Q: how to delete songs from my ipod

Go to iTunes and if you have checked off, "Sync only checked songs and videos" simply just uncheck the songs and resync. If you don't then you have to do so if you want to delete songs. You can't delete songs directly from the nano.

If you are using the Manually manage music [and videos] setting, select iPod in the iTunes sidebar, under DEVICES.  Click the toggle (small triangle) to the left of the iPod, to drop down the iPod's content list indented under the iPod.  Click on Music there.

The list of songs on the iPod is shown to the right.  Select the song you want to remove on that list, and press Delete on keyboard.  You can do this for one song, a selection of songs, or the entire list (Select All).

NOTE:  If the iTunes sidebar is hidden, from the menu bar, under View, select Show Sidebar.

If you are using automatic syncing, please post back.

There are two ways to delete music from your iPod. The first is to delete songs in your iTunes library and have iTunes sync your library to your iPod automatically when you plug your iPod into the computer.
The second is to manually delete music by resetting the options to a manual setting and deleting music directly from your iPod without affecting the songs in your iTunes library. Follow these steps to delete music from your iPod.

I think this is what I've been looking for. Before going any further, though, I want to make sure that I don't inadvertently delete songs form the iTunes library IN MY COMPUTER. Here's where I am;

(1)  I have connected my iPod Nano to my iMac.

(2) Under DEVICES in the left column on my iTunes screen, there is (A) My iPod (B) Music (C) Audiobooks

(3) At the bottom of the iTunes screen is the following:

      Autofill From: very long list. To the right of this are Settings..., Autofill and Sync.

Now, then, to delete all of the songs from my iPod WITHOUT deleting them from my computer, what do I do?

For (3), those are the controls for Autofill, which is a different way to add songs to the iPod.  It's not related to removing songs from the iPod manually.

In the sidebar, make sure you select Music under the iPod (indented below the iPod).  That's the iPod's content list and shows the list of songs on the iPod.  Do NOT select Music under LIBRARY.

If you want to delete ALL of the songs on the iPod, click on any song on that song list.  Do a "Select All," which is Cmd-A on the keyboard or Select All from the Edit menu (in menu bar).  With all of the songs selected, press Delete on the keyboard. 

As long as you are working from the iPod's content list, you are only removing songs from the iPod, not your iTunes library.  It's like removing songs from a playlist; when you remove a song from a playlist, it is not deleted from your iTunes library.  The only way to remove songs from your main iTunes library is to select Music under LIBRARY (in the sidebar) and delete songs from that list.

NOTE:  If you want to completely erase your iPod, you can also do a Restore on the iPod in iTunes.  The Restore button is on the iPod's Summary screen in iTunes.

Thanks for your help. Unfortunately, I didn't see it when it came in, and I only came here to say that I called Apple and they told me what to do. It was easy. All I had to do was click on the Restore button. I even learned how to add individual songs, or Playlists of songs (drag them or their Playlist to iPod under DEVICES on the left side of the iTunes screen). I did run into one minor "problem," but I think that it's merely because the iPod Nano has a limited capacity. I successfully downloaded Playlists of  215 songs, 31, and 27, but the last Playlist was not downloaded. It contained 107 songs. There is something wrong there, because it should have been only about 15, so more than 100 songs were in that Playlist that shouldn't have been there. This is the second time that this has happened. As a matter of fact, only today, I cleansed that Playlist of all the songs that didn't belong there. Now they've come back. Well, that's another problem that I will have to overcome, but not now. Now, I'm just happy that I have learned how to delete and add songs to my iPod without affecting my iTunes library.

As I said, the ONLY way to delete songs from your iTunes library is to select Music under LIBRARY (in the sidebar) and delete songs from THAT list.  The iTunes library is your "master copy" and is not affected when you update songs on an iPod.

Doing a Restore is fine, if you want to delete everything.  But you don't always want to erase everything...

When you manually drag playlists to the iPod in iTunes, that should only add the songs (not the playlists) to the iPod.  If you want to add playlists (that already exist in your iTunes library) to your iPod, it is more convenient to use automatic syncing.

Select the iPod in sidebar.  To the right, the Summary screen is shown.  Toward the top, there is a bar of buttons starting with Summary.  Click on Music next to Summary.  This Music screen is where you set up automatic syncing.

Check the box for Sync Music.  This setting enables automatic syncing.  Select the option to sync Selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres.  On the lists below, find and select (checkmark) those playlists under Playlists.  (You can also select items on the other lists, as desired.)

When you click Apply, the songs on your selections sync to the iPod.  The playlists will also be available (to play from) on the iPod.  Going forward, to update songs on the iPod, just update those playlists in your iTunes library (add/remove songs).  The iPod does not need to be connected.  The next time you connect the iPod (or click Sync if already connected), iTunes updates the iPod with the same changes automatically.

Kenichi Watanabe wrote:

 

As I said, the ONLY way to delete songs from your iTunes library is to select Music under LIBRARY (in the sidebar) and delete songs from THAT list.  The iTunes library is your "master copy" and is not affected when you update songs on an iPod.

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That's not good (safe) enough UNLESS the screen gives a warning if you forget and hit the delete button when in the MUSIC mode. In fact, I've now printed your warning and pasted it on my computer, and I will never delete anything in my iPod without reviewing your warning.

XXXXXX

When you manually drag playlists to the iPod in iTunes, that should only add the songs (not the playlists) to the iPod.  If you want to add playlists (that already exist in your iTunes library) to your iPod, it is more convenient to use automatic syncing.

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I am leary of "AUTOMATIC SYNCING". To me, that means that songs will be downloaded into my iPod without my permission. I don't want that, but now that I know how to erase everything on my iPod and start again, it's something that I can try. If it's not as bad as I fear, I'll do it. However, you do use the word, "convenient". Does that mean that there is a good way to move a Playlist into my iPod manually? I've already done that by dragging, but it doesn't play the way it does in my iTunes library.  In fact, the songs jump around from Playlist to Playlist. By the way, I'm printing your instructions.

 

 

The screen DOES give you a warning.  A dialog box pops up to confirm you want to delete the song.  And it also gives you the option to keep the song file (while deleting the song from your library).  So, it's difficult to delete the song from the library AND delete the song file itself, unless you WANT to do it.  Plus, you should have a backup of your iTunes library, in case you computer's drive fails, so if you manage to delete a song by mistake, you can restore it from the backup.

I am leary of "AUTOMATIC SYNCING". To me, that means that songs will be downloaded into my iPod without my permission.

You are "leary" because you don't understand how it works.  On the iPod's Music screen in iTunes, of you choose the option to sync Entire music library (and your iPod has the capacity to hold your entire music library), THEN songs that are added to your iTunes library are added automatically to the iPod.  That's what that option means.

BUT, if you instead do as I suggested and select the option to sync Selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres, THEN only the things you select are synced.  So, if you have playlists in your iTunes library that you want on the iPod and only select those playlists on the iPod's Music screen, then ONLY those playlists sync to the iPod.  Songs will only sync to the iPod IF you add them to those playlists.  In effect, you are manually updating those playlists in iTunes, and letting iTunes automatically update the changes to the iPod.  Automatic syncing is how iPods are meant to be used.

Okay, you've convinced me, so tomorrow I'm going to empty my iPod--for the third time--and try again. Now that I know that I'll be warned before I do something wrong, I'm ready for some experimentation. The way I see it  now, there's nothing to lose and I might be able to corrrect some problems I've been having, like transfering an intact Playlist. By this I mean that I like my Playlists to play continuously from the first song to the last, even if that last song is 200+ songs away. Right now, the "Playlists" on my iPod might play several songs in a row but then switch to another "Playlist" before the first one is finished. If I can fix that, I'll be content---almost. The only problem then will be having enough capacity, so I might end up buying a later model iPod. Now that I know some of the basics, I think that can be justified. Thanks for getting me this far.

NOTE:  There is no need to manually "empty" your iPod before setting up automatic syncing.  When you check the Sync Music checkbox on the iPod's Music screen, set up the Music screen, and click Apply, iTunes replaces whatever is currently on the iPod with the content you select on the Music screen.  So, if you select (checkmark) those playlists, whatever is currently on the iPod gets replaced by the songs on those playlists. 

I might be able to corrrect some problems I've been having, like transfering an intact Playlist.

As long as the total size of songs on the selected playlists does not exceed the capacity of the iPod, they will be "intact."  If there is not enough space on the iPod's storage for the songs on the playlists, you will get an error message.  You can use the "capacity bar" at the bottom of the screen to see how much space will be used.

I like my Playlists to play continuously from the first song to the last

When you play the iPod, be sure to select a playlist and play from that playlist.  If the iPod is set to play in order (not shuffle), the songs will play in the same playlist order, as seen in iTunes.  It probably does not work now, because you don't actually have playlists on the iPod; you manually loaded songs from playlists, but not the playlists themselves.

DUDE YOU'RE A BOSS!

THAT WAS SO SIMPLE!!

Thank you for your very clear instructions!

Junipertm,

For me, using the RESTORE method is much, much easier.