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Apple Music files & iMac and iPhone synching

I've had a couple of questions for a while, and I'm not sure if it's possible to solve them.


I'm a member of an Apple Music Family subscription, but I'm not the owner.


I have a late 2015 iMac and an iPhone SE (2nd generation).


I have a ton of music on external drives. I'm very particular about how I name and categorize music files in Apple Music. I don't want to lose my file-naming conventions, etc.


I use the Finder > Music > Playlists section to sync music via specific folders and playlists onto my iPhone. I use the Selected artists, albums, etc. button to sync.


In Apple Music settings, I have deselected Sync Library. The reason is that I don't want Apple to overwrite my naming conventions on my phone, and I don't want Apple to eliminate my playlists and playlist folders in Apple Music on my iMac.


Question 1: Is there a way to sync my library to the Cloud Music Library without Apple eliminating all my playlists and naming conventions? I've clicked Merge before, and Apple Music completely wiped away my playlist folders. I had to start rebuilding folders and playlists from scratch.


Question 2: Can I add Apple Music songs to a playlist on my iMac without synching to the Cloud Music Library? I would like to create a playlist folder of new music that I'd like to add from Apple Music. I'd like to sync this folder between my iMac and iPhone. But every time I try to add music from Apple Music to a playlist folder on my iMac, I get this dialog:


I hope this makes sense. Essentially, I'd like to sync Apple Music files to one folder without letting Apple rename my entire music library, playlists, and playlist folders.


Question 3: Is it possible to sync my library on my iPhone only? That might solve the problem, as long as I can create a playlist folder on my iPhone. How will selected Sync Library on my iPhone affect my files in Apple Music on my iMac?


Any help appreciated! Thanks.

Posted on Aug 12, 2022 1:18 PM

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Posted on Aug 12, 2022 1:37 PM

See Use multiple libraries in Music on Mac - Apple Support. You can make a separate iCloud Music Library where Sync Library is enabled, into which you can add things so they can be accessed on your iPhone. You can then keep your original library just as it is, and switch between them as needed.


tt2


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3 replies

Aug 12, 2022 3:55 PM in response to turingtest2

Thanks, that's a solution! I needed some confirmation that it wouldn't blow away my playlists again.


Here's the weird thing though: When I created a new folder, it started to load my playlists. Is this because the new library file is trying to read the XML file? Is there a way to keep it clean and have the new library create a new XML file?


I'm also curious about why Apple won't let you sync more than one library to an iPhone? When I tried to do that, it warned me that it would replace all the playlists from my old library.


Thank you.

Apple Music files & iMac and iPhone synching

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