How to Fix Apple Music Album Art Not Showing

Solution 1: Turn Off Explicit Filter

The Explicit Filter in Apple Music can sometimes cause issues with album art not showing. This filter is designed to block explicit content, but it might also interfere with album art if the album metadata is incorrectly flagged.

How to Turn On/Off Apple Music Explicit on Windows/Mac/iPhone

• On iOS (Music App):
  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Scroll down and tap on Screen Time.
  3. Tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions.
  4. Enter your Screen Time passcode if prompted.
  5. Tap on Content Restrictions.
  6. Select Music, Podcasts & News.
  7. Choose Explicit to allow explicit content.
• On macOS (Music App):
  1. In the upper left corner, use the Apple menu and select System Settings or System Preferences.
  2. Click on Screen Time.
  3. Ensure that Screen Time is turned on.
  4. In the lower left corner, click on Options.
  5. Go to Content & Privacy in the left panel.
  6. Ensure that Content & Privacy Restrictions are turned off.
  7. Alternatively, if you want to keep restrictions on, you can uncheck Explicit Music, Podcasts & News.
• On Windows (iTunes):
  1. Open iTunes on your Windows computer.
  2. In the menu bar, select Edit and then Preferences.
  3. Go to the Restrictions tab.
  4. Click the padlock icon in the lower left corner to unlock it.
  5. When prompted, click Yes to allow iTunes to make changes to the device.
  6. Return to the Restrictions Preferences window and ensure the padlock icon is locked to prevent further changes.
  7. Click OK to save this change.

Solution 2: Update Apple Music and iOS

Sometimes, the problem of album art not showing can be due to bugs or glitches in the Apple Music app or the iOS operating system. Pay attention to any new updates for Apple Music and iOS on your devices because they may contain fixes for the issue. Regularly updating your apps and operating system ensures you have the latest improvements and bug fixes, which can resolve problems with album art not displaying correctly.

Solution 3: Delete All Downloaded Music

The issue with album art not showing can be due to corrupted music files. Deleting only the problematic downloaded music from your device can help reset the affected part of your music library. Afterward, you can re-download your music, which may resolve the album art issue. Here’s how you can do it on different devices.

How to Remove Songs from Apple Music Playlists/Library

• On iOS (Music App):
  1. Open the Music app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Go to your Library and select Downloaded Music.
  3. Find the albums or songs that are missing album art.
  4. Tap and hold the album or song, then tap Remove.
  5. Select Remove Download to delete the downloaded file.
  6. Go back to your Library and re-download the album or song from Apple Music.
• On macOS (Music App):
  1. Open the Music app on your Mac.
  2. Click on Library in the sidebar.
  3. Select Songs from the top menu.
  4. Click on View in the menu bar and choose Only Downloaded Music.
  5. Identify the albums or songs missing album art.
  6. Right-click on the problematic album or song and choose Remove Download.
  7. Go back to your Library and re-download the album or song from Apple Music.
• On Windows (iTunes):
  1. Open iTunes on your Windows computer.
  2. Click on Library in the top menu.
  3. Select Downloaded from the sidebar.
  4. Identify the albums or songs missing album art.
  5. Right-click on the problematic album or song and choose Remove Download.
  6. Go back to your Library and re-download the album or song from Apple Music.

Solution 4: Sync Apple Music Library

After deleting and re-adding problematic music files back to your library, syncing your Apple Music library can help refresh the metadata and potentially resolve the album art issue. Here’s how you can do it on different devices. First, turn off iCloud Music Library, then wait for a few moments and turn it back on.

How to Turn Off iCloud Music Library on iPhone, Mac, and PC

• On iOS (Music App):
  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Scroll down and tap on Music.
  3. Toggle off and back on Sync Library.
• On macOS (Music App):
  1. Open the Music app on your Mac.
  2. Click on Music in the menu bar and select Preferences.
  3. Go to the General tab.
  4. Uncheck Sync Library.
• On Windows (iTunes):
  1. Open iTunes on your Windows computer.
  2. In the menu bar, click on Edit and then Preferences.
  3. Go to the Advanced tab.
  4. Uncheck iCloud Music Library.
  5. Click OK to confirm.

Solution 5: Add Tracks to a New Playlist

Adding tracks to a new playlist can sometimes trigger a refresh in the Apple Music library, which may help display missing album art. By creating a new playlist and adding tracks to it, you can check if the album art shows correctly in the playlist view. Here’s how you can do it on different devices.

How to Create an Apple Music/iTunes Playlist Easily

• On iOS (Music App):
  1. Open the Music app on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. Tap on Library at the bottom.
  3. Tap Playlists and then New Playlist.
  4. Give your playlist a name and tap Done.
  5. Tap on Songs or Albums to find the tracks you want to add.
  6. Tap and hold on a track, then tap Add to Playlist and select the playlist you created.
• On macOS (Music App):
  1. Open the Music app on your Mac.
  2. Click on File in the menu bar and select New Playlist.
  3. Give your playlist a name and press Enter.
  4. Drag and drop songs from your library into the new playlist.
• On Windows (iTunes):
  1. Open iTunes on your Windows computer.
  2. Click on File in the menu bar and select New Playlist.
  3. Give your playlist a name and press Enter.
  4. Drag and drop songs from your library into the new playlist.

Solution 6: Get Album Art Automatically

Sometimes, album art may not display due to missing metadata or incomplete album information in your music library. Using the "Get Album Artwork" function in the Music app (macOS) or iTunes (Windows) can help retrieve album art from the iTunes Store and update your library.

• On macOS (Music App):
  1. Open the Music app on your Mac.
  2. Click on Songs or Albums in your library to view your music.
  3. Right-click (or Control-click) on the song or album that is missing album art.
  4. Select Song Info or Album Info from the dropdown menu.
  5. Click on the Artwork tab.
  6. Right-click on the album art area.
  7. Select Get Album Artwork from the dropdown menu.
  8. If prompted, sign in with your Apple ID to authorize the download from the iTunes Store.
• On Windows (iTunes):
  1. Open iTunes on your Windows computer.
  2. Click on Music in your library to view your songs.
  3. Right-click on the song or album that is missing album art.
  4. Select Song Info or Album Info from the dropdown menu.
  5. Click on the Artwork tab.
  6. Right-click on the album art area.
  7. Select Get Album Artwork from the dropdown menu.
  8. If prompted, sign in with your Apple ID to authorize the download from the iTunes Store.

Solution 7: Add Album Art Manually (Recommended)

If automatic methods fail, adding album art manually can ensure that the correct artwork is displayed in your Apple Music library. This involves uploading artwork saved on your local storage directly to the music file.

How to Change Apple Music Album/Playlist Artwork

• On macOS (Music App):
  1. Open the Music app on your Mac.
  2. Click on Songs or Albums in your library to view your music.
  3. Right-click (or Control-click) on the song or album that is missing album art.
  4. Select Song Info or Album Info from the dropdown menu.
  5. Click on the Artwork tab.
  6. Click on Add Artwork.
  7. Navigate to the location where you have the album art saved on your computer.
  8. Select the artwork file and click Open to add it to the song or album.
• On Windows (iTunes):
  1. Open iTunes on your Windows computer.
  2. Click on Music in your library to view your songs.
  3. Right-click on the song or album that is missing album art.
  4. Select Song Info or Album Info from the dropdown menu.
  5. Click on the Artwork tab.
  6. Right-click on the album art area and select Add Artwork.
  7. Navigate to the location where you have the album art saved on your computer.
  8. Select the artwork file and click Open to add it to the song or album.

Solution 8: Sync Apple Music Library Locally with Albums

Syncing your Apple Music library locally with albums using a USB cable can force a refresh of album art and other metadata without relying on iCloud synchronization. This method ensures that any changes made to album art are updated across your devices that are locally synced. Once done, navigate to your music library to see the uploaded album arts.

• On macOS (Music App):
  1. Open the Music app on your Mac.
  2. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac using a USB cable.
  3. Select your device in the sidebar of the Music app.
  4. Click on Sync to sync your local music library and albums with your connected device.
• On Windows (iTunes):
  1. Open iTunes on your Windows computer.
  2. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer using a USB cable.
  3. Click on the device icon in the top left corner of iTunes.
  4. Click on Sync to sync your local music library and albums with your connected device.