How to transfer your music from Apple to Spotify

You cannot move your entire Apple Music library to Spotify in one automated step. Apple Music and Spotify do not have a direct transfer tool that syncs your saved songs, playlists, and preferences between services. Instead, you have three practical routes: use a third-party transfer service that reads your Apple Music data and rebuilds your playlists in Spotify, manually recreate your playlists in Spotify by searching for songs one at a time, or export your Apple Music library to a file and import it into Spotify using a tool that understands that file format.

The fastest and most reliable method for most people is a third-party service like Soundiiz, TuneMyMusic, or Playlisty. These services connect to both your Apple Music and Spotify accounts, read what you have saved in Apple Music, and automatically create matching playlists in Spotify. The process takes minutes for most libraries, though very large collections (thousands of songs) may take longer. You will need to log in to both accounts and grant the service permission to access your playlists and saved music.

Key Takeaways

  • Third-party transfer services like Soundiiz and TuneMyMusic can move most of your Apple Music playlists to Spotify in under an hour, though some songs may not transfer if they are not available on Spotify.
  • You must log in to both your Apple Music and Spotify accounts and authorize the transfer service to access your library data.
  • Not every song in your Apple Music library will have an exact match on Spotify, so expect a small percentage of tracks to be missing or mismatched after transfer.
  • Manual recreation by searching for songs in Spotify is slower but guarantees you control which songs go into each playlist and catch any mismatches yourself.
  • After transfer, your Apple Music account remains unchanged — the process only adds songs and playlists to Spotify and does not delete anything from Apple.

Using a third-party transfer service

Third-party services are the most practical option for transferring playlists and saved music. The most widely used are Soundiiz, TuneMyMusic, and Playlisty. Each works the same way: you visit their website, log in with your Apple Music account, then log in with your Spotify account, and select which playlists or your entire library to transfer. The service then searches Spotify for each song in your Apple Music library and adds matches to a new or existing Spotify playlist.

Soundiiz charges a monthly subscription (around $3 to $5 per month) but offers unlimited transfers and can move not just playlists but also your entire saved music library. TuneMyMusic is free for basic transfers but limits you to a certain number of songs per month; paid plans remove that limit. Playlisty is also free for most transfers. Start with the free option if you want to test the process on one or two playlists before committing money.

The transfer usually completes within minutes to an hour, depending on the size of your library. You will see a progress bar or notification when it is done. Check your Spotify account afterward to confirm the playlists arrived and the song count matches what you expected. If some songs are missing, it means Spotify does not have those tracks in its catalog — this is normal and happens with very new releases, very old recordings, or niche artists.

What happens when songs do not match

Not every song in your Apple Music library will have an exact match on Spotify. This happens for several reasons: Spotify may not have licensed a particular album or artist, a song may be available under a different title or artist name, or the track may have been removed from Spotify since you added it to Apple Music. Third-party services handle this by either skipping the unmatched song or attempting a close match based on song title and artist name.

After the transfer completes, open each playlist in Spotify and scan for gaps or songs that do not sound right. If you notice a missing song, search for it manually in Spotify. If it exists, add it to the playlist yourself. If it does not exist on Spotify, you have two choices: leave the playlist incomplete or find a cover version or alternate recording by a different artist. For most people, a 95 to 98 percent match rate is acceptable, and the few missing songs are not worth the time to hunt down alternatives.

Manual recreation if you prefer control

If you want to ensure every song is correct and do not mind spending more time, you can recreate your playlists manually in Spotify. Open your Apple Music app, view one playlist, and then open Spotify in another window. Search for each song in Spotify by title and artist name, and add it to a new Spotify playlist. This method is slower — a 50-song playlist might take 20 to 30 minutes — but you see exactly what is being added and can catch mismatches or choose alternate versions yourself.

This approach works best for your most important playlists or if you have only a few playlists to move. For a library of 20 or more playlists, manual recreation becomes impractical. Consider using a third-party service for the bulk of your library and then manually fixing any playlists where the automatic transfer missed songs you care about.

Exporting your Apple Music library as a file

You can export your Apple Music playlists from the Apple Music app on Mac or Windows as an XML file. Open Apple Music, right-click on a playlist, and select "Export Playlist." Save the file to your computer. Some third-party tools, like Playlisty or Soundiiz, can read this XML file and import it directly into Spotify without requiring you to log in to Apple Music. This is useful if you no longer have access to your Apple Music account or prefer not to grant a service permission to access it.

The export method is slower than direct account connection because you have to export each playlist individually, but it gives you a backup of your playlists in a standard format. If you export multiple playlists, you will have multiple XML files to upload to the transfer service. The process works, but it is more steps than logging in directly, so most people use the account-connection method instead.

What to do after the transfer

Once your playlists are in Spotify, your Apple Music account is not affected. Your saved songs, playlists, and listening history remain in Apple Music. You can now start using Spotify as your primary music service. If you want to cancel your Apple Music subscription, you can do that through your Apple account settings — the transfer does not cancel it automatically.

Over time, you may notice that songs you added to Spotify playlists disappear if Spotify loses the license to those tracks. This is rare but can happen. If you want to keep a permanent record of your playlists, export them from Spotify as well (Spotify allows you to export playlists as text files or share them as links). This gives you a backup in case songs are removed later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the transfer delete my Apple Music playlists?

No. The transfer only reads your Apple Music library and creates new playlists in Spotify. Your Apple Music account, playlists, and saved songs remain unchanged. You can keep both accounts active at the same time if you want.

Do I need to keep my Apple Music subscription active during the transfer?

You need to be logged in to Apple Music when you authorize the third-party service to access your account, but you do not need to keep the subscription active after that. The transfer happens once and does not require an ongoing connection to Apple Music.

What if a song transfers to Spotify but it is a different version or remix?

Third-party services match songs by title and artist name, so they may occasionally pick up a live version, remix, or cover instead of the original. After transfer, listen to your playlists and replace any wrong versions manually. Most services are accurate, but checking your most important playlists is worth the time.

Can I transfer playlists from Spotify back to Apple Music later?

Yes, using the same third-party services. They work in both directions, so you can move playlists from Spotify to Apple Music if you switch back. The process is identical — log in to both accounts and select which playlists to transfer.

Is it safe to give a third-party service access to my Apple Music and Spotify accounts?

Major services like Soundiiz and TuneMyMusic are established companies that handle millions of transfers. They use OAuth, which means you log in directly to Apple and Spotify (not through the transfer service), and you can revoke access at any time in your account settings. Read the service's privacy policy before you start, but the major services are generally safe and widely used.