Karaoke for Windows
HomeKaraoke is a free, open source karaoke app for Windows. It plays karaoke from YouTube and from video files you already own, keeps a queue of who sings what, and sends the video to a projector or a second screen.
Version 0.9.0 · View changelog
System requirements
- Windows version
- Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit
- Architecture
- x64 only, no ARM64 build
- Runtime
- WebView2, already present on Windows 11 and current Windows 10
How to install on Windows
1. Download the installer
Two files are published for each release. Take the .exe installer unless you have a reason not to; it is the one nearly everyone uses. The .msi is there for deployment tooling that expects an MSI package.
2. Get past the SmartScreen warning
Windows will say it protected your PC. Click More info, then Run anyway. See below for why this happens on every release.
3. Launch HomeKaraoke
Find it in the Start menu or on the desktop.
Why Windows warns you, and what to do about it
HomeKaraoke for Windows is not code-signed, so Microsoft Defender SmartScreen shows "Windows protected your PC". It does this on every release. Your download is fine. Click More info, then Run anyway.
A code-signing certificate costs several hundred dollars a year, and this is a free project with no revenue behind it. You can check what you are installing instead: GitHub Actions builds every release in the open from the public repository, so the installer matches code you can read.
If the warning keeps returning after you have already allowed it, right-click the downloaded file, open Properties, and tick Unblock at the bottom.
What it does
YouTube and your own files
Search YouTube and queue the results, or point HomeKaraoke at folders of video files you already own. The local library, the queue and playback all work with no internet connection.
A queue built for a room full of people
Assign songs to singers, reorder by drag and drop, and use Fair Shuffle to spread turns evenly instead of letting one person hold the microphone. Singers and their favourites persist between sessions.
Projector and second screen
Detach the video into its own window, drag it onto the projector, and press F for full screen. It stays above other windows by default, so a stray click will not bury it mid-song.
Guests join from their phones
Start a hosted session and share the code, something like HK-7X4M-9K2P, or its QR code. Guests request YouTube songs from a browser without installing anything. Requests reach you within about 30 seconds. You need an account to host a session.
How Windows differs
- There is no display layout memory. Detaching the video window and moving it to a projector works, but HomeKaraoke will not remember where you put it or restore that arrangement later. Automatic display handling is compiled for macOS only.
- The first video after startup may play silently. If that happens, toggle mute, or pause and play again, and sound returns for the rest of the session. The app shows a one-time notice about this; it is tracked as issue #162.
- HomeKaraoke probably will not find yt-dlp or ffmpeg on Windows. It searches Unix paths only and looks for a filename without the .exe suffix, so installing either tool may make no difference. We spotted this in the code; no user has reported it, so treat it as a warning and not a verdict. Default YouTube playback needs neither tool.
Questions
- Why does Windows say it protected my PC?
- The installer is not code-signed, so SmartScreen does not recognise the publisher. Expect the warning on every release. Click More info, then Run anyway. If it keeps returning, right-click the file, choose Properties, and tick Unblock.
- Should I download the .exe or the .msi?
- The .exe. It is the standard installer and is what almost everyone downloads. The .msi is published alongside it for people deploying the app through tooling that requires an MSI package.
- Is there a build for ARM64 Windows?
- No. Windows releases are x64 only. There is no ARM64 build, so Snapdragon-based machines are not covered today.
- Do I need anything else before I can search YouTube?
- Yes, and it catches people out. Search needs either your own YouTube Data API key, which you create for free in the Google Cloud console and paste into Settings, or yt-dlp - installed and then selected as the search method, because HomeKaraoke does not pick it up on its own. Without one of the two, search reports itself as not configured. Playing files you already own needs neither.
- Which video files can I play?
- The library scans .mp4, .mkv, .webm, .avi and .mov. Playback goes through the Windows system WebView, which decides what actually plays, so stick to MP4 with H.264 and AAC, or WebM. MKV and AVI files land in your library and then refuse to play.
- Can I use it with a projector?
- Yes. Detach the video window, drag it onto the projector and press F for full screen. You will need to position it yourself each time, because remembering display layouts is a macOS-only feature.
- Does it play CDG or MP3+G discs?
- Not yet. HomeKaraoke recognises MP3+G material by the .cdg file sitting next to a video and lets you filter the library by it, but there is no CDG playback and MP3 files are not scanned at all.
Search returning nothing after you install? Set up YouTube search walks through both ways to fix it.