Manage content on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch manually using your Mac

You can add music, TV programmes and films from your computer to your iOS or iPadOS device manually.

Instead of syncing content to your iOS or iPadOS device manually, consider using iCloud Photos, Apple Music or similar services to keep content from your Mac in the cloud. This way, you can access your music, photos and more on your devices when you’re not near your computer.

If you’re using macOS Catalina, you can add content from the Music app or the TV app to your iOS or iPadOS device manually after completing the setup process in Finder. If you’re using macOS Mojave or earlier, you can add content from iTunes manually.

Find out which macOS your Mac is using.

Add content from the Music app or TV app manually

In macOS Catalina, you can manage your content manually using the Music app or TV app. Follow these steps.

Set up your iOS or iPadOS device

1. Connect your device to your computer.

2. Open a Finder window.

3. Locate and click your device. If asked, trust your computer on your device.

4. If asked to sync your device, click Get Started.

5. Scroll to the Options section. Select “Manually manage music, films and TV programmes”, then click Apply.

Add content from the Music or TV app

1. Connect your device to your computer.

2. Open the Music app or TV app on your Mac.

3. Select the content you want to add to your device from your library.

4. Look in the left sidebar for your device, then drag the content to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

Add content from iTunes manually

In macOS Mojave or earlier, you can manage your content manually using iTunes. Follow these steps.

Set up your iOS or iPadOS device

1. Connect your device to your computer.

2. Open iTunes. Make sure you have the latest version.

3. Locate and click your device.

4. In the left sidebar, click Summary.

5. Scroll to the Options section. Select “Manually manage music and videos”, then click Apply.

You may see a message stating that your device is synced with another library. This means that you’ve used a different computer to sync your device in the past, and iTunes can’t sync without first erasing and replacing all iTunes content on your device.

Add content from iTunes

1. Connect your device to your computer.

2. Open iTunes. Make sure you have the latest version.

3. Select the content you want to add to your device from your iTunes library.

   

4. Look in the left sidebar for your device, then drag the content to your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.