Adding songs to iCloud allows you to access your music library from all your Apple devices. With an iCloud music library, you can stream songs directly from iCloud rather than taking up storage space on your device. Here are some quick answers about adding music to iCloud:
– You need an Apple ID and an iCloud account to add songs to iCloud.
– You can add music purchased from iTunes or ripped from CDs to your iCloud music library.
– Songs are uploaded and stored in iCloud, so you don’t have to store them directly on your devices.
– Up to 100,000 songs can be stored in iCloud for free. You must subscribe to Apple Music to store more.
– Songs are added to iCloud automatically when you enable iCloud Music Library on your devices.
– You can manually manage your iCloud music library and selectively upload songs in iTunes.
Step 1: Enable iCloud Music Library
The first step to adding music to iCloud is making sure iCloud Music Library is enabled. This syncs your music across devices and stores them in iCloud. Here’s how to turn on iCloud Music Library:
On iPhone/iPad:
1. Open the Settings app and tap on your Apple ID banner at the top.
2. Tap on iCloud.
3. Turn on the switch for Music.
On Mac:
1. Open the Apple menu and click on System Preferences.
2. Click on Apple ID.
3. In the iCloud tab, check the box for iCloud Music Library.
In iTunes (PC):
1. Open iTunes preferences from the Edit menu.
2. Click on the General tab.
3. Check the option for iCloud Music Library.
Once enabled, iTunes will start uploading your music library to iCloud automatically. All your purchased and ripped songs will be available across your devices.
Step 2: Add Purchased Music
Any music you’ve purchased from the iTunes Store is automatically added to your iCloud music library. Here’s what happens when you buy music from iTunes:
– Downloads are saved directly into your iCloud account.
– Songs appear almost instantly across all your devices.
– You can download songs for offline playback when needed.
– iTunes purchases do not count against your iCloud storage limit.
To add purchased music to iCloud:
1. Buy music as usual from the iTunes Store on any device.
2. Turn on automatic downloads in iTunes and on your iOS devices.
3. The songs sync across your library without needing to manually upload.
So there’s nothing special you need to do to add purchased iTunes music to iCloud! Buying songs automatically stocks your iCloud library.
Step 3: Upload Ripped CDs
To add your CD rips and other non-iTunes music to iCloud, you’ll need to use iTunes to upload these songs. Here’s how:
1. Insert a music CD into your computer.
2. Open iTunes and click on File > New.
3. In the dialog box, select the CD import option.
4. Adjust the import settings as desired and click OK.
5. iTunes will rip the CD to a folder on your computer.
6. With iCloud Music Library enabled, iTunes will upload these ripped tracks to your online library.
You can check the upload progress in iTunes by going to the menu bar and selecting Music > Check iCloud Status. The tracks will also appear automatically across your devices when syncing.
Some tips for uploading ripped music:
– Highlight multiple albums in iTunes before uploading to sync them all at once.
– iTunes will only upload songs that are not already in iCloud, avoiding duplicates.
– Music is uploaded in the background, so you can still use iTunes normally during the process.
Step 4: Drag and Drop Music to iTunes
You can quickly add songs stored on your computer to iCloud by dragging and dropping them into iTunes. Here’s how:
1. Navigate to the music files on your computer that you want to upload.
2. Open a separate window in iTunes on your Mac/PC.
3. Drag the music files you want to upload and drop them directly into your iTunes library.
4. The tracks will be imported into iTunes and synced with your iCloud music library.
This method works for all common audio file formats like MP3, AAC, FLAC, M4A, etc. Just drag any song files into the iTunes window to add them.
Some tips for drag and drop:
– Create a playlist in iTunes for imported songs to easily locate them.
– You can drag entire folders of songs at once to upload.
– Music is automatically converted to a supported format if needed.
So it’s quick and easy to use drag and drop to get your music collections into iCloud!
Step 5: Manually Manage Uploads
For more control over your iCloud music library, you can manually manage your uploads in iTunes using the following steps:
1. In iTunes, check the box for “Manually manage music and videos”. You can find this under Preferences > General on Windows, or iTunes > Preferences > General on Mac.
2. Select the songs or playlists you want to upload. Drag them directly into the “Uploads” playlist in iTunes.
3. Go to Account > View My Account in iTunes to monitor upload progress.
4. Songs will stay in the Uploads playlist until fully uploaded to iCloud.
Here are some benefits of manually managing iCloud music:
– You can select specific albums or playlists rather than your entire library.
– Songs are uploaded from the Uploads playlist rather than your whole library.
– You can easily edit metadata like song info before uploading.
– There is more transparency about what has finished uploading.
So if you have a large music library or want more control, manually manage your iCloud uploads.
Step 6: Use iTunes Match
iTunes Match is an optional $24.99/year service that complements iCloud Music Library. iTunes Match provides these extra features:
– It will scan and match your music to songs already in the Apple catalog, avoiding the need to upload.
– You can upload up to 100,000 songs with iTunes Match vs. 100,000 with regular iCloud.
– Audio quality is upgraded to 256 kbps DRM-free AAC files.
To use iTunes Match:
1. Subscribe to the service on your Apple devices or in your iTunes account.
2. Turn on iCloud Music Library in iTunes and on your devices.
3. iTunes will scan your library and instantly match songs.
4. Any remaining, unmatched songs are uploaded for access across devices.
So with an iTunes Match subscription, you can quickly get your huge music library into iCloud without slowly uploading each track manually.
Step 7: Use Supported Services
In addition to iTunes, you can access your iCloud music library from streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. These music services are integrated with iCloud:
| Service | iCloud Music Library Integration |
|---|---|
| Apple Music | Full access to your library plus streaming catalog |
| Spotify | Ability to access and stream your iCloud songs |
| YouTube Music | Seamless transfer of uploads and playlists |
| Amazon Music | Access to your uploaded iCloud music |
So you can enjoy your personal iCloud collection on top of the expansive catalogs offered by your favorite streaming apps. Apple Music also allows storing up to 100,000 more songs for a total of 200,000 when used with iCloud.
Step 8: Download Songs for Offline Playback
One of the benefits of using iCloud Music Library is being able to save storage space on your devices. But sometimes you still want offline access to songs when no Internet connection is available.
Here are some tips for downloading iCloud music for offline playback:
– On iPhone/iPad, swipe left on any song, album or playlist to save it for offline use. These appear under Downloads.
– In iTunes on a computer, right-click music and select Make Available Offline. These appear under On My Device.
– Use the setting Make All Albums Available Offline in iTunes to automatically download any new additions.
– Downloaded music stays on the device storage until deleted, so remember to remove old downloads.
– Use cellular data limits in iOS to only allow downloading on WiFi and prevent costly mobile usage.
– Spotify and other services also allow saving iCloud music for offline access.
So while iCloud Music Library is best for saving space, you can always selectively download songs for offline playback when needed.
Step 9: Stream Songs Over Cellular Data
By default, iOS devices do not allow streaming iCloud music over a cellular connection. This prevents large data usage if you forget to disable it.
To allow streaming iCloud music via mobile data on iPhone or iPad:
1. Go to Settings > Music.
2. Turn on the setting for Cellular Data.
3. You can also set a high-quality streaming limit here.
Now your iCloud library can stream over both WiFi and mobile networks. But keep in mind streaming over mobile can use up your data plan quickly if you’re not careful!
Some tips for cellular streaming:
– Set a reasonable cellular data limit in Music settings to prevent overages.
– Manually download offline music when you know you’ll lack WiFi access.
– Use offline playback when traveling abroad to avoid roaming charges.
– Monitor your data usage under Settings > Cellular and disable cellular streaming if you approach your limit.
With reasonable limits, you can safely access your entire iCloud music library everywhere via cellular data when desired.
Step 10: Share Your iCloud Music Library
Once your music collection is in iCloud, you can easily share it with family members using these Family Sharing features:
– Set up an Apple Family group via iCloud to share purchases and media with up to 5 family members.
– Turn on iCloud Music Library Sharing in your Family settings to give access to your iCloud songs.
– Family members can stream from your shared library without using their own storage.
– You can restrict explicit content and control individual user access.
– Family members can also share their own music back with you.
So Family Sharing is a convenient way to enjoy everyone’s music collections via iCloud. Just remember streaming from a shared library uses cellular data, so keep an eye on usage.
Troubleshooting iCloud Music Library
Here are some common troubleshooting tips for issues with iCloud Music Library:
Music not uploading:
– Check cellular data/WiFi limits preventing music from uploading.
– Make sure you have sufficient iCloud storage for your library size.
– Verify iCloud Music Library is fully enabled on all devices.
Missing songs/albums:
– Enable the setting to Show Duplicated Songs in iTunes which hides duplicate uploads.
– Check Downloads on iOS to see if you have songs saved offline preventing cloud access.
– Search your library for missing items in case the metadata changed.
Music not syncing between devices:
– Give it time to sync after adding new content – uploads can take from hours up to days for large libraries.
– Confirm all devices are connected to the same iCloud account.
– Check that you have iCloud Music Library enabled on the non-updating device.
Slow performance:
– Streaming quality affects speed – try changing to a lower quality via Settings.
– Deleting old devices from account management can improve performance.
– Upgrade your WiFi router or cellular data plan for faster speeds.
Other issues:
– Log out then back into iCloud on all devices to refresh.
– Disable then re-enable iCloud Music library to trigger a re-upload.
– Contact Apple support for help with any other persistent problems.
So try these troubleshooting tips if you encounter any problems setting up or managing your iCloud music library. Reach out for assistance if needed.
Conclusion
In summary, uploading your music collection to iCloud Music Library allows access across all your Apple devices from anywhere. Simply enable iCloud Music Library and iTunes will automatically sync your songs purchased from iTunes or ripped from CDs. You can manually manage uploads for more control over your library. Services like iTunes Match and Apple Music complement iCloud music storage and streaming. With reasonable data limits, you can safely stream your library over cellular connections too. So maximize your enjoyment of music on the go by adding your collection to iCloud!