In that location are a number of different ways to continue your music in sync on your Mac, iPhone, iPad and iPod. Only how you keep everything in sync depends on whether or not you lot pay Apple to keep everything in iCloud, subscribe to Apple Music, or pay nil and only hook up your Mac and iPhone in one case in a while to sync your data.

Nosotros'll expect at the various means to sync your music then you can decide which technique you lot want to use. Some methods will cost you money and others are gratuitous, at that place are pros and cons for each option.

It'south costless to sync your music from your Mac to your iPhone, but information technology's not as uncomplicated as using iCloud, Apple tree Music or iTunes Lucifer, where syncing volition happen in the groundwork without you lot doing anything.

iPhone music

If you prefer not to pay for iCloud storage or a subscription to Apple Music, syncing music on your devices will always have been washed via iTunes. However, if you have updated your Mac to macOS Catalina, y'all'll accept recently plant that the method for syncing your devices has inverse. Apple removed the iTunes app from macOS with the arrival of Catalina. You lot'll yet find all your music on your Mac - the Music app is very similar to iTunes - the difference is that Music doesn't practice all the non-music related features that iTunes managed. Now if you desire to sync the music on your iPhone and your Mac this is taken intendance of by the Finder. We'll run through the new and old methods below.

If y'all are prepared to requite Apple some money then everything happens in the deject. Apple volition store all your music, including your playlists, play counts, ratings, and more than in your ain personal iCloud Music Library that you can admission on whatever of your devices. Y'all don't get the service for free though, y'all demand to choose between iTunes Match (£21.99/$24.99 a yr) or Apple Music (£9.99$9.99 a month). If yous aren't sure which you desire, read Apple Music versus iTunes Match.

With either of these services turned on you won't have to worry near syncing your Mac and iPhone, every bit every playlist, every track and any other data associated with your music library will automatically be mirrored beyond all your devices. We'll explain how to go on your music in sync using Apple Music or iTunes Music below.

We'll also offering troubleshooting for those people who find that syncing music from their music library on their Mac messes with their Apple Music playlists, what to practise if your iPhone is synced with another library, and various other syncing problems we are aware of.

iPhone and Mac

Sync music from Mac to iPhone in Catalina

With the arrival of macOS Catalina we said goodbye to iTunes on the Mac. Now the fashion to sync music with the iPhone involves the Music app and the Finder.

The process isn't that dissimilar to how to worked in Mojave and before (which we will look at beneath).

Here's how to sync music to your iPhone using the Finder in Catalina:

  1. Open up the Finder.
  2. Plug your iPhone into your Mac.
  3. You should see your iPhone appear in the Finder'due south sidebar. Click on it.
  4. Y'all may have to confirm that you lot 'Trust' the device.
  5. Next choose which type of content you want to sync by selecting the relevant tab, e.k. Music. (If y'all are using iCloud Music Library yous won't run across the following options, skip to the relevant section below).Finder transfer music iPhone
  6. At present choose what you desire to sync. You tin can sync either your unabridged library (which volition include everything, including all your Playlists and ratings and any other meta data), or just a selection of artists, albums or playlists (if you accept limited infinite on your iPhone).
  7. If yous are choosing what you are syncing, scroll down and choose Artists, Albums, Genres or Playlists and then cheque the box next to each one yous want to sync.
  8. One time yous are washed, click Apply. Syncing should start (if it doesn't click Sync).

Sync music from Mac/PC to iPhone with iTunes (inc Windows)

If you haven't updated to Catalina, or if you are on a PC, you tin can nevertheless sync your music using iTunes.

  1. Open up iTunes.
  2. Connect your iPhone to your Mac (or PC).
  3. Click on the iPhone icon that will appear in the carte at the peak of the window.
  4. In the left-hand column click on Music.
  5. At present choose betwixt syncing your Unabridged music library (if y'all have lots of room on your iPhone), or
  6. Selected playlists, artists, albums and genres (if you are limited).
  7. If you accept chosen 'Selected' yous will need to check each box beside each playlist, creative person or album that yous desire to sync. iTunes sync music iPhone
  8. Now click on Utilise and the iPhone should start to sync with your Mac, if information technology doesn't and so click on Sync.

Sync music from Mac to iPhone via Wi-Fi (Catalina)

You don't accept to plug in your iPhone to sync with your Mac, you lot can practice so via Wi-Fi. This might be handy if you lot don't have the correct kind of USB cablevision handy subsequently, however y'all will crave a cable in order to set information technology upward.

In one case y'all have synced the music on your Mac and iPhone via the Finder in macOS Catalina, as above, you can set the two devices to sync via a WiFi network in futurity. (Skip to the next section if you aren't running Catalina).

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac.
  2. Open the Finder and select the iPhone.
  3. At present select 'Show this device when on WiFi'.
  4. Click on Utilise.

Now, as long equally both devices are connected to the same WiFi network and plugged in, they will sync over WiFi.

iPhone and Mac sync

Sync music from Mac to iPhone via Wi-Fi (via iTunes)

Dorsum when iTunes was Apple'due south ways of syncing devices, you could also set your devices to sync via Wi-Fi.

  1. Connect your iPhone and your Mac using your USB cablevision.
  2. Open iTunes and select the iPhone when it appears in the card forth the top of the window.
  3. Now click on Summary in the left-hand cavalcade.
  4. Cull Sync with this device over WiFi from the options.
  5. Click on Apply.

At present, equally long as both your Mac and iPhone are on the same WiFi network, the iPhone plugged in and iTunes open on your Mac, your devices will sync automatically.

Sync music from Mac to iPhone using Apple tree Music

Now onto the paid methods of keeping your music in sync.

If you subscribe to Apple tree Music for £9.99/$9.99 a month you get access to the unabridged Apple tree Music library of l million tracks. You besides get access to iTunes Music Library, so any device yous are listening to music on, all your playlists, albums and more than will be in sync, including play counts, ratings and so on.

This should exist the case by default, only if it isn't, run thorough the following checks to sync your music on your Mac with what you listen to in Apple Music.

  • Ensure your iPhone and Mac are running the latest version of iOS or macOS (or in the case of the iPad, iPadOS). On a PC you will need to be using the latest version of iTunes.
  • Make certain all your devices are signed in with the same Apple ID - this should likewise be the Apple ID you used when signing upwards for Apple tree Music.
  • Check you are continued to the internet.

If your music library all the same isn't in sync on your iPhone, you may need to turn on Sync Library.

  1. Open Settings > Music on your iPhone.
  2. Select Sync Library.

If your music library isn't in sync on your Mac, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Music or iTunes app
  2. Cull Preferences from the carte du jour at the top (Music > Preferences / iTunes > Preferences).
  3. Click on the General tab.
  4. Plow on Sync Library. This will ensure that all your purchased music, content you add from Apple tree Music or import into iTunes or the Music app on your Mac, will exist in sync.

Sync music from Mac to iPhone using iCloud or iTunes Match

You don't have to subscribe to Apple Music to sync your music beyond all your devices.

If yous subscribe to iTunes Lucifer, £21.99/$24.99 a year, you tin upload all your music on all your devices to the cloud and and so stream, or download, high quality versions of every track you own on any device you own.

iTunes Match is likewise ideal if you have rare albums on your Mac that you desire to be able to admission on your iPhone alongside the Apple Music tracks. This is considering if you lot simply subscribe to Apple Music you simply take access to the 50 million songs in Apple tree Music. If y'all happen to have a lot of music that'south non on Apple tree Music the only way to get it to sync in the deject is to also pay for iTunes Friction match. Once yous have paid for iTunes Lucifer all your unique music will exist uploaded to the deject so you tin can admission it on all your devices.

As with Apple Music, y'all will accept the option to Sync Music on any devices you take that are logged in with the aforementioned Apple tree ID. Yous can notice this setting in Settings > Music on your iPhone, or on a Mac you'll detect it in the preferences carte du jour of Music or iTunes.

If your music isn't in sync follow the steps in the Apple Music section above to sync your music in iCloud.

Music syncing issues and solutions

Every bit simple equally the various methods to sync your music are, inevitably there are complications and frustrations. Nosotros'll look at some of the common problems we are aware of next.

iPhone won't sync because 'synced with another iTunes library'

If you meet this message it means that your iPhone was previously connected to another computer. To sync with your new Mac (or PC) you could wipe the iPhone, or yous could sign up to iTunes Match.

If you lot are happy to lose any tracks from your iPhone that aren't on your Mac or PC now, then you can choose Erase and Sync. This volition wipe your iPhone and so sync information technology with iTunes on the new Mac or PC.

If you desire to keep the tracks on your iPhone, consider subscribing to iTunes Match. This will unify all your music on all of your devices so that you can access any of your tracks on all of your devices. Another benefit is that you don't have to shop the music on your devices, you can merely stream it from the cloud, or download information technology on a track by runway footing.

Alternatively, y'all could consider subscribing to Apple Music, which would mean you lot have access to a huge catalogue of music that is likely to include the tracks you ain and much more.

Why are some of my songs non syncing

This is continued to the to a higher place problem. If you lot take compiled a large iTunes Library of tracks - some of which aren't in Apple Music, yous can find that your music libraries aren't in sync, because those tracks are missing.

This is because Apple Music matches the rails you own to tracks available on Apple Music. If the track isn't in Apple Music you won't meet information technology on your other devices. All the same, it is possible to take tracks streaming from an Apple Music library alongside tracks from your music collection.

We'd better clear up a few things here before moving on to the correct syncing procedure.
When you subscribe to Apple Music, the service looks at all the songs on your Mac to meet if any of them friction match songs available in its library - the chances are that a lot of them will. These matched songs can immediately be streamed via your Mac or any other device that is signed into your Apple Music subscription. All these tracks can be accessed via your iCloud Music Library.

But iCloud Music Library only works for songs that appear in the Apple Music library. Many users have a range of remixes, mash-ups and obscure tracks that simply don't exist in Apple tree Music.

If these tracks be in Apple Music you'll exist able to listen to them on other devices too. Simply if they aren't in Apple Music, they won't be available to you anywhere else - unless you sign up for Apple's rails-matching service, iTunes Match.

iTunes Match

iTunes Match volition upload and shop your music in the cloud and so you tin play even your most obscure rail on any of your devices. (Apple tree doesn't actually upload everything, if a rails yous own is available on the iTunes Shop/Apple Music you lot can stream it, or download it, from at that place, but crucially everything else is synced accross all your devices).

iTunes Match is a yearly subscription (£21.99/$24.99) that also matches your music to the iTunes Store. The tracks it can't place are uploaded to iCloud and you tin then stream them.