Copy your favorite tunes to your iPhone — and back it up as well!
REQUIRES macOS 10.15 or later
YOU WILL LEARN How to back up and sync Music tracks to your iPhone
IT WILL TAKE 30 minutes
IT’S NEVER BEEN easier to enjoy all kinds of music on your Apple devices — whether you prefer to stream the latest chart–toppers on Apple Music, or just want to listen to an existing music library on the go.
Apple offers three main ways to do this: you can subscribe to the Apple Music streaming service (currently $10.99/month); subscribe to iTunes Match (currently $24.99/ year) and put your existing song collection online; and you can connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac and sync your music collection either via a physical cable or over Wi–Fi. It’s that last option we’re going to look at here.
Note, though, that since Apple split iTunes into distinct Music, Podcasts and TV apps with the arrival of macOS Catalina, Mac–to–iPhone/iPad syncing happens via the Finder. Luckily, the core functionality largely remains the same — and you can even use that option to copy movies, TV shows and podcasts, as well as back up your iPhone or iPad to your Mac.
HOW TO Transfer and back up your music collection
On your Mac, open the Music app and connect your iPhone or iPad via a spare USB–A or USB–C port and a suitable cable. The connected device will appear in the Music app. Click Sync Settings at the top right of the window.
The Music app will now send you over to the Finder, where you’ll be presented with your synchronization options — users of the old iTunes app should be familiar with how these work; the core features are largely unchanged.
You can either choose to sync your iPhone automatically every time you connect it to your Mac, or you can choose to do so manually. Manual syncing works best since it gives you more granular control over its options.
Another consideration is whether you want your iPhone to sync only when connected to your Mac via a cable, or whenever it’s connected to Wi–Fi. The latter is convenient, but can take ages!
You may wish to change the file size of the songs synced: 256 kbps AAC delivers the best balance between file size and sound quality; 128 kbps AAC files are smaller but lower quality.
Select the Music tab and make sure the “Sync music onto [your device]�
