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How to Use iPhone to Save Your Music After a Hard Drive Crash
By Sam Costello Sam Costello Writer Ithaca College Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 1, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article
Expand Jump to a Section Restoring From Backup Don't Sync! Transfer from iPhone to Computer Re-Authorize Your Computer Set up for Syncing Reclaim Your iTunes Content Apple Music If a hard drive crashes and takes your data with it or a power surge fries your computer, you may be worried about your iTunes library — especially if you've got a ton of music, movies, and other downloaded content. There are lots of ways to get your data back, from restoring from backup or repairing your hardware. But if you've got an iPhone, iPad, or iPod, you may be able to restore most or all of your iTunes library right from your device. Here's how to do it. Restoring From Backup Is Best
Before we go any further, a note: if you've got a backup of your hard drive, it's better to try to restore from that since it's more comprehensive and will contain more than just iTunes. If you do have a backup, congratulations on being conscientious and planning ahead. Give yourself a high five and proceed to restore your data from backup. If you didn't have a backup, research backup software and service options and start using one as soon as you get everything back up and running. Whatever You Do Don' t Sync
In theory, your iPhone, iPad, or other device has most or all of your iTunes library on it. If you've been syncing content from iTunes to the device, this should be true (assuming your device has enough storage capacity for all of your content to be synced to it). That means that your portable device can function as a backup of your iTunes content. Once you get a new hard drive or computer or get your existing equipment repaired, plug your iPhone or another device into it. At this point, iTunes will ask if you want to sync/setup the device again. DON'T DO THAT! If you sync/setup, this will erase everything on your device. Instead, follow the advice in the next section. Get Music off Your iPhone and Onto Your Computer
You can transfer the music, movies, apps, TV, and other content from your iPhone, iPad, or iPad to your new hard drive/computer in two ways: using the Transfer Purchases feature in iTunes or iPhone copy/rip software. Transfer Purchases is the more limited option, but it's also the one that's built into iTunes for free. It's limited because it only works with items bought at the iTunes Store (and on computers that are authorized for this content; see the next section for more on that). If you've got a lot of that kind of content, connect your device (and don't sync it!), then go to File > Devices > Transfer Purchases from [device name]. If most or all of your music, movies, and other content came from places other than the iTunes Store, you'll want to use copy/rip software. There are dozens of these programs on the market; most cost $20-$30, though a few are free. Find one that works for you and use it to copy the data on your iPhone or another device to your computer. Even if you didn't have a backup, at least you didn't lose everything. Re-Authorize Your Computer
If you got a new hard drive, motherboard, or computer, you'll need to authorize the computer to play content from the iTunes Store again. You have to do this because iTunes views new hardware as an entirely new computer (even if it's just a new hard drive in an old computer) and it needs to know that this computer is signed into the Apple ID that was used to get all of your old iTunes content. Set Your iPhone up for Syncing Again
Once you know for sure that your data is backed up (or restored from backup) and 100% available on your computer, you may want to set it up to sync with your computer again. (Alternatively, you could sync it with iCloud.) Get the Rest of Your iTunes Content Back
If your iPhone or iPad didn't have 100% of the content you've bought from iTunes on it, that doesn't mean its gone. In fact, virtually everything you've ever downloaded from iTunes can be redownloaded again — for free! — to your new computer or device. Avoid All of This by Using Apple Music
One way you can avoid losing your music without making a backup is to use Apple Music, thanks to its iCloud Music Library feature. This feature stores a record of every song you've got in your music library in your iCloud account and then — as long as you continue to pay for your Apple Music subscription — makes them available to you on any compatible device. If you use Apple Music and lose your hard drive, all you need to do is sign into your account on a new device and all your music will be waiting for you! Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Unlock an iPhone Without a Passcode How to Restore Your iPhone From a Backup How to Transfer Messages from iPhone to iPhone How to Recover Deleted Text Messages on Any Phone How to Reset Restrictions Passcode on an iPhone How to Transfer Music from Computer to iPhone Forgot Your iPhone Passcode? Here's How to Fix It Can You Install iTunes on a Mac? Downloading Music to Your iPad is Easy How to Manually Add Music to Your iPhone Complete Guide to Using iTunes and the iTunes Store Syncing Part of Your iTunes Library Sync Your iPhone and iPad in a Few Simple Steps Do You Have to Use ITunes With an IPhone or IPod? How to Reset the iPod Touch Without Losing Your Music How to Copy Music From Your iPod to a Mac Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies