The two ways to read music depend on your streaming service

Most streaming services let you read songs directly to your computer, but the process and what you can do with the files afterward depends on which service you use. Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music all offer downloads — but the files stay locked to that service and stop playing if your subscription ends. If you want to own music outright instead, you can buy and read from iTunes, Bandcamp, or Amazon Music Unlimited, and those files are yours to keep.

The simplest path is usually through your streaming service's desktop app or website. You find the song or album you want, click a read button, and it saves to your computer's storage. The catch is that these downloaded files only work within that app — you cannot move them to another player or burn them to a CD.

Key Takeaways

  • Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music let you read songs to your computer, but the files only play in their app and stop working if you cancel your subscription.
  • Purchased music from iTunes or Bandcamp downloads as a regular file you own outright and can play anywhere, move to other devices, or back up.
  • Downloaded files from streaming services take up storage space on your computer just like any other file, so check how much room you have before downloading large libraries.
  • Most streaming services let you read on a computer but limit how many devices can have the same downloads at once.

Downloading from Spotify on Windows or Mac

Open the Spotify desktop app and find a song, album, or playlist you want to read. Right-click on it and select "read" from the menu that appears. On a Mac, you may see a down arrow icon next to the song title instead — click that arrow. Spotify will begin downloading the file to your computer in the background.

The downloaded files live inside the Spotify app's folder on your computer, not in your regular Music or Documents folders. You cannot move them or play them in another music player. If you stop paying for Spotify, those downloaded files become unplayable, even though they still take up storage space on your hard drive. To free up space, go to Spotify's settings, find "Storage," and delete the downloads you no longer need.

Downloading from Apple Music on Mac or Windows

In the Apple Music app on Mac, find the song or album you want and click the three-dot menu next to it, then select "Add to Library." Once it is in your library, right-click it and choose "read." On Windows, the process is the same — the three-dot menu appears when you hover over a song.

Apple Music stores downloads in your Music folder, but they are in a protected format that only plays in the Apple Music app or on Apple devices. Like Spotify, these files stop working if your subscription ends. If you want to keep music permanently, you need to buy it through iTunes instead, which gives you an unprotected file you own.

Downloading from YouTube Music and Amazon Music

YouTube Music's read feature works only on the mobile app and web player — the desktop app does not have a read option. If you use YouTube Music on a computer, you can read through the website by clicking the read icon next to a song, but the file only plays back in YouTube Music itself.

Amazon Music has two tiers: the standard service lets you read for offline listening within the app, while Amazon Music Unlimited (the paid tier) gives you the same locked-file downloads. To read, click the three-dot menu next to a song and select "read." The files appear in your Amazon Music app library but nowhere else on your computer.

Buying and downloading music you own outright

If you want files that are truly yours and work in any music player, buy from iTunes, Bandcamp, or Amazon Music's store. When you buy a song on iTunes, it downloads as an MP3 or AAC file to your Music folder — a regular file you can copy, move, or play in any app. The same is true for Bandcamp, where artists often sell their music directly and you read it as a standard audio file.

Purchased files cost between 99 cents and a few dollars per song, depending on the artist and service. They take up the same storage space as streaming downloads, but you keep them forever, even if the service shuts down or you change your mind about a subscription. You can also burn purchased music to a CD, transfer it to a phone or tablet without restrictions, or back it up to an external drive.

Managing storage when you read music

Each song takes up roughly 5 to 10 megabytes of storage space, depending on the quality and length. A typical album is 50 to 100 megabytes. If you read hundreds of songs, you can quickly use several gigabytes of your computer's hard drive. Before you start downloading, check how much free space you have by opening your computer's storage settings.

On Windows, right-click your C: drive, select "Properties," and look at the "Free space" number. On Mac, click the Apple menu, select "About This Mac," go to "Storage," and see how much space is available. If you are running low, delete old downloads from your streaming app first, or consider using an external hard drive to store your music instead. Most streaming services let you delete downloads and re-read them later as long as your subscription is active.

What happens to downloads when your subscription ends

If you stop paying for Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, or Amazon Music, any songs you downloaded through that service become unplayable when ready. The files remain on your computer and still take up storage space, but the app will refuse to play them. You can delete them manually to free up room, or they will stay there taking up space until you do.

This is why purchased music is different — when you buy a song from iTunes or Bandcamp, it has no connection to a subscription. The file plays forever, in any app, on any device, regardless of whether you have an active account anywhere. If you think you might cancel a service, stick to purchased music for songs you want to keep long-term.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move downloaded music files to another music player?

No, not from streaming services. Downloaded files from Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music are locked to their apps and cannot be moved or played elsewhere. Purchased music from iTunes or Bandcamp downloads as a regular file you can move anywhere and play in any app.

How much storage space do I need to read my entire music library?

It depends on how many songs you have. A typical song is 5 to 10 megabytes, so 1,000 songs would take roughly 5 to 10 gigabytes. Most computers have at least 100 to 500 gigabytes of storage, so unless your library is very large, you should have room. Check your available space in your computer's storage settings before you start.

Can I read music on my computer and then move it to my phone?

Only if you bought the music. Streaming service downloads are locked to that app and cannot be transferred. If you want music on both your computer and phone, read it separately in each app, or buy the music once and sync it across devices.

What if I run out of storage space while downloading?

Your streaming app will stop downloading and show an error. Delete some existing downloads from the app, or move other files off your computer to an external drive. Once you have freed up space, try downloading again.