I've been using iTunes and various iPods for over two decades and have built up quite the collection of songs from both my CDs and purchases. Recently, I noticed that all my CD songs are greyed out on my iPhone, with a message saying they're not available in my country. I thought re-syncing my iMac would help, but when I checked, all those songs are completely gone from there as well. I even reauthorized my computer, just in case. I checked iCloud for a backup and couldn't find anything, despite being sure I backed up in December. It's frustrating because I still have all my CDs, but I don't have a player to connect them to my computer like I used to. Is there any way to recover my songs, or are they lost forever?
4 Answers
When this happened to me, I went through my library, clicked on the info icon for each song, and tried to relocate the files manually. It's a bit time-consuming, but sometimes you can find the files and reconnect them this way. It's a pain, but worth a shot!
It’s surprising you’re not backing up your computer! Regular backups can save you from situations like this. Consider setting up automatic backups for the future to prevent this kind of loss.
Check if your songs were possibly saved on an external drive that might not be connected right now. If iTunes opened without that drive, it might reset where it looks for your library. If you search for some song titles in Spotlight, you might locate the files if they’re still on your computer. The availability message is really strange, so double-check that you didn’t accidentally change your country settings.
It sounds like your personal music files might be lost since they aren't stored in iCloud or any other service like Apple Music. They're usually stored directly on your Mac or PC. If those files were moved or deleted without you realizing, that could explain the issue. Try checking if you've accidentally changed the location where iTunes is looking for them. You could also consider re-importing your CDs back into your library if you have access to a player in the future. Also, look into iTunes Match if you think you might want cloud access to your media in the future.
It's definitely quirky that they’re greyed out. Maybe check your iTunes settings and see if it’s linked to an external drive that isn’t connected? That can mess things up.
I totally get the frustration! I once lost a bunch of songs too. Just make sure all your files are still on your computer, and try doing a spotlight search for your tracks. Sometimes they can get lost in there.