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User profile for user: Alan_Rnhld
Alan_Rnhld Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Delete the Apple Music streaming files from MacBook to get extra internal storage

Hey there!

This is my first post ever in the community forum of Apple. I have some issues with the Apple Music App and I can't figure that out by myself.


I am using an Apple device since I am 14 years old. So I have started to listen to my own music over an iPod with Itunes Music on a Windows PC. Later changing to an iMac, the iTunes Library stack more and more music files. Since the update on Catalina, iTunes was deactivated and my original own music files got into Apple Music, together with the streaming music files. Now I have the problem, that I need more internal storage for my mac.


Since the whole Music folder from Apple Music has about 90 GB, I wanted to delete only the streaming files, because, correct me if I am wrong, the files themselves use a lot of disc space...


So how can I actually difference between these two file types and how can I delete only the music which is "downloaded" / streamed from Apple Music?


Hope you can help me with this!

Would be really glad!


All best

Alan


MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Nov 5, 2021 11:04 AM

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User profile for user: turingtest2
turingtest2
User level: Level 10
274,198 points

Posted on Nov 5, 2021 11:53 AM

See Identify cloud status icons in your music library on your Mac or PC - Apple Support. You can, for example, create a smart playlist that shows Apple Music items that are downloaded to your computer. You could then select these, right-click, and use remove download to free up the space that they are using. With iCloud Music Library you can also remove the downloads for other content that has been matched or uploaded, but ideally not before making a complete backup of your library for safe keeping in case the Apple Music versions aren't quite to your liking, e.g. clean vs. explicit, reduced quality, alternate version, etc.


tt2

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User profile for user: turingtest2
turingtest2
User level: Level 10
274,198 points

Nov 5, 2021 11:53 AM in response to Alan_Rnhld

See Identify cloud status icons in your music library on your Mac or PC - Apple Support. You can, for example, create a smart playlist that shows Apple Music items that are downloaded to your computer. You could then select these, right-click, and use remove download to free up the space that they are using. With iCloud Music Library you can also remove the downloads for other content that has been matched or uploaded, but ideally not before making a complete backup of your library for safe keeping in case the Apple Music versions aren't quite to your liking, e.g. clean vs. explicit, reduced quality, alternate version, etc.


tt2

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Delete the Apple Music streaming files from MacBook to get extra internal storage

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