5 Ways to Fix iTunes Songs Greyed out [Fast]

Updated Jul 13,2018 | by Cody

If you are one of those people who find some iTunes songs greyed out, you are in the right place. Don’t worry, I have been there. That’s why I write this article to show you 5 methods to fix the problem some downloaded songs greyed out in iTunes.

In some rare cases, songs downloaded from iTunes on the Music app is greyed out. In most of the cases, it is an iTunes sync problem, typically the iTunes 12.2.  

Possible Reasons behind iTunes Songs Greyed out

Since many people had this sync problem are using iTunes 12.2, it is most likely of problem of iTunes itself. There are also some others reasons for this problem. Apple Music is reported to delete songs downloaded from iTunes store, if they are available in Apple Music.

Besides, if the music file is missing or corrupted and the songs are listed in iTunes, these songs will be greyed out in iTunes. Based on your situation, you can try one or more of the methods below to fix this problem.

Solution 1: Re-login to iTunes and Try It Again

When you had this problem iTunes songs greyed out, the first thing you should try is to re-login to iTunes to see if it works. You can follow the steps below to re-sign-in.

Step 1. Within iTunes, click Account and select Sign Out.

Step 2. Exit iTunes by clicking the close button.

Step3. Launch iTunes again. Click on the For You tab and log in through Apple Music.

During these process, iTunes will fix the syncing problem by updating to your iCloud Music Library. When you see the syncing loop in the top right corner is finished, you should be able to play the all songs through iTunes on your PC or sync to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.

Solution 2: Check Selection

If you notice that the songs greyed out are the ones that are not checked, then you easily check them to fix this problem.

Step 1. Click Library in iTunes and select Songs to view all songs.

Step 2. Right click on the songs that are greyed out and select Check Selection. You can select multiple of them by using Ctrl + click.

Solution 3: Check iCloud Music Libary

If you find your Apple Music songs are greyed out or gone, follow the steps below to get them back.

Step 1. Click Edit and select Preferences.

Step 2. Under the General tab, check the box for iCloud Music Library.

After that, you should be able to get all your music and playlists back.

Solution 4: Re-add to the iTunes Library

If you only find iTunes songs greyed out after you subscribe for Apple Music, then you have to remove the greyed out songs in iTunes and add them back again.

Many users including me have experienced this. Apple Music deletes the songs purchased from iTunes store. Since the payment record is there, you can simply redownload them. Hopefully, Apple will fix this problem in the future.

Solution 5: Use an iTunes Alternative to Sync Music

If you cannot fix iTunes songs greyed out, you may want to consider to use another tool to manage music and other stuff on your iPhone. third party tool IOTransfer gets you fully covered.

You can use IOTransfer to directly select songs to transfer to iPhone without the need to add it to iTunes Library first. It supports many file formats including MP3, M4A, AIF, WAV, etc.

What’s more, you can transfer files between iPhone and PC wirelessly. You can send music to your iPhone right from your iPhone or add music to iPhone from your PC without the need to fetch your lightning cable.

As the best iPhone manager software, IOTransfer has more features other than transferring files. It can download videos from YouTube and other 100+ sites, convert videos to other formats, clean iPhone to free up space, etc.

All in all, if you have the issue iTunes songs greyed out, instead of trying all the way to fix it, you can use this iTunes alternative to sync music.

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