Apple Music allows users to add up to 100,000 songs to their personal libraries. This limit applies to songs that are added from the Apple Music catalog as well as those uploaded from a user’s own music collection. So in total, Apple Music members can have up to 100,000 tracks in their libraries to stream or download for offline playback.
What is the song limit for Apple Music?
Apple Music has a library limit of 100,000 songs per account. This means each individual user can save up to 100,000 tracks to their personal music collection within the app. The 100,000 song limit includes both songs added from the Apple Music catalog (over 90 million in total) as well as imported tracks from a user’s private music collection. Any songs above the 100,000 limit cannot be added to a user’s library.
How many songs can I download to my device?
In addition to the 100,000 song limit for an Apple Music library, there are also restrictions on how many songs can be downloaded to each device. The download limit depends on the storage capacity of the device:
- iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch: Up to 100,000 songs
- Mac or PC: Up to 100,000 songs
- Apple Watch: Up to 8 GB of songs
- Apple TV: Up to 200 GB of songs
So even if your library contains 100,000 tracks, your device may not have enough storage space to download them all for offline playback. You’ll need to selectively choose which songs to make available offline on each device.
How does the limit work with imported songs?
The 100,000 song limit includes both songs added from Apple Music and songs imported from your personal music collection. For example, if you already have 50,000 tracks in your iTunes library and you add 50,000 songs from Apple Music, you’ll reach the 100,000 limit. At that point, you won’t be able to add any more songs until you delete some from your library.
If you reach the limit, you’ll need to delete some songs before you can add new ones. You can delete songs individually or reset your entire Apple Music library and start fresh. Resetting will remove all saved Apple Music songs, playlists, and albums from your library – but it won’t delete purchased iTunes content or your uploaded songs.
Does the limit apply per device or account?
The 100,000 song limit applies per Apple ID account, not per device. So you can reach the maximum on one device before hitting the cap on another. For example, you could save 60,000 songs to your iPhone and then 40,000 different songs to your iPad before capping out at 100,000 total tracks.
No matter how many different Apple devices you own, you share the same Apple Music account and library between them. The 100,000 song restriction is cumulative across everything linked to your Apple ID.
What happens if you exceed the limit?
If you try to add more songs after reaching the 100,000 limit, you’ll get an onscreen message that says “Library Full” with the option to remove songs or reset your library. Here’s what happens if you exceed the limit:
- You can’t add any more songs to your library, either from Apple Music or your own collection.
- You won’t lose any of your existing saved songs. They’ll remain in your library at their current download status.
- You can continue streaming songs from Apple Music even if they’re not saved to your library.
- Newly added playlists will download up to 100,000 songs and then stop.
- Music you purchased from iTunes is not counted or limited.
The only way to add new songs is to first delete some from your library. You can delete individual tracks or reset everything and start fresh below the limit.
How can I manage my song limit?
Here are some tips to stay below the 100,000 song limit in Apple Music:
- Delete songs you don’t listen to anymore – Regularly prune your library of old or unwanted songs.
- Use playlists – Save individual playlists instead of always adding full albums.
- Don’t add liked songs automatically – Disable this feature under Settings so you only save songs manually.
- Download selectively – Avoid automatically downloading every song for offline playback.
- Reset your library – Wipe the slate clean and start adding back just your favorite songs.
Checking your library usage under Account > View Apple ID can help you monitor how close you are to the limit. You can also see download sizes for playlists to know how much room you have left for new songs.
Can I increase the song limit?
Unfortunately there is no way to raise the 100,000 song limit on a standard Apple Music membership. This cap applies equally to all individual users. The only way to get more space is to upgrade to a Family or Duo plan, which offer 200,000 song limits per account.
Here are the library limits for different Apple Music plans:
| Plan | Individual | Family (up to 6 people) | Duo (2 people) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Song Limit | 100,000 | 200,000 per account | 200,000 per account |
So if you need to store more than 100,000 songs, you’ll have to upgrade and share an Apple Music family membership. Individual subscribers are capped at 100,000.
What about iTunes song purchases?
Songs that you purchased directly from the iTunes Store are not counted against your Apple Music library limit. Even if you have 100,000 Apple Music songs saved, you can continue buying and downloading unlimited music from iTunes.
That’s because purchased iTunes content belongs fully to you, while Apple Music tracks are just being streamed to you during your subscription. So go ahead and buy as much music as you want from iTunes – those downloads never expire and won’t affect your streaming library size.
Can I get more space with iTunes Match?
iTunes Match is a companion service to Apple Music that matches the songs in your personal library with high-quality versions in the Apple Music catalog. This allows you to stream your own music collection even if the songs aren’t in the Apple Music library.
iTunes Match has a library limit of 100,000 songs just like a regular Apple Music membership. There is no way to increase storage by signing up for both services – they share the same 100,000 song restriction per individual account.
What about sound quality and size?
One way to potentially fit more songs in your library is to downgrade the sound quality, which decreases file sizes. Apple Music offers songs in standard AAC format up to 256 kbps.
Some things to keep in mind about audio quality:
- Lower quality means smaller song files and less storage space used.
- To change quality, go to Settings > Music > Audio Quality.
- Lowest quality is AAC 32 kbps, which provides small files but poor sound.
- Standard quality AAC 256 kbps offers a good balance.
- Lossless quality uses much more space for little perceptual difference.
Experiment with lower qualities if you need to cram more songs into your 100,000 limit. Just be aware this will degrade the listening experience, especially on good headphones or speakers.
Can I use storage optimization?
Apple Music for Android has a storage optimization option that downgrades the quality of songs you haven’t recently played. This can help recover wasted space from songs you added long ago but no longer listen to as often.
Unfortunately, this storage optimization setting is not available in the iOS or Mac versions of Apple Music. So it won’t help you reclaim space on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer at this time.
Conclusion
The Apple Music library limit of 100,000 songs applies equally to all individual subscribers. Heavy listeners that want more space will need to upgrade to a family plan or selectively prune their libraries of unwanted songs and albums.
Carefully considering which songs to add and download for offline playback can help maximize your storage and stay under the cap. And remember that iTunes song purchases don’t count against the limit, so you can always buy more music directly if needed.