How to Transfer Music From an Old iPod to Your Computer or iPhone
Prevent iTunes From Automatically Syncing With Your Device
Do you have an old iPod that is sitting around just gathering dust? It might still have some old music on it that you no longer possess in any other form. If that is the case, grab your old music player because it is possible to transfer the music from your iPod to your computer.
First of all, you will need to make sure that you can transfer the music on your iPod without iTunes erasing it while it is syncing.
The method for preventing iTunes from automatically syncing with your iOS device is mostly the same method for Windows and Mac that are running Mojave or earlier:
- Ensure that you disconnect all iOS devices from your computer. Then, open up iTunes. In Windows, go to Edit > Preferences. On a Mac, go to iTunes > Preferences.
- On both platforms, click on the Devices tab and check the box that says Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically. Then click OK and close iTunes.
However, Macs that are running macOS Catalina and newer make use of Finder instead of iTunes to sync iOS devices. Because of this, you will need to open your device in Finder and uncheck the box that has the Automatically sync when this iPhone is connected option.
Copy Music From Your iPod to Your Computer
At this point, you can connect your iPod to your computer. It should show up as a drive both in the File Explorer on Windows and Finder on Mac. Open up the iPod drive and go to the iPod_Control > Music folder. You will see many folders labeled with an F and a number.
Select all the folders in the iPod_Control > Music folder and copy and paste them to a location that is on your hard drive. This would transfer your music from your iPod to your computer.
The files there all have random four-letter file names. If you are using a Windows PC, you can see the tags for each music file in the File Explorer. You would not see the tags in the Finder on a Mac.
Once you have copied the files, you can eject the iPod and disconnect it from the computer. On a Windows PC, right-click on the iPod drive in File Explorer and select Eject. Mac users should right-click on the iPod icon on the desktop and choose Eject.
Add the Music to Your iTunes Library
After transferring the music from your iPod to your computer, you can start making the necessary adjustments. First, add the music from your iPod to your iTunes library on your Windows PC or Mac. Note that on macOS Catalina and newer, your music library would come up in the Apple Music app since iTunes is gone.
By default, on Windows, adding items to your iTunes library creates a reference to the file’s current location. The original file would remain in the current location. Therefore, if you were to move the original files, iTunes would no longer see them.
You can have iTunes for Windows make a copy of each file and put them into the iTunes media folder. Moving the original files would then not affect the music that is in your iTunes library.
How to Centralize Your iTunes Music on Your Computer
Open up iTunes for Windows and go to Edit > Preferences. Click on the Advanced tab and check the box that says Copy files to iTunes Media folder when you are adding to library. This option is checked by default in iTunes for Mac.
Once it is enabled, all the media added to your iTunes library from then on would copy directly to the iTunes media folder. Now you would not have to worry about moving the original files anywhere else. Just remember that media added to your iTunes library before enabling that checkbox still links to the original media files.
How to Organize and Expand Your iTunes Library
To organize your iTunes Media folder into artist and album folders, check the Keep iTunes Media folder organized box. Again, iTunes/Apple Music for Mac turns this option on by default.
If you have space, it is a good idea to copy all your media files to the iTunes Media folder. That way, They are all in one location and easy to back up.
To copy the remaining media files that are linked to your iTunes library, go to File > Library > Organize Library. On the Organize Library dialog box, check the Consolidate files box and click on OK.
To add some or all of the music that you copied from your iPod to your iTunes library, go to either File > Add File to Library or File > Add Folder to Library in iTunes for Windows. If you are using a Mac, go to File > Add to Library. Then select the files or folder that you want to add.
Create a Playlist in iTunes
If you make use of playlists on your iPhone, you can create them in iTunes and they will sync to your iPhone. Whether using Mac or Windows, the procedure is the same across both systems.
To create a playlist, select the songs that you want in the playlist. Then right-click on the selected songs and click on Add to Playlist > New Playlist.
You can also rearrange the songs in the playlist by dragging and dropping them into different positions.
