If you have deleted music from your iPhone or iTunes library and can’t find it anymore, don’t panic! Your music may still be recoverable if you act quickly. Here are some common reasons why your music may have disappeared, along with steps you can take to try to get it back.
Your music was accidentally deleted
One of the most common reasons for “missing” music is that it was accidentally deleted from your device or iTunes library. This can happen in a few different ways:
- You deleted songs/albums directly on your iPhone using the Music app.
- You synced your iPhone and unchecked specific music to remove it.
- You deleted songs/albums directly in iTunes by right clicking and selecting Delete.
When you delete music using any of the above methods, it is removed from your device or library but NOT your iTunes account. The good news is that as long as you catch it quickly, you may be able to recover deleted music by following these steps:
- First, check the Recently Deleted playlist on your iOS device. Any music deleted directly from your iPhone in the last 30 days is stored here temporarily.
- If your music was deleted from iTunes, check the Trash playlist which holds items deleted in the past 30 days.
- If you don’t see your music in Recently Deleted or Trash, try restoring your iPhone from a recent backup through iTunes or iCloud. Backups store your device data as it was the last time you synced.
- As a last resort, use data recovery software to scan your device or hard drive and retrieve any recoverable music files. Just be sure to avoid writing any data to your device before recovering.
How to restore music from a backup
To restore deleted music from an iTunes or iCloud backup, follow these steps:
Restore from iTunes backup
- Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes.
- Select your device and go to Summary > Restore Backup.
- Select the desired backup from the list and click Restore.
Restore from iCloud backup
- Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups.
- Tap the desired backup, then tap Restore.
This will roll your device back to the state it was in when the backup was created, retrieving any music that may have been deleted since then.
Your music library was cleared or overwritten
Another possibility is that your entire iTunes music library was erased or overwritten by mistake. Some common ways this can happen include:
- Erasing and syncing your iPhone, which replaced your music library with whatever is currently on your device.
- Accidentally deleting entire albums or artists in iTunes.
- Restoring your computer from a backup and overwriting your iTunes library.
If your music library was cleared out, your best bet is to use data recovery software to scan for and restore music files that were deleted. However, the longer you wait, the lower your chances of recovery. Follow these steps:
- Stop adding any new data to your computer to avoid overwriting deleted files.
- Download and install a recovery program like Disk Drill or Stellar Data Recovery.
- Scan your computer’s hard drive for recoverable media files.
- Preview found files to check their integrity and make sure they are your missing music.
- Recover your music to another location like an external hard drive.
With the right software, you can significantly improve your chances of getting back lost libraries – as long as the original files have not been overwritten.
Using data recovery software to retrieve deleted music
Data recovery programs like Disk Drill and Stellar use advanced scanning algorithms to find and restore deleted files that may still be lurking on your hard drive. Here are some tips for using them effectively:
- Install the software on a different drive than the one you want to scan if possible.
- Stop using the drive with deleted data to prevent overwriting files.
- Scan the entire drive or partition where your music was stored.
- Use the “Deep Scan” option for the most thorough results.
- Preview found files before recovering to check their validity.
- Restore music files to a safe location – not the original drive.
With powerful software and the right recovery approach, you stand an excellent chance of rescuing accidentally deleted music files.
Your music is hidden but still on your device
In some cases, music that seems “deleted” or missing may still be stored on your device or computer – it is just hidden from view in iTunes or the Music app. Some potential reasons for this include:
- Your music was imported then marked as hidden on your device.
- Song files became corrupted or renamed so they no longer appear.
- Your music library database was corrupted or damaged.
- Songs were added on a different device or not transferred to a new device.
Before attempting data recovery, it is worth checking some common hiding spots for your music:
Check the Files app on iPhone and iPad
The Files app provides access to all files stored on your iOS device, including music. Navigate to On My iPhone/iPad > Music to browse all song files. You may find music here that doesn’t appear in your Music library.
Reveal hidden iPhone storage
In Settings > General > iPhone/iPad Storage, you can uncover gigabytes of hidden storage occupied by music, videos, photos and other files. Tap each category to access and recover missing items.
Show hidden files and Library folder on Mac
In Finder, hit Command+Shift+Dot to display hidden files and folders. Navigate to Users > [Your Name] > Music > iTunes to explore your iTunes Library folders for missing music.
Recover iTunes library from your iPod
If you synced songs to an old iPod that no longer show in iTunes, you may be able to recover your library from the iPod. Connect it, go to Summary, and click “Restore” to retrieve the iPod’s music files.
Use iPhone Data Recovery software
For iOS devices, advanced data recovery tools like FoneDog iOS Data Recovery can dig deeper to find music buried in hidden storage and reconstruct damaged music libraries. The software scans every inch of your device to recover missing files and make them accessible again.
Your music is still in the cloud
If you purchased or subscribed to music through Apple Music, iTunes Match, or a streaming service like Spotify, then deleted it locally, the files still reside safely in the cloud. To get your music back, simply:
- Apple Music: Go to account settings and turn on iCloud Music Library to make all your Apple Music songs available for download.
- iTunes Match: Turn on iTunes Match on your device to re-download any matched songs.
- Streaming services: Log into your Spotify, Pandora, etc account and re-download songs.
As long as the music provider still has your files on their servers, you can retrieve and restore your cloud-based music library.
Your music is on old devices or backups
Before you try more complex data recovery methods, check whether your missing music still resides on an old device or backup source. Your songs could still be hiding in one of these sneaky spots:
- External hard drives used to back up computer files and iTunes
- Old iPods, MP3 players or phones you used to sync music to
- Burned CDs or DVDs with song files and playlists
- Time Machine backups on a Mac
- Backup drives used with your desktop or laptop
- Music apps on tablets, smart TVs, game consoles, or streaming boxes
Search all your old devices, backups and other sources to uncover forgotten music libraries before deleting and re-downloading your songs.
Finding music on old iPods
If you have an old iPod or MP3 player packed away somewhere, dig it out and connect it to your computer. Open iTunes, select your device, and try these options to recover long lost music libraries:
- Go to Summary and click “Transfer Purchases” to copy purchased iTunes songs onto your computer.
- Click “Restore” to restore the entire contents of the iPod to iTunes.
- Enable disk mode on the iPod and browse files to selectively transfer music.
You can re-download some purchases
One bright spot is that music purchased through iTunes, Amazon, Google Play and other stores can often be re-downloaded even if lost locally. Here’s how to get back your purchased music:
iTunes purchases
- Go to Account > Purchased to view all purchases tied to your Apple ID.
- Click Download to retrieves any previously bought songs, albums, etc.
- Sync your device to transfer downloads back to your music library.
Amazon Music purchases
- Visit Your Music Library and select Purchased to see songs bought on Amazon.
- Click Download to copy purchases back to your computer and devices.
Google Play Music purchases
- Log into your Google account and go to play.google.com/music.
- Navigate to My Library > Purchased to reload downloaded songs.
- Use the Music Manager app to sync music back to your computer.
As long as you use the same account, you can usually download past music purchases again even if your local files go missing.
You may be able to transfer music between services
If you switched streaming music platforms, for example moving from Google Play Music to YouTube Music, you may be able to transfer your library between services. Check for available tools to copy your music data over:
| From | To | How |
|---|---|---|
| Google Play Music | YouTube Music | Use YouTube Music’s transfer tool |
| Spotify | Apple Music | Enable playlist transferring in account settings |
| Deezer | Apple Music | Use FreeYourMusic third-party app |
| Pandora | Spotify | Use Pandora’s One-Time Transfer |
While music downloads don’t transfer, you may be able to migrate at least your playlists and recommendations between platforms.
You can rebuild your music library over time
If all else fails and your music seems to be gone forever, don’t despair. Though it may take time and effort, you can rebuild your music collection by:
- Searching online for replacement MP3s and albums.
- Buying replacement digital music files through stores like iTunes.
- Ripping music from physical CDs or DVDs again.
- Recording streaming songs using software or smartphone apps.
- Finding high-quality music downloads on sites like Bandcamp.
- Borrowing and copying files from friends who have your missing music.
While not as quick as restoring from a backup, you can recover much of your music library over time through re-purchase, downloads, ripping and copying. Create a list of your most important missing music and start collecting replacement songs systematically.
Key tips for rebuilding your music library
Follow these tips to efficiently and economically reconstruct your music collection:
- Prioritize replacing your most listened to and valuable music first.
- Explore legitimate free music sources like legal P2P sites and band websites.
- Pool music libraries together with friends and family to share files.
- Take advantage of iTunes sales and deals to save on purchases.
- Use streaming platforms to help rediscover forgotten songs.
- Consider subscription streaming to economically build a large library.
With some strategic sourcing and sharing of music, you can affordably replace your collection while discovering new songs and artists along the way.
Prevent music library loss in the future
While you hopefully now have some options for recovering missing music files, the best cure is prevention. Avoid going through this again in the future by:
- Regularly backing up your computer’s music library and iPhone contents.
- Burning your most important albums and playlists to CDs or DVDs.
- Syncing music across multiple devices like phones, tablets and computers.
- Storing copies of your music collection in cloud storage.
- Enabling iTunes and Amazon cloud lockers to keep purchased songs safe.
With comprehensive backups and redundant copies, your music library can live on even if your primary collection is lost. Follow best practices for securing irreplaceable songs, albums and playlists.
A proactive approach to music library protection
Don’t wait for a catastrophic library loss to get serious about backups. Be proactive by:
- Setting recurring calendar alerts to prompt you to backup your music monthly or quarterly.
- Automating backups to services like iCloud, Google Photos and Amazon Cloud Drive.
- Manually copying key music files to external drives when adding new albums and playlists.
- Testing music restoration from backups regularly to confirm everything works.
- Storing music files in robust cloud storage like Dropbox or OneDrive.
- Encrypting music libraries and backups to protect against hacking or theft.
Staying disciplined about regular automated and manual music backups will give you vital peace of mind.
Conclusion
Losing a music library can be devastating, but in many cases, it is possible to recover or replace missing songs with some persistence. First exhaust options like device and backup restoration. Then employ data recovery software and services to rescue deleted files. Re-download any repurchasable music, and fill remaining gaps through buying replacements or borrowing from friends.
While rebuilding a collection takes effort, you can regain much of what you lost over time. Most importantly, consistently back up your music going forward. With redundant copies in diverse locations, you can remedy music library disasters by simply restoring from backup.