To subscribe to iTunes Match, update your Mac to the latest version of macOS.On your PC, make sure you have the latest version of iTunes for Windows. Then you can access your music library on all of your devices that have Sync Library turned on. You can upload your library there-with a borrowed Mac! iTunes Match uploads your music library from the Apple Music app on your Mac or iTunes for Windows on your PC. You may already be paying for cloud storage somewhere, such as with Amazon Cloud, Google Drive, Dropbox (at its 2TB or higher tier), or, yes, even iCloud. I would also make a hosted backup of that backup. The hard drive to ensure you have an additional backup of your music, in case something goes awry with Google’s storage.
On your mobile devices, install Google Play Music and log into your account.Īfter you’re sure everything is working, use the method in the previous article to cancel iTunes Match. When that’s finished, quit the iTunes or Music and the Google software, eject the external hard drive (if you’re using one), log out of the macOS account, and delete the macOS account. When complete, use Google Play Music Manager to upload your music collection from the iTunes or Music folder. If you’re using an external drive, in iTunes (Mojave and previous) or Music (Catalina), choose iTunes/Music > Preferences > Advanced and set the iTunes Media folder location to a folder on the external drive.įollow the steps in the previous column to download all cloud-stored music. (If you use iCloud Photos, be sure to disable Photos syncing, so it doesn’t download a potentially huge collection and flood the broadband connection while you’re trying to download music in the following steps.) Log in and enter your iCloud account information.
Set up or have the Mac’s owner set up a temporary macOS account for yourself. I recommend bringing an external hard drive with enough capacity to handle your music library, but it’s not a requirement. Follow these steps:īeg, borrow, or otherwise obtain access to a Mac. /rebates/&252fresource252fbest-alternatives-to-itunes. The iTunes Match name refers to the fact that if you own any songs that are available in the iTunes store (regardless of where you obtained them), you do not need to upload them. You need to retrieve your music first in order to upload it. You can then use Google mobile apps to play back songs. The service allows up to 50,000 songs at up to 300MB each to be stored without cost. If you’re determined to quit iTunes Match, however, the most viable (and free) alternative is Google Play Music.