How to Put Music on Any iPod (Windows, Mac & Linux Guide)

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A complete step-by-step guide to getting music on your iPod

Co-authored by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: March 12, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Using Finder
|
• Using iTunes
|
• Using the Apple Music App
|
• Using the iTunes Store App
|
• Buying iTunes Store Music
|
• Using RePear

|Show more |Show less

Over the years, Apple has changed how you can add music to an iPod. In this article, we cover all the possible ways: using Apple Music on your Mac, using iTunes on your PC (or older Mac), using the Apple Music or iTunes apps on your iPod touch, and using RePear, an alternative way to transfer music to certain older iPod models. Read on to learn more.

Adding Music to Your iPod

If you have a Mac with macOS Catalina or newer, you must use Apple Music—which automatically syncs to your iPod if you are subscribed. On PCs and older Macs, you must use iTunes. You can also transfer music with the Apple Music or iTunes app on an iPod touch. Older iPod models can use RePear.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 6:

Using Finder (macOS Catalina & Later)

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1. 1
   Connect your device to your Mac. If you're on macOS Catalina or later, you can use Finder to transfer music from Apple Music to your iPod. If you're on an older version of macOS or you're on Windows, you can still use iTunes following the steps later in this article.

   • Apple phased out iTunes on Mac with the introduction of macOS Catalina. You can no longer use iTunes on your Mac to transfer music to your iPod.
   • If you subscribe to Apple Music, all of your music is automatically synced to your iPod, and you don't need to move music over manually.
2. 2
   Open Finder. It looks like a smiley face on a white and blue icon. It's in your dock by default.
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3. 3
   Choose your device in the sidebar. It should say something like "[your name]'s iPod" unless you renamed the device.
4. 4
   Click the Music tab. Near the top of the Finder window, there will be a number of tabs. The Music tab is the second one, between General and Movies.
5. 5
   Click the checkbox next to "Sync music onto [device name]." If you want to sync all of your music, make sure the radio button next to "Entire music library" is selected next to the Sync label. Otherwise, click "Selected artists, albums, genres, and playlists" to manually choose which music to sync to your iPod.

   • If you want to include any music videos, make sure the "Includes videos" option is checked. If you don't want music videos to be included, simply uncheck this option.
   • If you have a large music library that won't entirely fit on your iPod, click the option that says "Automatically fill free space with songs." This will fit as much music as possible onto your iPod.
6. 6
   Click Apply. Your Mac will begin syncing songs to your iPod.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 6:

Using iTunes (PC and macOS Mojave & Earlier)

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1. 1
   Open iTunes on your computer. The icon looks like a multicolored musical note inside a white background with a multicolored ring around the outside. iTunes can be used to add music to your iPod if you use a Windows computer, or if you're using an old version of macOS.

   • If iTunes prompts you to download the most recent version, do so.
   • If you have an iPod touch, this is the only way you can transfer music to your device on Windows. While there are alternative software you can use if you have an older iPod model, none of this software supports iPod touch, or the software is known not to work and/or charge money to be used.
2. 2
   Attach your iPod to your computer. Using your iPod cable, plug the USB end into your computer and the other end into your iPod charging port.

   • If your iTunes has auto-sync for music enabled, simply opening iTunes and plugging in your iPod will add any new music to your iPod.
3. 3
   Click on the media drop-down menu. It's in the upper-left corner of the screen next to the icon of your iPod.
4. 4
   Click on Music. It's the first selection in the menu.
5. 5
   Click a "Library" option. In the "Library" section in the left pane of the iTunes window, there are several ways in which to view the music in your library:

   • Recently Added
   • Artists
   • Albums
   • Songs
   • Genres
6. 6
   Click on and drag an item onto your iPod. Drag a song or album from the library on the right side of the window to your iPod's icon in the left pane of the window, under the "Devices" section.

   • A blue rectangle will surround your iPod's icon.
   • You can select multiple items by clicking on them while holding down Ctrl (PC) or ⌘ Command (Mac).
7. 7
   Drop the song(s) on your iPod. Do so by releasing the mouse or trackpad button, which will start the upload to your iPod.
8. 8
   Wait for your music to finish uploading. Once the process is done, you can disconnect your iPod from the desktop.

   • Look for music in the Music app, under the "Downloaded Music" tab in the Library.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 6:

Using the Apple Music App on Your iPod

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1. 1
   Save music from Apple Music to your library. With Apple Music, you can stream your music to your iPod over the internet without needing to download it to your device. However, if you want to listen to your music offline, you'll need to first save the music to your library.

   • You need to be connected to a Wi-Fi network to use this method.
   • If you still use the iTunes app on your iPod, jump to our section on using the iTunes app and purchasing music on the iTunes app.
     • The steps in this section are for an iPod touch. If you have an older iPod model, you'll need to use Apple Music or iTunes on your computer to transfer music to your device.
   • To save music to your library from Apple Music, you can do one of the following:
     • Long-press on a song, playlist, or album and tap Add to Library.
     • When viewing an album or playlist, tap the plus sign button at the top of the screen to add it to your library. You can also tap the three horizontal dots and then tap Add to Library.
     • When viewing the Now Playing screen, tap the three horizontal dots, then tap Add to Library.
2. 2
   Download the music from your library to your device. To do this, simply long-press on the song, album, or playlist you saved in your library and tap Download.

   • If you want to download more than one song, album, or playlist, you can either download them individually or choose to download music automatically. To do this, go to Settings > Music and enable Automatic Downloads.
   • If you are running out of room on your iPod, go to Settings > Music > Optimize Storage. Your iPod will automatically remove downloaded music that you haven't listened to in a while.
     • The songs removed will still be available in your Apple Music app to listen to, but won't be available for offline listening unless you download them again.
     • You can also manually clear out songs by long-pressing on a song, playlist, or album you've downloaded and tapping Remove > Remove Downloads.
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Method 4

Method 4 of 6:

Using the iTunes Store App on Your iPod

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1. 
   1
   Open the iTunes Store app. It's a purple app with a white musical note inside a white circle.

   • You need to be connected to a Wi-Fi network to use this method.
   • If you still use the iTunes app on your iPod, jump to our section on using the iTunes app and purchasing music on the iTunes app.
     • The steps in this section are for an iPod touch. If you have an older iPod model, you'll need to use Apple Music or iTunes on your computer to transfer music to your device.
2. 
   2
   Tap More. It's an ellipsis icon in the lower-right corner of the screen.
3. 
   3
   Tap Purchased.
4. 
   4
   Tap the type of Music.
5. 
   5
   Tap Not on This iPod. It's in the upper-right corner of the screen.
6. 
   6
   Tap an artist or title. Music is arranged alphabetically by artist.
7. 
   7
   Tap

   

   . It appears to the right of the song or album you've purchased and want to download.

   • The music or video will begin downloading to your iPod.
   • Look for music in the Music app, under the "Downloaded Music" tab in the Library.
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Method 5

Method 5 of 6:

Buying Music on the iTunes Store App

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1. 
   1
   Open the iTunes Store app. It's a purple app with a white musical note inside a white circle.

   • You need to be connected to a Wi-Fi network to use this method.
   • If you still use the iTunes app on your iPod, jump to our section on using the iTunes app and purchasing music on the iTunes app.
     • The steps in this section are for an iPod touch. If you have an older iPod model, you'll need to use Apple Music or iTunes on your computer to transfer music to your device.
2. 
   2
   Find music. You can do this in a few ways:

   • Tap Search. It's a magnifying glass icon in the lower-right part of the screen.
   • Do this if you're searching for a specific song, artist, or genre, then tap the "Search" field at the top of the screen. Type the title, artist, or keyword in the field, then tap the result you're looking for.
   • Tap Music. It's a musical note icon in the lower-left corner of the screen.
     • Do this to browse through songs, albums, artists, ringtones, and genres on the iTunes Store.
3. 
   3
   Tap the price. To download a song or album, tap the price next to the title.
4. 
   4
   Tap BUY (MEDIA). This button will appear in the same place as the price button. After tapping, you might be asked to enter your Apple Account ID again. The music you purchased will begin downloading to your iPod.

   • Look for purchased music in the Music app, under the "Downloaded Music" tab in the Library.
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Method 6

Method 6 of 6:

Using RePear on Linux and Windows

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1. 1
   Download RePear. If you have a certain iPod model, you can use RePear to manage your music instead of Apple Music or iTunes. However, be aware that this comes with some caveats:

   • RePear is confirmed to work with iPod photo 4G, iPod video 5G, iPod classic 6G, iPod nano 1G, iPod nano 2G, iPod nano 3G, iPod nano 4G, iPod shuffle 1G, and iPod shuffle 2G. It may work with iPod 1G, iPod 2G, iPod 3G, iPod 4G, iPod mini 1G, and iPod mini 2G.
     • RePear will not work with iPod nano 5G, iPod nano 6G, iPod shuffle 3G, iPod shuffle 4G, and iPod touch. For all iPod models except for the touch, this is due to an incompatible file structure. For the iPod touch, it's due to fundamental iOS changes that inhibit RePear from working.
     • If you don't know what model of iPod you have, it's usually engraved on the back. You can also find this info in Settings > General (if your iPod has a screen).
   • RePear works with Windows, Mac, and Linux, but only has a GUI (graphical user interface) on Windows. On Mac and Linux, you will need to enter some commands to use RePear. It isn't difficult to use, but it'll be easier to use RePear if you have some tech knowledge to start with.
     • If you're on Windows, be sure to download the .ZIP version of RePear. On Mac and Linux, download the .TAR.GZ version.
     • On Mac and Linux (both Unix distributions), you'll also need a Python runtime for RePear to work. Most Unix distributions install Python by default, but if you don't have one, any Python version between 2.3 and 2.6 will work.
   • RePear only supports .MP3, .OGG, and .AAC music files. If you have a DRM-protected iTunes music file (.M4P) you cannot transfer it to your iPod with RePear as it's impossible to do with the protections on the file.
   • RePear does not support transferring photos, podcasts, and audiobooks.
2. 2
   Prepare your iPod. Connect your iPod to your computer. If your iPod is brand new, you should connect it to your computer and initialize it with iTunes or Apple Music at least once. If your iPod is not brand new, you can either clear out all of your existing music files (using iTunes or Apple Music) or leave them on the device.
3. 3
   Install RePear on your iPod. How you do this differs depending on if you're on Windows or Mac/Linux:

   • Windows: Extract the RePear .ZIP to your iPod's root directory.
   • Mac/Linux: Extract the RePear .TAR.GZ and move all the .PY and .INI files to your iPod's root directory.
4. 4
   Configure RePear. RePear must be configured to generate cover artwork for songs and albums. You can also configure RePear for scrobbling with last.fm (if desired).

   • Windows: Double-click the rePearUI.exe file in your iPod root directory, then click config. Choose your iPod model from the dropdown, and input your last.fm login information if you want to use the last.fm scrobbling feature.
   • Mac/Linux: Double-click the repear.py file in your iPod root directory. Then, type the command repear config and press ⏎ Return/↵ Enter. Use the text-based wizard in Terminal to choose your iPod's model and enter your last.fm login info.
     • If you don't want to supply your last.fm login info or don't plan to use the scrobbling feature, just press ⏎ Return/↵ Enter to skip it.
     • If asked if you want to execute the program in Terminal, click the confirmation button.
5. 5
   Dissect any remaining songs on your iPod (optional). If you have songs remaining on your iPod, you can choose to leave them alone. However, you won't be able to use RePear to modify (such as move or delete) those songs unless you dissect your iPod's music library. After dissecting your library, you'll see a folder on your iPod called "Dissected Tracks" that contains the songs that were previously on your iPod.

   • Windows: Click the dissect button in the GUI, then confirm the command.
   • Mac/Linux: With repear.py open, type the command repear dissect and press ⏎ Return/↵ Enter.
6. 6
   Copy your music onto your iPod. You can do this using Windows Explorer, Finder, or any other file management program you have on your computer. You can also create your own file structure and organize it however you want.

   • It's not recommended to put the files you copied over into the /iPod_Control/Music folder.
   • A simple way to organize your music is to make a folder on your iPod called /Music, then create subfolders for each artist. Within each artist subfolder, create subfolders for each album. Then, the songs will go into the appropriate album subfolder.
7. 7
   Run RePear. Once you've finished copying your music to your iPod, you must run RePear to format the music files so the iPod can read them. This is called freezing. Note: this process can take some time, so allow it to fully complete before closing RePear or disconnecting your iPod.

   • Windows: In the GUI, click the freeze button.
   • Mac/Linux: Type the repear command in the repear.py Terminal window and press ⏎ Return/↵ Enter.
8. 8
   Disconnect your iPod and listen to your music. Make sure to safely disconnect your iPod. If you unplug it directly, you risk corrupting the data on your device. How you do this varies depending on your OS:

   • Windows: Right-click the Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media icon in your taskbar, then click your iPod.
   • Mac: Click the eject button next to the device in Finder.
   • Linux: Use the unmount command.
9. 9
   Add more music. The next time you want to add more music, follow these steps (which differ slightly from the steps above):

   • Plug your iPod into your computer.
   • Open RePear (rePearUI.exe on Windows, repear.py on Mac/Linux).
   • Unfreeze the music. On Windows, click the unfreeze button in the GUI. On Mac/Linux, run the repear command.
   • Add your music using your computer's file management program.
   • Freeze your music again. On Windows, click the freeze button in the GUI. On Mac/Linux, run the repear command.
   • Safely disconnect your iPod once the freezing process is complete.
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