[Easily Fixed] Some of the Files Were not Copied to the iPhone

This guide introduces possible reasons causing the error “Some of the files were not copied to the iPhone” as well as the fixes to it. If you are in trouble with the error, keep reading!

Ellie

By Ellie / Updated on June 13, 2023

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Run into error “Some of the files were not copied to the iPhone

 

 

I need help with this, what does it mean by this "Some of the files were not copied to the iPhone because iCloud Music Library is enabled on this iPhone." I've been trying to download a song onto my iPhone 7 and I've tried everything but it still keeps saying. Please help.

- Question from Apple Community

Some of the Files Were not Copied

Why did “Some of the files were not copied to iPhone” occurred?

As the case above shows, some users get the error “Some of the files were not copied to iPhone because iCloud Music Library is enabled on this iPhone” when they sync music to the iPhone with iTunes and they also claim that there are 2 forms of the question:

  • Some of the files were not copied to the iPhone because iCloud music library is enabled 
  • Some of the files were not copied to iPhone because they cannot be played on this iPhone

Cannot be Played

This may seem so weird to many users and they don’t make sense of what has happened. Generally, the reasons for the error can be concluded as follows:

✎ iCloud Music is turned on. Actually, the issue mainly occurs if the songs that you are trying to sync with iTunes are present on your iCloud Music Library. Thus, it won’t be transferred to your iPhone again. For this case, it’s better to disable iCloud music temporarily. After syncing, you could enable it.
✎ Authorization error. You may meet with the issue “Some of the files were not copied to iPhone” if you didn’t authorize your computer.
✎ iOS version. If your iOS version is not the latest one, then the error may appear, too. For this reason, you’d better check it by going to “Settings” > “General” > “Software Update” to see whether it is the root cause.
✎ Incorrect format. For “Some of the files were not copied to iPhone because they cannot be played on this iPhone”, it’s probably related to the wrong format. iPhone works for many formats, however, some formats like WAV files cannot be played successfully on iPhone because the size of it is usually too large.

How to fix the error “Some of the Files were not copied to the iPhone”

After explaining the possible reasons causing the issues, it’s time to talk about the fixes to them.

Solution 1. Disable iCloud Music Library temporarily

The reason is most likely about the iCloud Music, so it will be effective for most users if disable iCloud Music Library. So, follow me to know how to operate.

Step 1. On your iPhone, go to “Settings” > “Music” > “iCloud Music Library”.

Music Library

Step 2. Disable the option and then check whether the issue has gone.

Solution 2. Authorize for songs on iTunes

If you didn’t authorize the computer on iTunes, then the issue may occur also. Follow me to authorize.

Step 1. Prepare a USB cable and then connect your PC and iPhone.

Step 2. go to the “Account” tab and then “Recently Added” > “Authorizations” > “Authorize This Computer...” 

Authorize This Computer

Step 3. Enter your password and click on “Authorize”.

Confirm Authorization

Step 4. After that, sync your music again to see whether the issue remains.

Solution 3. Restart your iPhone

Restarting your iPhone can be useful in some situations. Some users reported that restarting iTunes or the iPhone resolved the problem. It also has no negative effects on any settings and takes very little time. As a result, give it a shot!

Solution 4. Convert the music format [ For “cannot be played” only]

As we mentioned, the problem “Some of the files were not copied to the iPhone because they cannot be played on this iPhone” may have something to do with the format of the music. If iPhone can’t recognize the song’s format or the file is too large, then it cannot be synced. For this reason, we need to convert the song’s format to the most iOS-compatible format, like AAC or mp3.

Step 1. Prepare a USB cable and connect it to your iPhone. Launch iTunes, and then go to the “Preferences” > “General” > “Import Settings” option. 

General Preferences

Step 2. Go to File type, in “Import Using”, set “AAV Encoder” or “MP3 Encoder”, and then choose the kbps as you want. Finally, click “OK” to close the Preferences interface.

AAC Encoder

Step 3. Click on “File” > “Add File to Library” to import your WAV file into iTunes. Select one or more WAV files already in iTunes, and then right-click to choose “Create MP3 Version”.

Create MP3 Version

Step 4. Click the Device button > “Music” > “Sync Music” > “Apply”. Now check whether the error is shown again and the music can be played or not on your iPhone.

Smoothly & Quickly Transfer music with AOMEI FoneBackup

After trying those solutions, you must be kind of tired if the issue “Some of the files were not copied to the iPhone” exists still. Actually, there’s a time and energy-consuming choice for you, AOMEI FoneBackup, a professional & free transfer tool to help you free from trouble and easily get photos from Windows to iPhone.

With the AOMEI FoneBackup transfer tool, you’ll be able to enjoy the following advantages:

✔ Fast connection speed. I bet you’ll be surprised by the fast transfer speed when you sync music with it. You could transfer thousands of music within several minutes without the need for the Internet.
✔Support multiple music file types. It supports most mainstream music file types. You can transfer MP3 files, Wav, m4a, FLAC, etc. from computer to iPhone.
✔ Choose ahead of time. AOMEI FoneBackup offers super flexibility in music transfer. Whether transfer music with packed or select in advance is all accessible.
✔ iPhone to iPhone supported. Apart from transferring from PC to iPhone, you could also use AOMEI FoneBackup mobile app to achieve the music transfer if you want to share a song with your friend.

Step 1. Download, install AOMEI FoneBackup, and connect iPhone to a computer with a USB cable.

Download FreewareWin 11/10/8/7
Secure Download

Step 2. Go to Phone Transfer, locate PC to iPhone option, and then click Start Transfer.

Transfer to iPhone

Step 3. Click on the box area to add the music. And you can also drag and drop music from the computer to the box.

Select Files

Step 4. Click Start Transfer to start the task right away.

Transfer

Then just wait for a few seconds, and your music will be shown on your iPhone.

Conclusion

We discussed how to fix the errors "Some of the files were not copied to the iPhone because iCloud music library is enabled" and " because they cannot be played on this iPhone" in this post, such as temporarily disabling Music Library, authorizing your computer with iTunes, converting music format, and so on.

However, if the problem persists or you do not want to spend too much time troubleshooting it, you can transfer the music using AOMEI FoneBackup. And you can also backup with it.

Ellie
Ellie · Editor
Ellie, a professional and experienced writer who is good at solving iOS-related problems and writing iOS backup/transfer tips.