.ASV File Extension

MakeMusic Finale is a music notation program that composers use to create, edit, and play back musical scores. In Finale 2012 and earlier versions, these scores are saved as .MUS files. Optionally, composers can configure Finale to automatically back up open MUS files at a regular interval, so they don't lose their work if the program closes unexpectedly. Finale saves these automatically-generated backups in the following directory:

~/​Documents/​Finale Files/​Backups

Each backup uses the same filename as the MUS file from which it was created, except that the backup's filename ends with asv.mus, to note it is an auto-saved backup. Finale users and documentation often refer to these backup files as ASV files, even though the files use the .mus extension.

How to change Finale's auto-save settings

Finale users can adjust how often the program creates and updates ASV backups. To do so:

1. Open Finale's Preferences menu.
2. Select Save from the left-hand sidebar.
3. To begin creating ASV files, select the Auto Save File(s) Every _ Minutes checkbox. (To stop creating them, clear the checkbox.)
4. In the _ Minutes field, specify how often you want Finale to create/update ASV files.

NOTE: Finale 2014 and later versions create .ASVX files instead of ASV files.