How to Transfer iTunes Library Music to iPhone: 3 Easy Ways

This guide will tell you how to transfer iTunes library to iPhone on Windows and Mac. You can find the method to transfer music from iTunes library to iPhone without syncing.

Lena

By Lena / Updated on September 11, 2024

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How to transfer iTunes Library to iPhone 16

I have many songs on my iTunes library. My new iPhone 16 has arrived and I want to know how to sync my music from iTunes to iPhone. Thanks.

- Question from Apple Community

Why Need to Sync iTunes Library to iPhone?

When you have a new iPhone like iPhone 16, you definitely want to transfer music from computer to iPhone, so you can enjoy your playlists wherever you go. iTunes library stores all your favorite songs, so you wanna how to transfer iTunes library to iPhone, right?

Well, you can sync iTunes library directly to iPhone. However, it will erase existing songs on iPhone. If you do not want to lose anything, you can let one third-party transfer tool help you transfer songs from iTunes library to iPhone without syncing. 

🌟Tips:
If you purchase songs a lot on iTunes store, you can also download and install the iTunes store for iPhone on the App store. 

Part 1. How to Sync iTunes Library to iPhone with iTunes

Generally, your purchase history will be stored on the Server, and you can directly download the purchased songs in iTunes and transfer them to iPhone. For the non-purchased music, they are not on the server, so you need to know some techniques to transfer non-purchased music to iPhone.

Way 1. Transfer Songs from iTunes to iPhone (Windows PC)

# Add your music to iTunes library
Firstly, you need to make sure your songs are added to your iTunes library. If your music is existing on your iTunes, you can skip to Step 2. to learn how to sync music from iTunes to iPhone.

Step 1. Run iTunes on your computer. Click Files from the top menu.

Step 2. Choose Add File to Library or Add Folder to Library. Then choose the music you want. Then add them to your iTunes library.

add files to folder

# Sync music from iTunes to iPhone 13/14/15
After adding music to iTunes music, follow the steps below to transfer iTunes music to your iPhone.

Step 1.  Launch iTunes on your computer and go to its File > Add File/Folder to Library option. This will let you browse and select the songs you want to add to your iTunes library.

Step 2. Open iTunes and connect iPhone to computer with USB cable > Click the device icon of your iPhone in iTunes. Select the Music section in the sidebar.

Step 3. Check Sync Music, select music from the iTunes library, and click Apply.

Sync Music to iPhone

Note:
1. Transferring music using iTunes is convenient, but there is a very obvious disadvantage. Your iCloud Music Library on this iPhone will be removed. If you want to transfer music but also keep iCloud Music Library. You need the note in the next section to transfer music from PC to iPhone without iTunes.
2. If you can't transfer music to iPhone from iTunes, make sure you have installed the latest iTunes and your iPhone has enough space.
3. iTunes has some limitations. For example:
    > iTunes only performs one-way synchronization to an iPhone, you can't send back the music to your computer with iTunes.
    > It syncs music between your devices, so it may overwrite some data. 
    > iTunes doesn't help users to transfer non-purchased music.

Way 2. Access iTunes Library on iPhone (Mac)

ITunes is dead on macOS Catalina, so what would happen to your previous iTunes library? iTunes has been split into Music, Podcast, and TV. You can enjoy your music in the new Music App but when you wanna know how to sync iTunes to iPhone, you turn to Finder. Follow the instructions below to learn how to sync music from iTunes to iPhone on Mac.

Step 1. Open Finder on Mac and connect your iPhone to Mac with a USB cable.

Step 2. Select your device in the sidebar of Finder > Select Music section in the button bar.

Step 3. Check Sync Music to iPhone and select the songs > Click Apply to sync/transfer iTunes library to iPhone on Mac.

Sync Music Mac

Part 2. How to Get iTunes Library on iPhone Without iTunes

iTunes will erase existing songs on iPhone during the sync. You may wonder whether there is a way to transfer music from iTunes to iPhone without syncing. Besides, if you want to transfer non-purchased songs, iTunes is not the best tool. Then we recommend AOMEI FoneBackup, which is one of the best iOS transfer tools. It can help you directly drag and drop purchased and non-purchased music from PC to your iPhone without deleting anything. Compared with iTunes, it has many advantages.

● Direct Transfer. Just add any music from the partitions on computer to your iPhone.
● Fast Transfer. It is much faster than iTunes when transferring data between iPhone and computer.
● Safe Transfer. You can feel free to transfer music with AOMEI FoneBackup because your data on your iPhone won’t be influenced.
● Transfer to PC. iTunes could only send specific data to an iOS device, but can’t export them to computer. AOMEI FoneBackup could do both.
● Widely Compatible.  AOMEI FoneBackup supports models of iOS devices, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod.

Click the download button to get AOMEI FoneBackup and here is a full guide on how to transfer songs from iTunes library onto iPhone in minutes.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7
Secure Download

Step 1. Launch AOMEI FoneBackup and connect iPhone to computer with USB cable.

Step 2. On the home screen of AOMEI FoneBackup, select Phone Transfer > Move the cursor to PC to iPhone > Click Start Transfer.

Transfer to iPhone

Step 3. Click any area in the box to add music from computer.

Tips: How to locate the music files in iTunes library

You can add music into iTunes library from any partitions on computer but it is not necessary to add them from every folder. Just select all of them at a time.
Click Files in iTunes > select Library > select Consolidate Files. iTunes would make a copy of all the music files into one folder. Usually, it is C:\Users\YourUserName\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media so you can select your music in the folder iTunes Media.

Select Files

Step 4. After selecting all the music from iTunes library, click Start Transfer to send them to your iPhone.

Transfer Music to iPhone

Wait for seconds, your iTunes library will be moved to your iPhone. If you want to export music, refer to this guide: How to Transfer Music from iPhone to iTunes.

Final Words

iTunes library contains your favorite music. It is worth being enjoyed on your iPhone. The above content has introduced how to transfer iTunes library to iPhone 15/14/13/12/11/X/SE on Windows and Mac. You can use the 3 ways to enjoy your iTunes music on your iPhone.

If you want to transfer songs from iTunes library to iPhone without syncing, AOMEI FoneBackup is recommended to you. It can help you drag and drop selected songs to iPhone without iTunes. Besides, you can also let it help you transfer photos, videos and more. Try it out!

Lena
Lena · Editor
Lena is an editor of Aomei, with years of experience in the field of mobile data backup and transfer, possessing rich expertise in solving iOS-related issues. She loves traveling, eating, reading and so on. She takes most of her time with her family when she is not working.