You download music on Apple Music by opening the app, finding a song or album, and tapping the download icon next to it
The download button looks like a downward-pointing arrow and appears next to most songs, albums, and playlists in the Apple Music app. Once you tap it, the music stores on your device — your phone, tablet, or computer — so you can listen without an internet connection. Downloaded music stays on your device until you remove it, even if your subscription lapses, though you won't be able to play it without an active subscription.
The process is the same across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, though the exact location of the download button shifts slightly depending on which view you're in. You can download individual songs, entire albums, or whole playlists at once. Apple Music gives you 100,000 songs per device, which is the limit for how much you can store offline.
Key Takeaways
- The download arrow appears next to songs and albums in the Apple Music app; tap it once to start downloading to your device.
- Downloaded music plays offline without using data or requiring an internet connection, but only while your Apple Music subscription is active.
- You can download up to 100,000 songs per device, and downloads take up storage space on your phone, tablet, or computer.
- Removing a download from your device frees up storage but does not cancel your subscription or affect your library.
How to download a single song or album
Open Apple Music and search for or navigate to the song or album you want. On the song or album page, look for the downward arrow icon — it usually appears to the right of the play button or in the top corner of the album art. Tap the arrow once. The icon will fill in or change color to show the download has started.
Depending on the song length and your internet speed, a single song typically downloads in seconds to a few minutes. An entire album may take a few minutes. While downloading, you can close the app or navigate elsewhere; the download continues in the background. Once finished, the arrow icon remains visible and filled, indicating the song or album is stored on your device.
How to download a playlist
Find the playlist in Apple Music — either one you created, one you saved from Apple Music, or one you follow. Open the playlist and look for the download arrow at the top of the page, usually near the playlist title or next to the play button. Tap it once to download every song in the playlist to your device.
If the playlist is very long, the download may take several minutes. Apple Music will download songs in the order they appear in the playlist. You can still listen to other music or use other apps while the download runs. If you add new songs to the playlist later, those new songs won't automatically download — you'll need to tap the download arrow again to refresh and add the new tracks.
Where downloaded music appears on your device
On iPhone and iPad, open the Apple Music app and tap the "Listen Now" tab at the bottom. Scroll down and look for a section called "Downloaded" or "Offline." This shows all the music you've downloaded to that specific device. You can also search for a song you've downloaded and the app will show you a filled download icon next to it, confirming it's stored locally.
On Mac, open the Music app (or iTunes on older systems) and click "Downloaded" in the sidebar on the left. This displays all your offline music in one place. Downloaded music also appears in your regular library view with a filled download icon next to each track, so you can tell at a glance which songs are stored on your computer.
How much storage downloaded music uses
The amount of storage depends on the quality of the music file and the length of each song. A typical three-minute song at standard quality uses roughly 3 to 5 megabytes. An entire album of 12 songs might use 40 to 60 megabytes. A large playlist with 100 songs could use 400 to 600 megabytes or more.
You can check how much storage your downloads are using on iPhone by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and looking for the Music app. On Mac, open the Music app, go to Music > Preferences > Files, and you'll see storage information there. If you're running low on storage space, you can delete individual downloads or entire playlists to free up room.
Removing downloads from your device
To delete a single downloaded song, open Apple Music, find the song, and swipe left on it (iPhone) or right-click it (Mac). Select "Remove Download" or the trash icon. The song will disappear from your device but remain in your Apple Music library, so you can download it again later.
To remove an entire album or playlist, open it and tap the download arrow again — it will toggle off and remove all the songs from your device. You can also go to the "Downloaded" section, find the album or playlist, and swipe or right-click to delete it. Removing a download does not cancel your subscription or delete the music from your library; it only removes the offline copy from that device.
Downloading music on different devices
Each device you own — your iPhone, iPad, and Mac — has its own separate storage for downloaded music. A song you download on your iPhone doesn't automatically appear on your iPad. You need to download it separately on each device where you want to listen offline. This lets you manage storage differently on each device; for example, you might download a full album on your iPad but only a few songs on your iPhone to save space.
Your Apple Music library and playlists sync across all your devices, so you'll see the same songs and playlists everywhere. But the actual offline downloads are device-specific. If you delete the Apple Music app from one device and reinstall it later, your downloads on that device will be gone, though your library and subscription remain intact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I download music if my Apple Music subscription expires?
No. Downloaded music requires an active subscription to play. If your subscription lapses, the downloaded files remain on your device but won't play until you renew. Once you resubscribe, they'll play again without needing to re-download.
What happens if I download music and then cancel my subscription?
The files stay on your device but become unplayable immediately. If you resubscribe later, they'll work again. The files themselves don't disappear; they just lock until your subscription is active.
Can I download music on Apple Music for Windows?
Apple Music is available on Windows through the iTunes app or the standalone Apple Music app on newer Windows systems. The download process is the same — look for the download arrow next to songs and albums. Downloaded music stores locally on your Windows computer.
Why is the download button grayed out or missing for some songs?
Some songs or albums may not be available for download due to licensing restrictions set by the rights holder. In rare cases, a song might be available to stream but not to download offline. If this happens, you can still listen to it with an internet connection.
Do downloaded songs use my cellular data?
No. Once a song is fully downloaded, playing it uses no data at all — it plays directly from your device's storage. However, the initial download uses data unless you're connected to Wi-Fi. You can set Apple Music to download only over Wi-Fi in the app settings to avoid using cellular data.