How to Transfer Music to Your iPod from iTunes

The quick and easy way to move music from a computer to an iOS device.

By
Mark Harris
Mark Harris
Writer
  • University of Wolverhampton
Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner.
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Updated on December 28, 2020
Reviewed by
Jessica Kormos
Jessica Kormos
Reviewed by Jessica Kormos
  • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others.
lifewire's editorial guidelines

One of the chief benefits of digital music is that you can carry hundreds of hours worth of music with you anywhere you go. Whether you purchased some tracks on the iTunes Store or ripped audio from a CD collection, you'll want to upload them to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod for ultimate portability.

Which iPod Types Does This Tutorial Cover?

Two iPod Classic models in different colors.
iPod Classic. Apple

Before following this iPod syncing tutorial, you'll need to have one of the following Apple products:

  • iPod mini
  • iPod Shuffle (3rd generation or higher)
  • iPod nano
  • iPod touch
  • iPod classic (pictured)

When music is synced to your iOS device, any songs that iTunes finds that aren't on your computer will be deleted from the iOS device.

How to Connect your iOS Device to iTunes

Before connecting the iPhone, iPad, iPod to your computer, make sure your iTunes software is up-to-date.

  1. Connect the device to your computer using the provided dock connector.

  2. Launch the iTunes software.

  3. Under the Devices section in the left sidebar, select iPhone, iPad, or iPod, depending on which type or device you are connecting.

How to Transfer Music to an iOS Device

To transfer music using the automatic sync method, follow these steps:

  1. In the upper left corner of the main screen, select the iPod/iPad/iPhone icon found to the right of the Music dropdown box.

  2. Under the Options pane, select the checkbox next to Automatically sync when this iPhone/iPad/iPod is connected.

    If you'd prefer more control, you can manually choose which media to add to your device by checking Manually manage music and videos. Skip to the next section to learn how to manually add music.

  3. Take this opportunity to select any other options you may prefer. For example, you can choose to convert higher bitrate audio to save storage space, or to sync the device over Wi-Fi.

  4. To start transferring music to your iPod or iPhone, select Sync.

How to Manually Transfer Music to an iOS Device

If you selected the Manually manage music and videos option, then follow these steps to transfer media to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod.

  1. Navigate to your iTunes Library.

  2. To manually transfer content to your iOS device, simply drag and drop songs, albums, movies, or other media from the Library window to the appropriate iOS device listed under Devices in the left sidebar.

    To select multiple tracks for transfer, select one, then hold down the Shift key—Ctrl, if you're on a PC—and press the up or down arrow to highlight several items in a row. Once highlighted, drag the entire selection to the iOS device as you would for individual tracks. You can do the same with iTunes playlists.

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