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Can't Drag & Drop music to iPhone in Music app in MacOS Catalina 10.15

Is this happening to anyone else? I can't seem to drag & drop files to my iPhone in the Music app.

I have my "Manually manage music, movies and TV shows" checked.

It's super annoying that I can't transfer newly downloaded music to my phone. :(

I have a Macbook Pro 13 Retina Display Early 2015 on MacOS Catalina 10.15 and an iPhone 7 Plus on iOS 13.2

Please help!!

Thank in advance.


MacBook Pro 13", macOS 10.15

Posted on Oct 29, 2019 5:05 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 3, 2019 7:43 PM

So what if we dont want to sync, just drag and drop to iPhone like we did in Mojave?

13 replies

Jan 20, 2020 10:53 AM in response to CarlAVII

Those steps are only if you're downloading music from Apple Music, that is not what I am doing and have the same issue. I have a massive CD collection. I still buy CDs. For years, I have imported these CDs into iTunes and I might change the meta data (titles, album name, track number) to create my own custom compilations. I just tried this in Apple Music and I can't drag these tracks over to the iPhone.


This is in addition to my frustration that when my iPhone, or iPod, is connected now, the Apple Music UI won't let you edit or even play music that is stored on that device. Why are you taking away this functionality? Why are you making it difficult for music lovers to still use your platform?


Nov 3, 2019 5:33 PM in response to jasonvandijk

Hello jasonvandijk,


Welcome to the Apple Support Communities. From what I understand, there's an issue dragging and dropping music files directly to the iPhone. I'll do what I can to help.


Make sure the song you want to add is also loaded into the Music app: Add and download music on Mac


If possible, try also adding then syncing like normal through Finder: Use the Finder to sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod with your computer


Thanks and have a great day.

Feb 10, 2020 1:52 PM in response to Douglas S

I don't think this is going to be the technical answer you are looking for, but I had the same issue and got it working.

Basically I backed my phone up to my MacBook Pro. Then went about restoring my phone and once it could be seen on my computer - I was able to drag and drop all my music. It did clear my iPhone of all songs first.

MacBook Pro 2019, iPhone XS.

Feb 26, 2020 1:06 PM in response to jasonvandijk

Hi! i found a temporary fix for it. Uncheck the "Manually manage music and videos" in Options first, that'll remove all the music in your iPhone, click Done, then re-check it again.


After that i was able to drag my music back again to my phone. The ones you bought on Apple store remains on your iPhone, it'll have that cloud icon and you just have to download it again.


I hope this helps!!

Feb 26, 2020 9:10 PM in response to L_KO

That does indeed sound fairly straightforward, thanks! Admittedly, I feel a little nervous about having this process remove all the music from iPhone first, as I have this fear that it won't let me drag all those same albums back over again. But your recommendation seems sound enough, I will give it a try soon!

Can't Drag & Drop music to iPhone in Music app in MacOS Catalina 10.15

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