Transfer music from iPod touch to iMac
Is it possible to transfer music from my 6th generation iPod touch to my new 24" iMac 2024 model with Mac OS Tahoe 26.4.1 and with Apple M4 chip and 16 GB memory?
iPod, iOS 12
Question marked as
Hi Big Ron22,
Officially, Apple only supports syncing from a Mac to an iPod, not the other way around (to prevent piracy). However, since you are moving to a new M4 iMac, you can manually extract your music files using Finder and a bit of 'hidden' file navigation.
Here is the technical workaround:
- Connect the iPod: Plug your iPod into your iMac and open Finder. Select your iPod in the sidebar.
- Enable Hidden Files: In the Finder window, press Command + Shift + Dot (.). This will reveal hidden system folders.
- Navigate to the Control Folder: Go to iPod_Control > Music.
- Extract the Files: You will see several folders labeled F00, F01, etc. These contain your music files. The filenames will look like random four-letter codes (e.g., ABCD.mp3), but the metadata (Artist, Album, Title) is still inside the files.
- Import to Music App: Drag those 'F' folders onto your iMac desktop. Then, open the Music app and go to File > Import (or drag the folders directly into the Music app window). macOS Tahoe will automatically read the metadata and rename the files back to their correct song titles.
Note: This only works for music you ripped from CDs or acquired elsewhere. It will not work for Apple Music subscription tracks due to DRM (Digital Rights Management) encryption.