sophie_haley

Q: how can i sync an old iPod nano to a different mac than it was set up on?

my dad has an old iPod nano but he's worried it may be seeing its last days. the original computer he set it up with doesn't work anymore, so he wants to back it up on my computer. we share the same iTunes account but none of his music was ever on my computer since i logged in. also, i had to change the email and password of our apple ID because the original email no longer existed. i said he could use my old iPod touch (restore from backup) which could be more reliable, but i don't know how to back up his iPod nano without erasing all the data.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Jan 2, 2016 8:16 AM

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Q: how can i sync an old iPod nano to a different mac than it was set up on?

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  • by Kenichi Watanabe,Solvedanswer

    Kenichi Watanabe Kenichi Watanabe Jan 2, 2016 8:55 AM in response to sophie_haley
    Level 8 (39,413 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 2, 2016 8:55 AM in response to sophie_haley

    iTunes syncing is generally in one direction only, from computer to iPod.  If the songs were purchased from the iTunes Store, and your shared Apple ID was used to purchase them, you can download them again (at no cost) from the Purchased screen; on iTunes Store main screen, the link to the Purchased screen is along right side of window.  There is also a command in iTunes to transfer purchased items - menu bar -> File -> Devices -> Transfer Purchases from [name of iPod].

     

    Otherwise, there are third-party methods and utilities that can transfer from iPod to computer.  If you do an Internet search on something like "ipod transfer music," you should get some useful links, including an article by CNET on the topic.

     

    Once the song files are on your Mac's drive, add them to your iTunes library.

  • by sophie_haley,

    sophie_haley sophie_haley Jan 2, 2016 12:36 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 2, 2016 12:36 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

    All of his songs aren't listed though he purchased them on our account on iTunes... any idea why?

  • by pmiles,

    pmiles pmiles Jan 2, 2016 1:40 PM in response to sophie_haley
    Level 6 (15,955 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 2, 2016 1:40 PM in response to sophie_haley

    Purchases made through the iTunes Store are associated with the Apple ID that made said purchases... meaning if that ID changes, it no longer is connected to the purchases made under that ID.  How you changed your email address may be the issue here.  I ran into a similar issue when I changed my email address... instead of changing just the email address that they use to contact me, I actually changed my Apple ID as well.  Doing so severed all access to my prior purchases.  I had to contact iTunes Store Support to get it all sorted out.  You may need to contact iTunes Store Support if this the case for you as well.

     

    Contact Apple Support

  • by Kenichi Watanabe,

    Kenichi Watanabe Kenichi Watanabe Jan 2, 2016 3:26 PM in response to sophie_haley
    Level 8 (39,413 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 2, 2016 3:26 PM in response to sophie_haley

    Is there a pattern to songs that appear as purchases, and those that do not? For example, the ones that appear are the more recent purchases, after "i had to change the email and password of our apple ID..."?

  • by sophie_haley,

    sophie_haley sophie_haley Jan 3, 2016 12:38 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jan 3, 2016 12:38 PM in response to Kenichi Watanabe

    thanks everyone, I couldn't find his songs when I scrolled through the purchased list, which was strange. However upon further investigation I realized if I typed them into the search bar they appeared. I'm not sure why, but I'm glad they're there.

  • by Kenichi Watanabe,

    Kenichi Watanabe Kenichi Watanabe Jan 3, 2016 3:34 PM in response to sophie_haley
    Level 8 (39,413 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jan 3, 2016 3:34 PM in response to sophie_haley

    The Purchased list is just a regular playlist.  You can manually add and remove songs from it, like any playlist.  If you start using a different iTunes library, only purchases made going forward will be on it (unless you manually add all previous purchases to it yourself).

     

    Your main iTunes library is the actual place to look for your purchased items.  In your iTunes music library, show it using Songs view, so that you see a simple list with columns.  If the column for Kind is not visible, right-click on the column heading row and select Kind from the list.  Songs purchased from the iTunes Store have either Purchase AAC audio file OR Protected AAC audio file (older purchases) for Kind.

     

    NOTE:  You can move a column in the Songs list by dragging from the column heading (left or right).  Click on any column heading to sort the list using that column.  Click on heading for the Kind column to show all of your purchased (and protected) songs grouped together on the list.