How can I delete duplicate songs in Apple Music?

Apple forced me to reluctantly switch from iTunes to Apple Music. I pointed it to my old iTunes library. Every song appears twice in Apple Music, some appear 3 or 4 times. It would take forever to delete them manually, but I can't find a "delete duplicates" utility like iTunes had. Is there one? None of my playlists came over either.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Feb 7, 2025 06:05 PM

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3 replies

Feb 11, 2025 01:50 PM in response to user_1995

OK. It should have been possible to resolve the syncing issues you were having with iTunes. iTunes cannot be used for syncing once Apple Music/TV/Devices are installed, but otherwise continues to do so for many other users. iTunes is not yet dead. When Apple Music is first installed it should import and convert the existing active iTunes library, incorporating all local content and playlists. If it fails to this there doesn't seem to be a way to force it to try again, not are there any features to switch between libraries or open .itl files. Apple Music is missing many useful features from iTunes, including the ability to highlight duplicates.


tt2

Feb 11, 2025 10:45 AM in response to user_1995

Apple may have encouraged you to "upgrade" (downgrade?) to Apple Music, but I doubt it was forced on you. Uninstall whichever of Apple Music, Apple Devices, and Apple TV that you have installed. iTunes should return to normal. See Duplicate songs in iTunes - Apple Community if your iTunes library has duplicates. If your media folder has duplicates that don't show in your library then you may need to add the media folder so that iTunes can see all of the files, then delete the newest duplicates as outlined in the tip to clean up and recover the space.


tt2

Feb 11, 2025 11:00 AM in response to turingtest2

They "forced" me to switch by stopping iTunes from being able to sync with my iPad and iPhone any more. I use music on my devices for my job, so not being able to sync is not an option. I researched extensively before switching as I was happy with the way I had everything in iTunes, and could not find an alternative other than switching to a non-apple music app and have to set all playlists over again (which I apparently have to do in Apple music anyway, so I may as well do it).

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How can I delete duplicate songs in Apple Music?

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