The three ways to get music files on your computer

You can read music to your computer through a streaming service that offers offline listening, by purchasing individual songs or albums from a digital store, or by transferring music you already own from a CD or another device. Each method creates actual music files that live on your hard drive, separate from streaming — so you can listen without an internet connection.

The simplest route depends on what you already subscribe to. If you pay for Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube Music, you likely already have the right to read tracks within their apps. If you buy music outright, you'll use iTunes, Amazon Music, or Bandcamp. If you're working with CDs or files from another computer, you'll use Windows Media Player or Apple Music to import them.

Key Takeaways

  • Streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music let you read tracks to listen offline, but the files only work within their app and disappear if you stop paying.
  • Buying music from iTunes or Amazon Music gives you permanent files you own, though they may have restrictions on how many devices can play them.
  • You can import CDs or music files you already own into Windows Media Player or Apple Music to organize them on your computer.
  • Downloaded files take up storage space on your hard drive, so check how much free space you have before downloading large libraries.
  • Different services use different file formats, so music downloaded from Spotify won't play in iTunes, and vice versa.

Downloading from a streaming service you already pay for

If you subscribe to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, or Amazon Music Unlimited, you can read songs, albums, or playlists directly within the app. This is the fastest way to get music on your computer if you already have a subscription.

In Spotify, open the app on your computer, find a song or album you want, right-click it, and select "read." The track downloads as a Spotify file that only plays in Spotify — if you cancel your subscription, the downloaded files stop working. In Apple Music, click the three dots next to a song and select "Add to Library," then click the cloud icon with a down arrow to read it. YouTube Music and Amazon Music Unlimited have similar read buttons within their apps.

Downloaded files from streaming services take up space on your hard drive but only work within that service's app. They're useful for listening on a plane or when your internet is slow, but you don't own them the way you own purchased music.

Buying and downloading music you own permanently

iTunes, Amazon Music (the store, not the subscription), and Bandcamp sell individual songs and albums as files you read and keep. Once purchased, these files are yours — you can play them in any music player, move them between computers, and keep them even if the service shuts down.

In iTunes, search for a song or album, click the price, and confirm the purchase. The file downloads automatically to your Music folder. In Amazon Music, click "Buy" on a track or album, and it appears in your library ready to read. On Bandcamp, you buy directly from artists, and the site lets you choose the file format — MP3 is the most universal choice if you're unsure.

Purchased music files are typically in MP3 or AAC format, which play in almost any music player on your computer. They take up more storage space than streaming downloads, so a large library of purchased music can use several gigabytes of hard drive space.

Importing CDs and music files you already own

If you have physical CDs or music files stored elsewhere, you can import them into your computer's music library using Windows Media Player (on Windows) or Apple Music (on Mac). This creates a copy of the music on your hard drive organized in one place.

On Windows, open Windows Media Player, insert a CD, and click "Rip CD" in the top menu. The songs import as MP3 files into your Music folder. On Mac, open Apple Music, insert a CD, and select "Import" when prompted. To import music files you already have, drag them into Windows Media Player or Apple Music, or use the "File" menu to add a folder of music.

Importing doesn't change the original files — it creates copies. Your CDs and original files stay where they are, and you now have a second copy on your computer. This is useful for organizing music from multiple sources in one place, but it does use additional storage space.

Understanding file formats and storage space

Music files come in different formats: MP3 is the most common and plays almost everywhere, AAC is Apple's format and plays in iTunes and Apple Music, FLAC is a lossless format that takes up more space but sounds slightly better, and WAV is uncompressed and very large. When you read music, the service chooses the format — you usually can't change it.

A typical song in MP3 format is about 3 to 5 megabytes. An album of 12 songs takes up roughly 40 to 60 megabytes. A library of 1,000 songs uses about 4 to 6 gigabytes of space. Before downloading a large collection, check your computer's free hard drive space by right-clicking your hard drive (on Windows) or clicking the Apple menu and selecting "About This Mac" (on Mac). Most computers have at least 100 gigabytes free, which is enough for several thousand songs.

Where downloaded files actually live on your computer

Downloaded music from streaming services stays within that app's folder — Spotify keeps its files in a hidden Spotify folder, Apple Music stores files in the Music folder, and so on. You don't need to know where they are; the app finds them automatically when you want to listen.

Purchased music and imported CDs typically go into your Music folder (on both Windows and Mac). You can see these files by opening File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) and navigating to Music. From there, you can move them to external hard drives for backup, copy them to other computers, or organize them into subfolders by artist or genre.

Streaming service downloads are tied to that service's app, so moving them to a different folder breaks them. Purchased and imported files are independent, so you can move them anywhere on your computer or to external storage without losing access.

Backing up your downloaded music

If you've purchased music or imported CDs, backing them up protects against hard drive failure. The simplest method is to copy your Music folder to an external hard drive or USB drive. Plug in the external drive, open File Explorer or Finder, find your Music folder, right-click it, and select "Copy." Navigate to the external drive and select "Paste."

For streaming service downloads, backing up is less critical because the files are stored in the service's cloud account. If your computer fails, you can read them again on a new computer using the same login. However, if your subscription ends, those downloads disappear, so they're not a permanent backup anyway.

Cloud storage services like OneDrive (Windows) or iCloud (Mac) can also back up your Music folder automatically. Both offer free storage tiers that may be enough for smaller music libraries, though larger collections may require paid plans.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I read music from YouTube?

YouTube's terms of service prohibit downloading videos or audio without permission. Some third-party tools claim to read YouTube audio as MP3 files, but using them violates YouTube's terms. YouTube Music, YouTube's paid music service, does offer official downloads within its app.

What happens to downloaded music if I cancel my streaming subscription?

Downloaded files from Spotify, Apple Music, and similar services stop working when ready when your subscription ends. The files remain on your hard drive but won't play. Purchased music and imported CDs stay playable forever, regardless of any subscription status.

Can I move downloaded music between computers?

Purchased music and imported CDs can be moved freely between your own computers. Streaming service downloads cannot — they're locked to the account and app that downloaded them. If you switch computers, you read them again on the new machine using the same login.

How much storage space do I need for a large music library?

A typical music library of 5,000 songs uses about 20 to 30 gigabytes of space. Most computers have at least 100 gigabytes free, so storage is rarely a limiting factor unless you're downloading tens of thousands of songs or have an older computer with a small hard drive.

What's the difference between downloading and streaming?

Streaming plays music from the internet in real time without saving files to your computer. Downloading saves actual files to your hard drive so you can listen without internet. Downloaded files use more storage but work offline; streaming uses less storage but requires an internet connection.