iTunes

iTunes A to Z.

From burning CDs to watching HD TV, everything you always wanted to know about iTunes.

iTunes Player

iTunes Window

Library

Your library contains everything you’ve imported into iTunes and your iTunes Store purchases: music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, books, iPod games, apps, lectures from iTunes U, and ringtones.

Store

One click takes you to the iTunes Store. iTunes adds everything you buy to your library. Downloading starts when you click Buy Now in the iTunes Store.

Devices

Your iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV appear in iTunes under the Devices section when they’re connected to your computer. CDs you’re burning or importing appear there, too. Click your device and iTunes shows you a summary of everything on it. Click a CD to check the progress of an import or a burn.

Shared

Look under Shared to see music, video, podcasts, audiobooks, and other media in the iTunes libraries of computers on your local network. With Home Sharing enabled, you can import movies, music, TV shows, apps, books, and more from up to five authorized computers in your home.

Genius

Genius playlists and Genius Mixes appear under Genius. Whenever you create and save a Genius playlist, this is where you’ll find it. Genius Mixes automatically appear here, too. And you can play them all with a click.

Playlists

All the playlists you create appear here — standard playlists as well as your Smart Playlists. iTunes DJ also appears under Playlists.

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Browse

Visual Browsing

Select Music in Grid View and iTunes displays your entire music library using cover art. Turn on the Grid View header to select Artists, Albums, Genres, or Composers, and iTunes displays music based on your selection. Simply skim across a group to see the albums inside, and start playing an album with a single click. Movies, TV shows, podcasts, and audiobooks look great in Grid View, too.

Cover Flow

Cover Flow displays all the album art in your music collection in one easy-to-navigate interface that mimics a CD collection or jukebox selection. Move between covers using the forward and back arrows or use the slider to browse faster. When you find what you want, double-click the artwork to start playing the album.

Column Browser

View your entire music collection in columns: genres, artists, albums, groupings, and composers. Choose as many columns as you like, then browse your music even more easily. You can view the column browser at the top of your iTunes window or along the side.

Unwatched Videos

In Grid View, you’ll know instantly which TV show seasons and podcast subscriptions have unwatched episodes. Look for a blue indicator next to the poster art. Or turn on the Grid View header and select New in Grid View. Then you’ll see only the podcasts and shows you have yet to enjoy.

Genius Mixes

The Genius Mixes feature searches your iTunes library to find songs that go great together, then organizes them into mixes you’ll love. iTunes creates multiple Genius Mixes automatically. Rearrange and rename the mixes you want to keep, and delete the ones you don’t. You’ll find them all under Genius, where you can browse and play one with a click.

Search

The moment you start typing in the search field, iTunes returns results from your library. Your results narrow as your search term gets more specific.

Compilations

iTunes can keep your soundtracks and other compilations organized. You’ll find each compilation under Compilations (in Grid View) or Various Artists (in the column browser), instead of seeing a separate album for each song by a different artist. You can mark any album as a compilation by choosing Get Info.

Jump to the iTunes Store

Wondering about those little arrows next to a song or video name? Click the arrow and you’re immediately taken to that album or show page on the iTunes Store.

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Playlists

Create a Playlist

Make your own mix by creating a playlist of the exact songs you want, in the order you want them. Start by clicking the Add (+) button in the lower-left corner. Give your playlist a name. Then simply drag songs into it. Rearrange the order of songs in your playlist by dragging and dropping.

Smart Playlists

Have iTunes create a playlist for you based on your desired criteria — like all the rock songs you’ve added to your library in the past month or songs you’ve listened to more than 10 times. You can create many rules for a single Smart Playlist, based on media type, genre, and more. iTunes finds the songs, podcasts, movies, or TV shows that match your rules and creates a playlist that updates itself automatically.

Organize with Folders

As you accumulate more and more playlists, consider organizing them in folders. To create a new folder, choose New Folder from the File menu. Double-click a folder to rename it.

Genius

Genius Mixes

The Genius Mixes feature searches your iTunes library to find songs that go great together, then organizes them into mixes you’ll love. These mixes are like channels programmed entirely with your music. Under Genius, click Genius Mixes. You’ll see Genius Mixes that have been created for you. Click one to play. Rearrange and rename the mixes you want to keep, and delete the ones you don’t.

Genius Playlists

Just select a song, click the Genius button, and iTunes makes a playlist of songs from your library that go great together. You decide how many songs appear in your Genius playlist — 25, 50, or 100. Refresh your Genius playlist to get new songs. Or save your Genius playlist so you always have it.

iTunes Sidebar

Turn on Genius to see recommendations in the iTunes Sidebar and discover new music, movies, and TV shows you’ll love — without leaving your library. Select a song, movie, or show in your library, and you’ll see recommendations from the iTunes Store. WIth Ping, you’ll see recent activity from your friends and favorite artists — including their purchases and music they like. Let your friends and the world know how you feel about songs and albums you own by commenting on them. Then preview and buy whatever you like directly from the sidebar.

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Managing

Syncing

iTunes is flexible when it comes to syncing media from your computer to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod and the other way around. You can sync automatically, manually, or by setting simple rules. To sync manually, select the exact items you want to add or remove and drag them to and from your device. Choose specific artists, genres, and playlists. Choose a certain movie or TV episode. Or sync using simple rules. For example, sync the two most recent unwatched movies, new TV episodes, or recent podcasts. Individual tabs for TV shows, podcasts, and iTunes U make syncing content a snap. And it’s even easier to manage apps because you can do it in iTunes. Arrange, rearrange, add, or delete apps and Home screens. iTunes automatically syncs your new Home screens with your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Organize Your Library

iTunes gives you the option to reorganize the files in your iTunes Music folder into folders for music, movies, TV shows, podcasts, and more. To organize your library, choose Library from the File menu, then choose Organize Library.

Undo Playlist Edits

Ever make a playlist edit you wish you hadn’t? Or worse, accidentally delete an entire playlist? You can restore your playlist after accidentally adding, reordering, or deleting an item or list. From the iTunes Edit menu, choose Undo and your playlist will go back to the way it was.

Set Media Kind

iTunes lets you properly categorize tracks in your library. Say you’re importing a set of language learning discs. If you want iTunes to categorize tracks on those discs as audiobooks, just select the tracks and choose Audiobooks from the Media Kind pop-up menu in the Options pane of Get Info. Now, instead of appearing in your music library, your imported tracks appear in your audiobooks library. You can assign music, audiobooks, iTunes U, or podcasts categories to any audio file. And video files can be categorized as movies, TV shows, music videos, podcasts, or iTunes U.

Back Up to Disc

Back up your iTunes library to CDs or DVDs right in iTunes. From the File menu, choose Library, then Back Up to Disc. You can back up your entire library and playlists, iTunes Store purchases only, or items you haven't yet backed up.

Join CD Tracks

Some CDs have tracks that play best without any breaks in between — audiobooks on CD and DJ mixes, for example. iTunes lets you combine tracks so they’re imported as one continuous track that suffers no disruption, even in shuffle mode. Just insert the audio CD, select the tracks you want to join (hold down the Shift key to select multiple items), and choose Join CD Tracks from the Advanced menu.

Back Up with Time Capsule

Time Capsule is the ideal peace-of-mind backup solution for your growing iTunes library. Available in 1TB and 2TB capacities,1 Time Capsule works with Time Machine in Mac OS X. Designate Time Capsule as the backup drive for Time Machine on all your Mac computers and take comfort in knowing that your iTunes data is backed up automatically and wirelessly.

Get Info

The Get Info window offers many ways to view and edit the information about your music and video. Select any track in your library, then choose Get Info from the File menu. Or select multiple tracks to edit information for all the tracks at once. Get at-a-glance information in the Summary pane. Change file information and enter comments in Info. Set sort options in Sorting. Adjust playback settings in Options. Enter song lyrics in Lyrics. Add, delete, and resize cover art in Artwork.

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Importing

CD Options

iTunes gives you choices when you insert a CD. You can either show the CD or begin playing it. You can also choose to import the CD right away, then eject it automatically.

Importing from CDs

To import songs from a CD into iTunes, insert the disc in your computer and click Import CD. iTunes saves music from your CDs as high-quality iTunes Plus files (256-Kbps AAC format). If your songs already exist in digital form on your computer, just drag them into your iTunes library. iTunes also converts unprotected WMA files on your Windows computer to AAC files.

Automatically Adding to iTunes

If you ever need to add new songs or videos to iTunes from another app, you can save them to your Automatically Add to iTunes folder.

Getting Album Artwork

Once you’ve imported your CDs, you’re only one click away from getting digital album art for them. If you have an iTunes Store account, choose Get Album Artwork from the Advanced menu, and iTunes adds available album art from the iTunes Store.

Retrieving CD Information

iTunes searches a database to automatically fill in information about each of your CD albums when you import them — song names, album name, artist, genre, and so on. All you need is an Internet connection. You can also look up the information later by choosing Get CD Track Names from the Advanced menu. If you want to enter the information yourself, choose Get Info from the File menu.

Encoding Imported Music

When you’re importing songs from a CD into iTunes, you can choose whether music is imported in AAC, AIFF, Apple Lossless, MP3, HE-AAC, or WAV format. Access your import settings in the Advanced section of iTunes preferences and choose your audio format, along with bit rates up to 320 Kbps.

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Burning

Burning a CD

Select a playlist in your library and insert a blank CD or DVD. Under the File menu, select Burn Playlist to Disc. iTunes burns your disc in as little as two minutes.

Burning Audio and MP3 CDs

Create audio CDs for your car or home stereo. Or make MP3 CDs to play on Mac and Windows computers and in MP3-compatible car stereos and CD players.

Burning a Backup

Use iTunes to archive your entire music and video library on CDs or DVDs for safekeeping. Choose Library from the File menu, then choose Back Up to Disc. Tell iTunes what you want to back up and insert a disc. iTunes does the thinking for you — just keep feeding it discs till it’s done.

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Sharing

Sharing over a Network

Enable sharing in iTunes preferences, and users on your network can play media from your library through your local network. Choose whether they have access to everything in your library or just specific playlists. Add a password to your shared library for limited access.

Home Sharing

With Home Sharing, you can share music, movies, TV shows, apps, and more among up to five authorized computers in your house. To set up your Home Sharing network, just sign in to your iTunes account from each computer you want to add. Then browse all the iTunes libraries on the network and import your favorites. You can also choose to have iTunes automatically import purchases made on any of the computers to your own library.

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Music Playback

Crossfade Playback

Decide how smoothly your songs fade in and out from one track to the next by adjusting Crossfade Playback, located in the Playback pane of iTunes preferences. Choose a fade time between 1 and 12 seconds.

Visualizer

Visualizer is a dynamic and mesmerizing visual light show that accompanies your music. It’s located in the View menu. Turn it on and watch light and 3D shapes move to the beat of your music.

Sound Check

Some songs and videos in your iTunes library may play louder than others. Enable Sound Check in the Playback pane of iTunes preferences, and everything in your library plays at the same volume.

Classical Music Playlist

If you’re a fan of classical music, you know that certain works — whether symphonies, concertos, operas, or oratorios — should be played together. iTunes features a Smart Playlist that’s specifically designed for classical music. You’ll see the Composer and Groupings columns for this playlist in the column browser. You can also use iTunes Groupings to specify Works. Choose Get Info from the File menu. Enter the name of the work in the Grouping field and click OK.

iTunes DJ

The iTunes DJ feature automatically picks songs from your entire library or from a specific playlist to create an endless mix of music. Review upcoming songs to reorder or remove on the fly, or add songs to the playlist at any time.

Repeat Track or Playlist

The Repeat button is located in the lower-left corner of the iTunes window. Click it once to repeat playback of a playlist. Click twice to repeat playback of a specific track.

Equalizer

Enhance the sound of your music with the iTunes Equalizer. Located in the Window menu, Equalizer includes 22 presets — Rock, R&B;, and Pop, to name a few. Drag the frequency sliders up and down to adjust a preset or to create your own.

Song Options

Select a song in your library and choose Get Info from the File menu. In the Options pane, you’ll find a handful of settings you can apply to just that song. Adjust its volume, assign an equalizer preset, rate it, set the start and stop time. Even tell iTunes to remember the playback position, skip the song in shuffle mode, or include the song as part of a gapless album.

iTunes Mini Player

Transform your iTunes window into a mini player. From the View menu, you can switch to Mini Player and also return the iTunes window to its full size.

iTunes Taskbar for Windows

Minimize your iTunes window to your taskbar on a PC. You can navigate your music, adjust the volume, and more. Just right-click on your taskbar. Choose Toolbars > iTunes > Minimize iTunes.

Control Playback from the Dock

You don’t need to be in the iTunes window to use simple playback commands. Right-click or Control-click the iTunes icon in the Dock on a Mac to bring up a contextual menu that lets you pause, skip, mute, and more.

Convert a Song to MP3

When you import unprotected WMA files or music from CDs, iTunes saves them as higher-quality AAC files. You can convert them to MP3 format in a few clicks: Select the song you want converted, then choose Create MP3 Version from the Advanced menu.

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Radio

Listen to Streaming Radio

Click Radio in your iTunes library and access hundreds of streaming radio stations from 26 different genres. Just double-click a station that interests you, and it begins streaming. iTunes includes stations in MP3 and high-quality HE-AAC formats.

Add a Station

Say there’s an Internet radio station you love, but it’s not included with iTunes. Choose Open Audio Stream from the Advanced menu to add the station to your library. Paste or enter the station’s URL in the dialog that appears and click OK.

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Video Playback

Playing Video

iTunes plays videos downloaded from the iTunes Store, such as your purchased and rented TV shows and movies and your video podcasts. iTunes also plays QuickTime-compatible files (labeled “.mov” and “.mp4”). In iTunes preferences, you can designate whether your videos play full screen or in the iTunes window.

Onscreen Controls

While a movie or video is playing, move the pointer to bring up onscreen controls. You can play, pause, scan backward or forward, and adjust volume. iTunes lets you navigate through chapters if this option is included in the video or movie.

Alternative Audio

Some videos feature alternative audio in other languages. Change the default audio language in the Playback pane of iTunes preferences. Quickly switch the language while your video plays by using the onscreen controls.

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Accessibility

Enhanced Screen Reader Support

iTunes includes enhanced screen reader accessibility. With VoiceOver in Mac OS X or Window-Eyes 7.1 or later for Windows XP and Windows Vista, you can browse and play everything in your iTunes library. You can also purchase and download content from the iTunes Store, including iTunes U, and create and maintain your iTunes Store account.

Closed Captioning

Show closed captioning in videos by changing playback settings in iTunes preferences. Select “Show closed captioning when available.” To search for closed-captioned movies in the iTunes Store, use Power Search and select “Search only for movies that contain closed captioning.”

iTunes Store

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iTunes Ping

Artist Profiles

Set your inner groupie free by following your favorite artists. Learn all there is to know, starting with their bios. See what they’ve been doing, what they’re listening to, and where they’re on tour, and check out photos and videos they’ve posted.

Profiles

Find new music by finding out what your friends are listening to. Check out their bios and hear 30-second previews of the music they like. Read their album, song, and concert reviews — and add your point of view. See which other friends and artists they’re following — and who’s following them back.

Recent Activity

Stay musically connected with the Recent Activity feed in iTunes. See a list of recent updates showing what your friends, favorite artists, and celebrities are up to. Watch video or check out photos from artists you follow. And tell everyone about your musical tastes.

Concerts

Keep tabs on when your favorite artists are on tour thanks to concert pages on iTunes. Check out an artist’s or band’s concert page and see when they’ll be performing near you. And see which of your friends are heading to the show.

Mobile Ping

All the social features of iTunes are available on your iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad. So you don’t need to be at your computer to follow a new friend, check out where your favorite band’s next gig is, or tell the world what you’re listening to.

iTunes Sidebar

See recent activity from artists in your iTunes library — and anyone you follow on Ping — right in the sidebar. And let your friends and the world know how you feel about songs and albums you own by commenting on them.

Find Friends

It's easy to find friends on Ping. Choose "Invite friends by email" and select MobileMe, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, or AOL to connect to your email address book. You’ll see which of your friends are already on Ping and which ones you should invite to join.

Connect to Twitter

Find and add those you follow on Twitter who are also on Ping, and automatically tweet your Ping activity. From the People page, choose ”Connect to Twitter,” and you’ll be able to select and follow your Twitter friends.

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Search

The iTunes Store makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. It uses a find-as-you-type search function that returns results in a list that changes as you type. If the Genius sidebar is open in iTunes, you can see iTunes Store search results from there.

Power Search

Search for items in the iTunes Store as though you were using a fine-toothed comb. Power Search lets you search using multiple criteria. For example, find movies by title, actor, director, producer, description, year, and rating.

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Sharing

Tell a Friend

You might come across something in the iTunes Store you’re certain your friend will like. Just choose Tell A Friend in the pop-up menu next to the Buy button. The iTunes Store opens a page for you to compose a message that is emailed to your friend, complete with a link to the item.

Send a Gift

Surprise someone with the gift of entertainment delivered immediately to their inbox. Look for “Gift This” in the pop-up menu beside the Buy button for music, movies, TV shows, music videos, audiobooks, apps, and iPod games. Click Gift This Music, for example, to purchase songs or an entire album as a gift for your recipient to redeem.

Share on Facebook and Twitter

Share an iTunes link to your favorite music, movies, and more on your Facebook or Twitter pages. When you find something you’d like to share, click the arrow next to the Buy button and choose Share on Facebook or Twitter.

Create and Publish an iMix

Share a playlist by creating an iMix and publishing it on the iTunes Store. Select the playlist. Choose Create iMix from the Store menu. Enter information about your playlist and click Publish. You can also share your iMix on your blog, social networking profile, or website. Just click “Publish to the Web” on any iMix page, and iTunes builds the Flash code for your website and creates a feed of your iMix.

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Purchasing

Create an iTunes Store Account

To purchase items from the iTunes Store, you’ll need an iTunes Store account. Just choose the Create New Account option from the iTunes Store menu, then follow the onscreen instructions.

iTunes LP

Download select albums, and a beautifully designed, interactive world comes with them — many are created by the artists. While you listen to your favorite songs, click around to read the lyrics and liner notes, view artist and band photos, watch videos, and enjoy other bonus materials. You can view the iTunes LP in your iTunes library on your Mac or PC.

iTunes Extras

Buy and download select movies and get iTunes Extras. You can watch interviews, trailers, and videos, view photos, and more. iTunes Extras are integrated with the movie, so you can enjoy them all right in the iTunes library on your Mac or PC.

Wish List

The iTunes Store features an iTunes wish list. You can add the items you want to your wish list, then purchase them whenever you like. Just click the arrow next to the Buy button on the item you’d like to save for later, and click Add to Wish List.

Redeem Gift Cards and Gift Certificates

Redeem your iTunes Gift Card or gift certificate and begin making purchases right away. Just click Redeem in the Quick Links section at the top of the iTunes Store home page and enter the code for your card or certificate. The balance of the card or certificate appears next to your iTunes Store account name in the upper-right corner of the iTunes window. Purchases are debited immediately so you’ll always know your current balance.

Buy Using an Allowance

Allowances arrive monthly in a set denomination. The balance appears in the iTunes window next to your account name, so you know how much is left to spend.

Authorize and Deauthorize

Purchases you make from the iTunes Store can be played on up to five computers that you authorize using your iTunes Store account name and password. To authorize or deauthorize a single computer, choose Authorize Computer or Deauthorize Computer from the Store menu. If all five authorizations are being used, you can deauthorize all your computers at one time by choosing View My Account from the Store menu and selecting Deauthorize All.

Review Purchases

Liked something you bought from the iTunes Store? Write a review about it. Didn’t like something? Write a review about that, too. First, create a nickname for yourself in your iTunes Store account information. Then click the Write a Review link on the item’s page to leave feedback and a 1- to 5-star rating. Your nickname appears next to your review. You can also rate anything in the iTunes Store right on the product page, without creating a nickname.

Purchased Playlist

Your first iTunes Store purchase creates a playlist called Purchased in the Store section of the iTunes window. Future purchases will be added to this playlist.

Check for Available Downloads

iTunes can check for downloads automatically, like those that come with a podcast subscription. Or you can check for downloads whenever you like. For automatic downloads, select “Automatically check for available downloads” in the Store pane of iTunes preferences.

Prioritize Downloads

Click Downloads under Store to prioritize the order in which everything arrives on your computer. For example, move songs with shorter download times ahead of movies with longer download times. You can reorder your downloads by dragging and dropping.

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Features for Parents

Parental Controls

Use parental controls to restrict your kids from previewing and buying certain content when they visit the iTunes Store. Or disable the iTunes Store entirely, leaving access to iTunes U only. You can also use parental controls to limit playback through sharing and importing through Home Sharing. Click Parental in iTunes preferences to establish your restrictions. Then secure your settings with your administrator password.

iTunes Gift Cards

Give a gift that’s a big hit. Prepaid iTunes Gift Cards are available from the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores, and thousands of other U.S. retailers in denominations starting at $15. They’re good toward any purchase on the iTunes Store.

Allowances

Set up an allowance for your kids so they can make iTunes Store purchases without the use of a credit card. Allowances arrive every month in the amount you designate. Choose an allowance from $10 to $200. Cancel allowances at any time by visiting your Account Information page.

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Discovering Music

iTunes Sidebar

When you want to find new music, movies, or TV shows you’ll love, look no further than the iTunes Sidebar in your iTunes library. See Genius recommendations you might like based on your music selections. Or check out Ping to see what your friends and favorite artists are listening to. You can even buy or rent right from the iTunes Sidebar.

My Alerts

Get email notifications about new releases for artists whose work you’ve purchased. Or click My Alerts in the Quick Links section at the top of the iTunes Store home page to view your artists’ new and upcoming releases.

Single of the Week

Discover an artist who might become a favorite by downloading the Single of the Week for free. Or maybe you’re new to the iTunes Store and want to see how downloading content works. Look for a new Single of the Week every Tuesday.

Recommendations

What you buy says a lot about what you like, so the iTunes Store features a recommendations section. Based on your previous purchases, iTunes will point you to other music, movies, and TV shows you’ll enjoy. Enable the Genius feature in iTunes, and you’ll also see new Genius recommendations based on the media you already have.

Celebrity Playlists

See what your favorite celebrities are rocking out to with Celebrity Playlists. Access them from Quick Links at the top of the iTunes Store Music section. You can read track-by-track commentary on why the celebrity chose each song.

iTunes Essentials

iTunes Essentials helps you discover new music, rediscover artists and albums, and explore genres. Delve into an artist's discography, from the biggest hits to the hidden gems. You can browse music by genres and history.

New Music Tuesday

Every Tuesday, the iTunes Store debuts new and upcoming releases for you to buy or pre-order. Subscribe to iTunes Newsletters and receive New Music Tuesday via email every week.

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Purchasing Music

Buy Songs or Albums

Buy your music a song at a time or get the whole album — iTunes has over 13 million songs, all in the high-quality iTunes Plus format. Songs are priced at 69¢, 99¢, or $1.29 each, and most albums cost just $9.99.

iTunes Plus

iTunes Plus songs and music videos are encoded in our highest-quality, 256-Kbps AAC format. There are no burn limits on iTunes Plus, and it’s free of DRM (digital rights management) limitations. This means iTunes Plus content will play on iPod, iPad, Apple TV, all Mac and Windows computers, and many other digital music players.

Complete My Album

If you purchase singles from an album that you later decide you’d like to own entirely, Complete My Album credits you for the songs you’ve already bought. So when you purchase the album you’re charged only for the songs needed to complete it.

Burn and Sync Purchased Music

You can burn the music you buy to an unlimited number of CDs for your personal use and burn an identical playlist up to seven times. You can also play the music you buy on up to five computers and an unlimited number of iPod players.

iTunes LP

Download select albums, and a beautifully designed, interactive world comes with them. While you listen to your favorite songs, click around to read the lyrics and liner notes, view artist and band photos, watch videos, and enjoy other bonus materials. Many artists have created their own iTunes LP. You can view the iTunes LP right in your iTunes library on your Mac or PC.

Music Videos

Buy music videos from the iTunes Store for as little as 99¢ and you can watch your favorite artists, too. Play videos on your computer, see them on your widescreen TV with Apple TV, or sync them to iPod, iPhone, or iPad for an on-the-go fan fix.

Upgrade Your Library

It’s easy to upgrade your iTunes library to high-quality, DRM-free iTunes Plus music. If you’ve already purchased the music, just pay the 30¢ per song upgrade price — you don’t have to buy it all again. (Music video upgrades are 60¢, and entire albums can be upgraded for 30 percent of the album price.)

Ringtones

You can buy ringtones of your favorite songs directly from the iTunes Store on your iPhone. So download away, then assign a ringtone to a contact in a few taps. You’ll know who’s calling before you even look at your iPhone.

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Purchasing Movies

Buy Movies in SD or HD

Purchase blockbuster films in standard or high definition from your computer or your Apple TV. Movies you buy in HD also include a standard-definition version that’s perfect for viewing on your iPod, iPhone, or iPad. Most titles start at $9.99, and animated shorts — including popular Pixar animated shorts — cost just $1.99.

iTunes Extras

Buy and download select movies and get iTunes Extras. You can watch interviews and videos, view photos, and more. iTunes Extras are integrated with the movie, so you can enjoy them all in the iTunes library on your Mac or PC.

Stunning Picture Quality

When you download standard-definition movies from iTunes, you get a 640-by-480-pixel image that’s great for watching on your computer, iPod, iPhone, or iPad. For even more eye-popping detail, purchase high-definition movies that play in stunning 720p resolution.

iTunes Digital Copy

Purchase select DVDs with an iTunes Digital Copy disc included and get a version of the movie you can import into iTunes to sync with your iPod, iPhone, or iPad. Insert the Digital Copy disc, enter the redemption code, and your Digital Copy transfer begins.

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Renting Movies

Movie Rentals

Standard-definition movie rentals are $2.99 for library titles and $3.99 for new releases. And for just a dollar more, you can rent HD movies directly from your computer or widescreen TV via Apple TV. Rent a movie and you have 30 days to start watching it. Hit Play, and you have 24 hours to finish it — or watch it as many times as you want. Rentals disappear when they expire, so they won’t take up space on your hard drive.

Movie Rentals on iPod, iPhone, and iPad

iTunes transfers the movies you rent from the iTunes Store to your iPod, iPhone, or iPad, so you can watch on the go. The device remembers where you stopped watching on your computer and picks up where you left off. You can also visit the iTunes Store on your iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad, and buy and download movies over a Wi-Fi network.

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Purchasing TV Shows

Shop a Wide Selection

Browse the iTunes Store for television shows from ABC, CBS, NBC, MTV, HBO, ESPN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Showtime, and many more. Watch 30-second previews, then buy the episodes you want for just $1.99 (HBO and Showtime episodes are $2.99).

Season Pass and Multi-Pass

A Season Pass gets you a whole season of a TV show, past or present, at a discount. And Multi-Passes for shows that air every day, like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, mean you can enjoy a month’s worth of episodes downloaded automatically to your computer.

HD logo

HD TV Shows

Purchase your favorite TV shows in high definition for just $2.99 an episode. Or purchase an HD Season Pass and enjoy an entire season of your favorite show in stunning 720p resolution with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. When you sync your HD TV shows to your iPod, iPhone, or iPad, iTunes transfers a version that’s ideal for your device’s smaller hard drive and screen.

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Renting TV Shows

TV Show Rentals

Rent all your favorite TV shows and watch them on the spot, completely commercial free and in HD, for just 99¢ an episode. You have 30 days from the moment you rent an episode to start watching, and 48 hours to finish it.

TV Show Rentals on iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV

Now you can watch your favorite TV shows on the go, as well as on your couch. Rent commercial-free HD TV shows on your iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, and never miss a single episode — no matter where you are.

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Podcasts

One-Click Subscriptions

Browse podcasts in dozens of categories, complete with descriptive summaries, ratings and reviews, and the podcast equivalent of album art. Preview a podcast, and if you like it, just click Subscribe.

Automatic Episode Downloads

Once you subscribe to a podcast, you get the most recent episode — and all future episodes — delivered directly to your iTunes podcast playlist. Download past episodes by clicking the Get button.

Add Podcasts

Subscribe to any podcast by dragging its URL into your podcast playlist or by choosing “Subscribe to Podcast” from the Advanced menu and typing the URL.

Podcast Settings

When you a find podcast you like, you can choose specific settings to download it. Check for new podcast episodes hourly, daily, weekly, or manually. Automatically download every episode or just the most recent ones. Keep all your episodes, delete them after you play them, or keep a specific number based on release date. To customize your podcast settings, go to Podcasts in the source list and click the Settings button.

For tips on creating and publishing podcasts, visit Podcast Resources

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App Store

Shop the App Store

Manage your finances. Update your Facebook wall. Get a new high score. The App Store in iTunes has an app for just about anything. To download apps, visit the App Store in iTunes or download directly from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Genius Recommendations

for Apps

Looking for new apps? Use Genius recommendations to find apps for your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Genius helps you discover more apps you’ll love based on the ones you already have.

Download All Free Updates

You can update your apps in iTunes one by one or all at once. Click Download All Free Updates to update all your apps at once, or click Get Update for just the apps you want to update at the moment.

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iTunes U

Download Free Educational Content

Find lectures, language lessons, audiobooks, and podcasts and download them for free. iTunes U is available to everyone, student or not.

Browse Distinguished Institutions

Explore over 350,000 educational audio and video files from top universities, famous museums, PBS stations, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn on the Go

Download iTunes U audio and video files one at a time. Or subscribe to an ongoing course or series so your items download as soon as they’re available. iTunes creates a folder with the provider’s name and places your items inside. When you want to listen to a lecture, you can find it under iTunes U in the iTunes window, where they’re all collected. To learn on the go, connect your iPod, iPhone, or iPad to your computer, then go to the iTunes U tab in iTunes to choose and sync your lectures. You can also browse and download items directly to your iPod touch, iPhone, or iPad over Wi-Fi or the cellular network.2 Or watch video lectures on your TV with Apple TV.

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iTunes Gifts

iTunes Gift Certificates

iTunes Store gift certificates are available for purchase through iTunes. Choose from a wide range of denominations. Email your gift certificate immediately or print the gift certificate on your own printer.

Gifts

Send a song, an album, a TV episode, an entire TV show, a movie, an audiobook — even a custom mix of songs — to anyone. Buy a gift and your recipient receives an email containing a link. With just a click, your gift starts downloading to your recipient’s iTunes library.

iTunes Gift Cards

Give a gift that’s a big hit. Prepaid iTunes Gift Cards are available from the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores, and thousands of other U.S. retailers in denominations starting at $15. They’re good toward any purchase on the iTunes Store.

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More in the Store

Audiobooks

With plenty of titles under $10, it’s easy to start building your own library of audiobooks. Listen to audiobooks on your computer or your iPod, iPhone, or iPad. Easily fast-forward or rewind through spoken content. When you sync back and forth between your computer and your iPod, iPhone, or iPad, each device keeps track of where you left off listening.

iPod Click Wheel Games

You can watch a video preview of Click Wheel games on the iTunes Store before you buy. Once you purchase the games you want, simply sync them to your iPod classic, iPod nano (3rd, 4th, or 5th generation), or iPod (5th generation). Each game plays perfectly on your iPod using the intuitive Click Wheel as a controller.

Devices

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iTunes at Home

AirPlay

AirPlay lets you stream digital media wirelessly from iTunes, or your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch to the new Apple TV3 or any AirPlay-enabled speakers. So you can see movies and photos on your widescreen TV and play music through the best speakers in the house.

Apple TV

Apple TV connects to your widescreen TV, then talks to iTunes over a fast wireless connection. So you can stream music, movies, TV shows, photos, and more from your computer right to your TV.

Remote

With the Remote app, you can control the iTunes music on your computer or Apple TV from your iPod touch or iPhone. Play, pause, skip, shuffle. See your songs, playlists, and album art. Update to iTunes 10, and you can create a Genius playlist or edit an existing playlist. And do it all on your iPod touch or iPhone as if you were in front of your computer. Available on the App Store, Remote is free and works with your Wi-Fi network, so you can control playback from anywhere in and around your home.

Home Sharing

Home Sharing enables you to share music, movies, TV shows, apps, and more among up to five authorized computers in your house. Your shared computers appear in iTunes under Shared, where you can browse all the iTunes libraries and import your favorites. iTunes can automatically add new purchases made on any of the computers to your own library.

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iTunes Syncing

Sync with iPod

To transfer music and more from iTunes to your iPod, just connect iPod to your computer. Get at-a-glance information about what’s on your iPod, update iPod software, and control syncing from the iPod Summary screen. Even sync iTunes purchases, ratings, and playlists from your iPod back to your Mac or PC.

Sync with iPhone

iTunes syncs everything to your iPhone — ringtones, music, video, photos, apps, contacts, calendars, email accounts, even bookmarks — and lets you manage it all from the iPhone Summary screen.

Sync with iPad

iTunes lets you put music, video, and more on your iPad. Choose what you want from the iPad Summary page in iTunes, then sync your favorite songs, movies, and pictures to go. iTunes also keeps your email accounts, contacts, and calendars in sync. And it tracks the music, video, apps, and books you purchase on your iPad, so you can sync them back to your Mac or PC.

Flexible Syncing Preferences

iTunes gives you even better ways to sync your media from your computer to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. A new capacity bar tells you exactly how much space you have left on your device in real time. And it’s even easier to organize all your apps on all your devices because you do it in iTunes. Shop the App Store on your computer, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Then connect to your Mac or PC and go to your iTunes library to arrange (and rearrange) your apps and add or delete Home screens that sync to your devices automatically.

Organize Your Home Screens

Organize all the apps on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch in iTunes on your computer. Connect your device, then go to the Apps tab in iTunes. Arrange, rearrange, add, or delete your apps and Home screens. iTunes automatically syncs any changes you make on your Mac or PC back to your device.

Sync to Fill

Let iTunes choose what goes on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod for you. When you sync, select “Automatically fill remaining space with songs.” If you have space left, iTunes will choose a perfect mix of songs to sync. iTunes syncs songs from your entire music library or from a specific playlist. You can also tell iTunes to choose songs randomly or to choose higher-rated songs more often. Or you can have iTunes replace everything on your device with a fresh mix. Want to sync more music? Convert higher-bit-rate songs to 128-Kbps AAC and you’ll free up space for even more entertainment.

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iTunes on the Go

iTunes Store on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Download music, movies, TV shows, audiobooks, and iTunes U content directly to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Just tap the iTunes icon to shop the iTunes Store via Wi-Fi on your iPod touch or via Wi-Fi and 3G on your iPhone or iPad.2 Browse the iTunes Store and get Genius recommendations for music, movies, and TV shows based on the ones you already own. When you get back to your computer, everything you bought syncs to your iTunes library. And if you’ve partially downloaded music or video to your device, iTunes completes the download automatically.

App Store

Search and browse games and apps on the iTunes Store — just as you would with music or video — and download them with a click. When you connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your computer, iTunes syncs apps automatically. You can also download apps from the App Store directly to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Genius Recommendations

for Apps

Looking for new apps? Use Genius recommendations for apps in the App Store on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Genius helps you find great apps based on the ones you already have. And you can download and start using them right away.

iBooks and the iBookstore

Download the iBooks app free from the App Store and begin browsing, shopping, and reading books right on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. The iBooks app uses the ePub format so publishers can easily create iBookstore versions of your favorite reads. When you find a title you like, tap to download and begin flipping through pages — just like a paper book.

Ringtones for Your iPhone

You can buy ringtones of your favorite songs directly from the iTunes Store on your iPhone. So download a favorite, then assign a ringtone to a contact in a few taps. You’ll know who’s calling before you even look at your iPhone.

  1. 1TB = 1 trillion bytes; actual formatted capacity less.
  2. Downloads over 20MB require a Wi-Fi connection.
  3. AirPlay is compatible only with the second-generation Apple TV.