iTunes Match is a lesser-known paid service from Apple that lets you upload your music collection to the cloud and listen to it on any Apple device or a Windows PC for $25/year.

What Is iTunes Match?

As the name suggests, iTunes Match matches your local music library to Apple's DRM-protected iTunes Store and uploads anything it can't match regardless of whether you ripped music from CDs, purchased it from Amazon, or imported it into iTunes from other sources.

Matched songs are available in iTunes Plus quality (256 kbps AAC) regardless of the original bit rate. You can also turn on the iCloud Music Library option in settings to make your entire local music library available across devices signed in with the same Apple ID.

How Does iTunes Match Work?

Music is added to iTunes Match in the following ways:

  • Purchases: All your iTunes Store purchases are included in your iCloud music library.
  • Matches: Matches from your local music library, regardless of where the songs came from, become available across devices through the iCloud music library.
  • Uploads: Songs from your local library without matches in the iTunes Store catalog are automatically uploaded to your iCloud music library in 256 kbps AAC.

iTunes Match always retains the original files on your device. As part of an initial scan of your local music library, iTunes Match will upload all DRM-free songs without matches (these uploads don't count against your iCloud storage). It'll automatically scan, match and upload any newly added music going forward.

iTunes Match supports all the same audio formats as Apple Music: AAC, MP3, WAV, AIFF, and Apple Lossless. Bear in mind that non-matched songs are automatically converted into 256Kbps AAC. For instance, if some of your higher-quality MP3s are in 320 kbps, iTunes Match will transcode those to 256 kbps AAC before uploading.

iTunes Match also makes all your playlists from iTunes or the Music app available across all of your devices, with one exception—playlists that include other items, such as digital booklets that come with some albums, will not sync.

You should always keep a backup of your music collection in Time Machine or similar software of your choice. iTunes Match shouldn't be viewed as a backup service for your music, as Apple spells out in black and white in its support document.

How to Sign Up for iTunes Match

iTunes Match is only available in iTunes 10.5.2 or higher for Mac or Windows and Apple's Music app on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV. The service is unavailable on Android. Keep in mind that iTunes Match offers only the annual billing option.

To sign up for iTunes Match, open the Music app on macOS or launch iTunes for Windows, then click iTunes Store in the sidebar (macOS) or Store at the top of iTunes (Windows). If you don't see the iTunes Store section on your Mac, access the Music app's preferences and click the General tab, then tick the box next to iTunes Store and hit the OK button.

A macOS screenshot displaying the iTunes Store section in Apple's Music app, with the iTunes Match option highlighted

Next, click iTunes Match under the Features heading at the bottom of the window and then choose the Subscribe button that appears. After signing in with your Apple ID and password, you'll be instructed to confirm your billing information.

As the last step, hit Subscribe to finish the process. Upon confirmation, your payment method will be instantly charged $25 for a full year of iTunes Match and you can start using the service immediately.

When the subscription expires, iTunes Match will renew automatically for another 12 months. To prevent unwanted charges, be sure to cancel your subscription before the current billing period ends.

If you cancel iTunes Match, you will lose access to your iCloud music library. Of course, you can continue listening to any of the original songs in the local library on your device like you normally would, even after canceling the subscription.

What Are the Limitations of iTunes Match?

iTunes Match imposes a 100,000-song cap, which is way more music than most people have in their libraries. That's 100,000 matched and uploaded songs, mind you. Furthermore, music purchased from the iTunes Store doesn't count against this limit.

Uploads of non-matches are limited to 200 MB in size or two hours in duration per song. iTunes Match will not sync voice memos from your iPhone nor will it match any tunes below 96 kbps. If you have DRM songs in your local music library, those will be uploaded only if your computer is authorized to play them.

Do I Need iTunes Match?

A macOS screenshot of Apple's Music app showing creating a smart playlist of songs that have 256Kbps AAC versions available on iTunes Match

The answer to this question depends on whether you already use a music-subscription service. Folks who don't maintain a personal music library or don't care about owning their music will find Apple Music or Spotify much more convenient.

But if you've amassed a large music collection, iTunes Match is worth considering—especially if your library is packed with remixes, DJ sets, classical music and similar songs that can't be matched to the iTunes Store catalog.

You don't need Apple Music to use iTunes Match or vice versa. The only reason why an Apple Music member would want to subscribe to iTunes Match is to access their music on the older Apple TV models. The key difference between iTunes Match and Apple Music is core utility.

While both iTunes Match and Apple Music let you download and stream music on up to 10 computers and devices at once, iTunes Match only works with the music you already have.

On the other hand, Apple Music gives you unlimited access to more than 90 million songs and 30,000 curated playlists—but you don't own any of it. When you stop paying your Apple Music subscription, everything disappears. With iTunes Match, you still have access to the originals on your device even if you stop paying the subscription.

Apple states the following:

If you have an Apple Music membership, you get all of the benefits of iTunes Match, plus access to the entire Apple Music catalog. You can also get a family membership to share the catalog with your family members.

And what about Google's YouTube Music? This service includes a free personal music library feature that lets you upload up to 100,000 songs. Unfortunately, you'll need to use the web interface for that because uploading music is supported in the mobile YouTube Music app.

On the plus side, your uploads are more accessible and discoverable than with iTunes Match because YouTube is ubiquitously available on any device with a web browser.

Syncing All Your Music Across All Your Devices

If you're the type of person with a large music collection who is deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem, iTunes Match is a reasonable option to consider. While there are alternatives out there, iTunes Match offers the deepest integration and it "just works".

So, if you're looking for ways to access your music collection across all your Apple gadgets, then this is something you should seriously consider.