The simplest way: use iCloud Music Library
If you own an iPhone and use iTunes on a Mac or Windows computer, the easiest path is to turn on iCloud Music Library — a feature that syncs your iTunes library to your phone over the internet, no cable required. You do not copy individual songs; instead, you upload your entire iTunes collection to Apple's servers, and your iPhone downloads them on demand or stores them for offline listening.
To set this up, open iTunes on your computer, go to Account > Preferences (Mac) or Edit > Preferences (Windows), click the Library tab, and check the box next to "Sync Library". Sign in with the same Apple ID you use on your iPhone. Your songs will begin uploading when ready — this can take hours or days depending on how many songs you have and your internet speed. On your iPhone, open the Music app, tap Library, and you will see your iTunes songs appear as they upload.
This method works for songs you bought from iTunes, songs you ripped from CDs, and songs you added from other sources. Apple's servers store them, and you can play them on any device signed into your Apple ID.
Key Takeaways
- iCloud Music Library syncs your entire iTunes collection to your iPhone wirelessly, so you do not need a cable or manual copying.
- You must use the same Apple ID on both your computer and iPhone, and both devices need internet access to set it up.
- Uploading your library can take several hours or longer depending on the number of songs and your connection speed.
- If you prefer not to use iCloud, you can plug your iPhone into your computer with a USB cable and manually select which songs to copy.
Using a USB cable if you do not want to use iCloud
If you do not want your music stored on Apple's servers, or if you have a slow internet connection, you can copy songs directly from iTunes to your iPhone using a USB cable. This is the older method, but it still works on all iPhones.
Plug your iPhone into your computer with a USB cable. Open iTunes (or Finder on a Mac running Catalina or later). Your iPhone will appear in the sidebar. Click it, then click the Music tab. Check the box next to "Sync Music", then choose either "All songs and playlists" or "Selected playlists and artists". Click explore or Sync at the bottom right. iTunes will copy your chosen songs to your phone — this usually takes a few minutes to an hour depending on how many songs you are copying.
One important limitation: when you sync this way, iTunes erases any music on your iPhone that is not in your iTunes library. If you have downloaded songs from other sources or added music through a different app, syncing will remove them. You can avoid this by unchecking "Sync Music" and instead dragging individual songs or playlists directly onto your iPhone in the sidebar, though this method is slower.
What happens to songs you buy on your iPhone
If you buy a song directly from the iTunes Store on your iPhone, it downloads to your phone when ready and does not automatically appear in your iTunes library on your computer. If you want that song in iTunes, you must read it there separately — buying it once does not give you a copy on both devices automatically.
However, if you have iCloud Music Library turned on, any song you buy on your iPhone will appear in your iTunes library within a few minutes, because both are synced to the same iCloud account. This is one reason many people prefer iCloud Music Library to cable syncing: purchases and additions flow both directions automatically.
Copying songs from other music apps to iTunes first
If your songs are in Spotify, YouTube Music, or another app rather than iTunes, you cannot copy them directly to your iPhone through iTunes. Those apps keep their music in their own closed systems. Instead, you need to either play those songs through their own apps on your iPhone, or read your music files and import them into iTunes first.
To import music files into iTunes, open iTunes, go to File > Add to Library (Mac) or File > Add File to Library (Windows), and select the song files on your computer. iTunes will copy them into its library. From there, you can sync them to your iPhone using either iCloud Music Library or a USB cable. This works for MP3 files, M4A files, and several other formats, but not for protected files from streaming services.
Why your songs might not appear on your iPhone
If you synced songs but they do not show up on your iPhone, check these things first. Make sure both your computer and iPhone are signed into the same Apple ID — if they are not, iCloud Music Library will not sync. If you used a USB cable, make sure the sync finished completely; disconnecting too early will leave songs partially copied. Restart your iPhone and open the Music app again, because sometimes songs take a moment to appear after syncing.
If you are using iCloud Music Library and songs still do not appear after waiting an hour, sign out of iCloud on your iPhone (Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud), wait a few minutes, and sign back in. This sometimes forces the sync to restart. If a song is grayed out in iTunes, it means iTunes could not find the file on your computer — check that the file still exists and has not been moved or deleted.
Storage space on your iPhone
Every song you copy to your iPhone takes up storage space. A typical three-minute song is about 3 to 5 megabytes, so 100 songs take up roughly 300 to 500 megabytes. If you have a large iTunes library, you may not have room to copy all of it to your phone.
With iCloud Music Library, you can choose to read only the songs you listen to most, and stream the rest over the internet when you want them. This saves storage space but requires an internet connection to play songs you have not downloaded. With USB cable syncing, you must choose which playlists or artists to copy, because syncing your entire library may exceed your phone's available space. Check your iPhone's storage in Settings > General > iPhone Storage to see how much room you have left.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I copy songs from my iPhone back to iTunes on my computer?
Not directly through iTunes — Apple's design prevents this to protect music rights. However, if your songs are in iCloud Music Library, they are already backed up to your account and will reappear in iTunes if you sign in on another computer. If you have local files that are not in iCloud, you would need to use a third-party tool to extract them from your phone.
What if I have songs in iTunes that are not from Apple?
Songs you ripped from CDs, downloaded from other websites, or received from friends will sync to your iPhone the same way as iTunes Store purchases. iCloud Music Library uploads them to Apple's servers so you can access them on any device. USB cable syncing copies them directly without uploading.
Do I need to keep my computer on while my iPhone syncs?
With iCloud Music Library, no — once you turn on Sync Library in iTunes, your songs upload to Apple's servers and your iPhone downloads them whenever it has internet access. You can close iTunes and turn off your computer. With USB cable syncing, your computer must stay on and connected until the sync finishes.
Will syncing delete other apps or data on my iPhone?
No. Syncing music through iTunes affects only your Music app and does not touch photos, messages, contacts, or other apps. However, if you have music from other sources already on your iPhone and you sync via USB cable, iTunes will remove that music if it is not in your iTunes library.
Can I use iCloud Music Library and USB cable syncing at the same time?
Not recommended. If you turn on iCloud Music Library, iTunes will ignore your USB cable sync settings. Pick one method and stick with it to avoid confusion about which songs are where.