3 Ways to Transfer Music from PC to iPhone

Three ways to transfer music from a computer to iPhone and two methods to directly download music to an iPhone from websites.

To collect all of the songs you like on your iPhone, you may need to transfer music to your iPhone from another device, be it a computer, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Among them, the frequently-used solution to enlarge your music library is to transfer music from a computer to iPhone.

Given that, I will show you how to transfer music from PC to iPhone, either with or without iTunes. Besides, some of the solutions are also applicable to transfer music from iPhone to computer. If you also need to copy music from iPhone to PC sometimes, commanding the tips below could be a great help.

Tips: Want to transfer music to your iPhone as a ringtone? If you do, let's cut that audio file first and then use any one of the following tips to transfer them to your iPhone.

Part 1. How to Transfer Music from Computer to iPhone Without iTunes

iTunes, indeed, will help you transfer music from Windows to iPhone. However, it also will cause data loss on your device by syncing. That's the main reason why I recommend you try the way to copy music to iPhone without iTunes first.

To transfer music from computer to iPhone safely and quickly, the reliable iPhone transfer software - Qiling MobiMover, works well to meet your needs. In addition, it also allows you to:

Transfer music from iPhone to computer
Transfer music from one iPhone/iPad to another
Transfer photos, videos, contacts, messages, audiobooks, and more

Besides the data transfer, it also supports video download, WhatsApp Backup & Restore, and iPhone backup & Restore. Therefore, this tool could help you manage your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch content well.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

To transfer music from computer to iPhone:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to your computer and run Qiling MobiMover. Then click "PC to Phone" > "Select Files".

Step 2. Select the music files you want to transfer from computer to your iPhone and then click "Open".

Step 3. Check the songs and click "Transfer" to start transferring music from PC to iPhone. When it has done, go to the Music app on the iOS device to enjoy music.

After transferring music from Windows to your iPhone, you can now enjoy your favorite songs freely on your iOS device.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Part 2. How to Transfer Music from PC to iPhone with iTunes

If the songs you want to put on your iPhone are stored in the iTunes library, you can directly move songs from iTunes to your iPhone. Even if the music is not existing in the iTunes library yet, it's also practicable to put music from the computer to the iPhone with iTunes.

Before you start, it's necessary for you to know that the newly added items will replace the existing music, TV shows, movies, tones, and books on your iPhone. If you don't want to lose these files, try alternative ways to transfer music from Windows to iPhone.

To transfer music from PC to iPhone using iTunes:

Step 1. Connect your mobile device to the computer and wait for iTunes to run automatically.

Step 2. If the songs are in the music library in iTunes, jump to the next step. If not, click "File" > "Add File to Library" to add music to iTunes.

Step 3. Click the device icon and choose the "Music" option.

Step 4. Select "Sync Music" and choose "Remove and Sync" in the popup window that tells you the existing files on your iPhone will be replaced.

Step 5. Choose the songs you want to transfer and click "Apply" > "Sync".

Step 6. After you sync music to your iPhone via iTunes, go to "Music" > "Library" > "Songs" on your device to check the items.

How to move music from iTunes to iPhone

Part 3. How to Transfer Music from Computer to iPhone with Cloud Services

Another popular way to transfer music from Windows to iPhone is to use a cloud service like Dropbox. With a cloud storage service, you can store your files, including music, in the cloud storage and access the items on all your devices that use the service with the same account.

To make Dropbox work smoothly to put music on iPhone from a computer, you need to make sure:

You are using the same account on the PC and iPhone.
There are stable and reliable network connections on your devices.
The music files don't exceed the storage limit of your account.

Ready? Let's see how to transfer music from PC to iPhone without iTunes.

To transfer songs from PC to iPhone via Dropbox:

Step 1. Download and install Dropbox on your Windows PC and iPhone (at least on the iOS device).

Step 2. Sign in to Dropbox with the same account on your devices.

Step 3. Since you need to transfer music from computer to iPhone, go to upload the music files to the cloud storage from your PC:

If you have installed Dropbox, open the program and click "Upload files" to select the songs you want to transfer to upload.
If you don't install Dropbox on your computer, go to Dropbox.com and upload the items to Dropbox.

Step 4. Wait for Dropbox to sync music across your devices.

Step 5. When it gets done, go to the Dropbox app on your iOS device, and you will see the items synced from your Windows computer.

Step 6. Choose the songs and download them to the internal storage on your device.

How to transfer music from PC to iPhone with Dropbox

Bonus Tip: How to Download Music to an iPhone/iPad

Other than copying the existing music on your computer to an iPhone/iPad, you can also choose to download music to your iPhone/iPad directly, either from a music site or Apple Music/iTunes Store.

Tip 1. Download Music to an iPhone/iPad from Websites for Free

Many music sites have a huge connection of songs for you to enjoy. Sometimes, you may want to download the music you like to your iPhone or iPad to enjoy the songs whenever you go. To download music from websites to your iPhone/iPad for free, Qiling MobiMover, introduced in Method 1 will help.

Apart from being an iPhone transfer tool, Qiling MobiMover also serves the function of a free video & audio downloader that allows you to download videos or audio from websites to your computer or mobile device. You can refer to the guide on how to download music from SoundCloud for more details.

Tip 2. Download Music to iPhone from Apple Music/iTunes Store

Instead of moving music to the iPhone from a computer, you can buy and download songs from Apple Music or the iTunes Store directly. Besides, if you subscribe to Apple Music, it will sync music across your devices automatically. That means you don't have to import music to your other devices manually.

Learn how to download music to iPhone here.

The Bottom Line

Conclusively, this guide shows you how to enrich your iPhone music library in three directions:

Transfer music from computer to iPhone
Download music from the website to iPhone
Purchase and download songs on iPhone directly

Carry out the way best suited to your needs to transfer music to your iPhone within minutes.

FAQs

1. Why can't I transfer music from my computer to my iPhone?

To transfer music from your computer to your iPhone, you'll need to ensure that your device has the latest version of iOS, macOS, or iTunes for Windows. Secondly, go to your Settings to check if the Sync Library is turned on for all your devices. If the problem still exists, visit the Apple System Status page to see if there are interruptions in service in your country or region.

2. Why can't I drag and drop music to my iPhone?

Many factors can be responsible for this problem, which include:

Your iPhone is running out of storage space.
You haven't enabled the Manually manage music and videos: iTunes > your device icon > Summary > Options > Manually manage music and videos.
You didn't switch off the iCloud Music Library on your iPhone. To check it, you can go to Settings > Music and switch off the iCloud Music Library.
There is something wrong with your iTunes software. Go to update your iTunes to the latest version.

3. How do I transfer a playlist to my iPhone?

You can sync a playlist to your iPhone with iTunes. To do this, you can:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to the computer. Select your device icon.

Step 2. Select the "Music" option from the left pane.

Step 3. Tick the checkbox next to "Sync Music."

Step 4. Check the playlists you wish to sync from the "Playlists" section.

Step 5. Select "Sync."