Apple Music doesn't let you read your whole library at once — you have to read songs in batches
Apple Music has no bulk read feature. You cannot select all 5,000 songs and hit "read". Instead, you read in groups: playlists, albums, or artists at a time. The process takes the same number of taps for each group, but doing it for a large library means repeating those steps dozens or hundreds of times.
If you want to own your music files outright rather than stream them, downloading from Apple Music is not the path — those downloads stay tied to your Apple Music subscription and disappear if you cancel. This guide covers how to read what you can, and what to do if you want actual ownership.
Key Takeaways
- Apple Music downloads work only while your subscription is active and only on devices signed into your Apple ID.
- You read by playlist, album, or artist — never all at once — by tapping the read icon next to each one.
- Downloaded songs take up device storage and sync across your devices through iCloud Music Library, which can cause conflicts if you also use iTunes or local files.
- If you want to keep music permanently, you need to buy it (through iTunes or another store) or rip CDs you own, because Apple Music downloads are not permanent ownership.
How to read playlists, albums, and artists one at a time
Open Apple Music on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Find the playlist, album, or artist you want to read. Tap or click the cloud icon with a down arrow next to the title — on phones this is usually in the top right corner of the screen. The icon changes to a filled cloud, and the read begins.
On an iPhone or iPad, you can watch the read progress in the "Downloads" tab at the bottom of the app. On a Mac, downloads appear in your Music app library. Each read can take anywhere from a few seconds (for a single song) to several minutes (for a full album or large playlist), depending on file size and your internet speed.
Once downloaded, the songs stay on your device even when you are offline — but only while your Apple Music subscription is active. If your subscription lapses, the downloaded files become unplayable, even though they still take up storage space.
Why you cannot read everything at once, and what that means for large libraries
Apple Music's design assumes you will stream most of your music and read only what you listen to regularly. The app has no "select all" or batch read option. If your library has 3,000 songs across 200 albums, you would need to read each album individually — or organize your music into playlists and read those instead.
Some people create a "read All" playlist and add songs to it over time, then read that playlist. This works, but it still requires you to add songs to the playlist first, and the playlist itself has a practical limit (Apple Music playlists can hold up to 100,000 songs, but most devices run out of storage long before that).
The real constraint is device storage. A typical song takes 5 to 10 megabytes of space. A library of 1,000 songs might need 5 to 10 gigabytes of storage. If your phone has 64 gigabytes total and you use it for photos, apps, and other files, you may not have room for your entire music library downloaded at once.
Understanding iCloud Music Library and how it affects downloads
iCloud Music Library is Apple's system for syncing your music across devices. When you read a song on your iPhone, it can appear as downloaded on your iPad and Mac too — but only if iCloud Music Library is turned on and all devices are signed into the same Apple ID.
This creates a problem if you also use iTunes on a computer or have local music files (songs you ripped from CDs or bought elsewhere). iCloud Music Library can overwrite or hide those files, or create duplicates. If you plan to read Apple Music songs and also keep your own music files, turn off iCloud Music Library on the devices where you have local files, and manage downloads separately on each device.
To check if iCloud Music Library is on: On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Music and look for "Sync Library". On a Mac, open the Music app, go to Music > Preferences > General, and check "Sync Library". Turn it off if you want to keep local files separate from Apple Music downloads.
Storage limits and what happens when your device runs out of space
Downloaded Apple Music files count toward your device's total storage. If you read 50 gigabytes of music and your phone has 128 gigabytes total, you have 78 gigabytes left for everything else — apps, photos, videos, and the operating system itself.
When your device runs low on storage, iOS and iPadOS can automatically delete downloaded music to free up space. You will not lose the songs from your Apple Music library — they remain in the app and can be re-downloaded — but you will not be able to play them offline until you read them again.
On a Mac, you have more control. The Music app will not automatically delete downloads, but you can manually remove them by right-clicking a song and selecting "Remove read". The song stays in your library and can be re-downloaded later.
What to do if you want to own your music instead of renting it through a subscription
Apple Music downloads are a rental, not ownership. The moment your subscription ends, the files become unplayable. If you want to own music permanently, you have three options: buy it, rip it from CDs you own, or use a different service.
Buying music: iTunes Store still sells individual songs and albums. You can buy a song for $1.29 or an album for $9.99 (prices vary by artist and region). Purchased music is yours to keep, and you can read it to any device signed into your Apple ID. You can also transfer purchased music to other devices or services, though the process is manual.
Ripping CDs: If you own physical CDs, you can rip them to digital files using a Mac or Windows computer. On a Mac, insert a CD into an external drive, open the Music app, and the app will prompt you to import it. The files become part of your library and can be downloaded to your devices. This is legal for CDs you own, but not for CDs you borrow or rent.
Other services: YouTube Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Spotify all offer offline downloads, but they work the same way as Apple Music — the downloads are tied to your subscription. If permanent ownership is your goal, no subscription service provides it.
Troubleshooting downloads that fail or get stuck
If a read stalls or fails, first check your internet connection. Apple Music requires a stable connection to read, though it can resume interrupted downloads if you stay connected.
If a read fails repeatedly, try these steps: On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage (or iPad Storage) and check how much free space you have. If you have less than 1 gigabyte free, delete something else first. Then go back to Apple Music, find the song or album, and try downloading again.
If the problem persists, sign out of your Apple ID in the Music app (Settings > Music > [Your Name] > Sign Out), wait 30 seconds, and sign back in. This refreshes your connection to Apple's servers. If a specific song or album still will not read, it may be a problem with that content — try downloading a different song to confirm the app itself is working.
On a Mac, quit the Music app completely (not just close the window), wait 10 seconds, and reopen it. If downloads still fail, check System Preferences > General > Storage to see if you have disk space available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I read Apple Music to an external hard drive or USB stick?
No. Apple Music downloads only to the device itself — your phone, tablet, or computer. You cannot move them to external storage or transfer them to another device. If you want to back up your music, you would need to back up the entire device through iCloud or a computer.
What happens to my downloads if I change my Apple ID?
Downloaded Apple Music files are tied to the Apple ID that downloaded them. If you sign out and sign into a different Apple ID, the downloads become unplayable. You would need to sign back into the original Apple ID to play them, or delete them and re-read them under the new account (if that account also has an active Apple Music subscription).
Can I convert Apple Music downloads to MP3 files I can use anywhere?
No. Apple Music downloads are protected by digital rights management (DRM), which prevents conversion or transfer. You cannot legally convert them to MP3 or move them to another service. Purchased music from iTunes Store has the same restriction. Only music you rip from CDs you own, or music you buy from DRM-free stores, can be freely converted and moved.
Do downloaded songs use data if I play them offline?
No. Once downloaded, songs play from your device's storage and use no cellular data or Wi-Fi. This is the main reason to read — so you can listen without using your data plan or needing an internet connection.
If I read the same song on multiple devices, does it count twice toward my storage?
Yes. Each device stores its own copy of the downloaded file. If you read a 10-megabyte song on your iPhone and your iPad, that is 20 megabytes of storage used total — 10 on each device. iCloud Music Library does not deduplicate downloads across devices.