It can be incredibly frustrating when you open up Apple Music and find that albums, songs, or entire artists are missing from your library. There are a few potential reasons why this might happen.
Your Apple Music Subscription Ended
The most likely reason that music has disappeared from your Apple Music library is that your subscription ended. Apple Music works on a subscription model – you pay a monthly fee ($9.99 for an individual plan or $14.99 for a family plan) for access to Apple’s catalog of over 75 million songs.
If your subscription ends because your credit card on file expires or you cancel the renewal, you will lose access to the Apple Music catalog. Any music you had saved or added to your library through the service will no longer be available to play or download.
To fix this, you simply need to resubscribe to Apple Music. Once you do, all of your previously saved music should reappear in your library as normal.
The Content is No Longer Available on Apple Music
Another possibility is that the missing albums, songs, or artists are no longer available on the Apple Music platform. Record labels and artists can decide to pull their content from streaming services like Apple Music at any time.
Some common reasons this might happen include:
- The artist or label’s contract with Apple Music has ended
- The artist or label switches to an exclusive agreement with another streaming service
- Licensing issues arise over specific songs or albums
So for example, if Taylor Swift decides she no longer wants her latest album on Apple Music, it could disappear from your library even if you had previously saved it.
Unfortunately there is not much you can do in this case besides reaching out to the artist/label on social media to voice your frustration. You may want to consider switching to another streaming service that has the content you are looking for.
Your Downloaded Music Has Been Deleted
If you had previously downloaded songs, albums or playlists to your device from Apple Music for offline listening, another possibility is that this content has somehow been deleted.
This could happen accidentally if you restored your device from a backup that did not include the downloads, or intentionally if you were trying to free up storage space on your device and deleted the music.
To redownload any music you had previously saved for offline listening, go to the My Music tab in Apple Music, tap the Downloaded Music section, and tap the cloud download icon next to any album, playlist or song you want to redownload.
Your Library Needs to be Re-Synced
Apple Music syncs your library between devices so any music you add on your iPhone for example should appear on your iPad or Mac too. Sometimes however this syncing process can malfunction.
If you notice missing music on only one device but it is still present on your other devices, this is a sign your library just needs to be re-synced.
Some steps to try to resync your library:
- Make sure all devices are on the latest version of iOS/iPadOS or macOS. Older software versions may cause syncing issues.
- Check that all devices are connected to the internet.
- Toggle iCloud Music Library off and back on under Settings.
- Reboot each device.
In most cases, completing the steps above will get your Apple Music library back in sync across all your devices.
Your Apple ID Has Changed
Your Apple Music library is connected to your Apple ID. If you for some reason start using a different or new Apple ID on your device, it could make your entire library appear missing.
To fix this, make sure you are signed in with the same Apple ID that was originally used to set up and subscribe to Apple Music. Your library should then repopulate with all your saved music.
If you intentionally changed Apple IDs and want to transfer your Apple Music content, you will need to contact Apple Support to have them merge your previous library with your new ID.
A Corrupt User Profile
In rare cases, a corrupt user account or music library can cause strange issues like missing songs and albums. This tends to only happen if there was an error during an iOS or MacOS update.
Before completely resetting your device, you can try signing out and back into iCloud/Apple ID on your device under Settings. Also make sure you have the latest operating system updates installed.
If you are still missing music after trying those steps, you may need to reset your device to factory settings and restore from a backup. This should clear out any corrupted user data causing problems syncing your library.
Your Library Exceeds the Maximum Song Limit
Apple Music libraries have a limit of 100,000 songs that can be added per account. If for some reason you manage to exceed that limit, any music over the 100k cutoff will disappear from your library.
The only fix is to delete songs from your library to get back under 100,000. You may lose your most recently added content over the limit unless you contact Apple Support who can help remove specific content of your choosing.
To prevent running into the cap again, periodically review your library and remove albums or songs you no longer listen to.
A Bug or Other Technical Issue
In some rare cases, a bug or other unexplained technical issue could cause music to disappear from Apple Music.
If you have ruled out all other potential causes, try reviewing Apple’s support site and community forums to see if other users are reporting similar unexplained missing music issues.
Make sure Apple Music is up to date on all of your devices and reboot them. If the issue persists across devices after all troubleshooting steps, reach out to Apple Support to report the problem.
They can investigate potential bugs with your account and may be able to restore missing content if needed through special tools unavailable to regular users.
Preventing Music from Disappearing in the Future
While music disappearing from Apple Music can be incredibly annoying, there are some steps you can take to prevent it from happening again:
- Always make sure your Apple Music subscription is active and your payment method is up to date.
- Back up your data and music library regularly.
- Routinely update to the latest iOS/iPadOS or macOS software versions.
- Periodically review your library and remove any old or duplicate content.
- Monitor your iCloud storage which syncs your music and upgrade if needed.
- Turn on Sync Library under Music settings to keep all devices updated.
Following best practices like these will help ensure your Apple Music library stays intact and minimizes the chances of losing music again in the future.
Recovering Missing Music through Apple Support
If you have exhausted all self-troubleshooting steps and your music is still missing from Apple Music, your last resort is to reach out to Apple Support directly for assistance.
You can contact them online through support.apple.com or by phone. Explain your situation in detail and what steps you’ve already tried to restore your missing music.
In many cases, Apple’s support team can review your account, identify issues, and restore missing content by pulling it from their server backups or your iCloud Music Library.
As long as you used Apple Music before, they should have records showing the content you had added and be able to reinstate it upon request.
However, their abilities may be limited based on licensing restrictions. For example, they cannot restore music no longer available on the Apple Music catalog due to a label or artist pulling their content.
Using a Third-Party App as a Workaround
If working with Apple Support does not resolve your missing music, another option as a workaround is to use a third-party music locker app.
Apps like FreeYourMusic allow you to sync and backup your Apple Music library to another cloud locker like Google Play Music or Spotify. Even if the songs disappear from Apple Music, they would still be accessible in the other app.
The limitation is you would only be able to play the music from within that secondary app, not natively in Apple Music. But it does provide an alternative access option if Apple cannot restore your missing content.
Conclusion
Music disappearing from your Apple Music library can certainly be aggravating. But in most cases, the cause is fairly straightforward – a lapsed subscription, deleted downloads, or licensing changes. Following best practices around backing up your data, maintaining an active subscription, and updating software can go a long way towards preventing issues.
If your situation is more complex, Apple Support has tools to restore missing content in many cases. But ultimately the music available to stream or download depends on Apple’s licensing deals, which are out of your control.
The bright side is there are over 75 million songs on Apple Music, so even if some disappear, there is always great new music to discover and enjoy!