Copy Music from Your iPod to Your Computer

This article teaches you how to copy music from an iPod to a Mac or PC without paying for special software. You’ll do this by accessing the Music folder on your iPod, a task that requires making some minor changes to your settings.

Steps

Copying Music to a Mac

  1. Open iTunes. You can do this by clicking the music note icon in the dock at the bottom of the screen.
    • This method will guide you through copying music to your computer without having to syncing to iTunes.
    • You can use this method if you’ve synced your iPod with a different computer in the past and you want to get your music on a different computer.
  2. Press ⌘ Cmd+, to open iTunes Preferences.
  3. Click the Devices tab.
  4. Check the box next to “Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically[1]”.
  5. Click the Advanced tab.[2]
  6. Check the box next to “Keep iTunes Media folder organized.”
  7. Check the box next to “Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library.”
  8. Click OK.
  9. Connect your iPod to the computer. You can use the USB cable came with the iPod or another compatible cable.
  10. Click the iPod button in iTunes. It’s a small square button near the top left part of the screen containing a small iPod icon.
  11. Click Summary. It’s in the left sidebar.
  12. Check the box next to “Enable disk use.” It’s in the main panel, under “Options.”
  13. Open the Terminal app. You can find it by clicking the magnifying glass at the top right corner of the screen and typing “Terminal.”
  14. Make hidden folders on your iPod visible. You’ll do this by typing commands at the command prompt in Terminal. Follow these steps as shown:[2]
    • Type defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE (all on the same line)
    • Press ⏎ Return
    • Type killall Finder
    • Press ⏎ Return
  15. Create a new folder on the desktop called “iPod Recovery.” To do this:
    • Right-click the desktop and select New Folder.
    • Type iPod Recovery and press ⏎ Return.
  16. Open Finder. It’s the blue and gray square smiling face icon in the dock at the bottom of the screen.
  17. Select your iPod. It’s on the left side of Finder.
  18. Double-click the iPod Control folder. You’ll find it in the main panel of Finder.[2]
  19. Double-click the Music folder.
  20. Select all folders in the Music folder. An easy way to do this is to click a blank white part of the window and press ⌘ Command+A.
  21. Drag the selected folders to the “iPod Recovery” folder. The files will copy from the iPod. Depending on the amount of music, this may take several minutes.
  22. Open iTunes.
  23. Press ⌘ Command+O.
  24. Browse to the “iPod Recovery” folder on your desktop.
  25. Click Open. The music will now copy to your iTunes library.
    • Once you see all of your music in iTunes, you can safely delete the “iPod Recovery” folder from the desktop by dragging it to the Trash.
  26. Hide protected folders. Open the Terminal app again and enter the following commands to re-hide special folders:
    • Type defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE
    • Press ⏎ Return
    • Type killall Finder
    • Press ⏎ Return.

Copying Music to a PC

  1. Open iTunes. To find it, press ⊞ Win on the keyboard and scroll down to “iTunes.”
    • This method will guide you through copying music to your computer without having to syncing to iTunes.
    • You can use this method if you’ve synced your iPod with a different computer in the past and you want to get your music on a different computer.
    • If you haven’t yet installed iTunes on your PC, go to http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ and click Download Now.
  2. Press Ctrl+, to open iTunes Preferences.
  3. Check the box next to “Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically[1]”.
  4. Click the Advanced tab.[2]
  5. Check the box next to “Keep iTunes Media folder organized.”
  6. Check the box next to “Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library.”
  7. Click OK.
  8. Plug your iPod into your PC. Use the USB cable came with the iPod, or any other compatible cable.
  9. Click the iPod button. It’s a small square button near the top left area of iTunes containing an iPod icon.
  10. Click Summary. It’s in the left sidebar.
  11. Scroll down and check “Enable disk use.” It’s in the main panel, under “Options.”
  12. Set up Windows to show hidden files and folders. By default, Windows hides some folders, such as the Music folder on your iPod. Here’s how to fix that:[3]
    • Press ⊞ Win+S to open the search box and type folder.
    • Click Show Hidden Files and Folders.
    • Select “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” under “Advanced Settings.”
    • Click OK.
  13. Click iTunes in the task bar to return to the app.
  14. Press Ctrl+O. Now you’ll be able to select the Music folder on your iPod.
  15. Double-click your iPod in the left sidebar.
  16. Double-click the iPod Control folder.
  17. Double-click the Music folder.
  18. Select all folders inside the Music folder. An easy way to do this is to click anywhere in the white space next to the folders and press Ctrl+A.
  19. Click Select Folder. Your music files will now copy to iTunes. Depending on the amount of music on your iPod, this may take several minutes. Once you see your music in iTunes, you’ll know the transfer is complete.
    • It’s a good idea to go back and deselect “Show hidden files and folders” when you’re done to protect special system files.

Syncing with iTunes

  1. Open iTunes on your PC or Mac. You’ll find the iTunes icon (a music note) at the bottom of your Mac’s screen, or in the Windows Start menu.
    • This method will sync the music on your iPod with iTunes on your computer. Any music in the iTunes library will also be added to your iPod.
    • You won’t be able to use this method if you’ve synced your device with a different computer.
    • If you haven’t yet installed iTunes on your PC, go to http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ and click Download Now.
  2. Update iTunes to the latest version. If you just installed iTunes, you can skip this step. Otherwise:[4]
    • macOS: Click iTunes in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then select Check for Updates. Follow the instructions to update, if necessary.
    • Windows: Click Help, and then Check for Updates. If an update is available, follow the instructions to install it.
  3. Connect your iPod to the computer. Use the USB cable that came with your computer or a compatible replacement.
  4. Click the iPod icon. It’s near the top left corner of iTunes and looks like a tiny iPod.
  5. Select Music under “Settings.” You’ll find it in the left side bar.
  6. Check the box next to “Sync Music.” It’s in the main (center) panel.
    • If you see a message that says the iPod is synced with another library, don’t click the “Erase” button—it’ll delete the music on your iPod! Try another method instead.
  7. Select music to sync. By default, “Entire Music Library” is selected. If you don’t want to sync everything to your computer, select “Selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres” instead.[5]
  8. Click Apply. It’s at the bottom right corner of the main panel.
  9. Click Sync. It’s at the bottom right corner of the panel. The music on your iPod will now sync to iTunes, and the music in iTunes (if any) will copy to the iPod. When the sync, is complete, the same music will be on both devices.


Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.iphonefaq.org/archives/971178
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 https://www.lifewire.com/copy-ipod-music-to-mac-os-x-lion-2260097
  3. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14201/windows-show-hidden-files
  4. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201352
  5. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201253
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