How to Put Music on Apple Music for Free? – Complete Guide

Apple Music only lets you access songs you purchased inside the app. Luckily, we know how to put music on Apple Music for free.

If you want to add your own tracks, we’ll help you!

While the Apple Music streaming service offers access to millions of songs, some songs, recordings, and demos may not be available in the service.

You can add them on your own, but you’ll need to download and install the iTunes app first.

Do you want to add music to Apple Music for free? Stay tuned to find out how!

To put a song on your Apple Music for free, first, you need to sign in to iTunes or Apple Music using the same account. Configure the sync settings on your device, then import your songs to Apple Music.

Before we discuss in detail the steps for adding songs to your Apple Music for free, let us talk about some important considerations when importing your music.

What You Need to Know Before Importing Your Music

Adding tracks, that you can’t find in iTunes isn’t easy, but it’s definitely worth it.

If you want to know how to put music on Apple Music for free, there are a few things you need to consider first.

1. Use iTunes for Windows PCs

iTunes is the easiest way to enjoy everything you need to be entertained. Download the version of iTunes on Windows if you don’t have a Mac.

You can get it from the Apple website or the Windows store.

2. Use Apple Music app for Macs

If you own a Mac, you can put songs on Apple Music using the Music app. Import music files and add them to your Apple Music cloud collection.

3. Convert Music to the Right Format

If you get songs from the Windows Media Player, it may have DRM protection that prevents it from working on Apple Music.

Be sure to convert them into unprotected files first. Also, files should be in MP3 and M4A format.

4. Not all Music is Available on Apple Music

Importing music is one of the features of Apple Music you probably didn’t know about.

It allows you to add your demos, live recordings, your own songs, and other tracks you can’t find in the service.

Now that you know everything about importing songs to Apple Music let us move on to the steps.

How to Put a Song on Apple Music for Free

Once all is ready, you can start importing your music to Apple Music. The process is mainly similar for both Mac and Windows users.

The main difference is going to be the software that you’re going to use to connect to your iCloud library.

We do provide the steps for both platforms, so you don’t have to worry about it.

Before importing your songs to Apple Music, we recommend that you back up those music files so you won’t lose them if something goes wrong.

There’s a file conversion step here, so it helps that you have multiple copies of the file.

Step #1: Convert Your Incompatible Formats to MP3

One of the primary considerations you need to take when you want to import your own songs to Apple Music is file compatibility.

Since Apple has its own ecosystem, most of the file formats that Music supports are proprietary.

However, there are also formats that are supported by other platforms like MP3.

Depending on your listening needs, you want to first convert your current music files before importing them to Apple Music.

This way, once you start uploading them, you shouldn’t have to repeat the process.

Here’s how to convert your songs on the Apple Music and iTunes apps:

On the Apple Music app on your Mac:

1. Open the Apple Music app.
2. Click on Music from the menu bar, then select Preferences.
3. Select the Files tab, then Import Settings.
4. Choose MP3 as the encoding format.
5. Select the songs you want to convert, click Convert, then Create Version.

On iTunes on your Windows computer:

1. Open the iTunes app on your computer.
2. Choose Edit from the menu bar, then Preferences.
3. Click on Import Settings, then choose MP3.
4. Choose the songs you want to convert.
5. Click on Convert, then Create Version.

Note: The process will duplicate your songs, and you’ll see the converted versions next to the original ones.

Step #2: Sign In to iTunes or Apple Music Using the Same Account

Now that you’ve converted the songs you want to import, the next step is to prepare your devices.

This is a vital step, so you don’t have to go back and redo everything, which is going to cost you a lot of time.

You need to ensure that all your devices are signed in to the same account to make the syncing process easier.

Here’s how to check the devices your Apple ID is logged in on:

1. Open the Apple Music or iTunes app on your computer.
2. From the menu bar, select Account, then View Account.
3. Select Manage Devices.
4. Check the devices associated with your account.
5. Make sure that your phone and computer are on there.

Note: If your device is not on the list, you’ll want to change the Apple ID that’s logged into it.

Step #3: Configure Sync Settings on Your Devices

If you want to put your own songs on Apple Music, one of the main reasons you’re doing it is so that you can listen to them on your phone.

You want to ensure that your sync settings are properly set up on all devices so you won’t need to troubleshoot it later.

If these are not set up properly, your songs will be on your Apple Music Library on your computer, but they won’t appear on your phone.

Here’s how to configure the sync settings on your computer and iPhone:

On your iPhone or iPad:

1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Go to Music.
3. Navigate to Sync Library.
4. Toggle the switch to the On position.

On your Mac or Windows device:

1. Open the Apple Music or iTunes app on your computer.
2. Select Music or Edit on the menu bar.
3. Click on Preferences.
4. Navigate to the General tab.
5. Turn on Sync Library or iCloud Music Library, and click OK.

Tip: The Sync Library feature isn’t turned on by default on iTunes for Windows, so you really want to enable it before you start importing your music.

Step #4: Import Your Songs to Apple Music on a Mac

After getting your settings and devices ready, it’s now time to import your music files to Apple Music.

As long as you’ve followed the preparatory steps, everything from this point on should be pretty straightforward.

Here are the steps to import your songs using the Apple Music app on your Mac:

1. Launch the Music app on your computer.
2. Click on File from the menu bar, then select Import.
3. Locate the files on the Finder window, and click Open.
4. Go to File, then Library.
5. Click on Update Cloud Library to upload your songs.

Step #5: Import Your Songs to Apple Music on Windows

If you have a Windows computer, the process is going to be similar. The only difference is that Windows does not have Apple Music.

Instead, you’re going to use iTunes to load your songs into your Apple Music Library.

Here’s how to add your own music to Apple Music using iTunes on Windows:

1. Open iTunes on your computer.
2. Select File, then Add File to Libary or Add Folder to Library.
3. Find the location of your music files and click on Select Folder.
4. Click on File, then Library.
5. Select Update iCloud Music Library to start the sync process.

Note: Make sure that the music files you’re uploading are already converted. If not, you can follow Step #1.

Step #6: Accessing Your Songs on Your Phone

After adding your songs to your Apple Music Library, you’re not yet done.

There’s one more step you need to take since the main reason why you imported them is so that you can listen to them on your phone.

If you don’t perform this step, you’re going to have a hard time figuring out the songs you uploaded.

Here’s how to find the songs on your iPhone:

1. Open the Apple Music app on your phone.
2. Tap on Library on the bottom menu.
3. Scroll to the top and look for the Recently Added section.
4. Tap on the songs you just added and synced to listen to them.
5. Create a Playlist so you can find them easily.

Pro Tip: If you don’t see the songs you just added, check your phone’s sync settings and restart the Apple Music app.

Putting your songs on the Apple Music app is easy.

Not to mention that it’s also free, so you can enjoy these songs that are not available through Apple Music’s streaming services.

If your songs don’t sync right away, you can contact Apple customer support for assistance.

There could be something wrong with your account or their service that only they can resolve.

Read Next: Apple Music Subscription Not Working? – Fixed!

Bottom Line

Now that you know how to put music on Apple Music for free, you can gather and import all your songs.

There is a lot of music that is not available through streaming, and if you have a copy, this is the best way to get them on your phone together with the rest of your favorites.

You’ll now be able to listen to them while you’re on the go.