Apple iCloud provides a way for iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to back up their data, including photos, documents, contacts, calendars, and more. One common question people have is whether iCloud also backs up music from iTunes or Apple Music.
Quick Answer
Yes, iCloud can back up purchased iTunes music, Apple Music songs saved for offline listening, and iTunes Match content. However, there are some caveats to be aware of when it comes to music backup in iCloud.
What types of music does iCloud back up?
Specifically, here are the types of music that iCloud backups include:
- Purchased iTunes music – This includes any songs, albums or other music purchased through the iTunes Store. iCloud will back these up so they can be restored if needed.
- Apple Music songs marked for offline listening – If you mark any Apple Music tracks to be available offline, these will also be backed up by iCloud.
- iTunes Match content – If you subscribe to iTunes Match, this service matches the music in your library with high-quality versions available on Apple servers. Any music stored through iTunes Match is backed up too.
So in general, any music content you acquire through Apple’s ecosystem that is locally stored on your device has the potential to be backed up with iCloud.
What music does iCloud NOT back up?
However, there are some important exceptions where music is not backed up to iCloud:
- Apple Music streaming content – Songs that are only available through streaming via Apple Music and have not been marked for offline listening will not be part of your iCloud backup. This is because they are not technically local files on your device.
- Non-Apple music content – Any music imported from other sources like CDs, downloads from other stores, or ripping your own music will not be backed up. Anything not purchased or stored through Apple’s music ecosystem will not be included.
So in summary, only music you have specifically downloaded or marked for offline listening from Apple’s services will actually be backed up. Streamed content is not included.
Why doesn’t Apple Music stream backups?
Apple does not back up streamed Apple Music content for a couple reasons:
- It would take up large amounts of iCloud storage space – Backing up every user’s entire Apple Music library would require extensive cloud storage.
- Music availability can change – The songs you stream on Apple Music are based on licensing deals that can change over time. A song available today may be removed at a later date, so backing it up indefinitely is complicated.
- Backups are meant for owned content – iCloud backups are really intended to store purchased content and important personal data like photos or documents. Backing up licensed streamed content is less of a priority.
So for these reasons, Apple limits iCloud music backups only to songs that are part of your permanent library, not those that are temporarily available via streaming.
How to make sure music is backed up in iCloud
If you want to make sure your important Apple music purchases and downloads are secured with an iCloud backup, here are a few tips:
- Check iCloud music settings – Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Music and make sure “Sync Library” is enabled. This ensures music you own is backed up.
- Download Apple Music for offline listening – If there are Apple Music albums or playlists you want to backup, tap the “download” icon next to each one to save it for offline listening. Downloaded music gets backed up.
- Use iTunes Match – Subscribing to iTunes Match for $24.99/year will also store your personal library for backup and access across devices.
- Monitor iCloud storage use – Check Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage to see if your music library is counting against storage.
Following these tips will help guarantee that the music you own and care about most is properly backed up by iCloud for safekeeping.
How much iCloud storage do music backups use?
The amount of iCloud storage used by music backups depends on how much purchased, downloaded, and matched content you have. A few estimations:
- A few albums or playlists: 1-3GB
- Moderate library of 100-200 albums: 5-10GB
- Large owned music collection: 10-50GB+
Note that these are just rough guidelines – usage will vary based on the file sizes of your specific music files. Lossless formats will take up more space than compressed formats.
You can always check your iCloud storage usage breakdown in Settings to see exactly how much space music is using. Also keep in mind that any music, photos, or files purchased through Apple do not count against your overall iCloud quota.
What happens if you run out of iCloud storage space?
If you find that your music and other backups are taking up too much iCloud storage, and you reach your free quota of 5GB or paid limit, here’s what will happen:
- New backups will fail – iCloud will be unable to create new backups until you free up space.
- Existing music won’t be deleted – Your existing music backups will remain intact and playable.
- You’ll need to upgrade or delete content – To continue backing up, you’ll either need to upgrade your iCloud storage plan to a higher tier, or manually delete old backups and content to make room.
So your existing music library will be preserved if you max out iCloud, but new additions or changes won’t backup until you Act to clear out space. Upgrading your iCloud plan is recommended if you find you continually run out of space for music and other backups.
Comparison of iCloud plans
Here’s a quick overview of the iCloud paid storage plans to give an idea of how much space is available beyond the free 5GB tier:
| iCloud Plan | Storage Amount | Price (Monthly) |
| 50GB | 50GB | $0.99 |
| 200GB | 200GB | $2.99 |
| 2TB | 2TB | $9.99 |
The 200GB or 2TB plans may be the best options for backing up sizable music libraries. But the 50GB plan could work well if you only use iCloud for limited music storage in addition to photos, documents, etc.
Other ways to back up your music library
While iCloud is convenient for automatically backing up your Apple music purchases, there are a few other options for securing your overall music collection:
- External hard drive – Use a hard drive to manually create your own backups of all music files.
- Cloud storage services – Services like Dropbox or Google Drive give you more control over backing up music files.
- Music streaming lockers – Spotify and Amazon Music allow you to upload personal files to their cloud libraries.
These alternate methods give you more flexibility to back up non-Apple purchased music that won’t be included in iCloud backups.
Summary and Conclusion
To wrap up, here are some key takeaways on using iCloud to back up your music:
- iCloud will automatically back up music purchased through iTunes or downloaded from Apple Music for offline playback.
- Songs solely available via Apple Music streaming will NOT be backed up.
- Make sure to enable iCloud Music Library sync and Apple Music downloads to back up important music.
- Monitor your storage usage as music backups can take up significant iCloud space.
- Upgrade your iCloud plan if needed or use other methods to backup non-Apple acquired music.
While not a comprehensive music backup solution, iCloud integration makes it easy to securely store your core library of Apple music purchases and downloads. But you may need to supplement with additional storage and backup options if you have an extensive collection from multiple sources.