How to Add to your library

Add Apple Music to library

You can add items from Apple Music to your own library to play for as long as your subscription is active. To do so, simply click or tap Add at the top of an album or playlist to add the whole thing to your library at once, or tap the + next to an individual track. By default, tracks are also added to your library automatically when you add them to a playlist, which you may not want. Don’t worry, as this can be prevented.

Keep items separate

Thankfully, iTunes and the Music app on iOS each include a simple setting that you can switch off to prevent Apple Music items you add to playlists also ending up in your personal library. On your Mac, go to iTunes > Preferences > General and uncheck “Add songs to Library when adding to playlists.” In iOS, go to Settings > Music and switch off Add Playlist Songs. Note that you’ll need to repeat this on each of your devices.

Show only downloaded music

Items with an adjacent cloud icon are available in iCloud Music Library but haven’t downloaded to the device you are using, so you won’t be able to play them without an internet connection. While browsing your library on a Mac, pick View > Only Downloaded Items, or in Music on iOS choose Downloaded Music from the category selector (if it isn’t listed, tap Edit and put a check mark next to it) to temporarily hide these items.

Hide download badges

The Albums view in iTunes displays a cloud icon at the bottom left of the cover of each album that isn’t stored on your Mac. You may find these distracting, especially in light of the our earlier advice about how to switch between viewing your whole library and only what’s on your device. To hide the cloud icons, choose iTunes > Preferences > General and clear the checkbox that’s labeled “Grid view download badges.”