If your iTunes library is getting out of hand, you can tidy it up by deleting music you no longer listen to. If a song is deleted from the iTunes library, it will be deleted from the other device the next time that device is synced with the computer. If you delete a song directly from your iOS device, it will be completely deleted. Purchased songs will be hidden when deleted, and can be displayed again via iTunes.
Step
Method 1 of 3: For Mac and PC
Step 1. Launch iTunes on the computer
You can delete any song from your iTunes library directly through the program.
Step 2. Open the music library
Click the “Music” button in the upper-left corner of the screen and select the “My Music” tab.
Step 3. Find the song you want to delete
You may see a list of all the songs, albums, or artists in your library, depending on your settings. Click the menu that appears in the upper right corner of the program to switch to a different view.
- You can search for specific songs, artists, and albums using the search bar in the upper-right corner of the iTunes window.
- You can select multiple songs, artists, or albums at once by holding down Command/Ctrl and clicking each content.
Step 4. Right-click the selected music
If you're using a Mac with a one-key mouse, hold down Command and click an option.
Step 5. Select "Remove Download" to delete the copies of songs stored on the computer (only purchased music)
The downloaded song file will be deleted and you will see an “iCloud Download” button next to the song entry.
Content that is selected for deletion (“Remove Download”) will be stored in the iCloud Music Library and can still be found in the libraries of other connected devices
Step 6. Select " Delete " to delete the selected content
The impact of the deletion will depend on the type of content removed:
- Songs added to iTunes from a folder on your computer are removed from your iTunes library. You will be prompted to keep the original files if they are stored in the “iTunes Media” folder. If the file is added from another folder on your computer, the song file can still be found in the corresponding folder.
- Songs from iCloud Music Library will be completely removed from all libraries, and will not be displayed on other connected devices.
- If a song has already been purchased and downloaded from iTunes, you will only delete the downloaded copy of the song. You can hide songs when you delete them. After that, the song will also be deleted from all connected devices.
- If a song was purchased from iTunes but hasn't been downloaded, you'll be prompted to hide the song when you delete it. Purchased content will only be hidden, and will never be removed from the account. Read the method to unhide purchased songs below to find hidden content.
Method 2 of 3: For iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Step 1. Open the Music app on the iOS device
You can delete any song from your device via the Music app.
Step 2. Find the song, artist, or album that you want to delete
You can switch to a different view by tapping the menu at the top of the music list.
Step 3. Touch the " button
.. next to the song, artist, or album.
After that, a new menu will be displayed.
Step 4. Touch "Delete"
You may need to swipe up to see this option.
If the only option shown is " Delete from My Music ", the song has not yet been downloaded to the device. When selected, the song is removed from the iTunes library and hidden from the Music app
Step 5. Touch "Remove Downloads" or "Delete from My Music"
These two options have different functions, depending on whether or not you use the iCloud Music Library service:
- “ Remove Downloads ” – With this option, the song will be deleted from the device, but will still appear in the library. If the songs were purchased or stored in iCloud Music Library, you can download them again by touching the “iCloud Download” button. If music is synced from a computer, it will disappear until you sync your device again.
- “ Delete from My Music ” – With this option, the music will be deleted from the device and library. If music is purchased from iTunes, it will be hidden from all devices. If content is stored in iCloud Music Library, it will be removed from the library on all connected devices. If music is synced from a computer, it will be deleted until you sync your device again.
Step 6. Delete all the music files stored on the device at once
If you want to free up a lot of space on your iOS device, you can delete all your stored music at once. However, this deletion will not affect your iTunes library or iCloud Music Library:
- Open “Settings” and select “General“.
- Touch "Storage & iCloud Usage".
- Touch the "Manage Storage" option in the "Storage" section.
- Touch " Music " from the application list.
- Swipe the "All Songs" bar from right to left, then select "Delete".
Method 3 of 3: Returning Purchased Content
Step 1. Open iTunes on the computer
The only way to restore hidden purchased content is to use iTunes on a computer.
Step 2. Sign in using your Apple ID if you are not already signed in to your account
You must be signed in to the account you used to buy music in order to find hidden purchases.
Step 3. Click the "Account" (Mac) or "Store" (Windows) menu and select "View Account"
You will be asked to enter your Apple ID password again.
If you don't see this menu bar on a Windows computer, press the Alt key
Step 4. Look for the "iTunes in the Cloud" section
You may need to swipe the screen to find it.
Step 5. Click "Manage" next to "Hidden Purchases"
After that, all purchase content hidden from the library will be shown.
Step 6. Click the "Unhide" button to restore the song
This button is below each hidden album. You can also click the "Unhide All" button in the lower right corner to bring back all the hidden songs at once.
Step 7. Look for the songs that have been replayed
The songs will return to the iTunes music library.
