How can I transfer all my songs to iPhone instead of just purchased songs?

Question

When I connect and sync my iPhone to iTunes it only transfers over purchased songs and not songs I ripped from a music cd. How do I get all of them to sync?

Answer 1

There are multiple ways to get around this issue, and I've detailed one below. Before trying that, though, see if this solves your problem:

1. Select the iPhone in the iTunes sidebar. Go to the Music tab and look at what music is syncing.
2. I expect maybe only the "Purchased" playlist is syncing, and that's why. If that's the case, simply select and you're set!

Here's the other fix, if that doesn't work:

1. Select the iPhone in the iTunes sidebar. Find the tick box that looks like this: and make sure it's checked.
2. Go to Music in the sidebar and select everything (Tip: ⌘ (command or control) A!).
3. Drag everything to your iPhone.

Answer 2

Another small suggestion. Select some song in iTunes that is not being transfered to the iPhone. Look in the Advanced menu and see if the option "Create iPod or iPhone Version" is available. If so, use it.

Answer 3

If you purchased items from the iTunes Store and the only place you have them stored is on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, you can transfer them to any computer that is authorized for your iTunes Store account. This feature adds an extra layer of protection against losing your valued purchases.

According the the iTunes wifi store website (http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/wifistore.html):

If you want to transfer iTunes Store purchases from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod to a computer, be sure to authorize the computer before connecting the device. To authorize, follow these steps:

1. Open iTunes.
2. From the Store menu, choose Authorize Computer.
3. In the dialog that appears, the Apple ID button is selected by default. If you have an AOL account, select AOL.
4. Enter your Apple ID or AOL screen name and password, and then click the Authorize button.

If the iTunes Store purchases on your device were purchased with multiple accounts, you will need to authorize the computer for each one.

Still confused? Read this article: How to copy music from iPhone 4s/5 to iTunes library