Can I import my own music into iTunes?

What is iTunes?

iTunes is a media management and playback software first released by Apple in 2001 for Mac computers. Originally intended as a simple music player, iTunes evolved over the years into a sophisticated media platform for organizing and playing music, movies, TV shows, apps, audiobooks and more (See History of iTunes).

Some key features and purposes of iTunes include:

• Playing and managing a personal music library, allowing users to import songs from CDs or purchase them online from the iTunes Store.
• Serving as a media hub for syncing content like music, podcasts, and videos to iOS devices and Apple TV.
• Providing access to the iTunes Store for purchasing multimedia content like music, movies, apps, audiobooks, podcasts, and more.
• Backing up and restoring iOS device data.
• Organizing and managing media metadata like song details, album covers, playlists, etc.

While originally limited to Mac, iTunes was later released for Windows platforms as well, helping popularize the iPod music player. Over nearly two decades, iTunes expanded from simply being a music player to becoming the gateway to the entire Apple digital media ecosystem.

Why Import Music into iTunes?

There are several key benefits to importing your music library into iTunes:

Centralize your music collection – Having all your music in one place makes it easier to find, organize and listen to your favorite songs and albums. iTunes allows you to see your full music library in one interface.

Create playlists – Once your music is imported, you can make customized playlists for different moods, activities, etc. iTunes makes it easy to craft playlists and manage your song collections.

Listen across devices – With iTunes you can sync music across all your devices like iPhone, iPad, and Mac/PC. So playlists and listening history are consistent.

Access playback history – iTunes keeps track of your playback activity. You can see a history of what you’ve listened to and pick up where you left off.

Back up your music – Having your music consolidated in one platform means it stays safe and backed up, so you don’t lose those rare tracks.

Access exclusives – iTunes often offers exclusive early releases, bonus tracks and special versions you can’t find elsewhere.

Where Can I Get Music to Import?

There are a few main sources to get music from to import into iTunes:

CDs – You can import music from physical CDs you own by inserting them into your computer’s CD drive. iTunes will automatically prompt you to import the CD when inserted. This will rip the CD files and add the music to your iTunes library (source).

Downloaded music files – If you have downloaded MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, or other supported audio file formats, you can add them directly to your iTunes library. Simply find the files in your Downloads folder or other location, then drag and drop them into iTunes. iTunes will copy the files and add them to your library.

Imported from streaming services – Many streaming services like Spotify allow you to download songs locally for offline listening. These downloaded files can then be imported into iTunes by finding them on your computer and dragging the files directly into your iTunes library.

You can also record or “rip” music from streaming services using third party tools, though this may violate terms of service. Legally obtained downloads are recommended.

Importing Music from CDs

One of the most common ways to get music into your iTunes library is by ripping tracks from a physical CD. Here is a step-by-step guide for importing music from CDs into iTunes:

1. Insert the audio CD into your computer’s CD/DVD drive.

2. Open iTunes and click on File > New in the menu bar. This will open a new window showing the tracks on the CD.

3. By default, all tracks will be selected for import. Deselect any tracks you don’t want to import by clicking on them.

4. Configure the import settings. Go to Edit > Preferences > General in the menu bar. Under “When you insert a CD” select “Import CD”. You can also set the Import Using dropdown to your preferred file format and quality.

5. Click the Import CD button in the bottom right corner. iTunes will begin ripping the audio tracks to your library.

6. The imported tracks will appear in your library under Recently Added. metadata such as artist name and album title should automatically populate after matching online.

7. If any metadata is missing, you can manually enter it by right-clicking on a track and selecting Get Info.

Ripping CDs is a quick and easy way to expand your iTunes music collection. Just insert the disc and iTunes handles the rest! For more details, see Apple’s guide on importing songs from CDs.

Importing Downloaded Music Files

If you have purchased or downloaded MP3, AAC, WAV or other audio files from online stores or websites, you can easily import them into your iTunes library. This allows you to consolidate all your music in one place for easy management and playback. Here are the steps to add downloaded music files to iTunes:

1. Open iTunes on your computer.

2. Click on File > Add File to Library or press Ctrl+O (Windows) or ⌘+O (Mac).

3. In the file explorer window that opens, navigate to the folder containing your downloaded music files.

4. Select the files you want to import. To select multiple files, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or ⌘ (Mac) while clicking.

5. Click Open. The selected music files will now be added to your iTunes library.

You can also drag and drop downloaded music files directly into the iTunes application window to import them. iTunes supports common audio formats like MP3, AAC, WAV, AIFF, Apple Lossless and more. It will automatically convert unsupported formats like WMA to a compatible format on import.

Once the downloaded music is in your iTunes library, you can play it on your computer, sync it to iPods and iOS devices, and manage it just like any other music in your collection.

For more tips, see this Apple support article and this guide from Lifewire.

Importing from Streaming Services

One popular way to import music into iTunes is from streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and others. Here are some tips for transferring playlists and songs from these streaming platforms into your iTunes library:

From Spotify: You can use a third party app like Soundiiz to transfer Spotify playlists into iTunes. Simply connect both your Spotify and iTunes accounts in Soundiiz, select the Spotify playlists you want to transfer, and click the transfer button. The songs will be exported from Spotify and imported into iTunes.

From Apple Music: Playlists and songs can be exported from Apple Music by turning on sync library in your Apple Music settings. This will automatically copy your Apple Music content into your iTunes library. You can also use SongShift to transfer playlists between the services.

From YouTube Music: Download the songs or playlists you want from YouTube using a YouTube downloader tool. Then simply add the downloaded files to your iTunes library by dragging and dropping them into iTunes.

The key is finding a tool or service that can connect to your streaming platform and iTunes and facilitate the transfer. With the right app, transferring playlists and expanding your iTunes music library is straightforward.

Adding Remote Music Sources

One way to expand your iTunes library is by accessing music stored on remote devices on your local network. This allows you to stream music from networked storage devices without having to import the files into your iTunes library.

The easiest method is using Home Sharing. This feature lets you share your iTunes library with other devices logged into the same Apple ID. To set it up, enable Home Sharing in the Advanced preferences on all devices. Then all shared libraries will appear under Shared in the iTunes sidebar. You can stream music from any connected device.

You can also access media files stored on a Network Attached Storage (NAS) drive. Connect the NAS to your local network and navigate to it in Finder. Drag the files or folders you want to add directly into your iTunes library. The main downside is that the external drive must remain connected for you to access the media.[1]

With a bit of configuration, you can store your entire iTunes library on a NAS and connect to it from multiple devices. This keeps your library centralized instead of duplicated across devices. Set the iTunes Media folder location to the NAS within Preferences > Advanced. Then enable Home Sharing on all devices to stream from the same shared library.[2][3]

iTunes File Format Support

iTunes supports importing and playing a variety of audio file formats. The most common audio file types that can be imported into iTunes include:

MP3: The most popular digital audio format. MP3 files are compressed, so the file sizes are smaller. They provide good audio quality at smaller file sizes. iTunes can import, play, and convert MP3 files.[1]

AAC: This is the preferred audio format used by iTunes and Apple Music. AAC provides better sound quality than MP3 using advanced audio compression. iTunes can import, play, convert, and sync AAC files with iOS devices.[1]

WAV: An uncompressed audio format that provides the highest quality. WAV files are large in size. iTunes can import, play and convert WAV files.[2]

AIFF: An uncompressed, high-quality format similar to WAV. iTunes offers full support for importing, playing, and converting AIFF audio files.[1]

In addition, iTunes can import and play Audible audiobooks, Apple Lossless, and iTunes Plus files downloaded from the iTunes Store. iTunes also has limited support for some other formats like FLAC and OGG.[3]

Import Settings and Preferences

iTunes offers customizable settings for importing music that allow you to control how your files are organized, saved, and tagged with metadata. You can access the import settings by going to Edit > Preferences > General on Windows or Music > Settings > Files > Import Settings on Mac.

In the import settings you can choose the file format to use when importing, such as MP3, AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, and WAV. The default is AAC format. You’ll also see options to control how playlists, filenames, and other metadata are handled during the import process. For example, you can choose to keep playlists grouped together in subfolders or merged into your main music library.

Some key preferences to check are the Import Using encoder, which sets the file format, and the Setting pop-up menu where you can opt to keep your existing playlists, filenames, and other metadata intact instead of using the iTunes defaults. It’s generally recommended to import using a compressed format like MP3 or AAC, and to preserve your existing metadata if you want to maintain your existing file structure.

Customizing these settings before importing can help ensure that your files import smoothly into iTunes without inadvertently overwriting any existing metadata or changing formats. Paying attention to the import preferences is key for maintaining a tidy and well-organized iTunes library.

Maintaining a Tidy iTunes Library

Once your music library grows, keeping it neat and organized can become a challenge. Here are some tips for maintaining a tidy iTunes library:

Check the “Keep iTunes Media folder organized” option under Edit > Preferences > Advanced. This will allow iTunes to manage the file structure and naming conventions for your media files (see this Apple discussion thread).

Use File > Library > Organize Library to consolidate tracks from outside the iTunes Media folder. This copies them into the iTunes folder structure (see this thread).

Delete unwanted tracks using Edit > Delete to remove them from your library and physical storage. Alternatively, uncheck tracks under File > Library to hide them from your library view without deleting the files.

Use the search and playlist features to group tracks and find specific content. Create Smart Playlists to automatically organize music based on criteria like artist, genre, date added, etc.

Review played and skipped counts under View Options to identify unwanted tracks. Reset play counts periodically to keep stats relevant.

Check for duplicate tracks using Edit > Show Duplicate Items and remove any extras. Disable “Import CD… automatically” under Edit > Preferences to avoid duplicates.

Back up your iTunes Library to external media in case your files are ever lost, corrupted, or deleted. Under File > Library > Export Library or Back Up to Library.