Get started with the Music app
It’s not called iTunes anymore, but you shouldn’t have much trouble finding your way around
CATALINA MAY HAVE split media across separate apps, but for music little has changed. All songs and playlists from the iTunes library on your Mac are imported when you first run the new app. This might include tracks you ripped from CDs, bought as MP3s, or bounced from the masters that time you collaborated with Skepta. As before, you can use File > Import to add more files from any connected storage, or even import CDs if your Mac has access to a CD drive (see bit. ly/impfcds). Music > Prefs > Files > Import Settings affects new but not previous imports.
You should see all the music you’ve previously bought from iTunes. If not, make sure you’re signed in to your iTunes account on the Account menu and that this Mac is one of the five computers authorized to play protected content (Account > Authorizations > Authorize This Computer). This is separate from your Apple ID and iCloud settings in System Prefs. You can switch accounts at any time, but you’ll only see purchases from one. To keep a purchase playable on your Mac regardless of which account it belongs to or whether you’re online, download it by clicking the cloud icon to the right of any item in the Library views. The iTunes Store is now accessed from Music’s left sidebar.
By default, everything you download or import is stored in your Music folder, which stays in the same location as for iTunes: look in Music > Preferences > Files. However, if you unchecked “Copy files to Music Media folder when adding to library” before adding items, Music will continue to access them from their original location, when available.
At the top of the sidebar are tabs for Apple Music, a service requiring a subscription (see page 18). If you have no interest in this, you can hide it: select Music > Preferences > Restrictions > Disable > Apple Music. You can similarly hide the iTunes Store by unchecking Music > Preferences > General > Show > iTunes Store.