If you've ever relied on Apple Music for your daily soundtrack, you know how important it is to keep your library safe. But what happens when your favorite playlists, albums, saved songs, or local files disappear out of nowhere? Maybe you signed out of your Apple ID, changed devices, ran into a random syncing glitch, or missed a subscription billing cycle—yes, this can really happen. All of this can feel like a real blow to your music collection.
The good news is that in most cases, your Apple Music library isn't gone forever. There are simple ways to restore it, and this guide will walk you through every option to bring your music back. If it still won't restore, you can try rebuilding it as soon as possible. And next time, you'll be ready with a few ways to protect your library so this doesn't happen again.
If you're not sure why your library and playlists are missing, start by checking some of the common causes below:
Playlist is gone from Apple Music? Try these 12 solutions introduced this article. With those solutions to fix Apple Music playlist gone and prevent them from disappearing any more.
Part 1. Can You Restore Your Apple Music Library?
Most of the time, yes—you can restore your Apple Music library by subscribing again and turning on syncing. As long as your subscription is active and "Sync Library" is enabled, your music should come back. But sometimes, things don't go smoothly. I was lucky. Apple Music offered me a free trial again, and my library looked empty on my iPad. For almost a week, I wasn't sure if it would come back. But once I turned on "Sync Library," my playlists showed up again on my iPad.
Not everyone has the same luck. Some users resubscribe and still find that their entire library is gone. This used to work better in the past, but now, it doesn't always bring everything back.
One user's case is all too familiar:
I had a library of numerous albums on Apple Music but I unsubscribed for some time. I resubscribed tonight with the same AppleID but the albums I saved have disappeared. I had done this before (unsubscribing and resubscribing) and then I had the access to all my previous library. But this time, all seems to have erased.
Apple Support's response to frustrated users is typically blunt:
My apologies for the inconvenience but once Apple Music subscription gets cancelled, all your music and playlists from the Apple Music catalog also get removed. No option to have those recovered. You will need to manually rebuild your playlists and download songs.
Why?
That's because Apple Music is a subscription service—you don't own the songs you add. When your subscription ends, access to saved content is revoked, and you lose access to everything from the Apple Music catalog, including your downloads. Unless a backup exists, there's no way to 100% guarantee recovery. Even those who resubscribe shortly after cancellation often find their libraries wiped clean.
So here's the tip: before canceling, try to save a list of your favorite songs and playlists. If "Sync Library" (also called iCloud Music Library) is turned on, your personal uploads and iTunes purchases should still be safe. If your library is gone, don't give up yet. In the next parts, we'll show you how to try getting it back—and how to protect it for the future.
Keep Apple Music songs forever by saving them in formats like MP3 to play anywhere.
Part 2: How to Restore Your Apple Music Library
If your Apple Music library and playlists have disappeared after missing a payment, your access to the service—and the music you've built up with your Apple ID—has been restricted due to an unpaid balance. To regain access, you'll need to restore your Apple Music library and reactivate your subscription.
Method 1: Enable Sync Library (iCloud Music Library)
One of the first things to check is whether Sync Library is enabled. This feature lets Apple Music store your library in iCloud and sync it across all devices signed in with the same Apple ID.
How to Renew Your Apple Music Subscription:
- Open the Apple Music app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap the Profile icon in the upper-right corner.
- Tap any available subscription option, such as "Get 1 Month for $10.99."
- Choose your plan (Individual, Family, Student, or Voice).
- Tap Subscribe and follow the on-screen steps. Update your payment method if asked.
- Once renewed, restart the Apple Music app.
How to Sign Out and Sign Back In to Refresh Your Account:
- Once renewed, open the Settings app.
- Tap your name at the top to access your Apple ID settings.
- Scroll down and tap Sign Out.
- Enter your Apple ID password and follow the prompts to complete sign-out.
- Restart your device.
- Go back to Settings and sign in again using the same Apple ID you used with Apple Music.
How to Sync Your Apple Music Library:
- Once signed in, open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Scroll down and tap Music.
- Toggle on "Sync Library" under the Library section.
- Make sure "Show Apple Music" is also turned on under the Apple Music section.
- Wait for the syncing process to complete, then check your Apple Music app to see if your library has returned.
Method 2: Restore Purchases
If you've previously purchased music through the iTunes Store, you can redownload your purchased songs and albums without repurchasing them. Unlike Apple Music's streaming library, purchased music is permanently linked to your Apple ID.
How to Restore Purchased Music:
- Open the iTunes Store app on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap on your Profile icon in the upper-right corner.
- Select "Purchased", then choose "Music".
- Browse through your past purchases and tap the Download button next to the songs or albums you want to restore.
- Once downloaded, these tracks will appear in your Apple Music library.
Alternatively:
- For iPhone/iPad:
- Go to Settings > tap your name > iTunes & App Store > tap your Apple ID > View Apple ID > Purchase History > Restore Purchases.
- For Mac:
- Open the Music app > Account > Purchased > Restore Purchases.
Method 3: Rebuild Your Apple Music Library
If your Apple Music library is lost after resubscribing, you might still have some data stored within Apple's system. This includes your Loved songs, listening history, and previous preferences—elements that can help you reconstruct your library.
How to Use Replay Playlists to Rebuild Your Library:
Apple Music Replay creates playlists of your most-played songs each year. If you've lost your library, Replay can help bring back the songs you listened to the most. These playlists only include songs you listened to the most during that year, but they're a helpful way to recover key parts of your music history.
How to Access Your Replay Playlists:
- Open the Apple Music app on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Android device.
- Go to the Home (or Listen Now) tab.
- Scroll down until you find the Replay: Your Top Music section. You'll see your yearly Replay playlists listed, such as Replay All Time, Replay '24, or Replay 2023 and more.
- Tap "See All" to browse Replay playlists from past years.
- Select a Replay playlist and tap "Add" or the "+" icon to save it to your library.
Replay is based on your listening history, so if your data is still linked to your Apple ID, you'll likely see familiar songs—even if your regular library was wiped.
How to Use Smart Playlists to Rebuild Your Library:
Apple Music's Smart Playlists can help automatically regroup songs based on specific criteria, such as Loved songs, most-played tracks, or recently added music. This method allows you to recover parts of your lost library without manually searching for every song.
How to Create a Smart Playlist:
- Open the Apple Music app on your Mac or iTunes on your PC.
- Go to File > New > Smart Playlist.
- Set the criteria for the playlist. You can use filters like:
- Loved status (Songs you previously marked as "Loved" may still be recognized).
- Play count (Find your most-played songs).
- Recently added (Recreate a library based on your last listening habits).
- Click OK to save the playlist.
- If you previously had playlists based on play history, create Smart Playlists with similar rules to recreate those lists.
- Once complete, check your sidebar for the newly created Smart Playlists.
Workaround: Request a Restore from Apple
Apple allows users in certain regions to request a copy of their personal Apple ID data through the Apple Privacy website. While this won't directly restore your Apple Music library, it may contain information about your previous music history, which can help with rebuilding your collection.
How to Request a Copy of Your Apple Music Data:
- Visit the Apple Privacy website (privacy.apple.com).
- Sign in with your Apple ID associated with Apple Music.
- Select "Request a copy of your data".
- Choose the data categories you want to include—make sure to check "Apple Media Services Information".
- Scroll down and click "Continue".
- Select a maximum file size, then review your request.
- Click "Complete Request" to submit.
- Apple will process your request and send you a downloadable file containing details of your Apple Music history.
Part 3. How to Restore Your Local Apple Music Library
If your locally stored Apple Music library is missing or inaccessible, you can restore it using several methods depending on whether your music was uploaded to Apple Music, backed up externally, or still stored on your computer.
Method 1: Restore Apple Music Uploads
One of the first things to check is whether Sync Library is enabled. This feature ensures your uploaded songs are stored in iCloud and synced across all your devices signed in with the same Apple ID. Once enabled, your uploaded songs should reappear on all your devices. If they don't, ensure you're signed into the correct Apple ID and give it time to sync.
How to Enable Sync Library:
- On Windows:
- Open iTunes.
- In the menu bar, go to Edit > Preferences.
- Under the General tab, check iCloud Music Library.
- Click OK to save changes.
- On Mac:
- Open the Music app.
- In the menu bar, go to Music > Preferences.
- Under the General tab, check Sync Library.
- Click OK to confirm.
Method 2: Restore from a Backup
If you've backed up your music library before, restoring it from the backup will recover your playlists, play counts, and metadata. This method restores your library to its state at the time of the last backup, including ratings, playlists, and track information.
How to Restore Your Music Library from a Backup:
- Locate your backup on an external drive or cloud storage.
- Close the Music app (or iTunes on Windows).
- Navigate to your computer's Music folder:
- Mac: ~/Music/Music
- Windows: C:\Users\[Your Username]\Music\iTunes
- Find and replace the current Music (or iTunes) folder with the backup copy.
- Hold down the Option key (Mac) or Shift key (Windows) while launching the Music app or iTunes.
- When prompted, select Choose Library.
- Navigate to the restored Music Library.musiclibrary file and open it.
Workaround: Manually Add Songs Back
If your music files are still on your computer but missing from your library, you can manually re-add them. While this method requires a bit more effort, it ensures your locally stored music is restored to your library.
- Open iTunes (Windows) or Music (Mac).
- Right-click a missing track and select Show in Windows Explorer (Windows) or Show in Finder (Mac).
- If the file is missing, search your computer's Music folder or specific artist/album directories.
- Drag and drop recovered music files into the Music app or iTunes.
- Alternatively, use File > Add to Library to select and import multiple files at once.
Part 4: How to Back Up Your Apple Music Library the Right Way
Backing up your Apple Music library is a smart way to protect your curated playlists and favorite songs. You can use services like TuneMyMusic or Soundiiz to export your library to a CSV file, which ensures you have a detailed record of your music collection. Alternatively, you can choose ViWizard to download your entire Apple Music library to keep forever.
Method 1: Export Apple Music to CSV
- Open your web browser and go to the Apple Music to file page on TuneMyMusic.
- Click "Let's start."
- Select Apple Music and click "Load from Apple Music account." Sign in with your Apple ID and allow the necessary permissions, including "Sync Library."
- Choose "Playlists" based on what you want to back up.
- Click "Export to file" and select CSV as the format.
- Review your selections, then click "Transfer" and save the file to your computer.
- Open the CSV file to ensure all your music details are included.
Method 2: Convert Apple Music Library Entirely
Apple indeed provides various options for users to back up their Apple Music library like iCloud. However, backing up your Apple Music library using an Apple Music downloader is highly recommended as it allows you to store your music library to your device locally, or an external hard drive. You can do this by downloading your entire Apple Music library with ViWizard Apple Music Converter on your computer. All your music, podcasts, audiobooks, and the local files you uploaded to your Apple Music library can be included.
ViWizard Apple Music Converter is an all-in-one conversion tool designed for Apple Music users to download various types of contents in their music library. To make the downloaded music transferrable and compatible with a device or platform, users can set the output format as MP3, M4A, M4B, WAV, AAC, or FLAC. For better music management on a device, ViWizard also download and embed the metadata, including title, artist, album, genre, and more. Moreover, it ensures a positive listening experience with keeping the lossless audio.
Key Features of ViWizard Apple Music Converter
Free Trial Free Trial* Security verified. 5, 481,347 people have downloaded it.
- Convert Apple Music songs, albums, playlists, and artists into MP3 for easy access
- Preserve lossless audio, high-resolution lossless, and Dolby Atmos quality
- Strip DRM from Apple Music for unrestricted offline listening
- Save converted audio files while retaining full ID3 tag details
Step 1Sign in to Your Apple Music Account
Launch the ViWizard Apple Music Converter and log in using your Apple ID. This grants you access to your Apple Music library, enabling you to choose and convert your favorite songs, albums, or playlists into formats compatible with your Tesla's media system.
Step 2Adjust Output Settings
Navigate to the settings by clicking the hamburger menu in the top-right corner and selecting Preferences. Choose your preferred output format, such as MP3, which works well with the Tesla Media Player. You can also fine-tune other settings like sample rate, bit rate, and audio channels. Once you're satisfied with your settings, click OK to save them.
Step 3Add Music to the Conversion Queue
In the ViWizard Web Player, search for the music you want to back up. Browse your library or paste a playlist or album URL into the address bar. Once you've found the desired songs, click "Add Music" to add them to the conversion list.
Step 4Begin the Conversion Process
After your music is added to the list, click "Convert" to start the download and conversion. ViWizard will download and convert your Apple Music tracks into MP3 (or your selected format). Once the process is finished, your converted music will be saved in the designated output folder. To locate your files, click the History button and use the "Open Folder" icon to access your converted songs.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You've successfully reclaimed your precious Apple Music library once again. Remember that in this ever-changing digital landscape, safeguarding your music library is crucial. Take advantage of ViWizard Apple Music Converter's features like downloading your music to make a permanent backup of your Apple Music library across all your devices.
You May Be Interested
Adam Gorden, the digital media specialist at ViWizard, is dedicated to providing the best solutions for digital media management, including audio and video conversion, file optimization, and media workflow enhancements.
Leave a Comment (0)