How to Listen to Apple Music Offline on Any Device in 2026

To listen to Apple Music offline, you need an active Apple Music subscription or songs purchased from the iTunes Store. Once you add music to your library and download it to your device, you can play it without Wi-Fi or cellular data. This is useful when you are commuting, traveling, flying, or simply trying to save mobile data.

That said, the way Apple Music offline listening works is not the same on every device. Downloading songs on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows involves slightly different steps, and purchased music works differently from subscription downloads. In this guide, you'll learn the practical ways to listen to Apple Music offline on each device, plus an alternative method for keeping your music playable offline more flexibly.

Part 1. How to Use Apple Music Offline on iPhone/Android

For iPhone or Android subscribers looking to listen to Apple Music songs offline, the entire process is straightforward. If you are not sure how to play music offline on iPhone/Android, follow the detailed steps below.

Step 1. Add Music from Apple Music to Your Library

To begin with, please make sure your Apple Music is accessible via Wi-Fi or Cellular Data in order to avoid unexpected failure. After that, please move on!

1. First of all, open the Apple Music app to search for your wanted songs or albums from Apple Music.

2. Long-press and hold the songs, albums, or playlists you want to download.

3. Save the songs, albums, or playlists you want to listen to offline, and then tap "Add to Library" to add them to your library.

Step 2. Download Apple Music to iPhone and Android

1. Move to your library to find the target music you want to download.

2. Long press or tap on the "..." icon next to the music name. > Tap on the "Download" button to start making your wanted Apple Music available for offline playback on mobile devices.

3. Once downloaded, you can easily listen to songs from Apple Music offline. To view the downloaded offline songs in Apple Music, simply tap "Library" in the Music app, then from the top menu, select "Downloaded Music".

Step 3. Play Apple Music Offline on iPhone/Android

After downloading, you can listen to Apple Music offline on iPhone and Android with ease. If you want to make Apple Music available offline while still allowing other apps to access the network, follow these steps:

On iPhone

Step 1. Go to the Settings on your iPhone.

Step 2. Select Mobile Data, and scroll down to locate Apple Music in the app list.

Step 3. Toggle off the switch on the right side of Apple Music. Now the app won't access the Internet using your mobile data.

This will stop the Apple Music app from using your mobile data without affecting the usage of other applications that require an Internet connection.

On Android

Step 1. Go to the Settings on your Android device.

Step 2. Select "Apps > Apple Music > Data usage".

Step 3. Toggle off the switch for Data network and Wi-Fi (if needed) on the right side.

Part 2. How to Listen to Apple Music Offline on Mac

Want to play Apple Music offline on Mac? The built-in Apple Music app makes offline playback easy, allowing you to download songs, albums, or playlists directly. Here are detailed steps to follow.

Step 1. Add and Download Apple Music Songs on Mac

1. Launch the Apple Music app on Mac.

2. Search for your favorite songs or albums and add them to your library.

3. Click "Add to Library" to save them to your library.

Step 2. Play Apple Music Offline on Mac

1. Go to your Library and locate the songs, albums, or playlists you want to download.

2. Click the "Download" button next to each song. Once downloaded, you are ready to listen to Apple Music offline on Mac anytime.

3. Disconnect the internet, then open Apple Music to play downloaded songs offline easily.

Step 3. Block Only Apple Music from Using the Internet (Optional)

If you want to restrict Internet access for Apple Music alone on Mac, you can't just set up the firewall like you can on Windows 11 because the firewall on a MacBook can only block incoming connections (contact requests initiated by other computers). To stop Apple Music from connecting to the Internet, you have to block outgoing connections (access requests sent by your computer to a server), which requires an extra tool, Radio Silence. Follow the steps below to do that.

1. Visit the radiosilenceapp.com in a browser on your Mac.

2. Click Download free trial to download and install the Radio Silence app.

3. Open the app and give it all the permissions.

4. Then click Block Application to add Apple Music to the app, and the Internet connection will be blocked from Apple Music.

Part 3. How to Play Apple Music Offline on PC

For Windows users, the download process is slightly different from Mac computers, as some Windows computers can only download songs from Apple Music via iTunes. If you are not familiar with how to play Apple Music songs offline on your PC, please continue reading.

Step 1. Download Apple Music Songs on Windows with iTunes

For those who want to download Apple Music to Windows for offline playback, just follow the tutorials below.

1. Make sure iTunes is installed and authorized on your Windows PC.

2. Open iTunes and sign in with your account on your PC.

3. Add the songs, albums, or playlists from iTunes you want to listen to offline to your library.

4. After that, simply click the "Download" button next to a song or album name to download and save. Then you can listen to Apple Music offline on your Windows computer.

Step 2. Play Apple Music Offline on Windows PC

1. Turn off the network or select the Airplane mode to disconnect the internet.

2. On iTunes, go to your "Library" > "Downloaded Music". Now, you can play the downloaded Apple Music songs offline via iTunes.

Step 3. Restrict Internet Access for iTunes or Apple Music (Optional)

When you turn off the network or select the Airplane mode, the Internet connection for all apps on your Windows will be blocked. But sometimes you don't want to block all the apps, but only the iTunes or the Apple Music app from accessing the Internet, because you still need a network for other apps to continue with your work. Here's how to block Internet access from iTunes or Apple Music on Win 11.

1. Search for Windows Defender Firewall in the search bar at the bottom of the desktop and click on it.

2. Select Advanced settings on the left sidebar.

3. Go for "Outbound Rules > New Rule".

4. Select Program and click Next. Then enter the program path of iTunes or Apple Music in the input box, and click Next.

5. Choose Block the connection and then click Next.

6. Regardless, select all three options and then click Next. Fill in the program's name and description (optional), then click Finish.

Part 4. How to Listen to Purchased Music Offline Without Internet

Can you listen to Apple Music offline without a subscription? Yes! The most direct way is to purchase your favorite songs from the iTunes Store and download them to play offline. In this section, we will show you how to make Apple Music available offline on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows, so you can enjoy your music without WiFi.  

On iOS Devices (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch)

To listen to Apple Music offline without a subscription iPhone, follow these steps to purchase and download music on the Apple Music app for offline playback.

Step 1. On your iOS device, open the iTunes Store and then tap the "Music" button at the bottom of the screen.

Step 2. Search for the music you want to listen to offline on Apple Music and tap the price to buy it.

Step 3. Log in to your Apple ID account with your password to confirm your purchase.

Step 4. On your Apple Music app, click "Library" to find your purchased singles or albums. Then, tap on the "Download" button to download the music from Apple Music to iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch for offline listening.

On Mac

Fortunately, Mac comes with the Apple Music app, so you can complete the purchase within the app straightforwardly. Let's see how to make Apple Music available offline on Mac.

Step 1. Search for the music you want to listen to offline in the search field on the Apple Music app.

Step 2. Tap the "iTunes Store" button. > And then click the price next to the target song or album.

Step 3. Sign in to your Apple account to pay. > And find the song or album in your music library.

Step 4. After finding the songs, click "Download" to download the music, and then you can successfully listen to the music from Apple Music offline on your Mac.

On Windows

The steps to purchasing Apple Music on Windows are quite similar to the steps on Mac. The difference is that you need to complete the purchase in the iTunes Store.

Step 1. Open iTunes Store on your PC and go to "Music > Store".

Step 2. Find the music you want to buy. > Click the price to activate the payment confirmation with your account sign-in.

Step 3. Find the songs you buy in your music library and then tap "Download" to save Apple Music offline.

Part 5. Save Apple Music for Permanent Offline Playback Without the iTunes App

When using the official Apple Music download feature, offline listening only works as long as your subscription stays active, and the downloaded tracks remain tied to supported devices and apps. So if your goal is simply to listen to Apple Music offline during commuting, flights, or travel, the official method is enough. But if you want more flexible offline playback, such as keeping songs available on different devices or playing them without relying on the Apple Music app every time, you will need another solution.

For that kind of use, TuneFab Apple Music Converter offers a more practical way to save Apple Music for long-term offline listening. Instead of keeping songs as app-based downloads only, it converts Apple Music tracks into common audio formats like MP3, M4A, FLAC, and WAV, so they can be stored as local files and played more freely on other devices or media players. It also supports batch conversion, keeps ID3 tags, and preserves good output quality, making it more convenient for offline playback beyond the limits of the official method.

On top of that, TuneFab Apple Music Converter is a beginner-friendly tool that anyone can get started quickly. Next, let's see how to download all songs on Apple Music for offline listening by using it.

Step 1. Install TuneFab Apple Music Converter and Launch It

Download and install TuneFab Apple Music Converter on your Windows or Mac computer. Launch it to access its built-in Apple Music web player and log in with your Apple account.

Step 2. Select DRM-encrypted Apple Music Songs

Search for the song or playlist you want. Then simply click on the "+" or "Add to Convert" button to add it to the conversion list.

Step 3. Set Output Parameters for Apple Music

In the pop-up conversion list, select the song you need and then use the dropdown of "Audio Quality" to customize the output format (MP3 by default), bitrate, and sample rate as you need.

Step 4. Download Apple Music to MP3 for Offline Listening

Click on the "Convert Now" button to start removing DRM from Apple Music songs. After the conversion, you can go to "Local Library" and click the folder icon to access your DRM-free MP3 Apple Music songs on your computer.

Now, you can transfer these Apple Music songs to your iPhone or other devices/media players for offline listening without worrying that your Apple Music membership has expired.  

FAQs About Apple Music Offline Listening

Can You Listen to Apple Music Offline for Free?

Yes. Apple Music offers a 1-3 month free trial to new users and occasionally to returning users. If you are eligible, you will be able to download and listen to Apple Music offline for free. Additionally, during this period, you can also use TuneFab Apple Music Converter to download all songs on Apple Music, so you can keep all your favorite music offline permanently.

Can You Listen to Apple Music in Airplane Mode?

Sure. During flights, some airlines require you to switch your phone to airplane mode. When it is on, your phone is disconnected from the Internet and cannot make calls, but you can still listen to music offline and engage in other activities that do not require a network connection.

To play songs from Apple Music offline freely during your flight, it is best to download all music from Apple Music in advance to avoid any playback issues. The detailed download tutorials have been introduced to you above. Please freely choose the one that suits you, so that you can listen to Apple Music offline in airplane mode.

How to Listen to Apple Music Offline on Apple Watch

Apple Watch makes it convenient to enjoy anywhere, even without your iPhone. So, do you know how to listen to Apple Music offline on Apple Watch? There are two possible methods.

Method 1: If you are an Apple Music subscriber, it will automatically sync the recently played music to the Apple Watch library. It should be noted that the automatic synchronization function is only available on Apple Watch OS 4 or later. Then, you can easily make Apple Music songs available offline on Apple Watch.

Method 2: If you have not subscribed to Apple Music, you can still select your purchased songs to sync to Apple Watch through the Apple Watch app on your iPhone. Then, you can directly access the purchased music on your Apple Watch for offline listening.

How Long Does Apple Music Keep Your Playlists?

Apple Music is inaccessible unless you have subscribed to the membership. After the subscription expires, you will find that the songs you added are grayed out and cannot be played. Even songs you've downloaded become unplayable. But don't worry, Apple Music Official will keep the created playlists for you for 30 days. As long as you re-subscribe within 30 days, the grayed-out songs can be played again.

While it's possible to keep Apple Music offline forever. TuneFab Apple Music Converter can download your favorite songs to MP3 files, making all music from Apple Music available offline. Then you can have them forever.

Where Does Apple Music Store Offline Music?

After downloading music on Apple Music, Apple Music will generate related music files and save them to the download device. But for different devices, the saving path will be different. Next, I will give you a detailed introduction to where offline music from Apple Music on different devices will be saved.

On Mac: /Users/[Your username]/Music/Music/Media/Music/

On Windows: C:\Users\[Your username]\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media

On Android: Internal Storage\Android\data\com.apple.android.music\files\Media

On iPhone/iPad:

Apple Music downloaded files are not allowed to be accessed directly on iPhone/iPad. Also, you cannot change the storage location. Instead, you can only view the list of offline Apple Music through the "Downloads" section of the Apple Music App.

Why Is Apple Music Not Playing Offline?

If Apple Music is not working offline, the most common reasons are that the songs were not downloaded properly, your subscription has expired, Sync Library is disabled, or your account is not recognized on the device. In some cases, app glitches or outdated system versions can also stop downloaded songs from playing offline.

Summary

After exploring the methods above, you now know how to listen to Apple Music offline on iPhone, Android, Mac, and Windows. The official options work well if you have an active subscription or purchased songs, but offline playback still depends on the Apple Music or iTunes environment.

If you want more flexible offline listening, such as saving songs as local files and playing them on more devices, a tool like TuneFab Apple Music Converter can be a practical alternative. It lets you convert Apple Music tracks to common formats like MP3, so your music is easier to keep and use offline in different playback situations.