About osu.net
Is this the official osu!?
No. osu.net is an unofficial fan site. The player on our home page is webosu!, an open-source browser port of osu! standard written by independent developers. The official game, with its own client, accounts and online features, is made by ppy Pty Ltd and is available at osu.ppy.sh.
Are you connected to ppy?
No. osu.net is not affiliated with or endorsed by ppy Pty Ltd. "osu!" is a trademark of ppy Pty Ltd, and we use the name only to describe what the player plays. The default skin and hit sounds in the player are ppy's work, credited on our credits page.
Is it free? Why are there ads?
The player and the guides are free, with no account and nothing to buy. osu.net is run by a small independent team, and the ads around the player and on the guide pages pay for the domain, the server and our time. Ads are never placed inside the player itself, so they cannot get in the way of a map. You can read more about us, and about what we changed in the player, on the about page.
Playing
Does it work on phones and tablets?
Not in a useful way. The player responds only to mouse, pen and keyboard input and has no touch controls. On a phone or tablet our home page shows a notice instead of the player; you can load it anyway, but you will not be able to play properly. Use a desktop or laptop computer.
Which browsers work?
The player needs WebGL for graphics and the Web Audio API for sound, which every current desktop browser supports. If the music cannot start, the player itself suggests using Chrome or Firefox. Keep your browser up to date and make sure hardware acceleration is switched on in its settings.
Can I use a drawing tablet?
Yes. Browsers treat a pen as a mouse, so moving the pen moves the cursor and tapping the tip counts as a left click. Most tablet players hover the pen and hit with Z and X. Our tips page has setup advice.
Can I change the keys?
Yes. Open Settings in the player and look under Input. You can rebind both hit keys (default Z and X), both pause keys (Space and Esc) and the skip key (Ctrl). You can also disable mouse clicks or the mouse wheel during play. The settings guide covers every option.
Maps, music and your data
Where do the maps come from?
The player searches and downloads beatmaps live from a public community mirror with a very large catalogue. When you click a map, your browser downloads the beatmap file directly from the mirror and unpacks it in memory. We do not host, upload or store any maps or songs on osu.net. Cover images on the map cards load from the official osu! asset server.
Who owns the music and the maps?
The songs belong to their artists and labels, and each beatmap belongs to the mapper who made it. osu.net does not own or license any of this content; the player simply plays what the mirror provides. If you are a rights holder and want something removed, see the copyright section of our terms.
A map will not download or start. What can I do?
First check that loading has finished. A difficulty only starts once the player's Scripts, Skin and Hitsounds indicators are done and the map's download bar is full; clicking earlier does nothing, so wait a moment and click again. If the player reports that the download failed, the mirror may be busy: reload the page and try again a little later, or pick another set. A few old maps use slider types or audio files the player cannot handle perfectly. If one specific map always fails, tell us its set ID through the contact page.
Is my progress saved?
Yes, in your browser on this device. The player stores your settings, favorites, your last 1,000 plays and your best score on each difficulty in local storage. Nothing of this is kept on our server, so it does not follow you to another browser or computer. To move your settings, use Export and Import on the Settings page.
Is any of my data sent anywhere?
The player does not send your scores, plays or settings anywhere. The only outside requests it makes are for map lists, song previews and downloads from the beatmap mirror, plus cover images and a web font. Like any website, those servers see your IP address. The pages around the player use analytics and ads, which see the usual page data; our privacy policy explains this in detail.
What happens if I clear my browser data?
Clearing site data or cookies for osu.net deletes your settings, favorites, play history and best scores, and the player starts fresh with default settings. Private or incognito windows usually forget everything when you close them. Export your settings first if you want to keep them.
Problems and help
The notes feel out of sync with the music. How do I fix it?
Play an easy map with no mods and look at the Hit Error value on the result screen, for example "+15±20ms". Set Audio Offset in Settings to that first number, start the map again from the list and repeat until the average is close to zero. Wireless headphones add delay, so try wired ones if the offset limit of 50 milliseconds is not enough. Full steps are in the settings guide.
The game stutters. How can I make it run better?
Close other tabs and programs, plug in your laptop, and check that hardware acceleration is on in your browser. In the player's Settings, turn off "Use system resolution" and lower the Resolution slider, and try "Raw cursor input" if the cursor feels laggy. Note that the game pauses itself when the window loses focus or changes size, so switch to fullscreen before you start a map.
How do I report a problem?
Use the form on our contact page or email hello@apptao.io. Tell us your browser and operating system, the beatmap set ID and difficulty if the problem is map-specific, and what you expected to happen. A screenshot helps a lot; the form lets you attach up to three.