iTunes Articles

Step by Step / Updated 01-26-2022

iTunes comes preinstalled on every new Mac that's been sold since 2003. But if you have an older Mac, installing iTunes is easy. To manually install iTunes on to a Mac or manually upgrade the version you have, start at the Apple website.

Step by Step / Updated 06-26-2017

Open an iTunes account (Apple ID) to purchase media such as music, movies, audiobooks, podcasts, and so on. Install iTunes on your computer, and setup an iTunes account to create the Apple ID. With it, you can log onto iTunes, purchase and download media onto your computer, and synch (transfer) that media to your iPad. You need an iTunes account in order to register your iPad and use it for the first time. If you purchased your iPad from the Apple Online Store, then you already have an iTunes account (Apple ID).

Video / Updated 03-08-2017

As soon as you have Apple iTunes set up, you can shop for music or videos. This video also shows you how to download your purchases to play them on your computer or music player.

Step by Step / Updated 03-01-2017

iTunes lets you add podcast episodes to your playlists, or you can even create a playlist consisting entirely of podcast episodes. However, podcasts are a slightly different animal than albums or songs. You can drag individual podcast episodes to a playlist. However, if you drag a podcast by its name, iTunes adds to the playlist only the most recent episodes you listened to (even if only for one second). To add episodes that you haven’t heard, you have to select the episodes and then drag them to the playlist.

Article / Updated 10-20-2016

You probably won’t be too surprised to discover that, on the off chance your iPod gets confused or refuses to turn on, you can fix it by resetting it and restarting the system — just like computers and other iPods. Resetting does not restore the iPod touch to its original factory condition, nor does it erase anything — your content and settings remain intact. To reset the iPod touch, touch and hold the sleep/wake button and the Home button at the same time for at least 15 seconds, ignoring the red Slide to Power Off slider, until the Apple logo appears. After you reset the iPod touch, everything should be back to normal, including your music and data files. Resetting your iPod touch settings You can reset all or part of your iPod touch settings while leaving your content and personal information intact. To see your resetting options, choose Settings→General→Reset from the Home screen (Reset is at the very bottom of the General settings screen). The Reset screen appears with the following options: Reset All Settings: To return your iPod touch to its original condition with no preferences or settings while still keeping your content or your personal information (including contacts, calendars, and e-mail accounts) intact, tap Reset All Settings. Erase All Content and Settings: To erase everything, first connect the iPod touch to your computer or a power adapter, and then tap Erase All Content and Settings. This operation can take a while, and you can’t use the iPod touch until it finishes. Reset Network Settings: You can reset your network settings so that your previously used networks are removed from the Wi-Fi list. This type of reset is useful if you can’t find any other way to stop a Wi-Fi network from connecting automatically to your iPod touch — just tap Reset Network Settings, and you’re automatically disconnected from any Wi-Fi network. (Wi-Fi is turned off and then back on.) Reset Keyboard Dictionary: To reset the keyboard dictionary, tap Reset Keyboard Dictionary. This erases all words that have been added to the dictionary. (Words are added when you reject words suggested by the onscreen keyboard and type the word.) Reset Home Screen Layout: If you rearranged the icons on your Home screen, you may want to set them back to their original positions. To reset your Home screen to the default arrangement, tap Reset Home Screen Layout. Reset Location & Privacy: You can reset your location and privacy settings by tapping Reset Location & Privacy. Resetting an iPod nano and iPod classic To reset an iPod nano, press the sleep/wake button and the Home button for six seconds, until the Apple logo appears. To reset the iPod classic, follow these steps: Toggle the hold switch. Slide the hold switch to the right, exposing the orange layer, to lock the buttons, and then slide it back to unlock. Press the Menu and select buttons simultaneously and hold for at least 6 seconds or until the Apple logo appears; then release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. The appearance of the Apple logo signals that your iPod is resetting itself, so you no longer have to hold down the buttons. Release the Menu and select buttons as soon as you see the Apple logo. If you continue to press the buttons after the logo appears, the iPod displays the low battery icon, and you must connect it to a power source before using it again. To reset iPod nano or iPod classic settings, choose Settings→Reset Settings from the iPod nano Home screen or iPod classic main menu, and then select Reset (or Cancel to cancel). This resets all the items on the Settings menu to their default settings. Resetting an iPod shuffle To reset the iPod shuffle, first disconnect it from your computer (if you haven’t already done so) and then slide the three-position switch to the Off position. The green stripe under the switch should not be visible. Wait 5 seconds and then switch the slider back to the Shuffle Songs or Play in Order position. After resetting, everything should be back to normal, including your music and data files.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

Although it's designed by Apple, iTunes runs just fine on a Windows PC. To install iTunes on a PC, start at the download page for the free iTunes for Windows software at the Apple Web site.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

iTunes makes buying music and videos easy. But before you can purchase your first song or video, you need to set up an iTunes Store account. Follow these steps to get your Store Account situated:

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

You need to create a playlist to burn a CD in iTunes, but playlists can also make it easier to play items you like without browsing the entire iTunes library looking for them. You can create playlists of individual songs or entire albums.

Step by Step / Updated 03-27-2016

You can sync your entire iTunes library with your iPod, if you have enough space. Follow these five easy steps to sync all the content and apps in your iTunes library to an iPod:

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

iTunes can sing to a variety of audio file formats. Most digital tracks imported into the iTunes database are compressed (or shrunken) so that the music doesn’t require a lot of space on your Mac. But when you compress your songs, you generally have a tradeoff between file size and sound quality. As you might imagine, larger files offer the finest sonic fidelity — at least in theory. The best known of these compression schemes is MP3, a method in which files are squeezed to a reasonable size, even though the sound is perfectly acceptable to all but the most serious audiophiles. Apple prefers an alternate compression method. On Macs with QuickTime 6.2 or later, Apple uses a default encoding scheme known as MPEG-4 AAC (Advanced Audio Coding), a compression format that Apple claims is equal if not superior to MP3s encoded at the same or a slightly higher bit rate. (If you have an earlier version of QuickTime, MP3 is the default.) The songs you purchase at the iTunes Store are also in the AAC format. According to Apple, the High Quality AAC setting produces files that take up less than 1MB for each minute of music. But iTunes also recognizes other file formats, among them: Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV. These last two flavors are uncompressed, so the music is of exceptional quality, but the files gobble up disk space. Apple Lossless is an audiophile format that matches AIFF and WAV in sound quality but takes up half the space. If you’re inclined to mess with these file formats, visit iTunes Preferences, click the Advanced tab, and make your choice in the Importing section. You can set up the encoder to import using AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, MP3, or WAV, and also choose the stereo bit rate. In techie terms, 128 Kbps is the default.