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How to Remove Apple Music from Your Mac: A Deep Dive

Want to purge Apple Music from your Mac? While you can’t entirely uninstall the core application (as it’s deeply integrated into macOS), you can effectively disable and remove its functionality, reclaim storage space, and minimize its presence. This involves several steps, from disabling automatic renewal to removing downloaded content and streamlining your Music app settings. Let’s get started.

Disabling Apple Music: Your Step-by-Step Guide

First, the crucial step: preventing automatic renewals. Nobody wants surprise charges!

Open the Music app. This is your control center.
Go to Account > View My Account. You might be prompted to log in with your Apple ID.
Scroll down to the Subscriptions section and click Manage.
Find your Apple Music subscription and click Edit.
Click Cancel Subscription. Confirm your cancellation when prompted. This ensures you won’t be billed again. Remember, you’ll still have access to Apple Music until the end of your current billing cycle.

Next, let’s remove downloaded content:

Within the Music app, go to Library > Downloaded Music. This will filter your library to show only the tracks stored locally on your Mac.
Select the songs, albums, or playlists you want to remove. You can select multiple items by holding down the Command key (⌘) while clicking.
Right-click on the selected items and choose “Remove Download”. This will delete the downloaded files from your Mac’s storage.

Now, let’s optimize your Music app settings:

In the Music app, go to Music > Preferences (or press Command + ,).
In the General tab, uncheck “Sync Library”. This prevents your music library from syncing with Apple Music’s cloud services. It’s important to understand that disabling Sync Library means changes made on your Mac won’t reflect on other devices, and vice-versa.
In the Playback tab, adjust streaming quality and automatic downloads to your preference. For example, you can disable automatic downloads to prevent future content from being stored locally.
In the Restrictions tab, you can further customize access to certain features. This may be helpful if you share your Mac with others and want to control their access to Apple Music content.

Finally, consider disabling Apple Music recommendations:

While you can’t completely eliminate them, you can minimize their appearance. Go to For You tab in the Music App. You might see options to dislike suggestions to let the App learn more about your preferences.

While you cannot fully uninstall the Music app due to its integration into macOS, these steps significantly reduce Apple Music’s presence and impact on your Mac. You’ve stopped renewals, cleared storage, and tweaked settings. This is the most complete “removal” achievable without delving into advanced system modifications, which are generally not recommended for average users.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some common questions and detailed answers to further clarify the process:

1. Can I completely uninstall the Music app from my Mac?

No, the Music app is a core component of macOS and cannot be fully uninstalled using standard methods. It’s integrated into the operating system much like Finder or Safari. Attempting to delete system files can lead to instability and is strongly discouraged. The steps above are the best way to minimize its footprint without risking system errors.

2. What happens if I cancel my Apple Music subscription but don’t remove the downloaded music?

The music you downloaded will become unplayable after your subscription expires. The files remain on your hard drive, taking up space, but they are encrypted and require an active Apple Music subscription to be unlocked and played. Removing the downloaded music will free up storage space.

3. Will disabling “Sync Library” delete my music from my other devices?

No, disabling “Sync Library” on your Mac will not delete your music from other devices. It only prevents synchronization between your Mac and your Apple Music account. Your music library on your iPhone, iPad, or other Macs will remain intact, as long as Sync Library is still enabled on those devices.

4. How do I remove songs that I purchased from iTunes from my Music library?

Songs purchased from iTunes are treated differently than Apple Music subscription tracks. To remove them:

Locate the purchased song in your Music library.
Right-click on the song and choose “Delete from Library”.
You’ll be prompted to confirm the deletion and asked if you want to keep the file or move it to the Trash. Choose “Move to Trash” if you want to permanently remove it from your Mac. Choosing “Keep File” will remove it from the Music library but leave the actual audio file on your hard drive.

5. I accidentally deleted a song. How do I restore it?

If you’ve deleted a song you purchased from iTunes and moved it to the Trash, you can simply drag it back from the Trash to your Music library. If it was an Apple Music track, you’ll need to redownload it if you have an active subscription. If it was a local file, you’ll need to restore it from a backup if you have one.

6. How can I free up even more space taken up by Apple Music?

Beyond removing downloaded music, consider clearing the Music app’s cache. While there isn’t a direct button for this, you can try the following (use with caution):

Close the Music app completely.
Open Finder and go to Go > Go to Folder…
Type ~/Library/Caches and press Enter.
Look for a folder named something like com.apple.AMPArtworkAgent or com.apple.music. Be cautious about deleting anything you aren’t sure about.
Move the identified folders to the Trash.
Empty the Trash.

Note: This is an advanced step. Only proceed if you’re comfortable navigating system folders. Incorrectly deleting files can cause problems. Back up your Mac before attempting.

7. What’s the difference between “Remove Download” and “Delete from Library”?

“Remove Download” removes the downloaded file from your Mac’s storage but keeps the song listed in your library (assuming it’s still part of your Apple Music subscription or is a purchased song). You can stream it or download it again later.

“Delete from Library” removes the song completely from your Music library. For purchased songs, it also moves the audio file to the Trash (depending on your choice). For Apple Music tracks, it removes them from your library, and they won’t reappear unless you add them again.

8. I don’t see the “Sync Library” option in my Music preferences. Why?

The “Sync Library” option might be missing if you’re not signed in to Apple Music with your Apple ID, or if your Apple Music subscription is inactive. Make sure you’re logged in with the correct Apple ID and that your subscription is active to see this option.

9. Can I use a third-party app to completely remove Apple Music?

While some third-party “uninstaller” apps claim to remove system applications, using them is highly discouraged. They often remove essential files and can lead to serious system instability. Sticking to the recommended methods outlined above is the safest and most reliable approach.

10. How do I prevent Apple Music from automatically starting when I connect my headphones?

This behavior is usually controlled by macOS’s general settings, not specifically by the Music app. Go to System Preferences > Sound > Output. Make sure the correct output device (your headphones) is selected. Also, some headphones have their own software that may control this behavior. Check the settings for your specific headphone model.

11. Will these steps also remove Apple Music from my iPhone or iPad?

No. The steps outlined above only affect your Mac. To remove Apple Music from your iPhone or iPad, you’ll need to manage the subscription through the Settings app (as described in Step 1 above) and remove downloaded content directly from the Music app on those devices.

12. How do I completely turn off “Apple Music” on my iCloud account?

You can’t entirely turn off Apple Music within your iCloud account if you have an active subscription. Even after cancellation, some metadata related to your listening habits might persist. Apple retains this data to improve their services. However, by following the steps above – particularly disabling “Sync Library” – you prevent your Mac from contributing to that data and significantly reduce its presence.