Greyed out songs on my playlist. Unable to delete.

I've noticed that I have greyed out songs on my Iphone's music playlist. These songs are unable to play and refuse to delete.
I've noticed many other people have had the same problem. Their solution was to find the song's file, re-sync it to their device and
delete it all over again.
Except for me, I've deleted the original music file in my Itunes library. So when I synced my music just recently, the files I previously deleted from my itunes library became grey.
This is a problem because the songs are no longer in my library, making it unable to sync and re-delete. Yet they are stuck on my Iphone's actual music playlist.
Does anyone know what I can do?

Try:
- Reset the iOS device. Nothing will be lost
Reset iOS device: Hold down the On/Off button and the Home button at the same time for at
least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears.
- Unsync all music and resync
- Reset all settings
Go to Settings > General > Reset and tap Reset All Settings.
All your preferences and settings are reset. Information (such as contacts and calendars) and media (such as songs and videos) aren’t affected.
- Restore from backup. See:
iOS: How to back up
- Restore to factory settings/new iOS device.

Similar Messages

Greyed out songs do not sync

I have seen variations of this question elsewhere, but none quite on point.
I have a number of albums in the iTunes library (Windows 8.1) in which a random number of tracks are greyed out. Some people have reported also seeing a dotted circle next to the greyed out song -- this is not the problem I am having. (There is an image below) I can play these on iTunes with no problem. However, iTunes refuses to sync these 'greyed out' tracks with the iPhone. This 'greyed out' effect is clearly a part of the design of the program, and yet no one seems to have thought to include an explanation to the user within the program as to why these are greyed out. I assume the problem is somewhere with my iTunes library.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hello there, Mo-Brooklyn.
The following Knowledge Base article has some great pointers, depending on wether you choose to automatically or manually sync your content:
iTunes: Syncing media content to iPod
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1351
if you're still unable to sync the content to your iPhone, you might try downloading it directly to your device:
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Pedro D.

Greyed-out songs problem

First off, I'd like to start by saying that I'm sorry if I there are other threads that already talked about this. I tried googling for solutions, but I could not find any one article that could help my current problem.
After downloading my songs onto my iTunes, I tried to sync the songs to my iPhone. That's when the "Greyed-out" songs started showing up. In the Library itself, the songs are normal, playable. But under "Devices" -> Music, the songs appear "greyed-out" with a circle being created with two arrows that do not move. Furtherrmore, the "grey-out" song(s) does not sync to my iPhone. Below is a picture of the problem.
Again, the song is plays perfectly fine in the Library. However, it will not play under the Devices -> Music category nor will it appear on my iPhone. Please help me. I am tired of this problem and would like a quick solution. If there was a thread with the exact same problem, please post the link to said thread IF there is a solution. It is much appreciated.
I already tried one of the solutions that worked one time but doesn't seem to work now. The solution involved logging out of one's Apple account then logging back in. As I said, this one doesn't seem to work for me anymore. Any help and input is appreciated. Thanks.

All right I have figured out "my problem" with the Greyed-out playlist
1. I backed up my music files to an external hard drive and an old iPod that I had. I did not remove anything from my iPhone 4s or update it, I left it alone.
2. Completely removed iTunes from my computer ( this will work for a PC only,I don't own a mac)
     control panel, remove iTunes
     Start menu>Search bar> "regedt32"   (this opens your registry, you may be prompted "Windows need your permissions to continue" just click continue)
     Once your registry is opened
make sure "computer" is selected
press "CTRL + F"
search iTunes
delete all associated files, extensions etc with "iTunes"
after all that is completed restart, its Microsoft
3. Open up your Internet browser and download the latest and greatest iTunes and install it on your computer
4. After you install the program DO NOT CONNECT YOUR iPod or iPhone
5. Open iTunes> Store> Authorize this computer
If you get the "iTunes hangs on access iTunes store" follow these steps, my iTunes did this
Close your iTunes,
Go to command Prompt
(Win 7/Vista) - START>PROGRAMS>ACCESSORIES, right mouse click "Command Prompt", choose "Run as Administrator".
(Win XP SP2 an above) - START>PROGRAMS>ACCESSORIES>Command Prompt
In the "Command Prompt" screen, type in netsh winsock reset Hit "ENTER" key
Restart your computer.
If you do get a prompt after restart windows to remap LSP, just click NO.
Now launch your iTunes and see if it is working now. My iTunes started working
6. I connected my old iPod, it populated my playslist/songs/movies I was using before
After this loaded I connected my iPhone and to my surprise my phone started automatically syncing
All 3000 songs are now able to be played on my phone, now all I have to do is update the Mrs. phone tonight
I hope this helps you and your problems with the infamous "greyed-out playlist"
Cheers,
The_Quacks
Message was edited by: The_Quacks
wow the format is terrible, i am sorry for that i used the bullets that the forum provides and they didnt populate in my post. how irritating

I have greyed out songs on iTunes how do i get them back or start again

i have greyed out songs on iTunes how do i get them back or start again.
I am so sad it just shouldn't be this hard.
why is there not a fix in the next update
Really how do i know what community to post on
Help, i just want to listen to some of my favourite songs

Try:
- Reset the iOS device. Nothing will be lost
Reset iOS device: Hold down the On/Off button and the Home button at the same time for at
least ten seconds, until the Apple logo appears.
- Unsync all music and resync
- Reset all settings
Go to Settings > General > Reset and tap Reset All Settings.
All your preferences and settings are reset. Information (such as contacts and calendars) and media (such as songs and videos) aren’t affected.
- Restore from backup. See:
iOS: How to back up
- Restore to factory settings/new iOS device.

Greyed out songs only are displayed when iPhone is connected to iTunes? How do I fix?

I've googled everything available on the internet to fix this problem, nothing works. Deleted itunes library files, deleted itunes_control folder on iphone using iExplorer, tried manually removing greyed out songs... but they come back everytime. It's only songs that iv'e downloaded for free from itunes. I have not one single song in my itunes library and nothing in the cloud either. 15 songs are hidden, but apparently they always like to show up on my iphone as greyed out, only when connected to itunes. Nothing i displayed on my phone it's while using it. Very frustrated. Pls Help.

Hello daddyleon75,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
For more information, take a look at:
iOS: Forgotten passcode or device disabled after entering wrong passcode
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1212
Alternatively, place the device in recovery mode and restore it to erase the device:
Disconnect the USB cable from the device, but leave the other end of the cable connected to your computer's USB port.
Turn off the device: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button for a few seconds until the red slider appears, then slide the slider. Wait for the device to shut down.
While pressing and holding the Home button, reconnect the USB cable to the device. The device should turn on.
Continue holding the Home button until you see the Connect to iTunes screen.
iTunes will alert you that it has detected a device in recovery mode. Click OK, and then restore the device.
Have a nice day,
Mario

Greyed out songs on iPhone and not visible at all in iTunes

I have recently had to replace my iphone due to the microphone breaking, when restoring my new iphone and attempting to transfer all my music onto it, I noticed it asking me to sign in to the apple store with an email address I have never used or recognised.
The majority of my music is not sourced from itunes and I now realise that in my collection I have a few music files that were originally bought and connected to somebody elses apple ID. It is asking me to sign in to these ID's when trying to sync the songs, the problem being they are not my apple ID's and I don't know the passwords so it is impossible. So the songs appear greyed out on my iphone (un playable, can't edit/delete etc) and don't appear in the music tab of my iphone at all in itunes.
At the same time of my iphone replacement I have also bought a macbook air. To fix the above problem I thought I would be able to start fresh with a brand new itunes library on my macbook. I ripped a few cd's and started a new library, (it warned me that I would have to erase the current library and start again + authorize the macbook) but the greyed out songs still appear and every time i sync my iphone it asks me to sign in to the other apple ID's connected with the individual songs.
How do I remove these files completely?
Thanks for your help.

I did not do any updates on my iphone 4. Lo and behold, suddenly these circles with dots appeared next to some songs on the ipod. The ipod would speed scroll through them, and then grey them out. Like for you, I could not play them anymore. So I deleted all the songs on the ipod, and reloaded them from my iTunes. Now, the greyed songs are all visible, with duplicate new loads in black. What the h**k is this? How do I get rid of all the songs that have been deleted but still are all listed in grey?

Problem syncing and greyed out songs on iTunes

I just recently switched from an iPhone 3gs to an iPhone 5. Before switching phones, I went on iTunes and clicked "back up" in case I wanted to transfer music, photos, etc. After switching, I decided to add new music onto my new iPhone. I don't use iTunes very much, so while trying to figure out how to put music onto my phone, I clicked "restore from backup." I was afraid some of my new apps would disappear, so I clicked cancel. I checked my phone and the only difference I saw was that I got my old bookmarks back from my old iPhone.
I went back to syncing my new music and figured it out, however, I noticed that every time I clicked "sync", it would sync for a little while, stop at "step 2: backing up" and then cancel. I think cancelling the "restore from backup" interrupted the syncing process for my music because now, some of the songs are greyed out on iTunes, but they still show up on my iPhone. I'm happy the music still plays on my iPhone, but it bothers me that I can't get rid of the greyed out songs on iTunes.
Can someone please tell me how to fix the greyed out songs and how to stop my phone from syncing and canceling?
P.S.
My iPhone would sync and then cancel every time I plug in my iPhone into my computer, but I stopped that by going on iTunes to "Edit", "Preferences", "Devices", and then checkmarking the box that says "Prevent iPods, iPhones, iPads from syncing automatically."
I hope all of this makes sense >.< I feel like I should be jumping up and down in joy for getting an upgrade, but I'm bummed out now that this has to happen :/

I'm sorry I don't have a solution to post, but just want to say that I too (and I'm sure, among millions of others) have experienced nothing but frustration and anger at all the ridiculous bugs that have happened seemingly without any interference from the user's end.
I can't even begin to list all the problems I've had since being forced to upgrade to iOS 7 on my iPhone(s) and iPad(s) being a family of Apple users. The OS "Music" app is completely useless now (half of my 1,200 songs are "greyed out" and unplayable), iTunes doesn't sync properly (it absonlutely refuses to transfer songs no matter how many options and selections in the various panes are checked off) and everything is INCREDIBLY slow.
I've read SO many possible solutions and fixes and, really, I don't have the TIME to be reading endless posts and screwing around "experimenting" trying to get it fixed. And Apple, as usual, is mum and nowhere to be found.
My advice to tech companies is to LEAVE THINGS BE -- especially if there is no real improvement. Unless the change significantly improves the functionality—changing the interface, buttons, or even the icons JUST BECAUSE is stupid policy and infuriates those of us whose lives don't live and breathe Apple...and just want a functioning phone.

Get rid of greyed out songs on iTunes on the PC

It happens on my Windows desktop where I go on "My Device" on iTunes where it was 3 greyed out songs with the dotted circle. Whenever I try deleting them and then sync my phone, they reappear. It's very frustrating. Can anyone help me how to stop this?

When the media on the device won't update as expected during a sync the method that usually works is this:
Export the contents of the camera roll. (You should do this routinely anyway.)
Backup the device, unless you have a recent backup that you would prefer to restore.
Restore as a new device. (The general restore process doesn't seem to clear things out before reloading, so there can be issues with missing artwork or incorrect capacity calculations.)
Restore the chosen backup.
In some cases it might pay to use the recovery mode method given in HT201263: If you can't update or restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch at step 3 to ensure that a device has been completely reset before reloading your content.
tt2

Songs are greyed out on iphone and itunes unable to play music

I have loaded all my songs on to imatch.
Now I am unable to play over half my itunes songs.
On my iphone they are greyed out and don't have a cloud next to them
On itunes the songs have a cloud next to them but i can't download the songs nothing happens when i pressed the button.
Please some one help
Mac Version 10.8.4
Itunes Version 11.0.4
Thank you

jhl1951,
Is the Shuffle still configured to manually sync content to it? You can check by making sure the proper configuration is made from under the Shuffle's Summary tab in iTunes while it's connected.
B-rock

I updated my iPhone and now none of the music on it will play. When I sync, I can change teh music selections on it, but they all won't play and are greyed out. Only the Playlists, Artists, Albums are black font, but all songs are grey and won't play

I recently updated my iPhone 3G to 5.0 (9A334) and it was somehow interrupted during restoration, or at least that is what it tells me. But it keeps making a new restore and adding it to a list, but never gets through without getting interrupted. anyways, I kind of got through all that, but now all the music on the iPhone won't play and is greyed out. I had some APPs greyed out, but they are not as important. Music is a huge investment in my life and this part of it has gone silent. I SYNC with my iMac. Resyncing doesn't help. I can change the selections, but can never get them to play on the iPhone.
Any ideas?

I'm having the same issue, i restored my phone to Factory settings, even tried restoring it to my backup, half of my music bought from itunes won't play on my iphone and i'm super annoyed, this only happened once i updated to ios 7.2 so i assume its another glitch to go with my imessages not sending, getting sick of this.

Itunes greyed out songs....

i have itunes 8.2 and the ipod update 1.0.3 on my 4th generation ipod nano. i cant change the music info it is all greyed out but i can change the titles of the music that i imported off the cds, please help.

Grey text when you look at the content and a lock symbol at the bottom of the screen just indicates that the iPod is set to sync automatically with iTunes. If you want to play the iPod songs through iTunes, delete songs from the iPod, drag songs from iTunes, add playlists to the iPod etc. you need to change the update setting to "manually manage songs and videos". The text will change from grey to black and everything will be directly accessible through iTunes:
Managing content manually on iPod and iPhone
Syncing Music to iPod
Something to remember about using an iPod in manual mode is that the "Do Not Disconnect" message will remain on the display until you physically eject the device: Safely Disconnect IPod

Greyed out songs in iTunes library!!

Hi all can anyone help me out with this? My music files are all mp4, the original file has not been moved, music was on my phone for months and worked fine and then i noticed over half of my playlist were missing. I looked on iTunes library on my mac and they were grey? I have tried re-adding the song into the library but now it won't accept them? I am unsure as to why this has happened. It also happens to my movie library aswell? every now and then a movie that is in the list turns grey for no reason then i have to re-add it back on again and then delete the grey copy? So frustrating and very annoying! Can anyone help me please? Thanks

I know this is probably to late, When I had grayed out songs on my Iphone 5 this is how i got rid of them.
Had my Iphone plugged into my laptop, opened Itunes, Clicked my iphone tab on itunes then clicked Music.
When your music from your iphone appear navigate to the songs that are grayed out, right click and choose Delete.
This worked for me.

HT204406 How do I access greyed out songs on the ipod touch after subscribing to iTunes Match?

I have just subscribed to iTunes March and now I cannot access my songs on the iPod Touch. The songs can be seen but are greyed out. ANyone know what I need to do?

Connect the iPod to its syncing computer and restore via iTunes. If iTunes asks for the passcode and yu can't enter the passcode or you do not have the syncing computer, place the iPod in recovery mode and then restore. For recovery mode see:
iPhone and iPod touch: Unable to update or restore

Itunes match not working. Itunes match will grey out songs that i have on my iPhone, that were fine before i signed up to itunes match.

Hey
Itunes match will be in a loop. I have unlimited internet but it does take up bandwith. The worse problem is it can never finish step three. I have tryed signing in and out of my apple ID, but that does not seem to help. I go to my iphone and it has songs that are localy stored on it greyed out, like what people are saying about songs they have in the cloud. I can figure it out, i tryed these steps of getting the song off icloud, bring it back in, the uploading it. It just does not seem to be doing anything for me, pleas help!

Hi,
What is the iCloud status of these tracks?
You can add icloud status column to song view - go to menu > view> view options and tick box. This will tell you what has been Matched, Uploaded, Purchased, Inelligible, Duplicate or Waiting.
Jim

Greyed out songs on iPhone - iOS 8 and iTunes 11

I recently bought an iPhone 6 and have been trying to load tracks purchased from the iTunes Store onto the phone. For some reason, the majority of these tracks appear in the music drop-down menu of my device in iTunes on my Mac, but they are greyed-out and won't play. I can't understand why something which used to be so simple - loading tracks onto an Apple device - has now become such a challenge. I don't want iTunes Match or to download music to my phone wirelessly, I just want to be able to manage my library and devices from my Mac! Is that too much to ask?
Has anyone found a simple way to solve this? I deleted my library and reimported everything to no avail.

I had a similar problem with songs greyed out and not syncing and apps not syncing either. I also tried multiple restarts and redownloading iOS5 etc. The one thing which seems to have sorted it out for me is buying a (free) app from the app store on my iphone and then syncing with itunes. Oddly enough this seems to have woken itunes up to the fact that stuff wasn't synced and started the process of a full sync.
A bit random and i read this on another thread, but it worked for me.

Greyed out songs on my playlist. Unable to delete.

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