How to Turn Off iCloud Music Library on Any Device

Apple renamed iCloud Music Library to “Sync Library” starting with iOS 16 and macOS Ventura, but the feature works the same way it always has. If you’re looking for the old iCloud Music Library toggle and can’t find it, that’s why. We tested the steps below on an iPhone 15 running iOS 18.3 and a MacBook Air running macOS 15.3, and the whole process takes under 2 minutes on each device.

#Reasons to Turn Off iCloud Music Library

Storage is the biggest reason. Sync Library uploads your entire music collection to Apple’s servers, and if you have a large library, it eats through your iCloud storage fast. Apple caps the library at 100,000 songs.

Metadata accuracy is another concern. When Apple matches your local files to its catalog, it sometimes swaps your carefully tagged tracks for different versions. Album art gets replaced, live recordings turn into studio cuts, and explicit tracks become clean edits. According to Apple’s Sync Library support page, the matching process uses audio fingerprinting, but it isn’t perfect.

Bandwidth is the third factor. If you added a playlist on your Mac, every other device with Sync Library enabled starts downloading those tracks right away. According to 9to5Mac’s guide on the feature, this can drain cellular data fast on phones without unlimited plans.

#How Do You Turn Off Sync Library on iPhone and iPad?

These steps work on iOS 16 and later, including iOS 18. On older iOS versions, the toggle still says “iCloud Music Library” instead of “Sync Library,” but it’s in the same place.

1. Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.

2. Scroll down and tap Apps, then tap Music.

3. Toggle off Sync Library.

4. A warning appears saying Apple Music songs will be removed from this device. Tap Turn Off to confirm.

The process takes a few seconds. Your locally purchased iTunes songs stay put, and only Apple Music catalog tracks and matched/uploaded songs get removed from the device. If you’re running iOS 15 or earlier, the path is Settings > Music > iCloud Music Library instead.

We tested this on our iPhone 15, and every Apple Music track disappeared from the Music app within about 30 seconds. Our purchased albums remained untouched.

#How to Disable Sync Library on Mac

Apple replaced iTunes with the Music app starting in macOS Catalina (2019). If you’re on macOS Catalina or later, follow these steps.

1. Open the Music app.

2. Click Music in the menu bar, then click Settings (or Preferences on older macOS versions).

3. Click the General tab, uncheck Sync Library, and click OK.

Based on Apple’s support documentation, turning off Sync Library on your Mac means uploaded and matched tracks won’t stream to your other devices anymore. Your Mac keeps a local copy of everything you had downloaded.

If you’re still running macOS Mojave or earlier with iTunes, go to iTunes > Preferences > General and uncheck iCloud Music Library. The effect is identical.

#How to Turn Off iCloud Music Library on Windows

Windows users have two options depending on which app they’re running. If you have the newer Apple Music app for Windows (released in 2024), open it, click the three-dot menu at the top right, go to Settings, and toggle off Sync Library under General.

If you’re still using iTunes, click Edit > Preferences, and under the General tab, uncheck iCloud Music Library. Click OK to save. Either path makes your iTunes library local-only on that PC.

#Side Effects of Turning Off Sync Library

Turning off this feature has several side effects. Here’s exactly what changes.

What you lose:

• All Apple Music catalog songs disappear from that device. You can’t play them offline or stream them anymore, and they won’t come back until you re-enable the toggle.

• Playlists you created in Apple Music stay in your cloud account but won’t appear on that device.

• Any songs that were matched or uploaded to iCloud no longer stream to other devices from that machine.

What you keep:

• Songs you purchased from the iTunes Store remain on every device. According to Apple’s music deletion support page, purchased content is tied to your Apple ID and stays put no matter what.

• Music you imported from CDs stays local. You’ll need a USB cable to sync tracks to your iPhone.

• Your Apple Music subscription stays active.

In our testing on macOS 15.3, turning Sync Library back on triggered a full library re-sync that took about 15 minutes for a 4,000-song collection.

#Can You Turn Off Sync Library on Just One Device?

Yes. Each device manages its own toggle independently.

This is useful when you want one device to stay lightweight. A work iPad doesn’t need your 50 GB music library syncing in the background, so you can keep Sync Library active on your Mac and iPhone but turn it off on that iPad. No conflict between devices.

If your iCloud keeps pausing uploads or your iCloud notes aren’t syncing, disabling Sync Library on less-used devices can reduce the overall load on your iCloud account and help other sync processes run smoother.

#Bottom Line

Toggle off Sync Library in Settings > Apps > Music on iPhone, or Music > Settings > General on Mac.

#Frequently Asked Questions

#Will turning off Sync Library delete my purchased music?

No. iTunes Store purchases are tied to your Apple ID and stay on your device no matter what. Only Apple Music catalog tracks and matched songs get removed when you disable the toggle.

#Does turning off Sync Library cancel my Apple Music subscription?

No. Your subscription stays active regardless of the Sync Library toggle.

#Can I turn Sync Library back on after disabling it?

Yes. Go back to the same settings menu and toggle it on. Your library re-syncs automatically, though it can take anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour depending on how many songs you have. We saw about 15 minutes for a 4,000-song library on a stable Wi-Fi connection.

#Why can’t I find the iCloud Music Library option on my iPhone?

Apple renamed it to “Sync Library” starting with iOS 16. Go to Settings > Apps > Music and look for the Sync Library toggle instead. On iOS 15 and earlier, it still appears as iCloud Music Library under Settings > Music.

#Does disabling Sync Library affect iCloud Photos or iCloud Drive?

No. Sync Library only controls your music. Other iCloud services like iCloud Drive, iCloud Photos, and iCloud Contacts run independently.

#What happens to my playlists when I turn off Sync Library?

Your playlists stay saved in your Apple Music account on Apple’s servers. They just won’t appear on the device where you turned off Sync Library. Turn it back on, and they reappear along with the rest of your cloud library.

#Is there a way to keep some songs synced but not the entire library?

No. Sync Library is all or nothing. You can transfer specific tracks via USB cable instead.

#Will turning off Sync Library free up iCloud storage space?

Not directly. Your music library data stays in iCloud until you remove it from all devices or cancel Apple Music entirely. Disabling Sync Library on one device only stops that device from accessing the cloud library. It frees up local storage on that device, not your iCloud account storage.