Move playlists from iPhone to iTunes

Hi Chris

For some reason, my itunes doesn't give me the export option. All I can see is:Play, shuffle, play next and Add to up next.

Can you help me please? I want to copy my ipod touch to my itunes on a pc

Sorry Chris,

I have been sorting thru this thread which has only gotten me more confused. I am trying to get my playlists from my iPod classic to my iTunes library. The method used most was to select the playlist and then click export. Unfortunately, it is not giving me that option when I do a right click on the playlists. Why isn't it giving me this option and how do I do this. I am extremely frustrated. Thanks

I am having trouble following these instructions, of course I am using the latest itunes (v 12) and with each rev they **** it up more and this is from an ancient time when itunes sort of worked. To Be CLEAR: The Playlists that I CREATED ON MY IPHONE D O N O T S H O W U P anywhere in the big master playlist in ITUNES on my LAPTOP. So I don't see how I can "SELECT the playlist I want" because IF IT WAS THERE I wouldn't have a problem to begin with.

W H E N YOU T Y P E IN ALL CAPS and space letters out IT IS M O R E important!!!

To Be CLEAR: The Playlists that I CREATED ON MY IPHONE D O N O T S H O W U P anywhere in the big master playlist in ITUNES on my LAPTOP.

Because Y O U have not selected the iPhone in iTunes to see the playlists on the iPhone.

You CANNOT transfer PLAYLISTS between Apple devices. Backup and restore is only for content. You have to purchase 3rd party software to transfer PLAYLISTS. This is why the 3rd party software was developed. Apple won't support it.

As covered elsewhere in this thread you should be able to export a playlist from a device, and then import it using iTunes. I've also a written a free Windows script that can copy over all playlists at once.

tt2

Hmm, I can export existing playlists that are on my iPhone 6+ to XML, then import those. However I am currently subscribed to iCloud Music Library on the phone. A freshly made playlist on the device does not show up in the list of playlists on the device when viewed through iTunes on my main library, but when signing into my test iCloud Music library the new playlist appeared automatically as the library was refreshed. You cannot sync an iOS device that has iCloud Music Library enabled. My guess is the original library is preserved somewhere in case you choose to turn iCloud Music Library off, and iTunes connects to that version of the library rather than the iCloud version.

tt2

Hi Chris,

What what happens if the playlist is not being updated. for example, I can see the playlist listed on itunes but the song list is not the same as the songs on my iphone. I had removed some playlists on my phone and removed songs from some playlists but it still does not seem to be updating in itunes. therefore, even when I export them it won't be what I want. thanks for any help you can give!

John

Ahhh ... thanks for posting this Edit by MargDawg!

While Chris' instructions seemed great, right clicking on my iphone's playlists would only show; Play, Shuffle, Play Next, and Add to Up Next...no ability to save the playlist from that menu.

Accessing the "show menu bar" was what I needed to export my iphone's playlists to my PC, then import them back into itunes.

Thank you so much !!! I just got an new phone and only wanted a select playlist on the new phone as not to clog it up with 8ish years of music, but unfortunately the playlist was on my old phone not laptop. I have managed to get the playlist on my laptop so now i can sync it to the new iPhone !!

Hi

This sounds logical but sadly does not work -- and I have to admit that I can barely contain my fury (and I really mean it) at Apple for the ridiculous mess they have created with iTunes. If there is one thing that I would say, having spent literally $100, 000's over the years, being an Apple developer and overall fan boy -- even with this I hate iTunes with an unholy passion.

This is one reason why.

Sooooo - when out and about, I often revise playlists and even add some new ones -- I then want to pass these back to iTunes on my iMac, reconcile them and so on. Is this freaking impossible to do? WHYYYYY? With freaking iTunes 12.4, I cannot see the new playlists in iTunes that are clearly shown in the Phone. ***.

Soooo - I used to be able to backup to the computer and the playlist would appear and I could edit and change them there -- in the case of anime conflict, it would append a "1" (for example blues for car and blues for car1. where the later is from the phone). No longer. Do these people ever actually use their products? arrrggg.

Please don't say that I should export after selecting because, as others have said, I cannot select something I CANNOT SEE.

Sorry for the all caps but I really done with this foolishness.

S

Chico_as wrote:

there is no "export" option available when I click the gray disclosure triangle...

The post was over 4 years ago. Things have changed and have been posted in this very thread.

Select the playlist on the iPhone.

Then iTunes menu File > Library > Export playlist...

eenar47 wrote:

HI Chris CA

Sorry to be dumb, but I can't see the disclosure triangle.

Please help as I also need to transfer playlists to my iTunes library.

Thanks a lot

The post was over 4 years ago. Things have changed and have been posted in this very thread.

Select the playlist on the iPhone.

Then iTunes menu File > Library > Export playlist...

Thanks Chris CA for your help with this. Called Apple support and they had no idea. Export playlist as XML worked (make sure the auto sync is turned off before you plug in your iPhone, as you've instructed). I was able to immediately download the playlists from my iPhone to my new PC/iTunes. About 30% of the songs in playlists were missing that were purchased or downloaded through other sources, but I had them saved to an external HD and migrated them as well.

All good. 🙂

I connect my iPhone to my Macbook Air, and I'm selecting my iPhone in my iTunes on my MacBook Air. Yet, the playlists I created on my iPhone do not appear in the "On My Device" list in my iTunes on my MacBook. The only playlists listed there are the ones that were on in my iTunes when I last synced my iPhone.

So, how do I import a playlists from my iPhone that my iTunes on my MacBook is not even seeing?