Apple Music Library Recovery: Get Your Music Back After Subscription Ends

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Grace
October 31, 2024

Unlike Spotify, Apple Music doesn’t offer a free tier. But sometimes you might need to pause your subscription for a while. If you’ve built a massive music library with years of curated playlists, the thought of losing it can be nerve-wracking. Unfortunately, some users have encountered this issue.

This guide will help you to get back your Apple Music library after a subscription pause, and discuss ways to back up your library and playlists to prevent future music loss. With a little planning, you can enjoy Apple Music’s flexibility without worrying about losing your precious music collection.

Contents

  1. Restore Apple Music Library with Sync Library
  2. If Your Apple Music Isn’t Restored
  3. How to Back Up Your Apple Music Library

Restore Apple Music Library with Sync Library

If you cancel your subscription to Apple Music, your music library, including downloaded songs, will be removed. You can restore your library after renewing your subscription, but you’ll need to redownload any songs for offline listening.

To restore your Apple Music library, you’ll need to use the “Sync Library” feature. Here’s how to sync your library across different devices:

Sync Apple Music Library on iPhone/iPad

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Scroll down and select Music.
  3. Locate Sync Library and turn it on.
sync apple music library iphone

Turn on Apple Music Sync Library on Mac

  1. Launch the Music app on your Mac.
  2. Select Music > Settings from the top menu bar.
  3. In the General tab, check the box next to Sync Library and click OK.
enable sync library mac

Enable Apple Music Sync Library on Windows

  1. Open iTunes on your PC, choose Edit > Preferences
  2. Select the General tab, then check the checkbox next to iCloud Music Library.
  3. Click OK to save the change.
icloud music library pc

If Your Apple Music Isn’t Restored

When you turn Sync Library on, Apple stores your songs on iCloud and makes them available across your devices. However, Apple will delete your iCloud music library after you cancel Apple Music. This deletion can occur anywhere between 30 and 180 days. While some users have reported longer retention, it’s not guaranteed.

If you find your Apple Music library and playlists missing after resubscribing, here are some troubleshooting steps you can try to recover your music:

1. Switch Sync Library Off and On

Try turning off the “Sync Library” setting in your Apple Music settings, then turn it back on. This can sometimes trigger a resync of your library data.

2. Check Apple Music Web Player or Another Device

Sign in to Apple Music on the web player (music.apple.com) or a different device you use with Apple Music. This will help you see if your library is still accessible elsewhere. If it is, the issue might be specific to the current device you’re using.

3. Give Apple Music Time to Sync

Sometimes, restoring your library can take a while after resubscribing. Be patient and allow Apple Music some time to sync your data. Some users have reported that Apple can take more than one hour or even one day to restore their Apple Music library.

4. Use a VPN to Set to Your Home Region

In some cases, regional restrictions might play a role. If you’re currently outside your home region, Apple Music may only show content available in your current location. try using a VPN to switch the server to your home region and see whether your Apple Music library shows up.

5. Request Your Listening Data

Apple allows you to request your listening data, which might include playlists. However, keep in mind that it won’t restore your entire library. You’ll have to manually add your songs and playlists back to your account.

Here is how you can request your Apple Music data:

  1. Head to the Data and Privacy page (privacy.apple.com/account) and sign in with your Apple Music ID.
  2. Click “Request a copy of your data ›” under “Get a copy of your data”.
  3. Select “Apple Media Services Information” and any other relevant data you want to download. Scroll down and click “Continue.
  4. Choose the maximum file size you’re comfortable downloading and click “Complete Request.”
  5. Apple will send a confirmation email to your Apple ID address. They’ll also notify you when your data is ready to download.

How to Back Up Your Apple Music Library

If you are thinking of canceling Apple Music, here are three options to back up your playlists and library. This way, even if your music disappears after resubscribing, you can easily restore it.

Option 1. Export Your Library and Playlists with Apple Music

Apple Music allows you to export individual playlists and your entire library in XML format. While you can also export playlists to TXT or M3U formats, XML is recommended for importing them back into Apple Music.

Exporting Apple Music Playlists and Library:

  1. Open the Music app on Mac or iTunes on Windows.
  2. For a single playlist:
    • Select the playlist in the sidebar on the left and click File > Library > Export Playlist.
    • Set the format as XML and click Save.
  3. For the entire library:
    • Choose File > Library > Export Library. The data will be saved as an XML file.
Export-Apple-Music-Library-and-Playlists

Importing Playlists or Library Back into Apple Music:

  1. Go to the menu bar of Music (Mac) or iTunes (Windows), and click File > Library > Import Playlist.
  2. Select the previously exported XML playlist or library file you want to import.
  3. Click Open to import the data back into your Apple Music library.

Important Note: While Apple Music lets you import exported playlists back in, there’s a chance the songs might not show up correctly. They might appear greyed out with error messages. If you encounter issues importing your playlists back into Apple Music, consider using playlist transfer tools like TuneMyMusic or Soundiiz. These tools can help import and match your saved playlists back to your Apple Music library.

Option 2. Use Playlist Transfer Tools

A playlist transfer tool is a software application or online service that helps you easily migrate your playlists or entire music libraries between different music streaming platforms. These tools can also be used to export playlists to common file formats like TXT or CSV for backup purposes, and even import them back later.

Some popular playlist transfer tools include TuneMyMusic, Soundiiz, and FreeYourMusic. They typically offer both free and premium plans, with the free versions often limiting the number of tracks you can transfer.

Export Apple Music Playlists with TuneMyMusic (Free Up to 500 Tracks):

  1. Visit tunemymusic.com and click the “Let’s Start” button.
  2. Select Apple Music as the source platform for your playlists.
  3. Log into your Apple Music. By clicking on AGREE you will allow the app to access your Apple Music activity.
  4. You’ll see a list of all your Apple Music playlists, songs, albums, and artists. Choose the playlists you want to transfer.
  5. Choose your destination platform, such as Spotify or YouTube. You can also choose “Export to File” if you want to save your playlist as a TXT or CSV file.
TuneMyMusic

Importing Music Back to Apple Music with TuneMyMusic:

If you previously exported your playlist as a file (XML, TXT, CSV, M3U, M3U8, PLS, WPL, and XSPF), you can import it back to Apple Music by choosing “Upload File” when selecting the source in TuneMyMusic. Follow the on-screen instructions for a smooth import process.

Upload-File-TuneMyMusic

Option 3. Keep Apple Music Downloads After Canceling Subscription

The ultimate solution to back up your Apple Music Library is to download them to commonly supported format files such as MP3. This allows you to enjoy free Apple music forever and access your music collection on any device even after your subscription expires.

Tools like Pazu Apple Music Converter offer this capability, empowering you to download any Apple Music songs, albums, and playlists to universally supported formats like MP3, AAC, WAV, FLAC, M4A, and AIFF. It runs on both Mac and Windows platforms and ensures no loss in audio quality during conversion. In addition, Pazu Apple Music Converter can download your music collection at speeds up to 10 times faster than other similar software, saving you valuable time. It seamlessly integrates with the web player, eliminating the need for iTunes or the Apple Music app.

Key Features of Pazu Apple Music Converter

  • Download Apple Music songs, albums and playlists
  • Save Apple Music as MP3, M4A, etc.
  • 10x Fast Music download speed
  • Lossless audio quality
  • Keep original ID3 tags & metadata
  • Play downloads on any device
  • User-friendly interface

The following tutorial will show you how to download Apple Music to MP3 and get Apple Music for free.

Step 1. Launch Pazu Apple Music Converter

Download, install and run Pazu Apple Music Converter on your Mac or Windows.

Apple Music Converter

Step 2. Choose the Output Format

Click the gear icon to customize the output format or output folder. The default format is M4A in 256kbps. Apple Music Converter also supports MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, and AIFF.

Apple Music Converter Settings

Step 3. Choose a Playlist, Artist, or Album to Download

Search for a playlist, artist, or album you want to download. Click the “Add to List” button to load all songs in the album or playlist.

Add to List

Step 4. Download Apple Music Songs

Uncheck the songs you don’t want to download if there are any. Click the “Convert” button to download Apple Music songs, albums, and playlists to MP3.

convert Apple Music

After downloading, click the clock icon in the upper right to view the converted Apple Music songs. You can play them on any supported device, even after canceling your Apple Music subscription.