Free guitar chord transposer & capo calculator
Full capo reference, every key & fret combination:
ChordSwitch is a free online tool for guitarists, ukulele players, pianists, and anyone who works with chord charts. It does two things: transpose a song to a different key, and find the right capo position for a given key. No account, no install, no cost, paste your chords and get results instantly.
The 12 musical notes repeat in a cycle. Transposing means shifting every chord in a song by the same number of semitones, one semitone equals one half-step, or one fret on a guitar. Moving a song up 2 semitones turns every G into an A, every C into a D, every Em into an F#m, every Am into a Bm, and so on across the entire chart. The relationships between the chords stay exactly the same; only the pitch changes. ChordSwitch handles that math for every chord at once, so you can paste in a full song with lyrics and get the transposed version in under a second.
A capo clamps across the guitar neck and raises the pitch of all strings by one semitone per fret. The advantage is that you keep playing the same open chord shapes you already know, without learning new fingering. Put a capo on fret 2 and play G-shape chords: it sounds in A. Capo on fret 5 with C-shape chords: sounds in F. The Capo Calculator tab shows you every key and fret combination in a full reference grid, so you can find the position that lets you play any key with the shapes you're most comfortable with.
Singer needs a different key. The most common reason to transpose. If a song sits in G but your vocal range fits better around Bb, transpose up 3 semitones: G becomes Bb, Em becomes Gm, C becomes Eb, D becomes F. Same song, friendlier pitch.
Beginner with a small chord vocabulary. If you know G, C, D, and Em, a capo lets you play in many keys without learning new shapes. Capo 2 with those shapes gives you A, D, E, and F#m. Capo 5 gives you C, F, G, and Am. One set of shapes, many possible keys.
Matching another musician. If a pianist is playing in Eb and a guitarist wants to join in with easier shapes, the guitarist can capo fret 3 and play C-shape chords to match. ChordSwitch shows you the transposed chord names so everyone is on the same page.
Covering a song in a different style. Dropping a song down a key or two can make it feel warmer and more mellow. Moving it up adds energy and brightness. Transpose the chart and try it both ways.
Five notes in the scale have two names. C# and Db are the exact same pitch spelled differently. Which one you use depends on the key context: sharp keys (G, D, A, E, B) use sharp notation like C#, F#, and G#, while flat keys (F, Bb, Eb, Ab) use flat notation like Db, Gb, and Ab. ChordSwitch lets you toggle between sharp and flat output at any time using the checkbox at the top of the page.
Chord names are the same regardless of instrument. Whether you play ukulele, piano, banjo, mandolin, or lap steel, ChordSwitch transposes the chord symbols the same way. As long as your chart uses standard chord names, G, Am7, F#m, Bbmaj7, Dsus4, the tool handles them. No instrument-specific settings needed.
Paste your chord chart into the left box, select the original key under "From key" and the target key under "To key," and ChordSwitch instantly converts every chord to the new key. It handles full song charts including lyrics with chords written inline, you don't need to separate anything out first. The transposed result appears in the right box as you type, and you can copy it with one click.
A capo calculator tells you which fret to place your capo on so you can play familiar open chord shapes and have them sound in a different key. For example, capo on fret 2 with G chord shapes sounds in A; capo on fret 5 with C shapes sounds in F. The Capo Calculator tab on ChordSwitch shows the full reference grid, every chord shape and every fret combination, so you can find the right position at a glance without trial and error.
A semitone is the smallest interval in Western music, one half-step, or one fret on a guitar. The 12 notes in an octave (C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B) are each one semitone apart. When you transpose a song up 2 semitones, every chord moves up by 2 of those steps: G becomes A, C becomes D, Em becomes F#m. The semitone count ChordSwitch is applying shows up just to the right of the key selectors so you always know how far the shift is.
A capo only raises pitch, it can't lower it, and it only works on guitar (and similar fretted instruments). Transposing works in either direction and applies to any instrument or chord chart. If a pianist, singer, and guitarist all need to play in the same key, transposing the chart is the solution. Transposing is also useful when a key shift would require a capo above fret 5, where tone and playability can suffer, or when you simply want to write out the chord chart in the actual sounding key rather than a capo-relative key.
They are the exact same pitch with two different names, an "enharmonic equivalent." Which one you write depends on the key you're in. Sharp keys like G, D, A, E, and B use sharp spelling (C#, F#, G#, D#, A#). Flat keys like F, Bb, Eb, and Ab use flat spelling (Db, Gb, Ab, Eb, Bb). Using the "wrong" spelling isn't technically incorrect, but it can make chord charts harder to read. ChordSwitch's sharps/flats toggle lets you choose whichever notation fits your key.
Yes. Chord transposition is instrument-agnostic, the tool transposes chord names, not fingerings or tablature. Whether your chart is for ukulele, piano, banjo, mandolin, or any other instrument that uses standard chord symbols, ChordSwitch handles it the same way. The only thing that matters is that your chart uses standard chord names like G, Am, F#m, or Bbmaj7. If it does, ChordSwitch can transpose it.
There's no single answer, it depends on the singer's range and the specific song. A common approach is to try the original key first, identify which notes feel too high or too low, and then shift by 1–2 semitones at a time until the highest note of the chorus sits comfortably. Moving up raises the pitch (harder for lower voices), moving down lowers it. Most pop songs sit comfortably for an average male voice somewhere between G and B, and for an average female voice between C and E, but every voice is different. ChordSwitch makes it easy to try several keys quickly.
Yes, that's one of ChordSwitch's core features. You can paste a full chord chart where chord names appear above lyric lines or inline with the text, for example "G Em C D" on one line followed by the lyrics below, and ChordSwitch will transpose only the chord symbols while leaving all the other text untouched. It uses pattern matching to identify chord names and avoids accidentally transposing normal words that happen to contain note letters.
Use whichever matches the key you're transposing into. As a rule of thumb: keys with sharps in their key signature (G, D, A, E, B, F#) are best written with sharps; keys with flats (F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb) are best written with flats. C major uses neither, so either works. If you're unsure, sharps are the more common default for guitar charts. The toggle at the top of ChordSwitch switches all output between sharp and flat notation instantly.
Yes, completely free. No account, no signup, no usage limits. You can transpose as many chord charts as you like. ChordSwitch runs entirely in your browser, nothing is sent to a server, so it also works offline once the page has loaded.