'I have a music library on my iPod. I wanted to import some songs into iTunes. I connected the iPod with a Mac, iTunes opened, so I highlighted iPod songs and tried to drag them into Mac Pro's iTunes list. It doesn't work. So, is there any way to transfer music from iPod to Mac? Thanks for any input or advice.' -- from Apple Forum.
- How To Copy Music From Old Ipod To Mac
- Download Music From Computer To Ipod
- How To Copy Songs From Ipod To Mac Free Youtube

iPod is a fabulous device for music enjoyment, and many Apple fans put their entire music library on it. Now, suppose you want to enjoy iPod songs on the new Mac or add them to iTunes Library, transferring iPod music to Mac can be an inevitable step. Plus, you can also delete the iPod music to free up the device memory, by the way.
Well, in this informative guide, we dell on how to get music off iPod onto Mac in 5 verified ways. Now, let's explore the easiest and fastest solution to start with.
Select Your Wanted Music and Copy Them to PC. All files on your iPad will be displayed in categories in the left panel. To transfer music from iPod to iTunes, just click 'Music' folder and mark the songs you want to transfer. Then, click 'Export' on the top of the panel to export music files from iPad to PC immediately.
Solution 1: How to Transfer Music from iPod to Mac Easily & Quickly
Transferring iPod music to Mac can be easily done via MobiKin Assistant for iOS (Mac and Win). It offers an intuitive interface that clearly categorizes your iOS content, making it easier to preview and select the specific content for transfer. It also allows you to input the related info like file name, title, etc., at the search bar to find what you want quickly. Further, you can use it to give control over your iPod/iPhone/iPad like a cork.
Why choose Assistant for iOS?
- Transfer music from iPod to computer Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista or Mac computers selectively.
- The supported data types: contacts, SMS, photos, music, videos, eBooks, notes, Safari Bookmarks, voice memos, podcasts, ringtones, and more.
- Back up all iPod items to a computer without overwriting previous stuff and restore them easily.
- Manage your iOS data on Mac/PC directly at your will.
- Run smoothly on a wide range of iPhone, iPad, and iPod, such as iPod touch 5/4/3, iPod shuffle 4/3/2, iPod nano 6/5/4, iPod classic 3/2, etc.
- It delivers a free trial.
- It never interferes with the privacy of its users.
How to transfer iPod music to Mac with MobiKin Assistant for iOS?
- The following are the steps on how to transfer music from iPod to Mac: Step 1. Prevent iTunes from auto-syncing your iPod: plug the iPod into your computer launch iTunes while holding down both Command and Options buttons. Your iPod should now be available as a storage device in the Finder.
- For iTunes version 7 or later, then you can transfer purchased iTunes store music from the iPod to an authorized computer by using the 'file/transfer purchases from iPod' menu. Note that the maximum of 5 authorized computers applies here. Find out how to do that here. How to copy iTunes purchases from an iPod or iPhone to a computer.
- Hold down Ctrl (Windows) or ⌘ Command (Mac) while you click each song that you want to select. If you want to transfer all of your iPod's music onto your computer, skip to the next step's substep. Select a transfer folder.
- Click “Copy to iTunes” or “Copy to Folder” For more information, visit how to transfer iPod files to computer. Protect your iPad, iPod and iPhone against unwanted iTunes synchronizations. Easily transfers all music, videos, e-Books, ringtones and photos from your Apple device to your computer folder or iTunes.
Step 1. Download and install the Mac version of MobiKin Assistant for iOS on your Mac before launch it. Then connect your iPod to the Mac with a USB cord.
Step 2. Wait a few seconds for the automatic detection. After that, the detailed info of your iPod will appear on the program interface as below.
Step 3. Click 'Music' on the left menu, and all music list will turn up on the right. You can now preview and choose your desired songs to transfer. Finally, click 'Export' to save the items onto your Mac computer.
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Solution 2: How to Copy Music from iPod to Mac by AirDrop
Some may wonder how to transfer music from iPod to Mac without software. OK, it's also easy to do the task with AirDrop. Yet before the task, please first make sure that:
- Your iPod should work with iOS 7 or later.
- Your Mac computer is running OS X Yosemite or up.
- Both devices are connected to WiFi.
- Both your Mac and iPod are close to each other.
Next, let's explore how to move iPod music to Mac by AirDrop:
- Turn on AirDrop on your iPod and Mac computer.
- Open the 'Music' app and find the songs you'd like to transfer.
- Tap the 3-dot icon at the lower right corner of the screen.
- Select 'Share Song'.
- Choose to share with AirDrop and select the Mac as the recipient.
- On your Mac, click 'Accept' to receive songs shared from your iPod.
Solution 3: How to Transfer iPod Music to Mac via iTunes
Many iPod users may choose to move music on iPod from PC/Mac or do the transfer reversely without iTunes. That's because iTunes is unable to sync non-purchased items across. Thus, if you're to move the iPod songs that are purchased from iTunes Store, you can do the job in this way.
How to extract music from iPod to Mac via iTunes?
- Launch the latest version of iTunes on your Mac.
- Connect your iPod to the Mac via a USB cable.
- Click the 'File' section from the top left corner.
- From the pull-down list, choose 'Devices'.
- Select 'Transfer Purchased from [device].'
- All of your purchased music should be moved to this Mac. (P.S. iPod won't sync with iTunes? Click here)
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Solution 4: How to Transfer Music from iPod to Computer Mac via iCloud Music Library
iCloud Music Library enables you to transfer music from iPod to Mac computer, too, as long as you enable the feature on both your iPod and Mac, respectively. Note that you should input the iCloud account that is used for the Apple Music subscription. And it could be tedious to use the iCloud service for you folks.
How to download music from iPod to Mac via iCloud Music Library?
- Unlock your iPod and go to its 'Settings'.
- Scroll down to find the 'Music' tab.
- Locate and turn on 'iCloud Music Library'.
- Launch the latest version of iTunes on your Mac.
- Select iTunes > 'Preferences' from the menu bar.
- On the General tab, check the box nearby 'iCloud Music Library'.
- Click 'OK'. This will sync your iPod to Mac automatically soon.


This method is among the easiest solutions. Yet, if you disable iCloud Music Library, the downloaded music files would disappear at once.
Solution 5: How to Transfer Songs from iPod to Mac with Finder
Well, do you know how to transfer music from iPod to Mac for free directly on a Mac? OK, Finder can be a great option. However, while performing tasks with it, you can only sync your iPod with one Apple Music or Apple TV library at a time.
Attention: If you see a message like 'your device is synced with another Apple Music/Apple TV library, it implies the iPod was previously linked to another computer. Now, assuming you click 'Erase and Sync' on the incoming message, all the content of the selected type on the iPod will be replaced with the items from this Mac.
To get music off iPod touch/shuffle/nano/classic on Mac with Finder:
- Open the Finder window on your Mac computer.
- Connect your iPod to the Mac using a USB cable.
- Your device should soon appear on the menu of the Finder window.
- Click the name of the device to select it.
- Then tap 'Trust' on your iPod if prompted.
- Check the 'Music' option from the top menu.
- Select the checkbox beside each item that you need to sync.
- Click 'Apply' at the lower-right corner.
- Press 'Sync' if the sync doesn't start automatically.
In a Nutshell
Judging from the above, we come to a conclusion that:
- MobiKin Assistant for iOS is the simplest, fastest, and safest method to transfer music from iPod to Mac.
- Airdrop does not support older Mac computers, and you probably have to put up with its inefficiency.
- iTunes, generally, works for purchased music files, and you may encounter situations where it doesn't work, as described in the preface.
- iCloud Music Library or Finder might cause the loss of things on your device due to your possible misoperation, not to mention their poor transfer efficiency.
So, just download Assistant for iOS, the best iPod to Mac music transfer tool, and give it a shot now. Finally, welcome to share this post on social media if you find it helpful.

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The original iPod was released in 2001, which is almost two decades ago. Since then, hundreds of millions of iPods have been sold.
Many MP3 players had been released way beforethe iPod showed up though, but its debut on the market made the MP3 player amust-have device.
If you’re one of the many privileged people tohave owned an iPod since Apple unveiled it, you probably still have some ofyour favorite music collections stored there, whether or not you still use it.
Your old music may not be readily available in any other form, but you can transfer the music from your iPod to your computer. We’re going to show you different ways of doing it.
You can transfer songs from your iPod to aWindows PC or Mac by connecting it to your computer and following a few stepsas we’ll see below, or by using iPod transfer software.
How to Transfer Music From iPod To Windows PC
The first step is toprevent iTunes from automatically syncing with your iPod so that it doesn’toverwrite the music on the device with the iTunes library collection.
- To do this, disconnect any iOS device from your PC and launch iTunes. Go to Edit > Preferences.
- Click Devices taband click the Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automaticallybox to select it.
- Click OK and exitfrom iTunes.
- Next, connect your iPod to your PC. It’ll appear as a drive in File Explorer. Open its drive and go to iPod_Control > Music folder.
- If the drive comes up empty, you can reveal the hidden folders and files on your computer.
- Still on the iPod_Control > Music folder, select all the folders in it, and then copy and paste them to your hard drive. This way, the music will be moved from your iPod to your computer.
Note: The music files from your iPod have four-letter names, and you can see each of their tags in File Explorer. Once you import the music to a media player of your choice, it’ll reinstate the song titles as they should appear.
- Once the files have been copied to your computer’s hard drive, go to File Explorer and right-click on the iPod drive.
- Select Eject to remove your iPod and disconnect it from the computer.
- You can add songs to your iTunes library on your PC by going to File > Add Folder to Library in iTunes for Windows.
- If you want your music to be copied directly to the iTunes media folder, you can enable this setting by opening iTunes and then clicking Edit>Preferences.
- Under the Advanced tab, find and check the Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library box.
This allows you to movethe original files anywhere else without worrying about losing them. Any filesyou added to the library before enabling the checkbox will still link to theoriginal files.
How to Transfer Music From iPod To Mac
Before you transfermusic from your iPod to a Mac, you need to disable syncing so that the media playerwon’t try to sync with your iPod and overwrite all the data on it. This happensbecause your music library on the Mac computer may not have some or all thesongs and other files that the iPod contains, and you’ll eventually have aniPod with the same missing music or files.
To disable syncing, makesure there’s no iOS device connected to your Mac and open iTunes from the Applicationsmenu.
- In iTunes, select Preferences >Devices and then check the Prevent iPods and iPhones from syncing automatically box and then click OK.
- Exit iTunes and then hold down Option + Command keys. Plug your iPod into the Mac and release the keys when your iTunes launches with a dialog box informing you it’s in safe mode.
- Close it to quit iTunes.Your iPod is now mounted on your Mac desktop without syncing it with iTunes.
- Next, unmount your iPodto make the files visible. If you try to open the iPod icon on the desktop asis, you won’t see the music files. Instead, you’ll see Calendars, Contacts andNotes folders.
- The folders with youriPod music files are hidden, but you can make them visible using the OS XTerminal command line interface.
- To do this, go to Applications/Utilitiesand open Terminal.
- Type the command belowand press the return key after entering each line.:
defaults writecom.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
killall Finder
The first line is acommand to display all the files, while the second one refreshes Finder for thechanges to be effected. Your desktop may disappear and reappear duringexecution of these two commands, so don’t worry when that happens; it’s normal.
By entering these twolines, the Finder on your Mac will display all the hidden files on thecomputer.
You can now locate yourmusic files from your iPod through Finder by clicking the iPod’s name or bydouble-clicking the iPod icon mounted on your desktop.
- Open iPod Controlfolder and then open the music folder that contains your music and othermedia files on the iPod. Like Windows, the names of the files may not berecognizable, but their internal ID3 tags are intact, so any program includingiTunes that can read such tags can reinstate the song titles for you.
- Copy the music to yourMac using Finder, and drag-and-drop them to your preferred location or a newfolder on the desktop.
- Next, unmount your iPodfrom the desktop and then add the music files to your iTunes library. To dothis, click on the iTunes window once, and click Cancel on the iTunesdialog box.
- Click the Ejectbutton in the iTunes sidebar next to your iPod’s name to unmount your iPod.Disconnect the iPod from your Mac.
- To transfer your musicto the iTunes library on your Mac computer, select Preferences from theiTunes menu and then click the Advanced tab.
- Check the boxes Keep iTunes Music folder organized and Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library and click OK.
- In the iTunes File menu, click Add to Library, and go to the folder with the iPod music files you copied from the device.
- Click Open. The files will now be copied to the iTunes library, plus read the ID3 tags that will reinstate the song titles and other details like album, artist, genre and more.
- Once you’re done, make all the hidden files and folders invisible by using the Terminal command below and pressing the return key after entering each line
defaults writecom.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE
killall Finder
Note:Apple’s FairPlay DRM system is still intact so authorize any music you bought from iTunes store before playing it.
TransferiPod Music to Your Computer Using iPod Transfer Software
How To Copy Music From Old Ipod To Mac
There are severalsoftware programs you can use to transfer your iPod music to a computer, butfiguring out which one to use can be a daunting task. You need to find one thatcombines the features you need, and good transfer speed at a reasonable price.
Download Music From Computer To Ipod
Some of the best iPod transfer software programs you can try for this purpose include CopyTrans, iRip, or TouchCopy. CopyTrans offers an all-round experience when transferring your songs and other content on your iPod to your computer. It’s relatively fast when moving files, and it copies metadata.
How To Copy Songs From Ipod To Mac Free Youtube
- iRip can also help you move your music files from iPod to computer. Plus, you can move iBooks files, videos, podcasts and more. It’s also fast and can handle metadata.
- TouchCopy is a feature-packed that can help you transfer your music and other media files and data though its transfer speeds aren’t that good.