Q: Can I transfer my music from my iPod to another computer?

A: The answer is technically yes, but perhaps more correctly the answer is are you sure you want to do that? First off, Apple does not provide or support a method of transferring music from an iPod to a computer. I don’t believe Apple has officially given a reason for this, but it is widely assumed that the major record labels specifically forbade Apple from implementing a feature like this in an attempt to avoid music piracy. However, there are third party software programs available that can accomplish this. Some of these software packages can also transfer your playlists from your iPod. But the reality is that most of the time people really don’t need to spend any money on extra software to transfer their music.

Usually it seems I get this question from people who have purchased a new computer. They want to use iTunes on their new computer and think they need to move the music from their iPod. The simple solution is to transfer their iTunes “library” folder from their old computer to their new one. It doesn’t even matter if your old computer was a PC and your new computer is a Mac. Once the iTunes library is moved from the old computer to the new one, iTunes will automatically recognize all your old music and playlists.

FYI, the process of moving the iTunes library from an old computer to a new one might be a bit daunting for some users. We at The Tech Spot offer to transfer documents, including the iTunes library folder, for free with the purchase of a new computer.

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