Sync iTunes content with your devices

To add items on your computer to your iPod, iPhone, or iPad, you sync them using iTunes. You can have iTunes sync items automatically (which is the quickest option), or drag items to your device manually (which gives you more control)—or you can do both. You can also remove items from your device automatically or manually.

If you have iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad with iOS 5 or later, you can sync your device wirelessly when your computer and device are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Without a Wi-Fi connection, sync your device using USB. For more information, see the Apple Support article Sync your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iTunes on your computer using USB.

For general information about syncing, see Syncing overview.

Select items to sync automatically

  1. Connect your device to your computer, then click the Device button near the top left of the iTunes window.

    The Device button selected near the top of the iTunes window.
  2. Select the type of content you want to sync (for example, Music or Podcasts) in the sidebar on the left.

    Summary is selected in the sidebar on the left. The types of content that appear might vary, depending on your device and the contents of your iTunes library.
  3. Select the Sync checkbox, then select the items you want to sync automatically each time you connect your device.

    Sync Music near the top left is selected with options to sync your entire library or only selected items.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for each type of content you want to include on your device.

    The bar at the bottom of the window shows how much space will remain on your device after you sync.

    Move the pointer over the bar at the bottom of the window to view details about the content you’re syncing and to see how much space is left for more content.
  5. By default, iTunes syncs your device whenever you connect it to your computer. If you want to have iTunes ask you before syncing, do one of the following:

    • Require a prompt before syncing this device: Click Summary, then deselect “Open iTunes when this [device] is connected.”

    • Require a prompt before syncing all devices: Choose iTunes > Preferences, click Devices, then select “Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically.”

  6. When you’re ready to sync, click Apply.

Tip: To automatically sync a connected device at any time, choose File > Devices > Sync [device name].

WARNING: If you delete an automatically synced item from your iTunes library, the deleted item is removed from your device the next time you sync.

Add items to your device manually

You can manually add music, movies, TV shows, and podcasts to your device. You can’t manually add photos, books, contacts, or other info.

  1. Make sure your device is connected.

  2. In your iTunes library, Control-click an item, choose Add to Device, then choose your device.

    Note: Only items you’ve downloaded are available to add to a device.

Keep items from being automatically synced

If there are some items you never want synced (for example, if they’re too big to fit on your device), you can keep them from being synced.

You can also turn off automatic syncing for music, movies, and TV shows. You must do this if you want to sync iPod classic, iPod nano, or iPod shuffle with more than one iTunes library, or automatically fill your device with songs using Autofill (see the next task, below).

  1. Connect your device to your computer.

  2. Click the Device button, then click Summary.

    The Device window, with Summary selected in the sidebar on the left.
  3. Do any of the following:

    • Keep individual items from being synced: Select “Sync only checked [items].” Then deselect the checkbox next to any items in your iTunes library that you don’t want synced.

    • Turn off automatic syncing for music, movies, and TV shows: Select “Manually manage music and videos.”

  4. Click Apply.

WARNING: If you turn off automatic syncing on your device, adding books for the iBooks app on your device erases all your other content. You should add books to your device only when automatic syncing is on.

Fill your device with a random selection of songs using Autofill

If you don’t want to always hear the same music on your device, you can have iTunes fill it with a random selection of songs by using Autofill.

To use Autofill, you must turn off automatic syncing for music and videos (see instructions above).

  1. Connect your device to your computer, then click the Device button near the top left of the iTunes window.

    The Device button selected near the top of the iTunes window.
  2. Select Music in the sidebar on the left, below On My Device.

    The On My Device section of the sidebar showing Music selected.
  3. Click the Autofill pop-up menu at the bottom of the Music pane, then choose which songs you want to sync.

    The Autofill options at the bottom of the Music pane. At the far left is the Autofill From pop-up menu, where you choose whether to add songs from a playlist or from your entire library. On the far right are two buttons—Settings, to change various Autofill options, and Autofill. When you click Autofill, your device fills with the songs fitting the criteria.
  4. To adjust Autofill settings, click Settings.

    The Autofill Settings dialog showing four options, from top to bottom. If you have music on your device and want Autofill to fill the remaining space, deselect the option “Replace all items when Autofilling.” To add songs in the order in which they appear in your library or selected playlist, deselect the option “Choose items randomly.” The next option, “Choose higher rated items more often,” is available only when you select the option “Choose items randomly.” If you want to set aside space to use as a hard disk, adjust the slider to set the disk capacity.

    For more details, see Autofill settings.

  5. When you’re done, click OK.

  6. Click Autofill, then click Sync.

Each time you use Autofill, iTunes adds different songs to your device.

Remove items from your device

Make sure your device is connected, then do any of the following:

The types of content you can sync depends on your device. For more information, see the documentation for your device.

You can sync multiple devices with your iTunes library, and use different settings for each device.

Important: Before disconnecting iPod classic, iPod nano, or iPod shuffle from your computer, click the Eject button .

See alsoSync photos with devicesSync contacts, calendars, and other apps with devicesApple Support article: Manually manage content on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using iTunes