Multiple Mac user accounts, one iTunes account, show different songs

I have a M1 MacBook Air that I've always had sole access to. I have a decent-sized music library of songs that I've imported from CD or purchased from the iTunes Store. My wife, who has different tastes in music than I, has expressed interest in having her own user account (why now is not important).


We've used one Apple ID for purchases since the dawn of time (I should maybe add that on our previous Windows laptop, we shared one user account and the albums/songs in iTunes were a chaotic mess), however, when initially setting up the MacBook Air Music app, I only downloaded my songs from the purchase history, thus keeping my user account free of her songs and albums.


Is there a way to set up a second user account on a Mac and keep my songs on my account and keep her songs on her account, even though we use a common Apple ID for purchasing music?

MacBook Air (M1, 2020)

Posted on Sep 15, 2023 2:07 PM

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Posted on Sep 15, 2023 2:57 PM

Items acquired with one Apple ID cannot be transferred or merged with another Apple ID. I don't see any workaround for specifically what you want to do. You can try using Family Sharing, but AFAIK, that would require one of you to have the entire music library in that account. One of could possibly hide the songs in your library that you don't want to see.

What is Family Sharing? - Apple Support

Hide and unhide music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and books - Apple Support


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Question marked as Best reply

Sep 15, 2023 2:57 PM in response to Jon Marsh

Items acquired with one Apple ID cannot be transferred or merged with another Apple ID. I don't see any workaround for specifically what you want to do. You can try using Family Sharing, but AFAIK, that would require one of you to have the entire music library in that account. One of could possibly hide the songs in your library that you don't want to see.

What is Family Sharing? - Apple Support

Hide and unhide music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and books - Apple Support


Multiple Mac user accounts, one iTunes account, show different songs

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