How to restore non-purchased iTunes files from iCloud

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How to restore non-purchased iTunes files from iCloud

I've recently organized my entire iTunes library, many of the files added were not downloaded from iTunes. I have automatic upload to my iCloud turned on. I mistakenly highlighted all my files and clicked "remove download" thinking it would clear out the cloud and only leave the music on my computer. It did the opposite and removed all my files from my computer and kept them in the cloud. Is there a way to redownload all my files in the format they were uploaded? Right now I'm only able to download them in m4p format... but most of them were mp3 that I could play on other devices other than itunes.

I can't restore from a backup because my iTunes library is on an external drive and time machine isn't set to back that up.

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.4)

Posted on Jul 6, 2015 12:34 PM

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Answer 1

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Limnos

Level 10

411,091 points

Jul 6, 2015 1:40 PM in response to paulv80

Which service were you using? The new Music service or the old Match service? If an item was matched with one in Apple's collection it will only download the matched copy. It it was under the Music service it will be replace with one that is DRM protected and will require forever subscribing to Apple's Music service. If it was done with Match it will download Apple's DRM-free copy. If it was, well, read for yourself:

Apple Music vs iTunes Match: What's the difference? - http://www.imore.com/apple-music-vs-itunes-match-whats-difference

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Answer 2

sberman

Level 10

263,637 points

Jul 6, 2015 1:34 PM in response to paulv80

paulv80 wrote:

I have automatic upload to my iCloud turned on.

Sorry, I don't know what this means.

Your music is stored in iCloud if and only if you subscribe to iTunes Match. But if you used iTunes Match, your comment about files being stored in .m4p would not be true - they are stored in .m4a format.

I'm missing something ...

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Answer 3

sberman

Level 10

263,637 points

Jul 6, 2015 1:57 PM in response to paulv80

Ah, Limnos' answer explains what's happening to me ...

Since you got m4p files, you must be using the new Apple Music service. So as Limnos says, you will have to subscribe to Apple Music forever or lose the dowloaded music.

To Limnos, thanks for helping my understanding.

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Answer 4

Limnos

Level 10

411,091 points

Jul 6, 2015 2:14 PM in response to sberman

You're welcome. 🙂

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Answer 5

paulv80 Author

Level 1

13 points

Jul 6, 2015 3:00 PM in response to Limnos

Thanks Limnos and sberman, I am using Apple Music not the old Match service. I am downloading the files now, but some are coming in as mp3 and the remaining are coming through as m4a protected files. I'd be happy if it was either/or but now I have an iTunes library and an Apple Music library.. my albums are split between the two (one album now might have both mp3s and m4as in it). It's not duplicating the songs it's just downloading them in a different format.

Side question, is there any way to remove all the songs from the iCloud in Apple Music... this way once everything is downloaded (an reorganized) I can just re-upload them and keep a backup of my library?

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Answer 6

turingtest2

Level 10

272,707 points

Jul 6, 2015 4:01 PM in response to paulv80

Yes, you can make a smart playlist with the rule Kind is Apple Music AAC Audio File, use that to make a note of what you need to rerip, backup your library, then delete and re-rip. However I'd suggest you do that methodically one album at time rather than deleting all the Apple Music items in one go.

tt2

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Answer 7

paulv80 Author

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13 points

Jul 6, 2015 4:04 PM in response to turingtest2

Thanks, how do I remove the music from iCloud though?

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Answer 8

turingtest2

Level 10

272,707 points

Jul 6, 2015 4:14 PM in response to paulv80

You can use Option+Delete to remove songs from a smart playlist and the library. You will be prompted if you want to Remove Downloads or Delete Songs. In this case you're going to want to delete and then rerip. I'd start with that backup first though, preferably one that can do delta updates as you repair the library.

tt2

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