In short: If songs or albums are missing from Apple Music, give your library an update and turn off the “Optimize Storage” setting so Apple does not delete songs automatically on your behalf.
Have you noticed several songs and albums missing from Apple Music? In this article, I will help you troubleshoot the issue in a simple step-by-step guide to restore your favorite tunes.

1. Your Apple Music library needs an update
If you find Apple Music is missing certain songs or albums, then your Apple Music library could be in need of an update. Before you do, however, check these things first:
1. Make sure your devices are connected to the internet
It might sound obvious, but most people have trouble looking for songs and albums on their Apple Music simply because their iPhones or Macs are not connected to the internet.
2. Make sure you have an active subscription to Apple Music
Sounds like another no-brainer, but are you sure you have an active subscription to Apple Music? Often, people neglect to renew their credit card information so it gets canceled.

To renew your Apple Music subscription on an iOS device, Open Settings. Tap on your name at the top, then tap Subscriptions and click Renew next to Apple Music if it’s expired.
It’s best to set Automatic Renewal so you don’t forget. Once you have an active subscription to the Apple Music service, it will automatically renew every month.
3. Sign in with the correct Apple ID
If your device is connected to the internet and has an active subscription, check whether your device is signed in with the same Apple ID that you use with your Apple Music subscription.
4. Turn on Sync Library for all your devices
Last but not least, turn on the Sync Library for all your devices. You can learn more about how to set up the Sync Library according to the device right here.
You can now access your music library on any device that has the Apple Music app and signed in with the same Apple ID that you use with your Apple Music subscription.
5. Check the cloud status of songs on your Mac or PC
On your Mac, open the Apple Music app. On your PC, open iTunes, choose Music from the pop-up menu, then click Library. In the sidebar, select Songs.
In the menu bar, choose View > Show View Options. Select Cloud Status and Cloud Download. Look for the following statuses next to your songs to learn what to do.
- Waiting – The song won’t appear on your other devices because it’s waiting to upload.
- Removed – The song was deleted from another device that has Sync Library turned on.
- An exclamation point – The song can’t be played or synced across your devices until the original file is located. Click the exclamation point, then click Locate.
- The song is grayed out – If you see No Longer Available next to a song that’s grayed out, the song was added from Apple Music and was removed from the Apple Music catalog.
The last status has something to do with the song or album being removed from the Apple Music catalog. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about this.
The song might not be available in your country or region when you search for it in Apple Music, or if an explicit song is grayed out, you might have restrictions turned on for your device.
2. The artist decides not to renew their permission with Apple
Yes, it is possible for songs and albums to become unavailable, and sometimes disappear from Apple Music if the artist decides not to renew their permission with Apple Music.
It all depends on who owns the digital rights. Perhaps a specific song or album is on a different label from the others, although they were all made by the same artist.
Maybe, a song has been reissued in a different format. Are the songs available on a different album? I have had a situation where an album was removed and replaced by a deluxe version.
A telltale sign is when you see “No Longer Available” next to a song that’s grayed out. The song was added to Apple Music and was removed from the Apple Music catalog.
Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to get the content back. The song and/or album will no longer appear in your library. The decision is not up to Apple Music.
3. Your device is low on space (Optimize Storage is turned on)
If your device is low on space, Apple will automatically delete music that you haven’t played in a while to free up your device’s music storage, especially when “Optimize Storage” is turned on.
When this feature is enabled, it grants Apple the ability to manage music files stored on your iOS device based on the minimum storage you choose (16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB).
If you don’t want Apple Music to delete songs from your iPhone or Mac, here’s how:
- Go to Settings.
- Select Music.
- Scroll down and select Optimize Storage.
- Tap the toggle to turn it off.
With the Optimize Storage turned off, Apple Music will no longer delete songs on your behalf. Just make sure that you have sufficient storage on your device to keep songs and albums.
4. Unexplainable outage
Songs and albums can go missing from Apple Music due to unexplainable reasons. As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple Music lost albums from top artists due to an outage back in 2021.
While the missing albums have returned to Apple Music and can again be streamed, there were several missing albums from different artists on Apple Music, but the reasons were unknown.
One of the reports mentions that Lady Gaga’s “Chromatica” album cannot be found, although some of the songs from the album like “Rain On Me” are still listed in the artist’s Top Songs.
Other songs from extremely popular artists like Taylor Swift and Coldplay were missing, while something similar happened with Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia (The Moonlight Edition)” album.
If this has ever happened to you, I’m sorry, it’s unexplainable. Apple Music users have been reporting on Reddit and other social networks. I hope this never happens again.
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