Import Music's royalty free music to iMovie?

Music has a section of royalty free music. I downloaded one to my Music library. It does not show in iMovie. I've followed Apple's instructions to add it, but it still does not show in iMovie. How do I get it in there?




iMac 24″, macOS 15.6

Posted on Aug 22, 2025 06:28 PM

Reply
7 replies

Sep 6, 2025 04:26 PM in response to Bruce Kieffer

Re: Import Music's royalty free music to iMovie?


Seems you may need to import the audio file from your Mac into iMovie :

If you need help to locate the actual file:

In the Music app: click on that particular piece of music to select it.

Then from top menu bar: Click File > Choose "Show in Finder" to see the file's icon and location


Apple Support's article: Import media into iMovie from your Mac - Apple Support gives two methods:

Eg: First method: says:

  1. "In the Finder on your Mac, select a file, Command-click to select multiple files, or select a folder of files.
  2. In the iMovie app on your Mac, drag the selection to an event in the Libraries list.
  3. The clip or clips appear in the event".


Else: There's much more info. on importing media from an external storage device in the above article

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Useful Resource: iMovie User Guide for Mac - Apple Support

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More info. / support / contact options etc: iMovie Support website: iMovie - Official Apple Support

Sep 6, 2025 07:43 PM in response to Bruce Kieffer

Wondering if, in Favourites, that selection maybe just a link to the actual file in order to play it.

See if you can select that song in the Library under Songs ...

or

if you prefer:

Try searching your Mac for the music file using the search bar at top right in a Finder window.

Selecting the file's icon in a Finder window will reveal the file's location in the status bar at the bottom of the window ... (from that location, you can drag the file into iMovie as explained earlier)

Sep 6, 2025 08:15 PM in response to Bruce Kieffer

Mmmm. If you want: you could check out the situation with Apple Music support (online chat / phone / email etc.) There's a "Get support-start now" link at the bottom of their website, (or you can download Apple's support app from there): Music - Official Apple Support


Else: I guess most files downloaded from Apple music are copyright protected ... if there isn't an exception for royalty-free music then you might want to send feedback to reach those who work on the Music software behind-the-scenes at Apple. It won't help immediately, yet may pave the way for a smoother method in future. All feedback is carefully read and logged, and if others have a similar experience, your feedback can contribute to an update.

Web-form for feedback: Feedback - Apple Music - Apple


You would likely be able to keep copies of downloaded royalty free music permanently secure:

About purchasing movies, TV shows, music, books, and ringtones from Apple - Apple Support

Import Music's royalty free music to iMovie?

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