Clone Hero Online Songs Greyed Out or Unavailable: How to Fix It

In Clone Hero online, a song is only playable when every player in the session has an identical copy of its chart. If even one person has a different version of the notes file, the song shows as greyed out or unavailable for the whole lobby. The fix is to get everyone onto the same files, clear the song cache, rescan, and then rejoin one at a time.

Why it happens

Clone Hero does not stream songs. Each player plays from the song folder on their own PC, and the server only relays what everyone is doing. Before a song can be picked, the game compares what each player has. If the charts do not match, it would be unfair (and often impossible) to play together, so the song is locked.

The comparison is strict. Two files called notes.chart for the same track can differ because:

• One player has an older or newer release of the chart from the same charter.
• Someone fixed a note or a section name by hand.
• The song came from two different packs that charted it separately.
• One copy is a .mid chart and the other a .chart.

Anything like that and the game treats them as two different songs, even though the title and artist look the same in the list.

Quick check: is it one song or all of them?

How many songs are greyed out tells you where to look.

Fix 1: Share one song pack

This is the fix that actually lasts. Pick one source for the group's songs and have everyone copy the same files.

1. One person builds the folder the band will use online. Keep it small to start: a setlist folder of 50 to 200 songs is easier to keep in sync than a full library.
2. Zip it and share it with the group by whatever file sharing you already use.
3. Everyone unzips it into their Clone Hero Songs folder, replacing any older copies of the same tracks. Delete duplicates rather than keeping both.
4. Agree that nobody edits charts in that folder. If someone wants to fix a chart, they send the fixed file to everyone.

If the group downloads from the same chart site, make sure everyone grabs the same upload, not just a song with the same name.

Fix 2: Rescan songs after any change

Copying files in is not enough. The game keeps a song cache, and until you rescan, it keeps using what it saw last time.

1. Open Clone Hero.
2. Go to Settings, then General.
3. Choose Scan Songs and wait for it to finish.

Every player who changed anything needs to do this, before joining the server.

Fix 3: Clear a stale song cache

If a rescan does not help, delete the cache so the game rebuilds it from scratch. Close Clone Hero first, then open the game's data folder:

Remove the song cache file there, start the game and run Scan Songs again. It takes longer the first time with a big library. Do not delete your settings or scores files, only the cache.

Fix 4: Join one at a time

The official wiki points out that people joining at the same moment can leave the song comparison incomplete. On a song night, that looks like random songs being locked for no reason.

Have players join the server one by one, waiting a few seconds between each, and let the lobby settle before picking a song. If a lobby is already in a strange state, have everyone except the host leave and come back in turn.

Fix 5: Check the mode and version

Two more things can look like a song problem but are not:

• Leaderboards mode. Since v1.1 the game has a Leaderboards mode, which is single player only. Players must switch to Regular mode from the main menu before going online.
• Version. Everyone should be on the same Clone Hero version. Different builds can read charts differently. If you host the server, keep its version in step with the game too.

A routine that keeps song nights smooth

Groups that play every week tend to settle on the same habits:

1. Keep a shared "online" folder separate from each person's personal library.
2. When someone adds songs, they post the new files and everyone copies them before the next session.
3. Everyone runs Scan Songs before joining.
4. The host sets the song count per player with \setsongcount in lobby chat so setlists stay short and fair.

It is a bit of admin, but after the first week it takes a minute.

Where the server fits in

The server itself has nothing to do with songs. It never stores charts, so uploading songs to it will not help, and a bigger server plan will not unlock anything. What a steady server does give you is one fixed lobby, so the same four people meet in the same place every week with the same password, instead of hunting for whoever is hosting.

If that is what your band is missing, a Clone Hero server on GamezServers is ready in about a minute, with the name, password and game version set in the panel, and the cost can be split between the band. For setting one up yourself instead, see how to host a Clone Hero server.

FAQ

Why are all my songs greyed out in Clone Hero online?

Usually your library and the other players' libraries do not match, or someone joined before the comparison finished. Share one song folder, rescan, and rejoin one at a time.

Do I need to upload songs to the Clone Hero server?

No. The server never holds songs. Each player plays from their own Songs folder, so matching files on every player's PC is what matters.

Does the song have to match exactly?

Yes. Any difference in the chart file makes it unavailable for the group, even if the title and artist are the same.

Can I play online in Leaderboards mode?

No. Leaderboards mode is single player only. Switch back to Regular mode from the main menu to play online.