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vjadusingh

Q: Why did Apple Music change album covers in my music library?

In my music library I had previously downloaded songs that weren't purchased on iTunes. Once I joined Apple Music the album covers changed for a lot if not all of my songs. Why does it do that, and how can I restore it?

iPhone SE, iOS 9.3.2

Posted on Jul 9, 2016 9:00 PM

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Q: Why did Apple Music change album covers in my music library?

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  • by tim_135,

    tim_135 tim_135 Jul 10, 2016 12:17 PM in response to vjadusingh
    Community Specialists
    Jul 10, 2016 12:17 PM in response to vjadusingh

    Hi there vjadusingh,

     

    Thank you for bringing your question about album art on iTunes to the Apple Support Communities.  I love having album art for my music and I can understand wanting to get the right artwork there.  I'm happy to help you with this issue.

     

    Part of Apple Music's service is to match any music you have in your collection to what iTunes sells in the store.  Sometimes the iTunes edition of an album will have different artwork for the album, so it applies the artwork from the iTunes Store edition to the music you'd already imported.  

     

    If you have a backup of your iTunes library from before signing up for Apple Music, you can restore from that backup.  This article provides instructions for backing up and restoring:

     

    Manage and back up your iTunes media library

     

    Be sure to check out this section:

     

    Restore your library from a backup

    If you want to restore your iTunes library or iTunes Media folder from your external drive to your computer:

    1. Quit iTunes.
    2. Locate your external drive.
      Mac: On the Desktop or Finder sidebar. 
      Windows: In My Computer.
    3. Drag the iTunes folder (that you backed up earlier) from your external drive to where you want it on your internal drive. We recommend that you put the iTunes folder back into its default location.
    4. Hold down the Option key (Mac) or Shift key (Windows) while opening iTunes.
    5. When you see a message that asks you to Choose iTunes Library, click Choose Library.
      choose iTunes library
    6. Choose the iTunes folder (that you dragged in step 3) from your internal drive.
    7. Mac: Click Choose.
      Windows: Click Open.
    8. Choose the iTunes Library.itl file inside.

     

    If you don't have a backup of your iTunes library then you'll want to re-import those CDs and audio files again.  

    iTunes 12 for Windows: Import songs from CDs

    iTunes 12 for Windows: Import music and video already on your computer

    iTunes 12 for Mac: Import songs from CDs

    iTunes 12 for Mac: Import music and video already on your computer

     

    Best wishes,