How to Delete Songs on an iPhone (Downloads or Your Library)

To delete a song from your iPhone, open the Music app, touch and hold the song, and tap Remove Download. That frees up storage but keeps the song in your library. To take the song out of your library completely, tap Delete from Library instead. The same menu works for albums, playlists, and music videos.

The steps below follow Apple’s iPhone User Guide page Add music to iPhone and listen offline for iOS 27 and iOS 26, plus Apple’s support article Delete music in the Apple Music app. Notes for older iOS versions are marked where menus differ.

Remove Download vs. Delete from Library

These two options look similar, but they do different jobs. Pick the one that matches what you want before you tap anything.

• Remove Download deletes the file stored on this iPhone only. The song stays in your library. If it came from the Apple Music catalog, you can still play it, but only while the iPhone is connected to the internet.
• Delete from Library takes the song out of your music library and removes the downloaded file with it. If Sync Library is turned on, Apple says the music is also deleted from all of your other devices.

Sync Library is the Apple Music setting that keeps one music library matched across every device signed in to your Apple Account. It needs an Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription.

What you need before you start

• An iPhone with the built-in Music app. The Settings paths in this guide are written for iOS 18 and later, where app settings sit under Settings > Apps.
• On iOS 17 and earlier, open Settings and tap Music directly. Some of Apple’s own help pages still describe the path that way.
• A minute to decide whether you want the storage space back or the song gone everywhere. That choice decides which option you tap.

Remove a downloaded song (keep it in your library)

Use this when the goal is free space. Nothing is removed from your library or your other devices. If a song you bought seems to be gone later, see why purchased music is not showing in the iPhone Music app.

1. Open the Music app.
2. Tap Library, then tap Downloaded to see only the music stored on the iPhone.
3. Find the song, album, playlist, or music video.
4. Touch and hold it until a menu opens.
5. Tap Remove Download. On some versions you tap Remove first, then Remove Download.

Apple says the item is removed from your iPhone but not from your music library on your other devices. The song still shows in your library. If you don’t see Remove Download in the menu, the song isn’t downloaded to this iPhone, so there is no file to remove.

Delete a song from your library

Warning: with Sync Library turned on, this removes the song from your library on every device that uses the same Apple Account, not only this iPhone. If you only want space back, use Remove Download instead.

1. Open the Music app.
2. Find the song, album, playlist, or music video in your library.
3. Touch and hold it.
4. Tap Delete from Library. If the item is downloaded, you may need to tap Remove first.
5. Confirm if the iPhone asks you to.

In current iOS versions, deleting a song from your library doesn’t delete it from your playlists. To change that, go to Settings > Apps > Music and turn on Add & Delete Playlist Songs. Apple’s older support article says a library delete includes playlists, so if you are on an older iOS version, check your playlists afterward.

Remove all downloaded music at once

This clears downloads in bulk without touching your library. It is the quickest way to get a lot of space back.

1. Open Settings and tap Apps.
2. Tap Music.
3. Tap Downloaded Music. You’ll see All Songs at the top and a list of artists below it.
4. Tap Edit.
5. Tap the red delete button next to All Songs to remove every download, or next to individual artists to remove only their music.
6. Tap Delete to confirm.

You may also be able to reach a similar list from Settings > General > iPhone Storage by tapping Music in the app list. Apple’s storage page only says that tapping an app shows more information about its storage, so treat that route as a backup.

Let your iPhone clean up music for you

Two settings on the Settings > Apps > Music screen handle downloads automatically.

• Optimize Storage: when the iPhone is low on space, it removes downloaded music you haven’t played in a while.
• Automatic Downloads: when this is on, every song you add to your library is downloaded to the iPhone. Turn it off if downloads keep building up.

Warning: turning off Sync Library on the same screen removes all Apple Music songs from the iPhone. Apple says the songs remain in your music library on your other devices, and music you purchased or synced from a computer stays on the phone. Only use it if you want every Apple Music song off this iPhone.

Music you synced from a computer

Songs copied to the iPhone from a Mac or PC behave differently. Apple warns that if you manually sync music from your computer, music you deleted might reappear the next time you sync.

To stop that, change what the computer sends. Connect the iPhone, select it in the Finder on a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, or in the Apple Devices app or iTunes on a PC, then open the Music section and adjust the sync options before you click Apply. Apple covers the Mac steps in Use the Finder to sync your iPhone.

How to check that it worked

• In the Music app, tap Library, then Downloaded. A song you removed should no longer be listed there.
• After Delete from Library, the song should be missing from Library altogether.
• To see the space you gained, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Available storage is shown at the top of the screen. See how to check and free up storage on iPhone for the rest of that screen.

How to get a song back

• After Remove Download: touch and hold the song in your library and tap Download.
• After Delete from Library (Apple Music): search for the song in Apple Music, touch and hold it, and tap Add. Then download it again if you want it offline.
• Purchased from the iTunes Store: open the iTunes Store app, tap Purchased, tap Music, select Not on This iPhone, choose the artist, and tap the download button next to the song. Apple’s steps are in Redownload music from the iTunes Store.
• Synced from a computer: sync the iPhone with that computer again.

Apple notes that Apple Music isn’t a backup service. If a song exists only as a file you imported yourself, keep a copy on your computer before you delete it from your library.

Troubleshooting

• The song is still in my library after Remove Download. That is expected. Only the file was removed. Use Delete from Library to take it out of the library.
• The song won’t play after I removed the download. Apple Music songs that aren’t downloaded only play with an internet connection.
• Deleted songs keep coming back. Check whether the music is synced from a computer, and whether Automatic Downloads is on in Settings > Apps > Music.
• I can’t find Apps in Settings. On iOS 17 and earlier, scroll down the main Settings list and tap Music.
• There is no Sync Library switch. Apple says it only appears with an Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription, and when the device is signed in with the Apple Account used for that subscription.
• A purchased song is missing from the Purchased list. It may be hidden. Go to Settings, tap your name, tap Media & Purchases, then Hidden Purchases, and tap Unhide.

Frequently asked questions

Does deleting a song on my iPhone delete it from my other devices?

It depends on the option. Remove Download only affects the iPhone you are holding. Delete from Library removes the song from your other devices too when Sync Library is turned on.

Do I lose a song I bought if I delete it?

Apple lets you redownload music purchased from the iTunes Store through the Purchased section of the iTunes Store app. Availability can vary by country or region, so check that list if a purchase matters to you.

Can I delete several songs at once?

The touch and hold menu works on a whole album or playlist, which removes all of its songs together. For bigger cleanups, Settings > Apps > Music > Downloaded Music removes downloads by artist or all at once.

How do I remove a song from one playlist only?

Edit the playlist instead of deleting the song. Apple says deleting a song from a playlist doesn’t delete it from your library. The steps are in how to add or remove songs in an Apple Music playlist.

Does removing downloads cancel or change my Apple Music subscription?

No. Removing downloads or deleting songs only changes what is stored on the iPhone and in your library. Your subscription is managed separately.

Next steps

Once your music is trimmed down, you can see how many songs are on your iPhone, and clear other audio that takes up space by learning how to delete podcast episodes and downloads on iPhone.