Quick fixes

How to put music on an iPod

You put music on these iPods by syncing them: in the Finder on a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, or in iTunes on a Windows PC or an older Mac. Pick your computer and your iPod for the steps.

Quick answer

  • On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later: connect the iPod, open a Finder window and select the iPod in the sidebar.
  • The iPod isn't in the Finder sidebar? Choose Finder > Settings, click Sidebar and tick "CDs, DVDs, and iOS Devices".
  • On a Windows PC, use iTunes. On Windows 10 or 11, get iTunes from the Microsoft Store (or from apple.com/itunes). On Windows 7 or 8, install iTunes 12.10.11 from Apple's download page: newer iTunes needs Windows 10. On Windows XP or Vista, the last iTunes is 12.1.3.
  • Open iTunes, connect the iPod, click the iPod button near the top left, click Music, tick Sync Music, choose the music and click Apply.
  • Connect the iPod. If a message offers to Erase and Sync (in newer iTunes: Remove and Sync), click Cancel: that replaces every song on the iPod with the music on this computer.

Every step, by model

What do you want to do?

Which iPod do you have?

Not sure which one? Identify your iPod

Step by step

  1. On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later: connect the iPod, open a Finder window and select the iPod in the sidebar.
  2. The iPod isn't in the Finder sidebar? Choose Finder > Settings, click Sidebar and tick "CDs, DVDs, and iOS Devices".
  3. Mac with only USB-C ports? Connect the iPod's USB cable through a USB-C to USB adapter. On a Mac laptop with Apple silicon, click Allow when the Mac asks about the iPod.
  4. On a MacBook Neo, use the rightmost USB-C port as you face the Mac's left side: Apple says to connect USB 2 devices there.
  5. Click Music, tick "Sync music onto" your iPod, choose all your music or the artists, albums and playlists you want, then click Apply.
  6. On a Windows PC, use iTunes. On Windows 10 or 11, get iTunes from the Microsoft Store (or from apple.com/itunes). On Windows 7 or 8, install iTunes 12.10.11 from Apple's download page: newer iTunes needs Windows 10. On Windows XP or Vista, the last iTunes is 12.1.3.
  7. Open iTunes, connect the iPod, click the iPod button near the top left, click Music, tick Sync Music, choose the music and click Apply.
  8. WMA files don't play on these iPods: iTunes for Windows can convert unprotected WMA files to AAC or MP3 so they sync.
  9. On a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier, use iTunes the same way.
  10. Connect the iPod. If a message offers to Erase and Sync (in newer iTunes: Remove and Sync), click Cancel: that replaces every song on the iPod with the music on this computer.
  11. Eject the iPod before you unplug it.
  12. iPod 3rd GenThe 3rd Gen syncs over USB as well as FireWire, on a Mac or a PC, Apple's pages from 2004 to 2013 say (we found no test of it on today's macOS or Windows 10 and 11). Over USB use Apple's USB 2.0 + FireWire cable and put its FireWire end on a FireWire charger, because USB never charges it. macOS Tahoe 26 removed FireWire, so on a newer Mac sync it over USB, or use a Mac with FireWire on macOS Sequoia 15 or earlier.

Steps from Apple's own iPod guides and support pages.

Sync iPod to Mac

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On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later the Finder syncs the iPod; on macOS Mojave or earlier, iTunes does.

  1. On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later: connect the iPod, open a Finder window and select the iPod in the sidebar.
  2. The iPod isn't in the Finder sidebar? Choose Finder > Settings, click Sidebar and tick "CDs, DVDs, and iOS Devices".
  3. Mac with only USB-C ports? Connect the iPod's USB cable through a USB-C to USB adapter. On a Mac laptop with Apple silicon, click Allow when the Mac asks about the iPod.
  4. On a MacBook Neo, use the rightmost USB-C port as you face the Mac's left side: Apple says to connect USB 2 devices there.
  5. Click Music, tick "Sync music onto" your iPod, choose all your music or the artists, albums and playlists you want, then click Apply.
  6. Connect the iPod. If a message offers to Erase and Sync (in newer iTunes: Remove and Sync), click Cancel: that replaces every song on the iPod with the music on this computer.
  7. On a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier, use iTunes the same way.
  8. iPod 3rd GenThe 3rd Gen syncs over USB as well as FireWire, on a Mac or a PC, Apple's pages from 2004 to 2013 say (we found no test of it on today's macOS or Windows 10 and 11). Over USB use Apple's USB 2.0 + FireWire cable and put its FireWire end on a FireWire charger, because USB never charges it. macOS Tahoe 26 removed FireWire, so on a newer Mac sync it over USB, or use a Mac with FireWire on macOS Sequoia 15 or earlier.
  9. An iPod set up on a Mac can't be used on a Windows PC without a restore, and a restore erases the songs: copy them off on a Mac.

Steps from Apple's own iPod guides and support pages.

Sync iPod to iTunes

Also searched as sync with iTunes · transfer music from iTunes to iPod · transfer music from PC to iPod · copy music from PC to iPod · sync iPod to PC · sync iPod to laptop · upload music to iPod Windows · upload music to iPod from Windows · synchronize iPod · upload music to iPod on Windows · iPod synch

iTunes syncs these iPods on a Windows PC and on a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier.

  1. On a Windows PC, use iTunes. On Windows 10 or 11, get iTunes from the Microsoft Store (or from apple.com/itunes). On Windows 7 or 8, install iTunes 12.10.11 from Apple's download page: newer iTunes needs Windows 10. On Windows XP or Vista, the last iTunes is 12.1.3.
  2. Open iTunes, connect the iPod, click the iPod button near the top left, click Music, tick Sync Music, choose the music and click Apply.
  3. Connect the iPod. If a message offers to Erase and Sync (in newer iTunes: Remove and Sync), click Cancel: that replaces every song on the iPod with the music on this computer.
  4. Eject the iPod before you unplug it.
  5. An iPod set up on a Mac can't be used on a Windows PC without a restore, and a restore erases the songs: copy them off on a Mac.

Steps from Apple's own iPod guides and support pages.

Manually add music to iPod

Also searched as manually add songs to iPod · stop iPod syncing · unsync iPod from iTunes

Managing music by hand lets you add songs one by one and use the iPod with more than one computer, without erasing it.

  1. To add songs one by one instead: in iTunes, click Summary, tick "Manually manage music and videos" and click Apply (in the Finder: General, then "Manually manage music, movies, and TV shows"), then drag songs from your library onto the iPod.
  2. WMA files don't play on these iPods: iTunes for Windows can convert unprotected WMA files to AAC or MP3 so they sync.
  3. Eject the iPod before you unplug it.
  4. Copying song files onto the iPod like a USB drive doesn't work: the iPod's own software plays only songs added by iTunes, the Finder or a music app made for iPods (below). Rockbox is the exception.
  5. Rockbox (free, rockbox.org) replaces the iPod software and plays song files that you copy onto the iPod like a USB drive.From repair references, not Apple
  6. It works only on an iPod set up on a Windows PC. An iPod set up on a Mac must be converted first (the easy way is to restore it in iTunes on a Windows PC), and converting erases its songs.From repair references, not Apple
  7. Turn on "Enable disk use" for the iPod in iTunes, then install Rockbox with Rockbox Utility (Windows, Mac or Linux) and follow its steps.From repair references, not Apple
  8. Then drag your music files onto the iPod, into any folder except .rockbox.From repair references, not Apple
  9. iPod 3rd GenOn the 3rd Gen Rockbox has no USB: start the iPod's own software to connect it (turn it off, slide the Hold switch on, then connect it).From repair references, not Apple
  10. Other apps that put music on these iPods without iTunes: CopyTrans Manager (Windows, free) and Swinsian (Mac, paid after a 30-day trial; turn on "Enable disk use" first).From repair references, not Apple

Steps from Apple's own iPod guides and support pages.

Still not working — free diagnostic

Mail us your iPod and we test it and send you a free repair quote. If you don't like the price, we ship it back at our expense.

Free diagnostic for the iPod 3rd GenFree diagnostic for the iPod 4th GenFree diagnostic for the iPod PhotoFree diagnostic for the iPod Video 5th GenFree diagnostic for the iPod Classic 6th GenFree diagnostic for the iPod Classic 7th GenFree diagnostic for the iPod Mini 1st GenFree diagnostic for the iPod Mini 2nd GenFree diagnostic

Free

Questions

Can you still put music on an old iPod?

Yes. Apple's current guides still cover it: on a Mac with macOS Catalina or later you sync it in the Finder, and on Windows you use iTunes (on Windows 7 or 8, iTunes 12.10.11).

Is there still iTunes on a Mac?

Not on a Mac with macOS Catalina or later: there your music library is in the Music app, and you sync the iPod in the Finder. iTunes is still made for Windows, and a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier still has it.

Will syncing erase the songs on my iPod?

Syncing makes the iPod match the computer's library, so songs that aren't in that library are removed, and an iPod synced with another computer offers to erase and sync. To keep what is on it, cancel and add songs by hand.

Can an old iPod connect to the internet or Wi-Fi?

No. These iPods have no Wi-Fi and never go online. Apple says the only way to add music is to sync the iPod with a computer: "There's no other way to add content to it."

Can I put songs from a CD on my iPod without iTunes?

On a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, yes: insert the CD in the Mac's drive or an external drive, click Yes to import it into the Music app, then sync the iPod in the Finder as above. On a Windows PC, Apple's way is iTunes: insert the CD, click Import CD, then sync.

Does my iPod play M4A and Apple Lossless files?

Yes. Apple's guide for each of these iPods lists AAC (M4A files), Apple Lossless, MP3, WAV and AIFF among the formats it plays. Songs you import from a CD in iTunes or the Music app are AAC files by default.

Can I put podcasts and audiobooks on my iPod?

Yes: Apple's guides say audiobooks go on the iPod the same way as songs. Podcasts sync too: in the Finder (macOS Catalina or later), select the iPod, click Podcasts, tick "Sync podcasts onto" it and click Apply; in iTunes, click Podcasts in the Settings list and select Sync. On the 3rd Gen they show up as a Podcasts playlist.

Can I put Spotify songs on my iPod?

No. Spotify's terms say its songs are licensed to you, not sold, and that you agree not to transfer them, so you can't copy them to an iPod. Music you own, such as songs you import from your CDs, syncs as usual.

Can I put music on my iPod with a Chromebook?

Not with Apple's software: it syncs these iPods in the Finder on a Mac or in iTunes on a Windows PC, and a Chromebook runs ChromeOS. Rockbox gets round that: once it is installed (from a Windows PC, Mac or Linux computer; see Manually add music), the iPod plays music files copied onto it like a USB drive, and a Chromebook can use USB drives.

Can you jailbreak an iPod Classic or iPod Mini?

No. Apple uses "jailbreaking" for unauthorized changes to iOS, and these iPods don't run iOS: they run Apple's own iPod software. If you want different software on them, Rockbox (free, from rockbox.org) can replace it: see Manually add music.