iTunes has been the primary method for managing music libraries on Apple devices for over 18 years. With iTunes, users can create extensive libraries of songs, organize them into playlists, purchase music from the iTunes store, and sync everything to iPhones, iPods, and iPads. Syncing an iTunes library enables all of a user’s music, playlists, podcasts, and more to be available across multiple devices.
There are several key benefits to syncing your entire iTunes library:
- Access your full music collection from any synced device without having to manually transfer files
- Playlists and play counts sync across devices so your music library is consistent everywhere
- Purchases from the iTunes Store are automatically downloaded to all synced devices
- Changes made to music metadata like song title, artist, album, or artwork sync across the library
With syncing enabled, your iTunes library can stay up to date and consistent across all devices with little effort. This allows you to enjoy seamless access to your music collection from anywhere.
Requirements
There are a few key requirements in order to sync your entire iTunes library between your computer and iOS device:
First, you need an iOS device like an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. The device needs to be compatible with syncing to iTunes.
Second, you need to have iTunes installed on the computer you want to sync with. iTunes is available for both Windows PCs and Mac computers.
Finally, you need an Apple ID to sign into iTunes and iCloud. This allows syncing between iTunes and your device. Make sure you’re signed into the same Apple ID on all devices you want to sync.
Connect Devices
The first step to sync your entire iTunes library is to connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your computer using a USB cable. Make sure to use the cable that came with your device for the most reliable connection. Connect one end of the Lightning or 30-pin dock connector USB cable to your device and the other end to an available USB port on your computer.
Once connected, you may get a prompt on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to Trust This Computer. Tap Trust to allow syncing between the device and computer. If you do not get this prompt, open iTunes and your device should appear in the top left corner once connected.
If your device does not appear in iTunes, try these troubleshooting steps:
- Make sure you are using the cable that came with your device.
- Try connecting your device to another USB port on your computer.
- Restart both the device and computer.
- Check for any obstruction in the Lightning or 30-pin port.
- Update to the latest version of iTunes.
Once connected properly, you can proceed to the next step of enabling syncing in iTunes.
Enable Syncing
To enable syncing your iTunes library to a device like an iPhone or iPod, you first need to open iTunes and connect your device to your computer. Select your device from the menu on the left side of iTunes.
Next, check the box next to “Sync Music” under the Music tab for your device. This will allow you to sync music from your iTunes library to your device.
You can then select which specific music and playlists you want to sync by checking the boxes next to those items. For example, check “Selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres” to pick individual music items to sync.
Once you have selected your sync options, you can click the “Apply” button to sync the music to your device. iTunes will copy the selected music from your iTunes library to your connected device.
Sync Entire Library
The easiest way to sync your entire iTunes library is to enable the “Sync entire music library” option. This will copy all of your music, playlists, podcasts, audiobooks, and videos from iTunes over to your Android device.
To sync your entire library:
- Connect your Android device to your computer and launch iTunes.
- Click on your device in the top right corner of iTunes.
- Check the box next to “Sync entire music library.”
- Click Apply to start the sync.
This will begin copying your entire iTunes media collection over to your Android device. Allow time for the sync to fully complete, as an entire library can be large and take a while to transfer.
You can check the sync progress by looking at the bar along the top of the iTunes window. Once it completes, your Android device will have a copy of your full iTunes library available offline.
If you have an extremely large library, you may run into storage limitations on your Android device. In that case, consider being more selective and syncing only certain playlists or media types.
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Monitoring Sync Progress
As iTunes syncs your library between devices, you can monitor the progress in the sync bar at the top of the iTunes window. This bar shows the overall progress of the sync and allows you to see which specific media types are currently transferring.
The sync progress bar will appear once the sync begins and display how much of the total content has been copied over so far. As songs, videos, apps and other media are transferred, the bar will gradually fill from left to right. Different colors in the bar indicate which type of media is currently syncing, like blue for audio and yellow for apps.
You can also hover over the sync bar to see details about the transfer speed and remaining time. If you need to cancel a sync that’s in progress, simply click the “X” icon on the far right of the bar. This will halt the sync and prevent any additional content from being copied.
Monitoring the sync bar is especially useful for large libraries or slow connections to ensure the transfer is proceeding smoothly. If the bar stops moving for an extended time, there may be a connectivity issue that needs troubleshooting.
Managing Synced Content
Once you have synced content from your iTunes library to your iOS device, there are a few options for managing that content directly on the device:
For music, you can use the Music app on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to browse your synced songs and playlists. From there, you can play music, add songs to playlists, or delete songs from the device. Any deletions will not affect the original iTunes library on your computer.
To remove a full album or artist that was synced from iTunes, go to your Music library, tap Edit, tap the red minus circle next to the album/artist name, then tap Remove to confirm. This will delete the downloaded album or artist from your device only.
For movies, TV shows, audiobooks and more, go into the appropriate app such as TV, Books or Podcasts. Find the synced content you wish to remove, tap Edit or the equivalent option, tap the red minus circle next to the item, then confirm deletion. Again, this only deletes the content from your device, not the original iTunes library.
You can also manage storage on your iOS device by going to Settings > General > iPad/iPhone Storage (or iPod Storage on iPod Touch). This screen will show you which apps and media are using up space. Tap on any item to see options for offloading or deleting the content from your device.
Syncing Playlists
You can choose to sync specific playlists from your iTunes library to your iPhone. To do this, connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes. Go to your iPhone icon and click on the Music tab. Check the “Sync music” option and select “Selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres”. This will allow you to hand pick which playlists to transfer over.
Make sure to check the box next to the playlists you want to sync. The playlists you select will sync to your iPhone on the next sync. You can change which playlists are synced at any time by returning to this menu and updating your selections. Only the playlists with a checkmark will transfer to your iPhone on sync.
If you have created smart playlists in iTunes that update based on set criteria, these will also sync to your iPhone. As long as the “Sync music” option is checked along with your desired playlists, any playlists that are updated in iTunes based on your smart playlist rules will transfer to your iPhone on sync. This is an easy way to keep playlists updated across devices automatically.
For more details on syncing specific iTunes playlists to iPhone, refer to Apple’s support article: How to Sync iTunes Playlists to iPhone
Syncing Media Types
iTunes allows you to sync various media types between your computer and iPhone, including music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and more. Here’s how to sync each media type:
Music
To sync music from your iTunes library to your iPhone, connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes. Click on your iPhone icon in the top left corner of iTunes. Then go to the “Music” section and check “Sync Music.” You can choose to sync your entire music library or selected playlists.
Check “Include music videos” to also sync any music videos you may have purchased from the iTunes Store. Click “Apply” to sync the music to your iPhone.1
Movies
The process is similar for syncing movies and TV shows. With your iPhone connected in iTunes, go to the “Movies” section and check “Sync Movies.” You can choose to automatically sync all movies or just selected playlists. Check “Include 4K content” if you want 4K movies to sync as well.
Click “Apply” to sync the movies to your iPhone. iTunes will convert the files if needed to ensure compatibility with your iPhone.1
TV Shows
In the “TV Shows” section, check “Sync TV Shows” and select whether to sync all shows or just specific playlists. Click “Apply” to sync the shows to your iPhone.1
Other Content
You can also sync audiobooks, podcasts, iTunes U collections, photos, and more using the same syncing process in each content section in iTunes.2 Just check the box to sync that content type and click “Apply.”
Troubleshooting
Sometimes issues can arise when trying to sync your iTunes library between devices. Here are some common problems and potential solutions:
Sync Taking a Long Time
If syncing your entire iTunes library is estimating a very long time or seems stuck, try resetting and retrying the sync. First disconnect the device from the computer. Then in iTunes go to Preferences > Devices and click “Reset Sync History.” After resetting, reconnect the device and try syncing again.[1]
Sync Failing or Pausing
Interference during sync can disrupt the process and cause it to hang or fail. Make sure you are using the cable that came with the device and try syncing again with the cable directly connected to a USB port on your computer rather than through a hub.[2] You may also need to update to the latest version of iTunes and your device’s operating system.
Resetting and Retrying
If you continue to have sync issues, resetting sync history and restarting the process often helps. Disconnect the device, go to iTunes Preferences > Devices and click “Reset Sync History.” Then reconnect the device, wait for it to appear in iTunes, and try syncing again.[3]