Where Is My Itunes Music Library Stored On My Mac

  1. Connect To My Itunes Account
  2. Lost My Itunes Music Library
  3. Where Is My Itunes Music Library Stored On My Mac Account

On the 2011 MacBook Pro, I try to sync my library with iCloud, but the option is not available I think because I need an Apple Music account. But I cannot sign up for an Apple Music account because the apple store is inaccessible on 2011 MacBook pros because they are no longer supported according to the apple support page. Jan 04, 2018 Redownload apps, music, movies, TV shows, and books from the iTunes Store, iBooks Store, and App Store - Apple Support. To 're-download' your iTunes music library (including songs you may have downloaded from CDs), you need to resync your device with iTunes on your computer (which is how I assume you got those CDs in the first place).

Apple's iCloud Music Library service can be great for letting you stream content from multiple music libraries (say, your work Mac's library and home Mac's library) on one computer; even better, you can also use it to consolidate your iTunes library if you're trying to make a manual backup.

What you need to know before downloading

iCloud Music Library stores music you've purchased on any device, uploaded or matched from your Macs, and any subscription content you may have downloaded from Apple Music. It won't store items like PDFs or full uploads of WAV files you may have recorded, however. If you have some of those types of files on a work computer you're trying to consolidate to your home library, you'll need to manually move them to your other Mac.

Purchased, uploaded, and matched music remains yours forever after you've downloaded it — it can't be removed from your library or rendered unplayable. (Purchased music may need to be authorized with your Apple ID, however.) In contrast, Apple Music-branded subscription tracks are only downloadable and playable while you have an active Apple Music subscription; cancel your subscription, and those tracks are rendered inert.You can check to see which songs fall under which categories on your Mac before downloading, and even organize them by type.

If your Mac's hard drive is too small to fit your entire music collection, you may need to move your iTunes Library to an external hard drive.

How to download all your music to your Mac

  1. Pick the computer you want your canonical library to live on.
  2. Open iTunes.
  3. Make sure iCloud Music Library is enabled in iTunes > Preferences > General.
  4. Select Music from the dropdown menu, and select the Library tab.
  5. Go to View > Show View Options.
  6. Click on the checkboxes next to iCloud Download.

The iCloud Download status icon (shaped like a cloud) shows you whether those songs are downloaded locally to your Mac or not; if not, you'll see a cloud with a downward arrow. You can download tracks one-by-one by clicking on the cloud icon, or by selecting multiple songs and control-clicking on them, then selecting Download.

Once everything's downloaded to your satisfaction, you can then make a backup of your iTunes Library.

Questions?

Let us know in the comments.

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Money well spent

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Here's what you need

  • Update your iPhone or iPod touch to the latest version of iOS, iPad to the latest version of iPadOS, or Mac to the latest version of macOS. On a PC, make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes for Windows.
  • Subscribe to Apple Music or iTunes Match.
  • Sign in to all of your devices with the same Apple ID that you use with Apple Music or iTunes Match.
  • Connect your devices to the Internet over a Wi-Fi or cellular network. On a Mac or PC, you can also connect to the Internet using Ethernet.

Apple Music and iTunes Match availability varies by country or region. Learn what's available in your country or region.

Turn on Sync Library

With the latest version of iOS, iPadOS, and macOS, Sync Library is turned on by default. If you turned off Sync Library, you can turn it back on. Just follow the steps below for your device.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

  1. Go to Settings > Music.
  2. Turn on Sync Library. If you don't subscribe to Apple Music or iTunes Match, you won’t see an option to turn on Sync Library.

If Sync Library is updating or turned off, you'll see a message at the top of the Library tab in the Apple Music app.

On your Mac

  1. Open the Apple Music app.
  2. From the menu bar at the top of your screen, choose Music > Preferences.
  3. Go to the General tab and select Sync Library to turn it on. If you don't subscribe to Apple Music or iTunes Match, you won’t see an option to turn on Sync Library.
  4. Click OK.

If you have a large music library, it might take some time to upload and sync your music library across all of your devices.

On your PC with iTunes for Windows

Connect To My Itunes Account

Connect to my itunes account

In iTunes for Windows, iCloud Music Library isn't turned on by default. To turn on iCloud Music Library:

  1. Open iTunes.
  2. From the menu bar at the top of your screen, choose Edit > Preferences.
  3. Go to the General tab and select iCloud Music Library to turn it on. If you don't subscribe to Apple Music or iTunes Match, you won’t see an option to turn on iCloud Music Library.
  4. Click OK.

If you have a large music library, it might take some time to upload and sync your music library across all of your devices.

On other devices

If you subscribe to Apple Music, you can also access your music library — without having to turn on Sync Library — on other devices that support the Apple Music app.

Lost My Itunes Music Library

If you don't subscribe to Apple Music

  • If you only want to sync your existing music library across all of your devices, and not any music from the Apple Music catalog, you can subscribe to iTunes Match on your computer. iTunes Match lets you access your music library on any Apple device or a PC with iTunes for Windows.
  • If you buy music from the iTunes Store, you can redownload your past music purchases on your Apple device or a PC with iTunes for Windows.
  • You can also manually sync music from your computer to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Need help?

  • If you sign out of your Apple ID or cancel your Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription, you won’t be able to access and sync your music library on all of your devices. The original song files will remain on the device that they were uploaded from.
  • Apple Music isn't a back up service. Make sure to back up your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC, so that you have a copy of your music and other information in case your device is ever replaced, lost, or damaged.
  • You can have up to 100,000 songs in your music library. Songs that you buy from the iTunes Store don't count against this limit.
  • If a song is grayed out, incorrect music plays, or you can’t access your music library, learn what to do.

Learn more

Where Is My Itunes Music Library Stored On My Mac Account

  • Learn how to join Apple Music.
  • Learn about the icons that you might see next to songs when you turn on Sync Library.
  • If Sync Library is turned on, a song that you delete from one device is deleted everywhere.
  • Learn what to do if songs in your music library are grayed out.