While iTunes has never been my favorite piece of Apple software, I’ve always found it good enough to manage my music library. Now that Apple has shut down iTunes for macOS, managing music on the Mac takes a bit of a learning curve thanks to the introduction of a standalone Music app. So, if you’ve upgraded to macOS Catalina and are looking for quick ways to get all your songs into Mac’s Music app, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s follow along as we walk you through the detailed guide to help you add your own music to the Music app in macOS Catalina!
Transfer Songs to Music App on Mac: 5 Methods Explained
First off, there are multiple ways to get all your music into the stock music app. Also, if you’ve been using macOS for a while already, you’ll find the process of importing music files quite familiar. Even if you are a novice, the methods may seem intuitive to you. Enough talk, let’s get down to business, shall we?
Method 1: Use Drag and Drop Gesture
The simplest way to transfer all your music to the stock music app on macOS device is to use the drag and drop gesture. Yes, you heard right! all you have to do just drag a music file (i.e. M4a, MP3, WAV or other supported files) onto the music application window or click and release the app icon.
Method 2: Double Click on Music File
If you find drag-and-drop simple, let me tell you, double-clicking is just as simple. Just double click any music file on desktop or Finder to open in stock music app. Alternatively, right-click a music file and select Open with. Next, select Music In the contextual menu to open it in the Music app
Method 3: Import Songs Directly from Music App
Another simple way to add music to the macOS Catalina music app is to use the local import method. Simply click File menu in the upper left corner and select import. Now open/import dialog It will open. Depending on your needs, import a specific file or multiple files.
Method 4: Auto Import Music
While not as simple as the drag-and-drop gesture or the double-click method, the automatic import method is also a reliable way to add all your favorite tracks to the macOS music app. Slightly embedded inside the folder of the Music app (~/Music/Music/Media)There is a separate folder named “Automatically Add to Music.” Whatever you put in this folder is automatically added to the music library.
To do this, open Finder -> Click on the top Go menu -> Hold Alt key and choose Library from the menu. Then go to Anonymous -> Users -> Your Folder -> Music folder -> Music -> Media -> Automatically Add to Music. Now drag and drop all your songs into this folder.
Method 5: Import Music from Other Libraries Using Home Sharing
Home Sharing makes transferring songs to the stock music app pretty seamless. Note that you can only use it to import items from up to five media libraries on other computers. After enabling it on your macOS device (System Preferences -> Sharing -> Media Sharing -> Home Sharing), start music app and then click on arrow button Next to the library. Next, choose a shared library option. After that, click the Show dropdown at the bottom of the Music window -> “Items not in my library”. Finally, select the items you want to add and then click Import.
Note:
- Home Sharing can also let you automatically transfer music from up to five media libraries on other computers to your Mac.
- To get started, you need to open the Music app and then arrow button next to the library a shared Library. Now, click Settings Click and then select the items you want to import. Finally, click OK to approve.
Stream All Your Music to the Stock Music App on macOS
So, you can add all your songs to the stock music app on macOS. As I said above all the methods are quite obvious and less time consuming, you can choose the one that suits you. Once the import is finished, you can use Finder to sync all these songs to your iPhone or iPad.
In my experience, the new Music app for macOS has a simple and clean look. It also offers some useful customizations, such as the option to hide Apple Music, show the iTunes Store, and even enable parental controls to keep explicit content away from children. So, it’s up to the task for me. What about you? let us know in the comments below.
