Download a song by tapping the download icon next to its name

Open Apple Music and find the song you want to keep. Next to the song title, you'll see a cloud icon with a downward arrow. Tap or click that icon once. The song downloads to your device — on iPhone or iPad it goes to your library, on Mac or PC it saves locally. You can play it without an internet connection after that.

The download starts immediately and usually finishes within seconds, depending on the song length and your connection speed. Once downloaded, the cloud icon changes to a filled-in cloud, showing the song is stored on your device.

You need an active Apple Music subscription for the download to work. The song remains playable as long as your subscription stays active. If you cancel, the downloaded files stop working after 30 days.

Key Takeaways

  • Tap the cloud-with-arrow icon next to any song title to download it to your device for offline listening.
  • Downloaded songs work without internet, but only while your Apple Music subscription is current.
  • You can download individual songs, entire albums, or whole playlists using the same method.
  • On iPhone and iPad, check Settings > Music > Downloads to see how much storage your downloads are using.

Download an entire album or playlist at once

Instead of downloading songs one by one, tap the download icon next to an album or playlist name. Apple Music downloads every song in it. This is faster than tapping each song individually and keeps the collection together in your library.

The download progress appears as a percentage next to the album or playlist name. Depending on how many songs it contains and your connection speed, a full album typically takes under a minute.

Check how much storage your downloads are using

On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings, then Music, then Downloads. You'll see the total size of all your downloaded songs and how much device storage remains. If you're running low on space, you can delete individual songs or entire albums from this screen by swiping left and tapping Delete.

On Mac, open Apple Music, go to Music in the menu bar, select Preferences, click Files, then look at the Media Folder location. Your downloads live in that folder. You can see their size by opening Finder, navigating to that location, and checking the folder properties.

On Windows PC, open Apple Music, click the menu icon (three horizontal lines), select Preferences, go to Files, and note the Media Folder location. Open File Explorer and navigate there to see your downloads.

Remove downloads to free up space

On iPhone or iPad, open Apple Music, find the song or album, and tap the filled-in cloud icon. It changes back to the cloud-with-arrow, and the file is deleted from your device. The song stays in your library and you can re-download it anytime.

On Mac or PC, right-click the song or album in your library and select Delete from Library. Choose whether to keep the file or remove it entirely. If you choose to remove it, the download is deleted but the song remains in your library for future download.

Troubleshoot downloads that won't start or finish

If a download stalls, check your internet connection first. Switch to Wi-Fi if you're on cellular data, or move closer to your router. Then try tapping the download icon again.

If the download still doesn't work, sign out of Apple Music and sign back in. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Music > tap your Apple ID at the top > Sign Out, then sign back in. On Mac, open Apple Music, go to Music > Preferences > Account, and click Sign Out.

If one song consistently fails to download but others work, the problem may be with that specific file. Try downloading a different song to confirm the feature itself is working. If nothing downloads, restart your device and try again.

Download songs on cellular data or Wi-Fi only

By default, Apple Music downloads over both Wi-Fi and cellular connections. If you want to save mobile data, you can restrict downloads to Wi-Fi only. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Music > Cellular Data, then toggle off "Download Using Cellular Data." On Mac and PC, this setting doesn't exist — downloads use whatever connection is available.

With this setting on, Apple Music won't download anything when you're connected to cellular data. You'll need to be on Wi-Fi to start new downloads, but songs you've already downloaded play normally over cellular.

Understand what happens to downloads when you cancel your subscription

Downloaded songs stop working 30 days after your subscription ends. During those 30 days, you can still listen to them offline. After 30 days, the files become unplayable even though they remain on your device. If you resubscribe within 30 days, they work again immediately.

If you want to keep the songs permanently, you need to purchase them through the iTunes Store instead of downloading them through Apple Music. Purchased songs remain playable forever, even if you never subscribe to Apple Music.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I download songs on my iPhone and listen to them on my Mac?

No. Downloads are device-specific. A song you download on iPhone stays on iPhone. To listen on Mac, you must download it separately to your Mac. Your Apple Music library syncs across devices, but the actual downloaded files do not.

How many songs can I download?

Apple Music lets you download up to 100,000 songs total across all your devices. In practice, device storage is the real limit — most phones and tablets run out of space long before hitting that number.

Do downloaded songs use my iCloud storage?

No. Downloaded Apple Music songs use only your device's local storage, not your iCloud account. Your iCloud storage remains separate and unaffected by music downloads.

What if I download a song, then Apple Music removes it from the catalog?

The downloaded file stays on your device and remains playable as long as your subscription is active. You can listen to it offline indefinitely, even though it's no longer available to stream through Apple Music.