iTunes will still recognize your iPod but the automatic sync will not run. Don’t release them until you see it connected. Hold down the keys “CMD’ + option keys while connecting your iPod. If you try to sync music to your library that you synced before with (and now it’s empty) – iTunes will override everything the moment you connect your device. In this case, you will receive this warning. In short: if you want to sync your iPod with iTunes automatically, you are playing with fire.īrand-new iTunes library: Let’s say that you want to sync your iPod to the new iTunes library (that you never synced before).
So if your iTunes library is empty (and iPod is chock full with music)… iTunes is going to override everything! All the music you were collecting for years will be deleted forever. By default, the iPod mirrors the contents of the iTunes library. There is simply no way to transfer music from iPod to Mac using iTunes (except purchased music).Īutomatic iTunes sync is pretty much a one-way experience. Let’s start! Don’t let iTunes sync with your device automatically
In this article, we collected a handful of tactics to restore your music on your Mac. If your iPod is an emergency backup, your only choice is third-party software. To stop this, iTunes might overwrite every single track on your iPod that you collected for years. Here's a little-known fact about iTunes (or Finder on macOS Catalina): iTunes can't transfer music from iPod to your desktop.