Where Are Apple Music Files Stored? (5 devices checked)

Apple Music currently has over 100 million songs in its catalog, which users around the globe either stream or download directly to their devices.

If you’re an Apple Music subscriber, you’ve likely wondered where downloaded Apple Music files are stored on your device. 

In this article, we look at where Apple Music files are stored and whether the default location can be changed on your device. 

This is Where Apple Music Files are Stored:

Apple Music has encrypted music files, meaning that customization is limited. iPhone users cannot access their Apple Music files. On Mac, the files can be found from the desktop. On Android, files are stored in the ‘Music Library’ or SD Card. Apple Music files are located via iTunes storage on a PC.

Apple Music by default, does not store the actual music files on your device unless you tell the app to do so.

So, there is a high chance that there are no Apple Music files stored on your device, but rather it is information about all the songs that you have downloaded.

With Apple’s new encryption on all music files, you cannot play files without an active subscription.

Each time you press play in the app, it will either stream the song from the server of Apple Music using your data or Wi-Fi connection or it will play from your device if your music has been downloaded. 

1. Where Does Apple Music Store Files on iPhone?

Even though Apple Music allows users to download songs, Apple is intent on keeping data as secure as possible. This means that iPhone users are not able to access their device’s internal storage – apart from photos.

The only easy way to access your music is via the Apple Music app, where you can play and control your downloaded songs or browse through the catalog while you are streaming. 

iPhone users are unable to access Apple music files in the same way that Android users can.

On all Apple devices, apart from Mac desktops, you cannot access the root folder without a workaround that could compromise your device. 

One such workaround is to jailbreak your iPhone, but this can lead to security issues on your device. There are also various third-party file management tools available that will enable you to access and manage the content on your iPhone.

However, we do not necessarily recommend this as it may affect the usage of your iPhone – not to mention running into potential copyright infringement.

2. Where Does Apple Music Store Files on Android Phones?

Android has made it a little easier to access your music files.

Android devices have the added option of flexible storage with removable SD cards. As a result, you can find the root folder of a file. This, however, does not change the encryption that remains on these files. 

Downloaded Apple Music files will go to the music library on Android.  The music library can be found in your device’s ‘app drawer’.

Here’s how you can find your downloaded Apple Music files on Android:

1. On your device’s home screen, swipe up.
2. In the search bar, type ‘file’
3. Then, select ‘My Files’ (also known as File Manager or File Explorer)
4. Tap ‘internal storage’
5. Finally, select ‘Music’

How to move your Apple Music files to another location on Android:

Android users have the ability to save their downloaded files to their device or their micro SD Card.

Here’s how to change this setting:

1. Open your Apple Music App
2. Tap ‘menu’, then ‘settings’
3. Select, ‘download location’
4. A pop-up will appear, asking  you to select the SD card 
5. Tap ‘yes’ to route all presently downloaded files, and future downloads, to the SD card

3. Where Does Apple Music Store Files On Mac Computer?

Mac users can access their Apple Music Files in a few different ways.

Open the Apple Music App, then select ‘Songs’ in the sidebar. From here, there are two options.

• Choose the item you want, then select ‘Song’, followed by ‘Info’
• Choose the item you want, then select ‘File’, followed by ‘Show in Finder’

You can also find Apple Music files by:

1. On your Mac’s desktop, click ‘Go’
2. Click ‘home’
3. Lastly, select ‘music’

Now you will be able to view all your music files.

How to move your Apple Music files to another location on Mac:

1. Open the Apple Music App on your Mac.
2. Select ‘Music’, then ‘Settings’
3. Now, click on ‘Files’
4. You will see an option to ‘Change’. Click this, and from here, you can choose a new location for your files to be saved.

Changing this setting will only affect future downloads or imports. Songs that have already been imported will stay in their old location.

For best results, don’t change the location of the Music folder or the folders inside it.

[Source: Support.Apple.Com]

4. Where Does Apple Music Store Files On A PC?

Apple Music is accessed through the new iTunes app for PC, where you can listen to your purchased music as well as your Apple Music subscription content.

To find the storage of this content, you can:

1. Open the File Explorer utility.
2. Head to the C:\Users\[username]\My Music\iTunes\ path.
3. Once you are there, you should be able to see all of your iTunes media content.

How to move your Apple Music files to another location on PC:

To change the location of your Apple music files on your PC, just follow these simple steps:

1. Go to the iTunes menu, then ‘Apple Music’, followed by ‘Preferences’
2. Click ‘Advanced’
3. In the Advanced Preferences window, click ‘Change’
4. From the Apple Music folder location windows, navigate to the new drive.
5. Select where you want to move your Apple Music data, then click ‘OK’
6. From the File menu, go to library > Organise Library. Check Consolidate Files.
7. Click ‘OK’

All your new music, videos, and other Apple Music files will be backed up to the new disk.

Please keep in mind that you may always return and alter the location of your Apple Music to another external drive or your computer.

5. Where Does Apple Music Store Files On iPads?

iPads run on iOS, which means that the storage functions the same as on an iPhone.

To locate or move downloaded Apple Music files, you can follow same instructions as the iPhone section listed earlier in the article. 

Check out our article on Apple Music and Storage if you have more general questions regarding streaming and downloads. 

Sources

Where Do Apple Music Downloads Go on Android?

Where Is the Downloaded Apple Music Stored on Your Devices

How To Find Itunes Library Location on Computer