How to Burn a CD with iTunes

This wikiHow teaches you how to burn a music playlist to a CD using iTunes. Open iTunes. Its app icon resembles a multicolored musical note on a white background.
Part 1 of 2:

Creating a New Playlist

  1. How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 1How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 1
    Open iTunes. Its app icon resembles a multicolored musical note on a white background.
    1. If prompted to update iTunes, click Download iTunes and follow any on-screen instructions before proceeding.
  2. How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 2How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 2
    Click File. It's in the top-left corner of the window (Windows) or the screen (Mac). A drop-down menu will appear.
  3. How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 3How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 3
    Select New. This option is near the top of the File drop-down menu. A pop-out menu will appear.
  4. How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 4How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 4
    Click Playlist. It's in the pop-out menu. Doing so causes a blank playlist to appear on the left side of the window.
  5. How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 5How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 5
    Enter a name for the playlist. Without clicking elsewhere, type in a name for your playlist, then press Enter. This will assign a name to your playlist.
  6. How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 6How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 6
    Add music to the playlist. Click and drag songs from your iTunes library onto the playlist's title, then drop them there. Once you've added the songs you want to burn, you can proceed with burning the playlist to your CD.
    1. You can add around 80 minutes of music to one audio CD.[1]
Part 2 of 2:

Burning the Playlist

  1. Make sure your computer has a DVD drive. In order to burn an audio CD, your computer must have a DVD drive; the easiest way to tell whether or not your computer has a DVD drive is by looking for the "DVD" logo on the CD slot.
    1. If your computer either doesn't have a DVD-certified drive or doesn't have a CD slot at all, you'll need to buy an external DVD drive and plug it into your computer via a USB cable.
    2. If you have a Mac, you'll almost certainly need to buy an external DVD drive. Make sure you buy an Apple-certified one which comes with a USB-C cable if your Mac doesn't have rectangular USB 3.0 slots.
  2. Insert a blank CD-R into your computer. Place the CD-R logo side-up in your DVD drive to do so.
    1. The CD-R must be blank (never used) for this to work.
    2. Avoid using a CD-RW for this process, as they don't always play when inserted into a CD player.
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    Close any windows which open. Depending on your computer's settings, inserting a blank CD may trigger a new window to open; if so, just close the window(s).
  4. How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 8How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 8
    Select your playlist. Click your playlist's name in the left-hand sidebar.
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    Click File. It's in the top-left corner of iTunes. A drop-down menu will appear.
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    Click Burn Playlist to Disc. This option is in the File drop-down menu. Doing so brings up a new window.
  7. How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 11How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 11
    Make sure the "Audio CD" box is checked. If another option is selected, click the "Audio CD" box. This will ensure that your CD can play your music when inserted into a CD player.
    1. If you just want to store your songs on the CD without needing to play the CD in a stereo, you can check the "Data CD or DVD" box instead.
  8. How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 12How to Burn a CD with iTunes Picture 12
    Click Burn. It's at the bottom of the window. Doing so will prompt your CD to begin burning.
    1. It can take up to a minute per song when burning your CD, so be patient.
  9. Eject your CD when it finishes burning. Once your CD finishes burning, press the "Eject" button on your DVD drive's face (or on your Mac's keyboard, if applicable) and remove the CD.
    1. On some computers, the CD may automatically eject when it's done burning.
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