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Luxix's avatar
Luxix
Brass Contributor
May 31, 2026

How can I download music from iTunes to my computer?

Have a decent iTunes library built up over the years with a mix of purchased songs and albums, but recently realized that a lot of them aren't actually stored locally on the computer. They seem to ex...
CameronWalker's avatar
CameronWalker
Iron Contributor
May 31, 2026

You can use iTunes Match for iTunes music download.

It is Apple's cloud-based music service designed for users who have built up a personal music library over the years whether through CD rips, MP3 downloads, or files from other sources and want to access that collection seamlessly across all their Apple devices.

How to download songs from iTunes to computer

Once subscribed, iTunes Match will automatically scan your entire local music library and compare it against Apple's catalog of over 100 million tracks. This process can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours depending on the size of your library, so it's best to leave your computer on and connected to the internet until it finishes.

Songs that couldn't be matched to Apple's catalog will be uploaded directly from your computer to iCloud. These are typically rare tracks, obscure recordings, or heavily edited files. A stable and reasonably fast internet connection is recommended here, as uploading a large number of files can be time-consuming on slower networks.

After that, you can download the songs from iCloud drive. You can repeat this on any Mac, iPhone, or iPad signed into the same Apple ID to access your full library anywhere.