You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

📰 Newsroom Update

Billie Eilish is Apple Music’s Artist of the Year for 2024. Learn more >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

Cannot import an MP3 to the Music app

I use the Music app (I guess it was previously named iTunes) for many years. Recently I upgraded to a new MacBook Pro with MacOS 11.2.3 BigSur, I successfully copied my library so it sounds well, but now I'm not able to add new music files to my library :( Whether I click on a file "Open with Music.app" or just drag it to the app or use the Import command from the app (Cmd+O), I get just nothing, no new track in my library, nor error message, just silence... What's wrong here? How this behaviour can be fixed so I can easily import MP3 files again?


PS: the mp3 file is correct of course, I've created it the same way as the old ones in my library, and it get opened fine with QuickTime and other players. But not with the Music app...

Posted on Oct 10, 2021 2:01 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 10, 2021 6:49 PM

After reviewing all of these recommendations, I am finding that I have the same problem, but it remains unresolved even after attempting the above. Just recently updated to BigSur 11.6...I don't know if the system update is causing further complications. Additionally, all of the original music was mapped over from the old iTunes files. I took all the original working mp3s out of the iTunes files, copied them, imported them to the newly updated library (using music/music pathway), and removed the iTunes file structure holding all the old information, just in case there was confusion between the different folders/retrieval/storage/etc.


I still have not been able to resolve the original problem, I cannot import and play new, functioning, mp3 files that I have on my Mac.

Similar questions

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 10, 2021 6:49 PM in response to ed2345

After reviewing all of these recommendations, I am finding that I have the same problem, but it remains unresolved even after attempting the above. Just recently updated to BigSur 11.6...I don't know if the system update is causing further complications. Additionally, all of the original music was mapped over from the old iTunes files. I took all the original working mp3s out of the iTunes files, copied them, imported them to the newly updated library (using music/music pathway), and removed the iTunes file structure holding all the old information, just in case there was confusion between the different folders/retrieval/storage/etc.


I still have not been able to resolve the original problem, I cannot import and play new, functioning, mp3 files that I have on my Mac.

Oct 10, 2021 11:17 AM in response to Fouren

Fouren wrote:

Yes, it works with an mp3 that I copied & deleted from my library. This is really strange... What's the explanation? How can I add other files?

If the old ones still work in iTunes, but the new ones don't, I'd conclude that something has changed in the tools or procedure that you are using to create the MP3s.

Cannot import an MP3 to the Music app

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.