what happened to itunes on mac?
itunes on mac was split into separate apps. when apple released macos catalina, it said three all-new apps, apple music, apple podcasts and apple tv, replace itunes. the itunes store now lives inside the apple music app, and syncing or backing up an iphone moved to the finder.
this guide follows apple's own pages as we read them in november 2026. for backing up the mac itself, see time machine vs icloud on mac.
download the remynd desktop app to search text you saw in a focused window, by app and date.
when did itunes go away on mac?
itunes went away on mac with macos catalina. apple's newsroom post saying catalina was available is dated october 7, 2019, and it names apple music, apple podcasts and apple tv as the apps that replace itunes. apple's itunes page still offers itunes for windows, which is also listed in the microsoft store.
where did each part of itunes go?
each part of itunes has a new home. this table follows apple's itunes page and support articles.
| what you used itunes for | where it is on a mac now |
|---|---|
| music | the apple music app |
| buying songs | the itunes store, inside the apple music app |
| movies and tv shows | the apple tv app |
| podcasts | the apple podcasts app |
| audiobooks | the apple books app |
| syncing an iphone or ipad | the finder |
| backing up an iphone or ipad | the finder |
apple's itunes page says music, tv shows, movies, podcasts and audiobooks will transfer automatically to the apple music, apple tv, apple podcasts and apple books apps, where purchases, rentals and imports stay available. it adds that "everything you had in your itunes library is still accessible in each app."
when catalina launched, apple said apple podcasts offered more than 700,000 shows, and that the apple tv app had over 100,000 itunes movies and tv shows to browse, buy or rent.
how do you find the itunes store on a mac?
you find it in the apple music app. apple's itunes store article, published april 2, 2026, gives these steps:
- open the apple music app.
- in the menu bar, choose music, then select settings.
- click the general tab.
- select itunes store, then click ok.
apple says you can then find the itunes store in the sidebar and as an option when you search. after you buy music, you find it in your library in the apple music app.
how do you sync an iphone without itunes?
you sync it with the finder. apple's finder sync article, published october 6, 2026, says that on macos catalina or later, the finder syncs content between your mac and your iphone, ipad or ipod touch.
- connect your device to your mac with a usb cable.
- click the finder icon in the dock, then select your device in the sidebar.
- select the type of content to sync, such as general, music, movies, tv shows, photos, or files, and select its sync checkbox.
- click apply. if syncing doesn't start automatically, click sync. you might then need to authorize your computer.
apple notes that a device can sync with just one apple music or apple tv library at a time.
how do you back up an iphone without itunes?
you back it up with the finder, too. apple's backup article says to use the finder on macos catalina 10.15 or later, and itunes on macos mojave or earlier.
- connect your device to your mac with a cable. if asked, click allow.
- in the finder sidebar, select your device. if asked, click trust, then click trust on your device and, if asked, enter its passcode.
- to save health and activity data, select encrypt local backup and create a password. apple says you can't recover your backup without it.
- click back up now.
where does remynd fit?
in our read, the apple music app keeps your library, not the text you read elsewhere on your mac. remynd records your screen, runs ocr locally with apple vision, and keeps a searchable index on your computer. text comes from the focused window only, and video covers windows you have not excluded.
you can exclude apps and sites, and private browser windows are excluded by default.
press control space to search in plain language, refine by app, date or source, and jump to an exact moment, provided remynd was running then, the window was not excluded and, for text, it was the focused window. it needs macos 14 or later on an apple silicon mac.
limits of this guide
- it follows apple's pages as we read them on the date above. we did not test a library move ourselves.
- the table maps each kind of media to the app apple lists for it, in our read of apple's itunes page.
- it covers macs only, not itunes for windows.
download the remynd desktop app and search what you saw in a focused window, by app and date.