and dashed brackets and lines, and so on. - Special Tools tool
. This tool displays the Special Tools palette, where you can select from a number of specialized tools for making positioning and customization edits to existing notation. - Speedy Entry tool
. Click a measure to edit or insert music, with or without a MIDI keyboard. - Staff tool
. Use the menu to add or edit staves -- names, transpositions, groups, brackets, etc. - Text tool
. Double-click to add text blocks. Use menus to change fonts, borders and so on. - Time Signature tool
. Double-click a measure to insert a meter change. - Tuplet tool
. Click the first note of a group to create or edit a triplet. - Zoom tool
. Use this tool to magnify or reduce the music as it’s displayed on the screen. - [Close box]. Click this small button at the upper-left corner of the palette to close the palette. Once it’s hidden, you make the palette reappear by choosing Window > Main Tool Palette.
- [Title bar]. Drag the strip across the top (or left) edge of the palette to move the entire palette to a new screen location.
- [Sizable frame].
