How do I transfer purchased items from my iPhone to my iTunes Library?

Transfer purchases first, otherwise they will be lost. You could always download them again, but not everything may still be available in the Store.

With the phone connected, launch iTunes and select Transfer Purchases from the File menu.

You plug your IPhone into the computer. A thing should pop up, but if not you go to File, and then there should be an option near the bottom that says transfer purchases from "(name of iphone)" and then it should transfer.

How to transfer music from iPhone to iTunes library

How to transfer photos from iPhone to iTunes

I hope this helped!

My problem is that the "Transfer Purchases" menu item is disabled/greyed out, so I can't do as the message is recommending. Suggestions? This is on Windows 7, by the way.

Thanks,

Larry

This has become a little more burried in iTunes 11. First you have to click on the the little arrow, top left, and select 'Show Menu bar'. The menu bar will appear just below. Then you can go File > Devices > Transfer purchases from 'iPhone'.

You rock! I just spent an hour trying to figure this out and it was so simple, yet I couldn't find a good 'how to' until I came across your post. Thanks!

So I did this and went through the process, it seems to download/sync some things with my computer, and then I click on the "update" button and I get the same "You should transfer these items to your iTunes library before updating this iPhone." warning--over and over. Your thoughts are appreciated.

There is nothing simple about it. This is a serious UI design flaw with iTunes. The option you need is buried layers under the File menu that does not even appear on iTunes by default. And there is no reason why iTunes could not do this automatically when you synch your iPhone. Another example of increasingly poor design by Apple.

Thank you! I kept trying to copy the items over but continued to get the same warning message. I didn't think to chewck all the submenus. Since that's a warning iTunes should tell us where to find that pesky little transfer purchases options. I just skipped it and downloaded & installed my update. I didn't read this convrsatio until afterwards because I had read several others that were no help, including Apple's own instructions to "authorize my computer' whichI did repeatedly with no effect on that warning. Thnaks again, ibakajone.

when the prompt saying that purchases should be transfered from the iPhone to iTunes before proceeding the instructions to Bondellino whichg are correct save one important step.

open iTunes

>then select the device you want to transfer from, i.e. the iPhone

> then go to the file menu

> then the missing step!!!! select devices(!!!!!)

>secondary menu opens and select transfer purchases from...

And your done,

Very simple but without that last bit will leave you really frustrated

Hi, I used the free version of iPhone 2 mac (which works also for my iPad 2).

http://www.video-converter-mac.org/copy-music-from-iphone-to-itunes/

You can either purchase it for 18 bucks and have cool stuff.
or you can use the free version where you have to do it one by one.
However, I have 1,300 + songs and once I started I got it over in like an hour maybe (use your keyboard down arrow + click, much faster).

Also it will say you have to wait for 60 seconds after transferring x number of songs, but if you ignore the message after the 60 seconds are down, it will just allow to transfer unlimited.

So I am very happy of this program, now I have all my songs on my mac and itunes library (which I will back up right away so I don't have to do it agaiN!! lol).

Good luck !

Hey thanks Matthew Gorner! I recently lost my Mac and while trying to get back up and running on my PC I could not for the life of me, figure out how to get around this issue until I found (finally) your most helpful post.

You made it so easy!

Kristie

Right, this is one of the most important functionnality the software provides and I need to search on Google to find it. I'm a software engineer and everytime I use iTunes it makes me mad. It's slow and counter-intuitive. Ho, the look is all right, but efforts should be put into ease of use and functionnality first.

Thanks! I've been using Macs and iPhones and iPod Touches for years now - I can't believe I have to Google around to remember how to do this every time. I really don't understand why (a) it doesn't transfer purchases automatically wirelessly over wifi and/or when plugged in or (b) why when you get the error message telling you that you should transfer purchases it doesn't then give you an option to do the transfer right then and there or even any instructions or (c) the transfer doesn't happen automatically at least when you click "sync" in iTunes to sync your phone with iTunes -- at least then the transfer should just happen in the background. I love Apple, but burying this option in a sub-menu of the file menu is a really poor user experience.

Many Thanks !!!