sync playlist to iPhone

If you only see a checkbox for Manually manage videos, your iPhone is probably set to sync with your iCloud Music Library, assuming you have one from a subscription to iTunes Match or Apple Music. If you want to sync directly with your iTunes library on your Mac, you can turn OFF iCloud Music Library on the iPhone. Go to the iPhone's (onboard) Settings screen, them Music, and "switch off" iCloud Music Library.

BUT if you have iCloud Music Library turned ON on iPhone, and you have iCloud Music Library turned ON on your Mac, songs and playlists on your Mac are also in your iCloud Music Library; you can access them on your iPhone directly, without syncing. You can either download songs from iCloud Music Library to iPhone, or you can stream them (when you play any song) and not have the song files take up storage space on your iPhone.

If you DO want to sync directly from Mac to iPhone, you should see the checkbox for Manually manage music and videos after turning OFF iCloud Music Library on the iPhone. However, if you want to sync a particular playlist that exists in your iTunes library to the iPhone, the best way to do that is to set up automatic syncing for Music and set it to sync that particular playlist. If you want more info about doing that, please post back.

If you have Manually manage music and videos enabled for your iPhone, that mean you are adding and removing songs manually; there are no "toggles" (for artist, genre, or anything else) that determine what songs are on the iPhone (those settings are only used for automatic syncing).

Select the iPhone in iTunes (click its device button on horizontal bar) to show its settings screen in iTunes window. Along left side of window (in the sidebar), under On My Device, click Music. To the right, you see a list of songs currently on the iPhone. If you see "a dozen songs" that you do not want on the iPhone, select them on that song list and press Delete on keyboard. The songs are manually removed from iPhone.

Sorry for the delay. I did not get the email notice that you replied for some reason... Plus your topic is marked Solved so I did not click on it again to see if you had more questions.

If you are checking and unchecking songs to determine the songs that sync to the iPhone, you are not using the Manually manage songs and videos setting. You asked about the Manually manage setting (why it only says "videos") in your first post, so I assumed you wanted to use it. You are actually using automatic syncing. That's fine, but THAT is also why you cannot manually remove songs from the iPod using the method I described; that only works if you are using the Manually manage setting.

Are those "mystery" songs checked or not checked in your iTunes library?

Select the iPod in iTunes (click its device button on horizontal bar) to show its settings screen in iTunes window. Along left side (in the sidebar), under Settings, click Music. To the right, the iPod's Music settings screen is shown, where you set up how iTunes does automatic syncing. Please describe how that screen is currently set up. Or you can take a screen shot and include in your next reply (Cmd-Shift-4 to take screenshot of a part of the screen).

A theory about the "mystery" songs... On the iPhone's Music settings screen in iTunes (shown in your first screenshot), scroll all the way to the bottom. Do you have a list there for Manually Added Songs. Since iTunes 11 (I think) you can actually add songs manually to the device (by dragging and dropping), even if it set to use automatic syncing. I don't usually mention this in my comments, because it gets too confusing. But, if you dragged some songs to the iPhone (with Sync Music enabled), those manually added songs appear on that Manually Added Songs list (where you can manually remove them). You won't see that list there, if you don't have any manually added songs on the iPhone.

I have a suggestion for a better way to set up automatic syncing, especially since the number of synced songs is relatively low. You are currently using a genre to sync songs. Most users don't use genre to define syncing. You should use playlists instead, because they are easier to update.

In your iTunes library, create one or more playlists with songs you want on the iPhone. I'll explain this with only ONE playlist, which you can call iPhone Songs. Add all the songs you want on the iPhone to this playlist.

On the iPhone's Music settings screen, set it up as shown in your screenshots, except uncheck Workout under Genres. Nothing should be checked on the four list. Then, under Playlists, find the iPhone Songs playlist you created. Select (checkmark) it. Click Apply to sync your selection (songs and the playlist) to the iPhone.

Going forward, to update songs on the iPhone, just update that iPhone Songs playlist in your iTunes library (add/remove songs). The iPhone does not need to be connected. The next time you connect it (or click Sync if already connected), iTunes automatically updates the iPhone with the same changes. You can create more than one playlist for your iPhone. For example, one can be for your Workout. Another can be your Favorites. And so on... Then select those playlists on the iPhone's Music settings screen. After syncing, the songs and playlists are on your iPhone. You can play the songs directly or from the playlists.

This "Music" pane on R can't be edited from this view...

When you are using Sync Music setting (automatic syncing), you cannot manually remove songs that are synced automatically. That's why that list is "see only." If your iPod is set to Manually manage music and videos, THEN you can manually add AND remove songs.

That was a good idea. I didn't specifically suggest it, but you set it to Manually manage to remove the offending songs, and then set it back to automatic syncing when you started using playlists for syncing.

In case I caused confusion, just to clarify, the TWO settings for Sync Music (on the iPod's Music settings screen) AND Manually manage music and videos (on the iPod's Summary settings screen) are mutually exclusive. That is, it is not possible for both to be checked at the same time. Checking Sync Music turns ON automatic syncing, and unchecks Manually manage. Checking Manually manage turn OFF automatic syncing (unchecks Sync Music). So...

There's some action that removes Manage manually - haven't isolated it but will watch carefully from now on to make sure it's selected before Apply(ing).

if you are now using automatic syncing using playlists (Sync Music is checked), the checkbox for Manually manage music and videos should NOT be checked. If you checkmark it (and Apply), you will turn OFF automatic syncing. Just leave Manually manage music and videos unchecked.