Copy Songs from your iPod to your Computer

If you have music on your iPod or other iOS device like an iPhone or iPad that isn’t on your computer but you wish to transfer it over, there are a few ways to sync all your devices up so your music is consistent on each platform. Whether you got a new computer or purchased music on one of your devices you can copy songs from your devices to your computer in several ways through iCloud, iTunes Match, and via USB.

Steps

Using iCloud to Transfer Music

  1. Open iTunes, and click the “iTunes Store” at the top. Currently, using iCloud is the easiest way to copy any songs from your iPod, iPad, or iPhone to your computer as it uses the cloud to keep track of and store your music. Storing your music in the cloud will allow all of your music to sync across your devices.
    • You will now be in the iTunes store where you can view new music and access your account once you’ve been signed in.
  2. Make sure you are signed into the same Apple ID on all devices. If you are logged in already you will see your name in the upper right hand side of iTunes, just to the left of the search bar. Your name will appear next to an icon of a person if you are already logged in.
    • If you are not logged in you should see a “Login” option. Just input your Apple ID and Password.
  3. Go into your purchased music. This is where you can see all of the songs that you’ve bought. You will also see options to see all of your music, or just music that isn’t on your computer.
    • You’ll see the “Purchased” button on the right hand side of the iTunes store under “Music Quick Links”.
    • You can also access your purchased music by clicking on your profile and then clicking “Purchased”
  4. Sync your purchased music to iTunes on your computer. The easiest way to get music that you’ve purchased on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, is to make sure they are connected to the same Apple ID and downloaded onto your computer. Anything that you’ve purchased on any device should show up for you to sync.[1]
    • Towards the top of your screen you will two tabs: “All” and “Not in My Library”. If you just want to ensure that purchases you haven’t made on your computer get downloaded then choose the “Not in My Library” tab.
    • At the bottom right of your screen you will see a “Download all” button. Click that to download and sync all music, or click on individual albums or songs if you only want some of your music to get downloaded.

Syncing Across All Devices through iTunes Match

  1. Make sure you are logged into the same Apple ID on all devices (iOS device and Mac or PC). iTunes Match uses the iCloud to store your music in the cloud and not just on any one device. However, if you want to store your music on your computer, you can download music for offline use.
    • You may need to authorize iTunes on your computer.[2]
    • To authorize, go to your “Account” tab and click “Authorize Computer”.
  2. Subscribe to iTunes Match.[3]Because iTunes Match takes the hassle out of manually copying music between devices, you can set it to automatically sync to both your iDevice and computer.
    • iTunes Match offers a yearly subscription that syncs all of your downloads across every device automatically.
  3. Turn on automatic downloads. Automatic downloads sends your purchases to all of your devices via Wi-Fi or your data subscription. And you can save them to your computer’s hard drive for offline listening.
    • iTunes Match will also sync any CDs you may have uploaded into the iCloud.
    • On your iOS device, first make sure that your device is running iOS 4.3.3 or later. Go into your Settings app > select iTunes & App Store > Click to turn on Automatic Downloads for music, books, apps, or updates.
    • On your computer (Mac or PC) make sure your iTunes is running version 10.3 or later. Open iTunes Preferences > select the Store tab > and select which kinds of content you want to sync, like music.

Syncing Your Music Through USB

  1. Make sure your Protect Your iPod is connected to your computer via the USB cable and open iTunes (if not already open). iTunes should now bring you to the page where you can manage your device.
    • You should see info like the name and software version of your iPod, iPhone, or iPad, as well as storage information and preferences.
  2. Enable your iPod for Disc Use.[4] With your iPod connected and iTunes open, go to the iPod management screen, and scroll down to the “Options” tabs and click it. From there, check "Enable disk use”.
    • iTunes will prompt you with a warning so just select “OK”.
    • This method works for both Mac and PC.
  3. Open the iPod's files and folders. You can now find your iPod on your operating system as a disk. This means that you have enabled your iDevice to act like an external hard drive that you can use to move files around.
    • However, due to Apple’s restrictive nature, you still may not be able to access your music in your files without a bit of work.
  4. Go to Windows Explorer if you are on a Windows computer. Click on the "Organize" tab and from the drop down menu select "Folder and Search Options". Click the "View" tab in the window that just opened.
    • Search the list for "Hidden Files and Folders" and make sure there is a check in the "Show hidden files and folders" check box.
  5. Reveal hidden files and folders on a Mac using Terminal.[5]Apple’s operating system keeps certain files and folders hidden so you don’t accidentally make changes to certain core files that could harm your computer.
    • In your Finder type in “Terminal” and then open the application. Once the dialogue box is running type: “defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles YES”. Press ↵ Enter. Then, hold the Option/alt key and right click on your finder icon, click relaunch.
    • You should always use extreme caution using Terminal as it grants you advanced access to your computer that can potentially do a lot of damage if used incorrectly.
  6. Go to the iPod window and you should now see a new file called "iPod_control". Go into iPod_control > Music. You will now see all of the music stored on your iPod.
  7. Select all the folders there and drag them into the to a folder you’ve created for your music on your desktop. You can also copy and paste them to the music folder in your itunes file.[6]
    • If you’re on a Mac you can find your iTunes Music folder from the Finder by clicking Go (in your top bar) > Home > Music > iTunes > iTunes Media > Music. Once that is open simply drag, or paste your copied music files into the folder.
    • On Windows, navigate to your “Users” folder and from there, your username > My Music > iTunes. And simply copy over your music files.

Tips

  • If you have a newer device your easiest option for copying music from your iPod or iOS device is to use iCloud and the iTunes Match subscription.
  • If you need to copy music from an older iPod to a computer then the USB option is your best bet.
  • There are plenty of online tools and programs that you can download which will help you copy your music over from an iPod to a computer, but some of them require you to pay for a full service.
  • When copying songs from an iPod to your computer it’s also a good idea to backup the music currently on your computer (if there is any) just in case putting new songs on your computer deletes your old library.

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201272
  2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201251
  3. ↑ http://www.apple.com/itunes/itunes-match/
  4. ↑ http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-transfer-music-from-an-ipod-to-your-computer/
  5. ↑ http://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/mac-software/how-show-hidden-files-in-mac-os-x-finder-3520878/
  6. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204668
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