HomeApplicationMusic Software

How to Delete Songs from iTunes

If your iTunes library is getting a bit out of control, you can clean things up by deleting music you no longer listen to. When you remove songs from your iTunes library, they'll be removed from any devices they're synced to next time you...
Method 1 of 3:

Mac and PC

  1. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 1How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 1
    Launch iTunes on your computer. You can delete any of the songs in your iTunes library directly in iTunes.
  2. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 2How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 2
    Open your music library. Click the Music button in the upper-left corner and then click the "My Music" tab.
  3. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 3How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 3
    Find the song that you want to delete. Depending on your settings, you may see a list of all of your songs, your albums, or the artists in your library. You can click the menu in the upper-right corner to switch views.
    1. You can search for specific songs, artists, and albums by using the search bar in the upper-right corner of the iTunes window.
    2. You can select multiple songs, artists, or albums at once by holding ⌘ Command/Ctrl and clicking each one.
  4. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 4How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 4
    Right-click the selected music. If you're using a Mac with a one-button mouse, hold ⌘ Command and click your selection.
  5. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 5How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 5
    Select "Remove Download" to delete the local copy (purchased music only). This will remove the downloaded file, and you'll see the iCloud Download button appear next to it.
    1. The items you select Remove Download for will remain in your iCloud Music Library and can still be found in the libraries of your other connected devices.
  6. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 6How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 6
    Select "Delete" to delete the selected items. What actually happens will vary depending on the item you are deleting:
    1. Songs added to iTunes from folders on your computer will be deleted from your iTunes Library. You'll be prompted to keep the actual file if it is located in your iTunes Media folder. If the file was added from a different folder on your computer, it can still be found there.
    2. Songs in your iCloud Music Library will be completely deleted from all of your libraries, and will not appear on any of your connected devices.[1]
    3. If the song was purchased from iTunes and downloaded, you'll just delete the local copy. You can choose to hide the song when deleting it, which will remove it from all of your connected devices.
    4. If the song was purchased from iTunes but not downloaded, you'll be prompted to hide the song when you choose to delete it. Purchases are only hidden, never completely removed from your account. See the Unhiding Your Purchases section below to find your hidden purchases.
Method 2 of 3:

iPhone, iPad, iPod touch

  1. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 7How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 7
    Open the Music app on your iOS device. You can delete any of the songs on your iOS device from with the Music app.
  2. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 8How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 8
    Find the song, artist, or album you want to delete. You can switch between views by tapping the menu at the top of the list of music.
  3. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 9How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 9
    Tap the "..." button next to the song, artist, or album. This will open a new menu.
  4. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 10How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 10
    Tap "Delete." You may have to scroll to see this option.
    1. If the only option you see is "Delete from My Music," the song is not downloaded on your device. Selecting this option will remove the song from your iTunes library, hiding it from your Music app.
  5. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 11How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 11
    Tap "Remove Downloads" or "Delete from My Music." These two options do different things, depending on if you are using the iCloud Music Library or not:
    1. Remove Downloads - This will delete the music from your device, but leave it in your library. If the music was purchased or stored in your iCloud Music Library, you'll be able to download it again by tapping the iCloud download button. If the music was synced from your computer, it will disappear until you sync again.
    2. Delete from My Music - This will delete the music from your device and your libraries. If the music was purchased, the purchase will be hidden on all of your devices. If the music was stored in your iCloud Music Library, it will be deleted from that library for good on all of your connected devices. If the music was synced from your computer, it will disappear until you sync again.
  6. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 12How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 12
    Delete all of your local music files at once. If you're trying to clear out a lot of space on your iOS device, you can delete all of your stored music at once. This will not affect your iTunes library or iCloud Music Library:[2]
    1. Open the Settings app and select "General."
    2. Tap "Storage & iCloud Usage."
    3. Tap "Manage Storage" in the "Storage" section.
    4. Tap "Music" in the list of apps.
    5. Swipe the "All Songs" bar from right to left, then tap "Delete."
Method 3 of 3:

Unhiding Your Purchases

  1. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 13How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 13
    Open iTunes on your computer. The only way to restore your hidden purchases is to use iTunes on a computer.
  2. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 14How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 14
    Sign in with your Apple ID if you aren't already. You'll need to be signed in with the account that you purchased the music with in order to find your hidden purchases.
  3. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 15How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 15
    Click the "Account" (Mac) or "Store" (Windows) menu and select "View Account." You'll be prompted for your Apple ID password again.
    1. If you don't see the menu bar in Windows, press Alt.
  4. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 16How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 16
    Find the "iTunes in the Cloud" section. You may have to scroll to find it.
  5. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 17How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 17
    Click "Manage" next to "Hidden Purchases." This will display all of the purchases you have hidden from your library.
  6. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 18How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 18
    Click the "Unhide" button to restore songs. You'll see this button underneath each album that you've hidden. You can click the "Unhide All" button in the lower-right corner to unhide all hidden songs at once.
  7. How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 19How to Delete Songs from iTunes Picture 19
    Find your unhidden songs. The songs you've unhidden will appear back in your iTunes music library.[3]
5 ★ | 1 Vote
musicdeletelibraryitunes

You should read it

Maybe you are interested

Music Software