Apple Music is a popular streaming service that allows you to access over 75 million songs. With such a vast catalog, it’s common for Apple Music users to build up large libraries of saved music over time. But how can you find out just how lengthy your personal Apple Music collection has become? There are a few different ways to get an estimate of the total duration of all the songs in your library. In this guide, we’ll walk through the various methods available to Apple Music subscribers to check the length of their libraries.
Check Recently Added Playlist
One of the quickest ways to get a ballpark figure for your Apple Music library length is to look at the duration of your Recently Added playlist. This playlist is automatically generated by Apple Music and includes the most recent songs and albums you’ve added to your library.
To find it, open the Apple Music app and select the “Library” tab. Scroll down and you’ll see a “Recently Added” playlist under the “Playlists” heading. Tap on it to open the playlist. At the top, it will show the total number of songs in the playlist, along with the full duration of all those songs added together.
This duration won’t be exactly the same as your full library, since it’s just based on your recent additions. But it can give you a general idea, especially if you add music to your library fairly consistently. If you see your Recently Added playlist is already over 10 hours long, then chances are your total library is much, much longer than that.
Check Library Songs Playlist
For a more direct look at your overall Apple Music library length, you can view the Library Songs playlist. Library Songs includes every individual track you’ve added to your Apple Music collection.
To find it, go to your Library tab and select “Playlists” again. You should see a “Library Songs” playlist in the first section – tap to open it. At the top, you’ll see the total number of songs you’ve saved, as well as the full duration of all those songs added together.
This Library Songs playlist runs in chronological order from when you first started using Apple Music. So you can scroll down to get a sense of when you began building your collection based on the release dates of the songs.
The length shown for Library Songs should give you the closest estimate for the total duration of your entire personal Apple Music library. It includes every song you’ve ever added, which could be thousands if you’re a long-time Apple Music subscriber.
Check in iTunes or Finder
You can also view the length of your Apple Music library through the iTunes app on a computer.
On a Windows PC, simply launch the iTunes app and go to the Music section in your library. Right above your list of songs, albums and artists, it will show the total number of items and duration.
On a Mac, open the Music app or go through Finder. Click on your Library in the sidebar, then view the songs section. At the top, you’ll see the total song count and length next to “Library” just like in iTunes.
This gives you the exact full duration figure for all Apple Music content you’ve added to your account, including on iOS devices and other platforms. So it’s the most definitive way to find out how long your Apple Music library is.
Check Profile on Apple Music Web
You can also use the Apple Music web player to check your library length. Go to music.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID.
Hover over your profile icon in the top right and select “Account”. This will bring up your account dashboard. On the left sidebar, you’ll see your profile summary. This includes the total number of songs and albums you’ve added to your Apple Music library.
Further down, under the Media section, it will show the full duration for “Total Music”. This provides the combined length for all the songs across your library on Apple Music web.
Use a Third-Party App
Some third-party apps are able to analyze and give you details on your Apple Music account and library.
For example, an app like SongsInfo scans your entire Apple Music library and gives statistics like total artists, albums, tracks, duration, and more.
Other apps like TuneStat and Music Stats can connect to your Apple Music library and provide similar useful data, including the full length of all your saved music.
The advantage of using a specialized third-party app is you can usually get very detailed statistics beyond just the total duration. But you often have to grant access to your Apple Music account and library.
Estimate Based on Library Size
If you don’t have an exact duration figure available through any of the above methods, you can try roughly estimating the length of your Apple Music library.
The average length of a song is 3 to 5 minutes. Most albums tend to have 10 to 12 tracks. You can use these averages to get a very rough estimate based on the number of songs and albums you have saved.
For example, let’s say you have 500 albums with 12 songs each. That’s around 6,000 songs. At an average of 4 minutes per song, 6000 songs would be around 24,000 minutes of music, or 400 hours.
Of course, this will only provide a very loose ballpark that likely deviates quite a bit from the actual full duration. But it can at least give you a general sense if you have no other way to check the length.
Set a Timer While Playing Library on Shuffle
For a hands-on approach, you can set a timer while playing back your entire Apple Music library on shuffle mode.
Start by going to your Library and selecting “Songs”. Turn on shuffle mode so the songs play in random order.
Then let the music play, and set a timer or stopwatch on your phone, tablet or computer to track the duration.
When the music finally stops, check how long the timer ran for. This is one way to get a direct measurement of your full Apple Music library length.
Just be aware this only works if you have enough free time to actually sit and listen through your whole library from start to finish! For heavy Apple Music users with libraries of hundreds of hours of music, this method would not be feasible.
Consider Alternative Music Libraries
While this guide has focused specifically on Apple Music, remember you may have other music libraries as well from different streaming services or your own local files.
If you want your total comprehensive music library length across all platforms and sources, you’ll have to add up durations from each service.
For example, check your Apple Music duration, then do the same for Spotify, YouTube Music, SoundCloud, MP3s and more. Sum up the times from all sources to get your complete cross-service music library length.
This gives you a fuller picture of your overall music collection, beyond just what’s in your Apple Music library. Some third-party apps mentioned earlier can combine stats from multiple services to save you the manual work.
Why Your Library Length Matters
So now you know a few ways to find out the duration of all the music you’ve saved in your Apple Music account. But why does the length of your library even matter in the first place? Here are some potential reasons:
- Gives a sense of your listening habits and how you engage with Apple Music.
- Lets you track how your music collection grows over time.
- Identify if you go through listening cycles and clear out old music.
- Can influence subscription decisions based on library size.
- Discover new or forgotten music through your library playback.
- Fun to compare library sizes with friends and other users.
- Motivation to expand your music discovery and exploration.
In general, knowing the length of your Apple Music library gives you greater insight into your relationship with music and the role Apple Music plays in your life. While not strictly necessary, this meta-level knowledge can enhance your enjoyment of your personal music collection.
Conclusion
Finding out the total duration of your Apple Music library is easy using various built-in tools and third-party apps. From checking your Recently Added or Library Songs playlists to viewing your account details on Apple Music web, you have several options to get an accurate library length figure. You may also want to factor in music from other sources beyond just Apple Music. Overall, being aware of how long your overall music collection is can positively impact your listening habits and music discovery.
