How to Download All Your Apple Music at Once: The Definitive Guide

Want to enjoy your entire Apple Music library offline? You’re not alone. The ability to listen to your favorite tracks without relying on a data connection is a powerful feature. The good news is, downloading your entire Apple Music library at once is entirely possible, although the method varies slightly depending on the device you’re using.

Here’s the lowdown on how to make it happen:

The core principle: Apple Music doesn’t offer a single, giant “Download All” button. Instead, you need to download playlists, albums, and songs individually. However, you can quickly add entire libraries to playlists and then download those playlists, effectively achieving the same result.

On your iPhone or iPad:

1. Create a Master Playlist: Open the Apple Music app. Tap on “Library” at the bottom. Now tap on Playlists, then New Playlist. Name your playlist something obvious like “All Apple Music Downloads”.

2. Add Your Entire Library: Now, back in your Library tap on Songs. This shows all songs in your library. Scroll through the list and add songs to the new playlist you just created. While there is no “select all” option (which is a major annoyance), there is a quick way to get this done fast!

• Long press on any song in the list.
• Tap “Add to a Playlist…”
• You can now quickly tap the playlist you created without having to keep long pressing for each song. This is much faster than adding by clicking on the three dots next to each song.

1. Download the Playlist: Go back to “Library” and tap on your “All Apple Music Downloads” playlist. Tap the download icon (cloud with a downward arrow) at the top. This will begin downloading all the songs in the playlist. Ensure you have sufficient storage space and a stable Wi-Fi connection, as this could take considerable time. On your Mac or PC:

2. Create a Smart Playlist (Mac) or Regular Playlist (PC/Mac): In the Music app (formerly iTunes), go to “File” > “New” > “Smart Playlist” (Mac) or simply “Playlist” (Mac/PC).

   • For Smart Playlists (Mac): In the Smart Playlist window, set the rule to “Media Kind is Music.” This will automatically add all music in your library to the playlist. You can also add additional rules to exclude certain genres or items if needed.

   • For Regular Playlists (Mac/PC): Similar to iOS, create a new, regular playlist. Go to your “Songs” library. Then, select all the songs by pressing Cmd+A (Mac) or Ctrl+A (PC). Right-click on any of the selected songs and choose “Add to Playlist” then select your newly created playlist.

3. Download the Playlist: Right-click on your new playlist in the sidebar and select “Download“. The Music app will begin downloading all the songs in the playlist to your computer. Again, be patient and ensure you have enough storage space and a stable internet connection.

Important Considerations:

• Storage Space: Downloading your entire Apple Music library requires significant storage space. Check your device’s available storage before starting.
• Wi-Fi Connection: Use a reliable Wi-Fi connection to avoid using excessive mobile data and to ensure a faster download speed.
• Time: Downloading a large library can take a considerable amount of time, depending on your internet speed and the size of your library.
• iCloud Music Library: Ensure iCloud Music Library is enabled on all your devices. This synchronizes your library across your devices and makes the download process smoother. Go to Settings > Music and toggle iCloud Music Library on.
• Subscription Required: Downloading music requires an active Apple Music subscription.
• DRM Restrictions: Downloaded Apple Music tracks are protected by DRM (Digital Rights Management). This means you can only play them within the Apple Music app and as long as your subscription is active. Once your subscription ends, you will no longer be able to access the downloaded files.

Downloading your entire Apple Music library allows for offline listening, saving you data and ensuring you always have your music on hand. With a little preparation and patience, you can easily access your entire music collection wherever you go.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Can I download specific genres or artists all at once?

Yes, you can use Smart Playlists (on Mac) to download specific genres or artists. When creating the Smart Playlist, add rules to filter by genre, artist, or any other criteria. For example, set the rule to “Genre contains Rock” to only include rock music. Then, download the Smart Playlist as described above.

2. What happens if my Apple Music subscription expires after I’ve downloaded everything?

If your Apple Music subscription expires, the downloaded music will no longer be playable. Apple Music uses DRM (Digital Rights Management) to protect its content. You will need an active subscription to access the downloaded files. If you resubscribe, the files become playable again.

3. How do I check how much storage space my Apple Music library is using?

On iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage (or iPad Storage). Scroll down until you find the Music app. This will show you the amount of storage used by the app and its data, including downloaded music.

On Mac: Go to the Apple menu > About This Mac > Storage. Select “Manage…” to see a breakdown of storage usage, including how much space is used by music.

On PC: Open File Explorer and right-click on your music folder. Select “Properties” to see the size of the folder. This folder is normally within the iTunes folder.

4. Is there a limit to how many songs I can download from Apple Music?

Apple Music does not impose a specific limit on the number of songs you can download. However, the actual limit will depend on the amount of available storage on your device and any device-specific performance limitations.

5. Can I download music from Apple Music to an external hard drive?

While you cannot directly choose an external hard drive as the download location within the Apple Music app, you can move your entire Music library to an external hard drive on a Mac or PC.

1. Consolidate Library: In the Music app (or iTunes), go to File > Library > Organize Library and select “Consolidate Files.” This moves all your media files into the Music/iTunes Media folder.

2. Copy Library: Close the Music app. Locate the Music/iTunes folder (usually in your user account’s Music folder). Copy this entire folder to your external hard drive.

3. Point Music App to External Drive: Hold down the Option key (Mac) or Shift key (PC) while opening the Music app. A dialog box will appear asking you to choose a Music library. Select the Music/iTunes library folder on your external hard drive.

Now, the Music app will use the library on your external hard drive. Downloading new music will save it to the external drive as well.

6. How do I delete all downloaded Apple Music at once to free up space?

On iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage (or iPad Storage). Find the Music app in the list. Tap on “Documents & Data” and then tap on ‘Edit’ on the top right. Tap the red minus icon next to “All Music” and tap “Delete”. This removes all downloaded music. Alternatively, you can remove specific albums or songs from within the Apple Music app itself.

On Mac/PC: Go to your Music/iTunes Media folder (usually in your user account’s Music/iTunes folder). Delete the contents of the folder or move them to another location to free up space. Be careful not to delete any music you haven’t previously backed up.

7. Can I download music from Apple Music on multiple devices using the same subscription?

Yes, you can download music from Apple Music on multiple devices using the same Apple ID and subscription. However, there might be a limit on the number of devices you can use simultaneously. It’s generally recommended to use it on personal devices you own.

8. Why is my Apple Music download stuck or not progressing?

Several factors can cause download issues:

• Internet Connection: Ensure you have a stable and strong Wi-Fi connection.
• Storage Space: Check if you have enough available storage space on your device.
• Apple Music Server Issues: Sometimes, Apple’s servers might be experiencing issues. Check the Apple System Status page to see if there are any reported problems.
• Software Updates: Make sure your device’s operating system and the Apple Music app are up to date.
• Restart Device: Try restarting your device to clear temporary glitches.
• Sign Out/Sign In: Sign out of your Apple ID in the Music app and then sign back in.

9. Can I burn downloaded Apple Music to a CD?

Due to DRM (Digital Rights Management), you cannot directly burn downloaded Apple Music tracks to a CD using the Apple Music app. The files are protected and designed to only be played within the Apple Music ecosystem with an active subscription.

10. How does Apple Music handle downloaded songs when I add new music to my library?

New music added to your Apple Music library is not automatically downloaded. You need to manually download new albums, playlists, or songs. However, if you have created a Smart Playlist as described above set to include all music, then those items will be added to the list automatically.

11. Will downloaded music from Apple Music sync across my devices?

No, downloaded music does not automatically sync across your devices. You must download the music independently on each device where you want to listen offline. Ensure iCloud Music Library is enabled to keep your library consistent across devices. This makes it easy to see on all your devices what music to download.

12. How can I download songs from Apple Music to an SD card on an Android device?

Apple Music on Android allows you to change the download location to an SD card.

1. Open the Apple Music app.
2. Tap the three dots (menu) icon.
3. Go to Settings > Download Location.
4. Select your SD card as the download location.

New downloads will now be saved to the SD card. You may need to move existing downloads manually. This helps preserve space on your phone’s internal storage.