Is your preferred music unavailable on your mobile device? Perhaps you unintentionally disabled syncing or removed the tracks. Don’t worry; here’s how to retrieve everything back to your Apple Music library.
You attempt to listen to your favorite songs on your iPhone or iPad, only to find that they’re missing. They were there the last time you checked! Yes, your music can disappear, but various reasons can cause this—either the sync option for that album may have been disabled, or you might have accidentally deleted the tracks. There’s also a possibility that syncing your music with iCloud may have removed them from your mobile device.
So what steps should you take to recover your missing tracks? There are multiple ways to restore what you seem to have lost. (You might also discover that your music just needs to be reorganized.)
Re-Sync Your Music
If your music is missing, the initial step should be to check Apple’s Music app on your computer—that’s the free application included with macOS, not the Apple Music streaming service. In macOS Catalina or later, you would utilize Finder. If you’re using a Windows PC or an older version of macOS, you’d use iTunes. Look through the music library on your computer to determine if the album is still there. If you find the album, play each song to ensure everything is functioning correctly.
If the music you’re missing is present on your computer but not on your iPhone or iPad, it may not be syncing. To initiate the sync, connect your device to the computer. For newer Mac computers, open Finder and select Go > Computer, then choose your mobile device. Click on the phone or tablet icon and select the Music category. Check the box next to the album you wish to sync, then click Apply or Sync.
If you’re using Windows or an older version of macOS, open iTunes, click the iPhone or iPad icon, and then select the Music category. Check the box for the album you want to sync, and click Apply or Sync.
Once the sync is complete, open the Music app on your mobile device and look for the album. Play the songs to confirm that the entire album is now syncing.
Re-Add Your Music
Couldn’t find the album in iTunes or the Music app? The tracks might still be on your computer but hidden or not visible in your library. Open File Explorer or Finder, go to your music library, and check if you can find the missing songs. If you do, head back to your computer’s music application.
For those using the Music app, select File > Import. If you’re using iTunes, select File > Add Folder to Library. Navigate to the folder for the album and click Select Folder or Open. You should see a message indicating that the files are being added. The missing album should then appear back in your music library. You can then sync the tracks to your iPhone or iPad.
Re-Download Your Music
Still not having any luck? The music may have been erased from your computer. If you ripped the album from a CD, you’ll need to rip it again or purchase the album. If you bought the album from the iTunes Store, you can download it once more. To do this, click Store in iTunes or iTunes Store in the Mac Music app. On the right side under Music Quick Links, click Purchased. If the album isn’t visible in the Not in My Library tab under Purchased, click the All tab to view every music purchase.
By default, iTunes displays any albums you’ve purchased that aren’t in your library. If you spot the album you wish to restore, click the download icon in the upper-right corner of the album artwork. Return to your music library and verify that the music has been restored correctly. You can then sync the album with your iPhone or iPad.