How to Add Your Own Music to Apple Music with iTunes on PC

The Apple Music subscription service provides a huge library of music to stream, but of course, it doesn't have every song that exists. So what if you want to add one of those missing songs to your personal Apple Music library? We'll show you how to do so using iTunes on your PC.

Related: How to Remove Music from iPhone, iTunes & iCloud

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Adding your own songs to iTunes is quite simple and, if your iPhone Music app and iTunes are on their default settings, added tracks will probably be synced between them without any extra steps. Just follow the steps below to learn how to add songs and albums to iTunes. We'll follow this up with how to configure settings and how to fix tracks not syncing, in case you have any issues. For more tips and quick guides on using your iPhone and Apple apps, be sure to sign up for our free Tip of the Day newsletter.

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How to Add mp3 to Apple Music on iPhone

  1. Open iTunes and sign in.

    iTunes PC app signed out of the store with the sign in button marked.
  2. Use the same login credentials as you use for iCloud on your iPhone.

    The sign in window in iTunes with the login information boxes marked.
  3. Open the File menu.

    iTunes after signing in, with the File menu marked.
  4. Select either Add File to Library or Add Folder to Library and then with the file picker select the files or folders to add.

    iTunes with File menu open and the two options for adding files marked.
  5. You should see a button in the upper-right corner of the iTunes window showing a progress bar or circle. You can click this button to open a small window to see your upload's progress.

    iTunes with the button for the activity window marked and the window open showing the added files being processed.
  6. When all files have been added, check your iPhone to see if the added songs are appearing in your Music library. Open Music.

    Home screen folder open with the Music app marked.
  7. Tap the Library tab.

    Music app with the Library tab button marked.

Look for the newly added album at the top of the Recently Added section. If the album appears, open it and check for cloud error icons marking any of the tracks. If there aren't any errors, the album is ready to go, and you can now listen to it on your iPhone. If you do see any error icons, never fear: we'll cover what to do about those down below.

Check & Configure Library Syncing Settings

  1. Open Settings.

    Home screen with Settings app marked.
  2. Scroll down and find the option for Music and tap it.

    Settings app with Music option marked.
  3. Make sure the Sync Library toggle is enabled (green) and if it isn't, tap it.

    Music Settings screen with the Sync Library toggle option marked.
  4. On your PC, in iTunes, click the Edit menu.

    iTunes in the Library tab with the Edit menu marked.
  5. Select Preferences.

    iTunes in the Library tab with the Edit menu open and the Preferences option marked.
  6. In the General Preferences, make sure that the check box for iCloud Music Library is marked, if it isn't, click it.

    iTunes General Preferences window with the iCloud Music Library option marked.
  7. In the Downloads section of Preferences, look under Automatic Downloads and make sure the Music option is ticked. If it isn't, click it.

    iTunes Downloads Preferences window open with Automatic Downloads options marked.

Albums added to iTunes should be syncing to your iPhone Music app if these settings are all enabled.

Fixing Individual Tracks That Aren’t Syncing

If you've experienced any errors with uploading or syncing individual tracks, follow these steps:

  1. Tap the album in the Music app to open it.

    Music app in the Library tab with the first album in the Recently Added section marked.
  2. Check for any cloud error icons on the tracks. If one appears, tap it.

    Music app with album open and a cloud error icon next to a track marked.
  3. You'll see a popup informing you this song is not synced across your devices. As long as the previously mentioned settings in both iOS and iTunes are properly set, this error is easily fixed in iTunes.

    Music app with cloud error message open.
  4. Go back to iTunes on your PC. To find the album in iTunes, first click the Library tab.

    iTunes with the Library tab marked.
  5. Click Recently Added.

    iTunes on the Library tab with the Recently Added option marked.
  6. Click the album to open it.

    iTunes Library tab with Recently Added selected and the most recent album marked.
  7. You should see cloud error icons next to the same tracks here.

    iTunes with an album open and a cloud error icon next to a track marked.
  8. Right-click the track and select Add to iCloud Music Library.

    iTunes with the right click menu for a track open and the Add to iCloud option marked

After a short wait for the upload and download your album should be fully synced with your iPhone's Music library, and you can enjoy listening to it wherever you go.

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Author Details

Brian Peters's picture

Author Details

Brian Peters

Brian Peters is a Feature Web Writer at iPhone Life, a creative writing hobbyist, and general technology enthusiast. He has a bachelor's degree in English, and has completed National Novel Writing Month multiple times. He lives in the Austin, Texas, area with his wife, two dogs, and two cats.