How to Fix: iPod classic/nano/shuffle/touch Won’t Download Music When Syncing with iTunes

How to fix iPod won’t download music when syncing with iTunes? This guide will help you out with a quick & effective method.

Author Avatar Joy Taylor Last Updated: Jan. 13, 2022

Question:

“I have an old 32G iPod classic that has worked for more than 10 years. Recently I uploaded some CDs I purchased to iTunes, verified they were in iTunes and tried to download to my iPod. However, it said it was ‘syncing’ but took only a second or two and nothing changed on my iPod. Looking further I see that this computer and my iPad are the only two ‘authorized’ devices. I’ve never ‘un-authorized’ my iPod that I’m aware of. How should I do to download music on to my iPod? Thank You in advance!”

— From Apple Support Community

The above question is one of the most common iPods won’t connect with iTunes issues, and the causes of this question are various: such as iTunes isn’t the latest version, USB cable is not available, manual misoperation and more. In this quick guide, we will offer a simple & effective way to solve this problem, and also list some useful tips and tricks related to iPod won’t recognize iTunes you may encounter in daily life.

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Part 1. How to Fix iPod Won’t Download Music While Syncing with iTunes

If syncing now works but no songs is moving over to your iPod classic/nano/shuffle, you may try the following tips:

  1. Open iTunes, under the “Summary” tab, check if “Manually manage music and videos” is enabled or not, if it is then trying toggling it off and on again, and then manually drag a song over to the iPod classic nano/shuffle/touch to force manual syncing.
  2. Look under the “Music”, “Movies”, “Apps”, “TV Shows” or respective tabs and be sure that “Sync Music “, “Sync Movies ” etc. is checked and enabled.
  3. Try checking and unchecking those boxes, then hit the “Sync” button again.

If these still don’t work, you may need an iTunes alternative like AnyFix that can help you fix 130+ system issues for iPhone/iPad/iPod touch/AppleTV in few clicks. Continue to take a look at the following content to find the best answer for you.

Part 2. How to Fix iPod Won’t Download Music While Syncing with AnyFix

Acting as one of the top iTunes alternatives, AnyFix can flawlessly fix iPod won’t download music while syncing with few clicks. All you need is to download AnyFix and install it on your computer, and then follow the detailed steps below to fix your trouble without hassles.

Free Download

Free Download

* 100% Clean & Safe

Free Download * 100% Clean & Safe

Step 1. Launch AnyFix on your computer, click “System Repair” to go ahead.

Fix iPod Won't Download Music While Syncing with AnyFix-1

Fix iPod Won’t Download Music While Syncing with AnyFix-1

Step 2. Select “iPod touch Problems”>click “Start Now” to fix the issue immediately.

Fix iPod Won't Download Music While Syncing with AnyFix-2

Fix iPod Won’t Download Music While Syncing with AnyFix-2

In addition, you can also just try AnyTrans to transfer music to iPod without syncing. Follow part 3 to get a quick way to get what you want as easy as 1-2-3.

Part 3. How to Download Music to iPod from iTunes without Syncing

AnyTrans is a nice option to download music from iTunes to iPod without syncing. With it, you can transfer music, photos, playlists, audiobooks, podcasts, and more from computer/iTunes to iPod without any data loss.

Step 1. Download AnyTrans on your computer and launch it > Connect your iPod with the computer > AnyTrans will detect your device automatically for a while.

Step 2. Choose iTunes Library on the main interface. Here you will see all your iTunes music.

Step 3. Select several or all songs you want download > Click Send to Device icon to download music to your iPod.

Sync iTunes to iPhone with AnyTrans

Sync iTunes to iPhone with AnyTrans

Part 4. Other Useful Tips to Fix iPod Won’t Sync with iTunes

  1. Check USB and Wi-Fi connection and reconnect your iPod to the computer.
  2. Re-Authorize iTunes & the Computer.
  3. Try a Different USB Port & USB Cable.
  4. Turn off iCloud Music Library (iTunes Match) on iPod and iTunes.
  5. Update iOS and iTunes to the latest version.
  6. Uncheck “Read Only” and change permissions of the files you want to sync by right-clicking the files > Properties > Uncheck “Read Only”.
  7. Restart your iPod, iTunes, and computer.

The Bottom Line

That’s all about how to fix iPod won’t download music while syncing with iTunes, and hope this guide brings you more convenience on solving your troubles. Moreover, AnyFix is an all-in-one iOS system recovery tool that also helps you solve over 330+ iPhone/iPad/iPod touch/AppleTV/iTunes issues in few clicks. Let’s give it a try >

Author Avatar
Joy Taylor Twitter Share Facebook Share

Member of iMobie team as well as an Apple fan, love to help more users solve various types of iOS & Android related issues.

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