How to Transfer Apple Music to USB Drive: 2026 Updates

"I am wondering if it is possible to download Apple Music to USB for a funeral procession. The funeral home asked for it on a flash drive." - from a Reddit user

Apple Music works perfectly on your phone, but not on car stereo systems, smart speakers, older media players, or other USB-based devices. Even worse, once your Apple Music subscription expires, all downloaded songs become unavailable. That is why transferring Apple Music to a USB drive has become a popular solution.

So, can you download and copy songs from Apple Music to a USB flash drive? The answer is YES. In this article, we will walk you through detailed guides, so you can play your music freely on any USB-supported device. Read on now!

Part 1. How to Download and Put Apple Music to USB

If you are trying to put Apple Music songs to USB directly, you will find that you cannot play those files on other devices. This is because Apple Music tracks are DRM-protected. In this case, you can use a third-party tool to convert songs to a USB-compatible format.

This is where TuneFab Apple Music Converter comes in handy. It can bypass DRM restrictions and convert songs, albums, playlists, and podcasts from Apple Music to MP3 with the original quality. This way, you can easily copy and move Apple Music to a USB flash drive.

Plus, TuneFab Apple Music Converter is very user-friendly. With simple steps, you can effortlessly download songs from Apple Music to a USB flash drive. Let's check out how to do it.

Step 1. Set up TuneFab Apple Music Converter

Install and open TuneFab Apple Music Converter on your Windows/Mac computer. Then, select Apple Music as the streaming platform. The converter doesn't require you to log in, which is quite convenient and flexible. However, an Apple Music account can lead to a higher conversion success rate.

Step 2. Set Your USB Drive as the Output Folder

Insert your USB flash drive into your computer. Then, click on the gear icon at the lower right to go to "Settings" > "General Settings" > "Output Folder". Select your USB drive as the destination folder.

Step 3. Select Apple Music Songs or Playlists

Search for your favorite singles, playlists, and albums from the built-in Apple Music web player. Click the "Add to Convert" button to start the conversion process.

Step 4. Customize Apple Music Output Settings

When the output setting window pops up, use the drop-down menus to select a preferred output format (MP3 by default), bitrate, and sample rate.

Step 5. Download Apple Music to USB

With all the output settings completed, you can click "Convert Now" directly to download all the selected titles to your USB. Once finished, your Apple Music songs will be saved directly to the USB drive and ready to play anywhere.

Part 2. How to Transfer Purchased iTunes Songs to USB Flash Drive

If you have purchased songs from the iTunes Store (not Apple Music streaming tracks), the process is much simpler. Purchased iTunes songs are usually downloaded in DRM-free AAC format, which can be copied directly to a USB drive in most cases. Next, let's see how to transfer music from iTunes to USB flash drive with ease.

Step 1. Locate Your Purchased iTunes Songs.

• On Windows: Open iTunes > Click "Account" > "Purchased" > Select "Music" to view your purchased library.

  

• On Mac: Open the Music app > Go to "Account" > "Purchased" to find all your bought tracks.

  

Step 2. Click the download icon next to each track to download songs to your computer.

Step 3. Right-click a song and select "Show in Windows Explorer"(Windows) or "Show in Finder"(Mac) to access the local saving folder.

Step 4. Copy music from iTunes to USB.

• Plug your USB drive into your computer and open its folder.
• Select the downloaded songs and copy them to your USB flash drive.  

Pro Tip. If you notice that some of your purchased iTunes songs are missing or no longer available, they may have been removed from the iTunes Store due to copyright changes. In such cases, it is recommended to use TuneFab Apple Music Converter to download a permanent copy from Apple Music to MP3, ensuring you can put music on usb from a MacBook/PC anytime you want.

Part 3. FAQs About Transfering Apple Music to USB

Q1. Where Are Apple Music Downloads Stored?

Since Apple Music offers the download feature, the downloads must be cached and stored on your device. By default, these Apple Music files are saved in the "iTunes Media" folder. To access them, navigate to the location below.

• macOS: /Users/[Your username]/Music/Music/Media/Music/
• Windows: C:\Users\Yourusername\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media
• Android: Internal Storage\Android\data\com.apple.android.music\files\Media
• iOS: Unfortunately, the destination folder is inaccessible on iOS devices

⚠Important:

Even if you find these files, you cannot simply play or transfer music from Apple Music to USB. The files are in a DRM-encrypted format. To do so, it is advisable to use a professional Apple Music Converter like TuneFab to help you out.

Q2. Are Tracks from Apple Music Transferable?

There are many posts on forums such as Quora, Reddit, and Apple Community asking questions like:

• Can you put music from Apple Music onto a USB flash drive?
• How do I transfer tracks from Apple Music to a USB stick?
• Why can't I transfer the Apple Lossless songs I downloaded to my computer?
• ....

However, unfortunately, all the tracks you downloaded from Apple Music cannot be played on other music players but the Apple Music app. So, the answer is NO. To make Apple Music transferable, you will need to use some professional tools like TuneFab Apple Music Converter to remove DRM from Apple Music and save songs as common audio files first.

Q3. What Devices Are Supported to Play Songs in USB?

After transferring Apple Music songs to a USB flash drive, you can play them in the car, on smart TVs, PlayStation/Xbox consoles, HomePod, smart audio speakers, Android phones with an adapter, or any USB-supported devices.

Q4. Can You Keep Downloaded Apple Music on a USB Forever?

Yes, sure! If you have converted Apple Music songs to MP3, M4A, or other common formats by using TuneFab Apple Music Converter, you can effortlessly transfer them to your USB drive or back them up with no need to worry about expiration or track removals. This makes it the best way to download Apple Music to USB for long-term use.

Final Words

Downloading and transferring music from Apple Music to a USB drive is one of the most convenient ways to enjoy your music across different devices, especially when the Apple Music service is not supported. While DRM restrictions prevent direct copying, tools like TuneFab Apple Music Converter make it possible to bypass all restrictions and convert lossless Apple Music songs to MP3/M4A/FLAC/WAV with original ID3 tags.

Whether you want to copy music from iTunes/Apple Music to USB or back up your entire library offline, TuneFab offers the most reliable and efficient solution. So, if you are in need, don't hesitate to give it a go!