How to Connect a Device to iTunes

iTunes is a library and synchronization program designed for use with iOS devices such as iPhone, iPad, and iPod. You can quickly sync content to your iOS device, using Windows or OS X. Connecting your device to iTunes lets you easily add music, movies, and more.

Device Connection

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Make sure iTunes is updated to the latest version. If your current iTunes is installed in an older version, you may experience connection problems. Updating iTunes is completely free, but you need to be connected to the network to download the latest version today.

Windows – Click Help → Check for Updates

OS X – Click iTunes → Check for Updates

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Connect the device via USB port. Use the USB cable that came with your iPod, iPad, or iPhone to connect to a USB port on your computer. Plug into the port directly on the computer; If you plug into a USB hub (used to add more USB ports to the computer so users can use more peripherals), it will not provide enough power.

iTunes supports a number of other MP3 players in addition to iOS devices. In some cases you won't be able to sync all your music files to a non-iOS device.

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Device settings. The program will prompt you to set up your device to connect to iTunes for the first time. There are two options for you, "Setup as New" or "Restore from Backup". Even if you have used your phone before connecting to iTunes, you should still select "Setup as New". While erasing all content, the program will ask you to enter a name for the device.

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Select device. The device name will appear in the left sidebar, under 'Devices'. If you don't see the device bar, click View → Hide Sidebar .

If your device doesn't appear in iTunes, you'll need to put it in Recovery Mode.

Content Synchronization

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Add files to iTunes library. To add files to your device, you need to add them to your iTunes library. You can add file types like music, photos, movies, apps, podcasts, TV shows, and books. See this guide for detailed instructions on adding files to a library.

All content purchased from the iTunes store is automatically added to your library.

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Select the content you want to synchronize. Select device from the left sidebar. You'll see a row of cards appear at the top of the screen showing different types of content to add to your device. Scroll through the cards and select what you want to add to your device.

You can add all content, or specific files you like.

Available capacity is displayed at the bottom of the screen. As you add sync files, this bar will fill up.

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Click the 'Summary' tab, then click Sync at the bottom of the window. iTunes will begin copying the content you want to sync to your device. Files on the device that are not present in iTunes will be deleted.

You can monitor the syncing process at the top of the iTunes window.

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Disconnect the device. When synchronization is complete, right-click the device in the left pane and select Eject . This allows you to safely disconnect the device. If you don't select Eject before disconnecting, you run the risk of data corruption, although the likelihood is not high.

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Back up your device. iTunes allows you to create a backup of your iOS device in case something goes wrong. To back up a device, select the device name in the left pane, click the Summary tab, and navigate to the Backups section. Choose where you want to back up your files (on your computer or iCloud) and then click Back Up Now.

Backing up to iCloud will only store important settings. Meanwhile, if you choose to back up to your computer, all files will be stored on your computer.