How to Transfer a Spotify Playlist to Apple Music
Moving playlists between streaming services used to mean retyping track names by hand. It is much better now — Apple Music has a built-in import tool, and several third-party services handle the job in both directions.
None of them is perfect, because the two catalogues are not identical. This guide covers the built-in route, the alternatives, and — more usefully — which tracks will fail to transfer and what to do about them.
The built-in transfer tool
Apple Music can import a library and playlists directly from other services, including Spotify. It is the first thing to try because it is free, it does not ask you to trust a third party with both accounts, and it handles large libraries in one pass.
The option lives in the Apple Music app settings, under a transfer or import section. You sign in to Spotify to authorize the read, choose whether to bring across your whole library or specific playlists, and let it run in the background — a large library can take a while.
- Open the Apple Music app and go into its settings.
- Find the option to transfer or import music from another service.
- Choose Spotify and sign in when prompted to authorize the transfer.
- Select whole library or individual playlists.
- Let it run — you can close the app, and it will notify you when it finishes.
Exact menu wording and availability change between app versions and regions. If you cannot find the option, check that the app is up to date before assuming it is unavailable to you.
Third-party transfer services
Services like Soundiiz, TuneMyMusic, and SongShift have done this job for years and still have advantages: they transfer in both directions, support many more services than Apple's tool, and can sync a playlist repeatedly rather than copying it once.
The trade-off is that you are connecting both accounts to a third party, and the free tiers are usually capped — a limited number of playlists, or a track ceiling per transfer. If you are moving one playlist, the free tier is normally enough. If you are migrating years of library, expect to pay or to split the job across several passes.
What does not transfer
This is the part that catches people out. A transfer matches tracks by metadata between two catalogues that do not contain the same things, so some fraction always fails.
- Exclusives and catalogue gaps. Anything not licensed to Apple Music simply has nothing to match against.
- Different versions of the same song. Remasters, live cuts, radio edits, and regional releases mean the tool sometimes matches the wrong version rather than none at all — which is worse, because it looks like a success.
- Local files. Tracks you added to Spotify from your own computer are not in any catalogue and cannot be matched.
- Podcasts. Most transfer tools handle music only.
- Playlist order and artwork. Custom playlist images rarely survive, and order is sometimes rebuilt rather than preserved.
- Spotify-generated playlists. Discover Weekly and similar are algorithmic and often cannot be exported at all.
Check the result before you cancel anything
Transfer tools report a success count, and that count is optimistic — it counts wrong-version matches as successes. Spend a few minutes checking before you cancel the old subscription.
Compare the track count on both sides first; a gap tells you how much failed outright. Then skim the transferred playlist for anything that looks off — a live version where you expected the studio cut is the most common surprise. Most tools also produce a list of tracks they could not match, which is worth saving somewhere, because it is the only record of what you lost.
Keep the Spotify account alive for a couple of weeks after transferring. Playlists remain readable on a free account, so you can downgrade rather than delete and still have the original to compare against.
Why this problem keeps happening
The underlying issue is that streaming playlists are lists of references to someone else's catalogue. You do not own the tracks, so moving your list between services means re-matching every entry against a different catalogue — and losing whatever is not in both.
The same thing happens quietly even when you stay put: tracks vanish from playlists when licensing deals lapse, and albums get replaced by remasters with different identifiers. It is a structural property of renting access rather than a bug in any particular service, and it applies to video platforms exactly as much as it does to music.
Frequently asked questions
Can I transfer a Spotify playlist to Apple Music for free?
Yes. Apple Music includes a built-in import tool that transfers playlists and libraries from Spotify at no cost. Third-party services also have free tiers, usually capped at a limited number of playlists or tracks.
How long does a playlist transfer take?
A single playlist is usually a few minutes. A full library of thousands of tracks can take hours, and runs in the background — you do not need to keep the app open.
Why are some songs missing after the transfer?
The tracks are not in the Apple Music catalogue, are local files you added yourself, or exist there under a different version that the matcher rejected. Most tools produce a list of unmatched tracks — save it, because it is the only record of what did not make it.
Does transferring delete my Spotify playlists?
No. A transfer copies, it does not move. Your Spotify playlists stay exactly as they were, which is why it is worth keeping the account until you have verified the result.
Can I transfer in the other direction, from Apple Music to Spotify?
Yes, but not with Apple's own tool, which only imports. Third-party services like Soundiiz and TuneMyMusic handle both directions, with the same catalogue-matching limitations.