Top 6 Ways to Fix Can’t Transfer Music to iPhone from iTunes

Can’t transfer music to iPhone from iTunes? This guide will tell you why iTunes won’t transfer music to iPhone and and the solution to this problem.

Lena

By Lena / Updated on March 7, 2024

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Problem: Can't Transfer Music to iPhone from iTunes

iTunes Won't Let Me Add Music to My iPhone

I have 1000+ songs in iTunes and I want to import them to my iPhone 8. iTunes works perfectly before but Add to Device is not working when syncing music to iPhone. I have iPhone 8 (256GB), iOS 14.5, and iTunes 12.10.8. Any solutions to this problem?

- Question from Apple Community

Why Can't Transfer Music to iPhone from iTunes?

iTunes is an official tool to manage music and other media files for Apple users. You can sign in to iTunes with your Apple ID to transfer music from iPhone to iTunes or from iTunes to iPhone.

iTunes Logo

However, lots of users report that iTunes can’t manually transfer music to iPhone or iTunes failed to transfer music. Generally, the following are some common reasons that cause the "can't add music to iPhone from iTunes" issue.

● The music is not authorized by Apple music
● Your iPhone storage is out of space
● Haven't turned on share music from library to local work
● The “manually manage music” option is not checked in iTunes

Next, we will demonstrate several fixes to help you solve the problem.

How to Fix Can’t Transfer Music to iPhone from iTunes?

Before we get started, you need to know syncing music to iPhone with iTunes will overwrite the music library. And iTunes can’t transfer CD music to iPhone. If you prefer an easier and quicker way to transfer music to iPhone, just go to the next part to get the solution.

Tip 1. Check iPhone Storage

Lacking storage on iPhone might be the reason that you can’t transfer music to iPhone from iTunes. If you have selected several hundreds of songs to transfer, there should be at least several GB of free space on iPhone.

You need to check iPhone storage before sending music to iPhone. If you find that there is not enough space for music importing, delete some apps to receive the songs.

1. Go to Settings app on iPhone.

2. Select General section.

3. Scroll down to locate and select iPhone Storage.

iPhone Storage

Tip 2. Enable Share My Library on My Lock Work

You want to add music from a computer but iTunes won’t let you do so. This time, you need to get permission from iTunes.

1. Launch iTunes and click Edit at the top.

2. Select the Preferences section.

3. Click Share in the pop-up.

4. Check Share my library on my local work, click OK and close iTunes.

5. Open iTunes share music again.

Share My Library on My Local Network

Tip 3. Update iTunes

Old iTunes might not be able to support your latest iOS on iPhone, and there could also be some bugs not being fixed in the previous iTunes. Updating iTunes to the latest version may help fix the "can't add music to iPhone from iTunes" issue,

If you download iTunes from Microsoft Store, iTunes would check updates every time you open this application. If your iTunes comes from Apple Support, you need to manually update it.

Simply click Help at the top of iTunes and select Check for Updates.

iTunes Check For Updates

Tip 4. Turn on Manually Manage Music and Videos

You need to allow iTunes to add or delete music to iPhone. Otherwise, you may meet the can't transfer music to iPhone problem.

1. Connect iPhone to iTunes with USB cable.

2. Click the device icon in the upper-left corner.

3. Select Summary in the sidebar.

4. Scroll down the windows to find Options at the bottom.

5. Check Manually manage music and videos.

Manually Manage Music And Videos

Tips: If you still can’t drag and drop music to iTunes playlist. You need to uninstall the iTunes downloaded from Microsoft Store and reinstall it from Apple Support.

Tip 5. Disable iCloud Music Library

iTunes won’t transfer music to iPhone when iCloud Music Library is enabled. It means you need to turn off iCloud Music Library if you have subscribed to Apple Music.

1. Go to Settings app on iPhone.

2. Locate and select Music

3. Switch off iCloud Music Library.

iCloud Music Library

Note: when you turn off it, you will be warned that This will remove all the Apple Music songs from the device. If you wish to make your music stay, try the tool in the next section to save them.

Tip 6. Turn off iTunes Match

You can't manually add music to iPhone if iTunes Match is on. So you will find that you can't transfer music to iPhone. To disable iTunes Match, you can make it in iTunes or on iPhone.

● Open iTunes > Select Account > Choose View My Account > Enter Apple ID password > Scroll down to the Cloud section > Turn off iTunes Match.

● On iPhone: Go to Settings app > Tap iTunes & App Store > Choose your Apple ID > Tap Subscriptions > Find iTunes Match and tap Cancel Subscription.

Turn Off iTunes Match

iTunes Won't Transfer Music to iPhone? Try FoneTool!

If all the methods above failed, you might need to employ another iOS transfer tool. Besides, iTunes can only add and drag Apple music to your iPhone and it won’t let you move CD music.

Then lots of users will turn to another iOS transfer tool named FoneTool, which is an excellent backup & transfer tool allowing you to transfer CD, Apple music to iPhone. It owns various advantages making it to be one of the best ways to transfer music to your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

● Fast Transfer Speed. It provides much fast speed so hundreds of music can be moved in several minutes.
Preview and Selective. You can either transfer all music or select several songs from a PC to your iPhone.
Offline Transfer: Need no Internet to add music from computer.
Safely Transfer: Safely import songs without deleting iPhone music.
Widely Compatible: Support all iOS devices, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

Step 1. Download FoneTool and connect iPhone to computer with USB cable.

Download Freeware Win 10/8.1/8/7
Secure Download

Step 2. From the left pane, choose Phone Tranfer > Locate PC to iPhone and click Start Transfer.

Transfer to iPhone

Step 3. Drag and drop music from computer to the box or click the folder icon to locate and add music.

Select Music

Step 4. Click Start Transfer to send songs to your iPhone immediately.

Transfer

Note: It also allows you to transfer purchased and non-purchased music from iPhone to computer without effort.

Conclusion

That's all about how to fix the can't transfer music to iPhone from iTunes problem. The key to solving this problem is to ensure that all settings are correct.

There is also a perfect iTunes alternative for you. FoneTool is easier to use than iTunes when transferring music. It could also be used to backup iPhone to computer.

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