If you are having issues downloading songs from Apple Music, there are a few common reasons why this may be happening and some steps you can take to troubleshoot and resolve the problem.
Check your internet connection
The most obvious reason that downloads may fail is an unreliable or slow internet connection. Downloading songs, especially large files, requires a stable high-speed internet connection. If you are trying to download over a weak Wi-Fi signal, a congested public network, or an older slow connection like 3G, songs may fail to fully download.
Try moving closer to your Wi-Fi router or connect your device directly to the router via ethernet. Disable any bandwidth limiting settings on your network. If using mobile data, try switching to a stronger 4G LTE or 5G connection. Run a speed test and ensure you have at least 3-5Mbps download speeds for standard quality audio. Higher bitrate or lossless quality requires faster speeds.
Restart your device
Restarting your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or other device can often resolve temporary glitches that may be preventing downloads. Completely power down the device and restart it. This will clear any memory issues or network connection problems.
Make sure to also close any other apps running in the background that could be using bandwidth. Streaming video, large app downloads, or syncing data can congest your connection.
Update iOS/macOS and the Apple Music app
Having the latest OS and app updates can fix bugs that may disrupt downloads. Go to Settings > General > Software Update on iOS or System Preferences > Software Update on Mac to check for the newest updates. Also check the App Store for any available Apple Music app updates.
Check downloaded song limit
Apple Music has a limit on the maximum number of songs that can be downloaded for offline playback. This limit varies between devices:
- iPhone, iPad – 100,000 songs
- Android – 100,000 songs
- Mac – Unlimited songs
- PC – Unlimited songs
If you are getting errors when trying to download songs, you may have reached the offline song limit. You will need to remove some existing downloads to make room for new ones. Check Settings > Music > Downloaded Music on iOS to manage your downloads.
Authorize the computer for offline downloads
For Mac and PC downloads, make sure you have authorized your computer to play offline music. On Mac, open Apple Music and go to Account > Authorizations > Authorize This Computer. On PC, go to Account Settings > Authorizations > Authorize This Computer.
You need to authorize a computer once every 30 days for offline downloads. If the authorization has expired, you may encounter download errors.
Sign out and back into Apple Music
Signing out of your Apple Music account everywhere and signing back in can resolve account issues and mismatches that may disrupt downloads. On iOS, go to Settings > iTunes & App Stores > Apple ID > Sign Out. On Mac, go to Music > Account > Sign Out.
After signing out on all devices, sign back into Apple Music and try downloading again. This will force refresh your account details across all apps and devices.
Check download settings
Make sure you have downloads enabled and properly configured in your Apple Music settings:
- iOS – Settings > Music > Download over Wi-Fi must be enabled. You can also enable Optimize Storage which automatically removes older downloads to make space.
- Mac – Music > Preferences > Downloads and check both “Download purchased music” and “Download over Wi-Fi only” options
- PC – Edit > Preferences > Store and enable “Download purchased music” and “Download over Wi-Fi only”
If downloads are not enabled or set to Wi-Fi only, this can prevent songs from downloading correctly.
Reinstall the Apple Music app
If no other troubleshooting fixes the download issue, try uninstalling and reinstalling the Apple Music app as a last resort. On iPhone or iPad, delete the app then reinstall it from the App Store. On Android, delete updates and data for the app in Settings, then update it again.
On Mac, drag the Music app from Applications to Trash, then redownload it from the App Store. On Windows, use the Apps & Features settings to uninstall Apple Music, restart your PC, then install it again.
Contact Apple Support
If you still cannot get songs to download after trying all troubleshooting steps, reach out to Apple Support directly for further help. You can contact them online, schedule a callback, bring your device into an Apple Store, or call Apple Support to speak to a representative.
Provide details on exactly when the download errors occur, what troubleshooting you have tried, your Apple Music subscription status, and the types of devices that are affected. This will help them investigate the issue.
Check song/album availability
In some cases, a download may fail because the song or album you are trying to download is not actually available to download offline. Certain songs, albums, or versions may only be available for streaming.
To check, try streaming the song fully. If it plays without issue, the song is likely only available for streaming and not downloads. You can also check the Apple Music app or web player to see if there is a Download button available below the track name.
Delete and re-add the song/album
If a particular song or album gets stuck perpetually loading, fails to fully download, or disappears from your downloads, try deleting it fully and re-adding it.
On iOS, swipe left on the song/album and tap Delete. Then go back and re-add it to your Library. On Mac, right click the song/album and choose Delete Download. Redownload it from the Apple Music catalog afterwards.
This forces the app to freshly re-download the songs rather than get stuck on a corrupted or incomplete existing download.
Restart/reinstall iTunes
For Windows users, you may need to restart or reinstall iTunes if you are having persistent Apple Music download problems. Close iTunes fully and try restarting your computer.
If that does not work, you may need to uninstall and reinstall iTunes. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a Program. Find iTunes, uninstall it, and then download the latest version from Apple’s website to do a clean reinstall.
Check iTunes Store account
On Windows, make sure you are signed into the iTunes Store with the same Apple ID associated with your Apple Music membership. Downloads may fail if you are logged into a different iTunes account.
Open iTunes, go to Account > View My Account and ensure it is the correct Apple ID. Sign out and back in if needed. Also check Settings > Music and confirm Download is set to Apple Music.
Allow Apple Music Through Firewall
If using iTunes on Windows, your third party firewall software could be blocking Apple Music downloads if the app does not have permission. Open your firewall settings and make sure iTunes and Apple Music services are able to access the internet.
Refer to your firewall’s documentation on how to allow programs through the firewall and add exceptions. Allowing iTunes through should resolve any network access issues.
Change Download Location
Downloading songs to an external drive instead of your main hard drive can sometimes cause issues. In iTunes on Windows, go to Edit > Preferences > Advanced and set the iTunes Media folder location to a folder on your local hard drive rather than an external or network drive.
On Mac, go to Music > Preferences > Files and set your Download location to a local folder on your Mac hard drive instead. This will rule out any permissions issues that could prevent proper downloads.
Check Free Storage Space
Insufficient free storage space can lead to failed downloads, even for individual songs. Make sure you have ample free space on the drive you are downloading music to.
As a rule of thumb, have at least 10GB or more free if downloading a lot of songs. Go to Settings > General > iPhone/iPad Storage on iOS to check your available space. On Mac or PC, check disk space in Finder or File Explorer.
Delete unused apps, photos, videos or move them to external storage to free up space for music downloads.
Allow Read/Write Access
On Mac or PC, make sure iTunes has proper permissions to read and write to the download location folder and drive. Open the folder, get info (right click > Get Info on Mac), and confirm you have Read & Write access.
If not, click the lock icon in info window and enter admin password to allow full read/write permissions. This ensures iTunes can add song files to the download folder.
Disable Antivirus Software
Antivirus or antimalware apps can sometimes interfere with downloads, putting them into quarantine or scanning them in the middle of the download process. Try temporarily disabling your antivirus completely and attempt the Apple Music downloads again.
If it works with antivirus disabled, try excluding the iTunes folder and Apple Music app from scanning. Add exceptions for the processes to prevent conflicts while keeping protection enabled.
Reset Network Settings
As a last resort for iPhone and iPad, try resetting all network settings which will clear any problematic proxies, DNS, or corrupted network caches causing download issues:
Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This will revert networking back to default and may resolve problems if they are being caused by a network misconfiguration.
Factory Reset Device
If no troubleshooting fixes have resolved persistent download issues, the nuclear option is to completely factory reset your device. Backup your data first, then reset the device to wipe all contents and settings.
On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Then setup the device from scratch again, restore your backup, and retry Apple Music downloads.
On Mac, boot into macOS Recovery by restarting and holding Command+R, go to Disk Utility and wipe the drive, then reinstall macOS. Setup as new without using a backup.
On Windows, reset via the Settings > Reset this PC option. Choose Remove Everything to do a full factory reset. Reinstall Windows and apps and test Apple Music downloads again.
Conclusion
Apple Music song downloads failing can be incredibly frustrating, but is usually caused by a network issue, settings mismatch, software bug, or storage limitation. Following the troubleshooting steps above to isolate the cause typically resolves most download problems so you can once again get your Apple Music library for offline playback.
Check your connection status, account settings, free storage space, and app version as the first steps. Reset network settings, reinstall software, or contact Apple Support if needed. With some diligent testing and tweaking, you should be able to get downloads functioning again.