How to Fix Apple Music/iTunes Songs Greyed Out

Part 1. Why Are Some Songs Greyed Out on Apple Music/iTunes?

It's frustrating when the tracks you thought were yours to access anytime eventually become greyed out. Unfortunately, even with an active subscription, you don't truly own these songs - your access is tied to licensing and DRM (Digital Rights Management) restrictions. DRM is common across streaming platforms, and while it enables music distribution, it can sometimes feel restrictive.

If you find songs in your library greyed out, it's likely part of the experience. But why does it happen? Here are some common reasons:

1. Content Availability and Licensing Issues

Sometimes, songs on Apple Music might appear greyed out, and you won't be able to play them. This usually happens because of licensing or availability issues. Let's break down why this happens:

• Gradual Album Releases
  Some artists release their albums one song at a time. If you've added the entire album to your library, the unreleased tracks will remain greyed out until their release.
  Example: Taylor Swift's latest album might drop one track weekly. Any unreleased songs in your library will stay greyed out until they're available.
• Content Removed from the Catalog
  Songs sometimes get removed from Apple Music because of expired licensing agreements. Searching for alternative versions might help.
  Example: A track you love may vanish if its licensing agreement expires. Check the catalog for remastered versions or alternate titles.
• Regional Restrictions
  Songs aren't always licensed for playback in every country. This means they could be available in one region but not another.
  Example: A Japanese artist's hit might not stream in the United States due to licensing restrictions.
• Pre-Released Albums
  Albums you pre-add might show placeholder tracks until the official release date. These will appear greyed out until then.
  Example: A pre-added album may have several tracks locked until the release date hits.
• Dynamic Licensing Updates
  Licensing agreements can change, causing previously available songs to become restricted.
  Example: A song available in Europe may become greyed out after a contract update.

2. Syncing Problems in iCloud Music Library

If you use iCloud Music Library to sync music, greyed-out songs can appear when syncing issues arise. Here's what might cause this:

Fix It: Disable and re-enable iCloud Music Library on all your devices. Signing out and back into your Apple ID can also resolve these issues.

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

3. Metadata Mismatches with Local Files

Songs might be greyed out if there's a mismatch between the metadata of your local files and your iTunes library. This often happens when:

Fix It: Ensure your files are accessible and re-add them to your library. Use iTunes' "Get Info" option to check and correct metadata issues.

Read More: How to Start/Stop Apple Music Matching Songs (Mismatches Fixed!)

4. Explicit Content Restrictions

Songs with explicit content might be greyed out due to parental or device restrictions. For example, iOS's Screen Time settings can block explicit content. In Family Sharing, restrictions on one account might affect all shared accounts. The organizer can modify these settings.

Fix It: Adjust both settings if eligible to resolve the issue. If restrictions persist, try adding the clean version of the song to your library.

Read More: How to Get & Find the Clean Version on Apple Music

5. DRM (Digital Rights Management) Restrictions

DRM-protected songs might become inaccessible for several reasons. Apple Music has authorization limits, meaning users can only authorize up to 10 devices (5 of them computers) for the same Apple ID. If songs are greyed out on your device, it's worth ensuring that your device is authorized.

If authorized, songs downloaded offline might need periodic internet access to verify their DRM license.
Example: If your device hasn't connected to the internet recently, offline songs could stop playing until the license is checked.

Read More: How to Authorize/Deauthorize Your Computer for Apple Music

Part 2. How to Fix iTunes Greyed Out Songs

1. Check Your Network (Desktop/Mobile)

Ensuring a stable network connection is crucial for Apple Music to verify song licenses and stream music without interruptions. Apple Music is set to stream over Wi-Fi by default. If you're using cellular data and haven't enabled it for Apple Music, your songs may appear greyed out.

• For iOS:

  

  1. Unlock your iPhone and tap on the "Settings" app.
  2. Scroll down and tap on "Music" to open its settings.
  3. Look for "Wireless Data" within the "Music" settings.
  4. Select "WLAN & Mobile Dtata" to enable Cellular Data for Apple Music.
  5. Exit the Settings app and close the Apple Music app.
  6. Re-open the Apple Music app to apply the changes.

2. Log Out and Log Back In (Desktop/Mobile)

Sometimes, issues with your Apple Music account can cause songs to appear greyed out. Logging out and then logging back in can refresh your account information and resolve these problems.

• For iOS:

  

  1. Unlock your iPhone and tap on the "Settings" app.
  2. Find and tap on your Apple ID to access its settings.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the settings and tap on "Media & Purchases."
  4. Tap "Sign Out."
  5. After signing out, tap on "Sign In" and enter your Apple ID and password.
  6. Close the Apple Music app if it's open.
  7. Re-open the app to complete the process.

• For Windows/Mac:

  

  1. Launch the iTunes application on your computer.
  2. Go to "Account" in the menu bar and choose "Sign Out."
  3. Click on "Account" again and select "Sign In."
  4. Enter your Apple ID and password to sign back in.
  5. Close iTunes completely and re-launch it.

3. Re-Authorize Your Computers (Desktop)

If your iTunes songs are greyed out on your desktop computer, it might be due to an authorization issue. Re-authorizing your computer can often solve this problem.

• For Windows/Mac:

  

  1. Launch the iTunes application on your computer.
  2. Go to "Account" in the menu bar and choose "Authorization" > "Authorize This Computer..."
  3. Enter your Apple ID and password when prompted.
  4. Click "Authorize" to complete the process.
  5. Close iTunes completely and re-launch it.

4. Enable "iCloud Music Library" (Desktop/Mobile)

Enabling iCloud Music Library can be a solution for greyed-out songs as it syncs your music library across devices.

• For iOS:

  

  1. Unlock your iPhone and tap on the "Settings" app.
  2. Scroll down and tap on "Music" to access its settings.
  3. Toggle the switch for "Sync Library" to enable it.
  4. Exit the Settings app and close the Apple Music app.
  5. Re-open the Apple Music app to apply the changes.

• For Windows/Mac:

  

  1. Launch iTunes on your computer.
  2. Click on "Edit" (Windows) or "iTunes" (Mac) in the menu bar and choose "Preferences."
  3. Go to the "General" tab.
  4. Check the box or toggle the switch for "iCloud Music Library" or "Sync Library."
  5. Click "OK" to save and close the Preferences window.
  6. Close iTunes completely and re-launch it.

5. Enable Check Selection (Desktop)

The "Check Selection" feature in iTunes allows users to manually select or deselect specific songs for matching or updating to your iCloud Music Library. When you have iTunes Match or Apple Music enabled, iTunes scans your library and matches your songs with its vast online catalog. Enabling the "Check Selection" setting for greyed-out songs should make them available again for playback.

• For Windows/Mac:

  

  1. In iTunes, go to the "Songs" section where you see the greyed-out songs.
  2. Find the greyed-out song you want to fix.
  3. Right-click (or Control-click on Mac) on the song to open the context menu.
  4. In the context menu, look for an option like "Check Selection."
  5. Click on this option to manually trigger iTunes to update the song's status.
  6. If you have multiple greyed-out songs, repeat the process for each one.
  7. iTunes will now work to update the selected songs' status in your iCloud Music Library.
  8. After the update process is complete, check if the greyed-out songs are now available for playback.

6. Re-Add the Greyed-Out Music (Desktop/Mobile)

If your songs are still greyed out after trying the previous steps, you can try removing them from your library and re-adding them. This can refresh the song files and metadata, potentially resolving the issue.

• For iOS:

  

  1. Open the Apple Music app on your iPhone.
  2. Find the greyed-out songs in your library.
  3. Swipe left on the song and tap "Delete" to remove it. Alternatively, tap and hold on the song, then select "Delete from Library."
  4. Search for the deleted songs in the Apple Music catalog.
  5. Tap the plus (+) icon next to the song to add it back to your library. Alternatively, you can add songs from albums or playlists directly.

• For Windows/Mac:

  1. Open iTunes on your computer.
  2. Navigate to your music library and locate the greyed-out songs.
  3. Right-click on each greyed-out song and choose "Delete from Library."
  4. Confirm the deletion when prompted.
  5. Use the search function in iTunes to find the deleted songs in the Apple Music catalog.
  6. Click the cloud icon or the plus (+) sign to re-add the songs to your library.

7. Match the Music with iCloud (Desktop & Mobile)

After re-adding your local music to your library, you can choose to merge these songs with the Apple Music catalog using iCloud Music Library. This process allows you to access Apple Music's versions of your songs, which can help prevent songs from appearing greyed out.

Follow the steps in Solution 4 to enable "iCloud Music Library" on your devices. After enabling it, iCloud will attempt to match the songs in your library with those in the Apple Music catalog. This can take some time, depending on the size of your library and your internet speed.

Once the matching process is complete, the greyed-out songs should no longer appear as such. Additionally, a cloud icon next to a song indicates that it has been successfully matched with Apple Music's version.

8. Sync the Music with iCloud (Desktop & Mobile)

Once you've enabled iCloud Music Library and matched your songs with the Apple Music catalog, you can sync your library across all your devices. This ensures that you have access to your entire music collection without any greyed-out songs.

• For Windows/Mac:

  1. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer using a USB cable.
  2. Open iTunes on your computer.
  3. Select your device icon from the top-left corner of iTunes.
  4. In the "Music" tab, check the box for "Sync Music."
  5. Click on "Apply" to transfer your music library to your device wirelessly.

9. Turn off Screen Time (Mobile)

Screen Time, a feature on iOS devices, can sometimes interfere with the functioning of certain apps, including Apple Music. Turning off Screen Time temporarily can help resolve any issues related to greyed-out songs.

• For iOS:

  

  1. Unlock your iPhone and tap on the "Settings" app.
  2. Find and tap on "Screen Time" to access its settings.
  3. Tap on "Content & Privacy Restrictions" at the bottom of the screen.
  4. Turn off the "Content & Privacy Restrctions" settings.
  5. Re-open the Apple Music app to ensure the changes take effect.

10. Convert Your Greyed-Out Music (Desktop)

If you are unable to play certain songs in iTunes or Apple Music, it may be that they are in unsupported formats or protected by the digital right management (DRM) protection.

To confirm whether they're protected, simply go to iTunes to find that specific track. Right-click it and choose Get Info. Look for Kind under the File tab. If it shows "Protected", then it means the track is with protection.

In this case, you can fix the greyed out songs in iTunes by removing protection from the tracks with a third-party tool like ViWizard Apple Music Converter, an all-in-one audio solution to convert protected iTunes/Apple Music audio to common formats. It supports six output formats, such as MP3, WAV, AAC, FALC, M4A and M4B. The original audio quality will be kept after the conversion, so you don't need to worry the audio quality. And the information tag of each audio will be saved too. To save time, this tool can convert audio in batch at 30x faster speed. ViWizard definitely will be your best choice to back up Apple Music playlists.

Key Features of ViWizard Audio Converter

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• Convert songs, albums, and playlists from Apple Music to MP3
• Remove DRM protection from Apple Music, iTunes, and Audible
• Save the converted audios with the original quality and ID3 tags
• Support the conversion of up to 100 audio formats to others

Step 1 Launch ViWizard and Import Apple Music Files

Firstly open ViWizard Audio Converter. Then click the Load in Library button to add the Apple Music songs you've downloaded on your Apple Music library. In the popup window, choose the music you want to convert and click OK to confirm. Or you can drag and drop the downloaded Apple Music files to the ViWizard.

Step 2 Setting Output Format and Parameters

Once completed loading files, click the Format button in the bottom left and set the output format among MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, M4A, and M4B. Here you can also set the codec, channel, sample rate, bit rate, etc. depending on your preference. You can also click the three-dot icon and choose the output location. Don't forget to hit the OK button to save all settings.

Step 3 Start Converting Apple Music for Mixing

Now click the Convert button to start converting the Apple Music songs to the format you need. When the conversion is done, tap the Converted button to check the well-converted Apple Music songs.

Conclusion

Now you may know how to fix greyed out songs on iTunes. You can try the guides above one by one to fix the problem. While most songs can be fixed, if the song has copyright issues, that may not be recoverable, so you'd better back up your playlist in time. The best tool to save your playlists is ViWizard Apple Music Converter which can save your Apple Music playlists in MP3 format and can be transfer to any device you like.