Manually Manage Music Option Diasppeared

I'm hoping someone can help me with a really frustrating change that seems to have happened to itunes since I started using iMatch: the option to manually manage music and videos has disappeared and been replaced by an option to manage video only. If anyone has any ideas on how I can get it back I'd be very grateful!

rwmccar wrote:
...If anyone has any ideas on how I can get it back I'd be very grateful!
Turn off iTunes match on your device. Settings > Music > iTunes Match OFF.
From http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4913:
"When enabling iTunes Match on your iOS device, the music library on your iOS device will be deleted and then replaced with your music in iCloud.
Syncing music with iTunes will be disabled while iTunes Match is enabled on your iOS device."

Similar Messages

Manually Manage Music Option get error The iPod cannot be updated error(-50

I am following the instructions on how to move music to a new computer. When I get to the step "Switch the iPod to manual update and enable disk use" and try to apply the 'Manually manage music' option, I get the following error: 'The iPod (my iPod) cannot be updated. An unknown error occurred (-50). I have tried moving my dock between the two USB ports on my Dell but nothing works..can someone help?

I tried some additional things and it seems to have fixed the problem.
First, I forced the iPod Service to close using the Windows task manager (control-alt-delete and then closing it). I then restored my iPod to its original factory settings using that option in iTunes.
I renamed the iPod and then set up what I wanted to sync with it. I have made a couple of changes and they have worked.

Upgrade to iTunes 11 has disabled Manually Manage Music option

After upgrading to iTunes 11, it has now removed the option to 'Manually manage music' when I connect my iPhone (4S). Previously I manage all my playlists and keep them up-to-date, but found this morning I now cannot add anything to the phone,,,
Each time I tick the box and click apply, it warns me that it ERASE the entire iPhone - Not what I wanted to hear!
Is there any way to bring this back inline, it also warns me that the phone is synced to another iTunes library (techincally correct but this is the previous version that it recommended me to upgrade from... Are they serious!?)
PLEASE HELP!
I want to avoid resetting the phone and letting them win.... again! I can't put into words how frustrating this :-/
*I'm running Windows 7 64-bit with an iPhone 4S, and in the UK.
Many thanks...!
Chris

I have an iPhone 5, same happened to me. I need to erase and resync my phone, loosing all playlists and ratings in the process. Music that I wanted in my iTunes but not my iPhone will now also be re-added.
I'm really over having to spend hours reloading my phone and playlists how I like them everytime Apple decides to unleash a dud update. I've literally spent thousands of dollars for the convenience of keeping my music and phone life in one place over the years, but that conveneince is now outweighed by Apple's user unfriendly approach to their software updates.
My next update will be away from Apple.

HT201593 Itunes 12 does not have the "Manually manage music" option

I have itunes 12 and the "manually manage music and videos" is not there. "Manually manage videos" is the only option. I use itunes for work and I NEED a fix. I am unable to drag and drop as well.

Hello there, Jenks855.
When wanting to manually manage content on your iOS device, the Knowledge Base article you were referred from provides some great information and practical steps for troubleshooting:
Manage content manually on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod - Apple Support
Manually add items to your device
Connect your device to your computer.
Open iTunes. Make sure that you have the latest version.
Choose the content that you want to add to your device from your iTunes library.
Drag the content to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod. A panel should appear. Locate your device.
What if I can't manually add content to or remove content from my device?
To manually manage your content, check to make sure that the "Manually manage music and videos" option is turned on. Then:
Connect your device to your computer.
Open iTunes. Make sure that you have the latest version.
Locate and click on your device.
Click the Summary tab.
Click the box next to "Manually manage music and videos."
Click Apply. If you see a message that your device is synced with another library:
iPhone can only add music or video from a single iTunes Library.
iPad and iPod can add music from multiple iTunes Libraries, but video from only one iTunes Library.
If you choose to manually manage your movies and music with the new iTunes Library, the iTunes content currently on your device will be erased and replaced.
You can’t manually manage music while using iTunes Match on your device.
Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Pedro.

Manually manage music option - keep what's on my iPhone already

Sorry if this has been asked and answered before but some of the reposonses here seem to contradict each other. I have tried reading the supporting documentation (other posts and links to the Apple knowledgebase) but can't see a clear response.
I have an iPhone 4S (runing O/S 5.1.1) and am using iTunes (v10.6.3.25) on a PC. When I first got my iPhone (a couple of months ago), I set it to "Manually manage music and video" before putting any content on it. All was fine until my laptop died and was replaced - now when I attach my iPhone to my new laptop (or any other device running iTunes), I see that this option is not ticked. If I try to select this option, a dialogue box is presented informing me that if I apply, all the content currently on my iPhone will be erased - obviously this is not the effect I'm trying to acheive. So I guess my questions are:
Is there any way of setting my iPhone to be able to manually manage music and video WITHOUT first erasing all the current content?
Is it possible to have another device (like my PC at work, for example) recognise that the iPhone has this setting checked when I attach it?
If anyone has the time, patience and inclination to let me know, I'd be very grateful! Thank you in advance!

millou_ wrote:
Oh - I can get the data back, that's not the real problem. It's the several hours of my life required to do it!
That's a relief...
All I really want is to be able to attach my iPhone to my laptop at home AND my PC at work where in both cases my iPhone can be manually managed so that I can add content MANUALLY from either location onto my one, lovely iPhone.
Sync iPod/iPad/iPhone with two computers
Although it isn't possible to sync an Apple device with two different libraries it is possible to sync with the same logical library from multiple computers. Each library has an internal ID and when iTunes connects to your iPod/iPad/iPhone it compares the local ID with the one the device normally syncs with. If they are the same you can go ahead and sync...
I have my library cloned to a small 1Tb USB drive which I can take between home & work. At either location I use SyncToy 2.1 to update the local copy with the external drive. Mac users should be able to find similar tools. I can open either of the local libraries or the one on the external drive and update the media content of my iPhone. The slight exception is Photos which normally connects to a specific folder on a specific machine, although that can easily be remapped to the current library if you create a "Photos" folder inside the iTunes Media folder so that syncing the iTunes folders keeps this up to date as well. I periodically sweep my library for new files & orphans with iTunes Folder Watch just in case I make changes at one location but then overwrite the library with a newer copy from the other. Again Mac users should be able to find similar tools.
As long as your media is organised within an iTunes Music or Tunes Media folder, in turn held inside the main iTunes folder that has your library files (whether or not you let iTunes keep the media folder organised) each library can access items at the same relative path from the library folder so the library can be at different drives/paths on different machines. This solution ensures I always have adequate backups of my library and I can update my devices whenever I can connect to the same build of iTunes.
When working with an iPhone earlier builds of iTunes would remove any file not physically present in the local library, even if there was an entry for it, making manual management practically redundant on the iPhone. This behaviour has been changed but it will still only permit manual management with a library that has the correct internal ID. If you don't want to sync your library between machines on a regular basis just copy the iTunes Library.itl file from the current "home" machine to any other you want to use, then clean out the library entires and import the local content you have on that box.
tt2

Manually Manage Music option is GONE...when I plug in my IPHONE (which is already synced to this computer) I can no longer manually manage songs. I have already opted to do this but all my songs are grey and it won't allow me to manage ANY songs?

I cannot delete or add any songs to my Iphone (or my son's ipod) for some reason..all the songs are grey and cannot be manually managed. Any feedback is appreciated.

You will need to restore your phone as a new one using the itunes on your computer. This WILL erase everything on the phone but it will let you change the name of the phone and then you can add content to it.

ITunes - manually manage music no longer works

So I'm quite startled to find only a few topics about this without any resolution. Up until today after I upgraded to iTunes 11, I was always able to set my main itunes to manually manage music with my iphone and then go to ANY computer and add music to my iphone. NOW it wants to wipe my whole iphone library every time I try to apply the "manually manage music" option which would allow me to add music from any computer. I ask the community here - WHEN did this happen? Are we no longer allowed to do add music manually from any computer? WHATS the point of manually manage music (the whole point was that you didn't need to sync always with one comp)? I've tried wiping my iphone at two locations I often add music at with checking the manually manage music and everytime I wipe at one place then go to the other it wants to wipe again when I check the box to add music. I would really like to know if this is how it works now - meaning YOU NOW CAN ONLY ADD MUSIC TO YOUR IPHONE THROUGH ONE ITUNES LIBRARY. If so, I will be immediately uninstalling iTunes and finding alternatives. I appreciate any info or help. Thanks.

iPhone has traditionally only allowed manual management from a single library. Also once set up to sync, iDevices can only be switched to manual mode from the "home" library without iTunes wanting to erase the content. On any other library it will want to erase. Has your main library been rebuilt following a crash? This could lead to the symptoms you describe.
Sync iPod/iPad/iPhone with two computers
Although it isn't possible to sync an Apple device with two different libraries it is possible to sync with the same logical library from multiple computers. Each library has an internal ID and when iTunes connects to your iPod/iPad/iPhone it compares the local ID with the one the device normally syncs with. If they are the same you can go ahead and sync...
I have my library cloned to a small 1Tb USB drive which I can take between home & work. At either location I use SyncToy 2.1 to update the local copy with the external drive. Mac users should be able to find similar tools. I can open either of the local libraries or the one on the external drive and update the media content of my iPhone. The slight exception is Photos which normally connects to a specific folder on a specific machine, although that can easily be remapped to the current library if you create a "Photos" folder inside the iTunes Media folder so that syncing the iTunes folders keeps this up to date as well. I periodically sweep my library for new files & orphans with iTunes Folder Watch just in case I make changes at one location but then overwrite the library with a newer copy from the other. Again Mac users should be able to find similar tools.
As long as your media is organised within an iTunes Music or Tunes Media folder, in turn held inside the main iTunes folder that has your library files (whether or not you let iTunes keep the media folder organised) each library can access items at the same relative path from the library folder so the library can be at different drives/paths on different machines. This solution ensures I always have adequate backups of my library and I can update my devices whenever I can connect to the same build of iTunes.
When working with an iPhone earlier builds of iTunes would remove any file not physically present in the local library, even if there was an entry for it, making manual management practically redundant on the iPhone. This behaviour has been changed but it will still only permit manual management with a library that has the correct internal ID. If you don't want to sync your library between machines on a regular basis just copy the iTunes Library.itl file from the current "home" machine to any other you want to use, then clean out the library entires and import the local content you have on that box.
Perhaps the reason you were able to add music from more than one computer in the past is that you had done something similar by accident rather than design...
tt2

ITunes Manually Manage Music

Hi, I am wondering if I have an iPod and so does my boyfriend and he has a CD of his that he ripped to his iTunes and I want it, is there a way for me to select the Manually Manage Music option and add just that CD from his iTunes in stead of having to rip it to my computer too and still have it be synced with my library on my computer? or will it erase the CD that I added off from his when I go back to mine? Please help me out!

Hi glfprtFL,
Welcome to the Support Communities!
This link from the iTunes User Guide for Mac shows you how to customize the views:
iTunes Help: Customize the iTunes window
http://help.apple.com/itunes/mac/11.1/#itns0c1999db
Cheers,
- Judy

Cannot manually manage music

I recently had to replace my hard drive, and I am just now trying to manage my iPhone music again through iTunes. At the moment, I cannot manage my music. When I go into the summary page and click "Manually manage music and videos," then Apply, I get the message "This iPhone is synced with another iTunes library. Do you want to erase this iPhone and sync with this iTunes library?" The only choices which appear are Cancel or Erase and Sync. I don't want to erase my iPhone, but I do want to be able to manage my music...what do I have to do to be able to select the manually manage music option without erasing my iPhone?

Well, without a backup, you're gonna have to use third party software to first put your content into itunes BEFORE you sync. You can transfer purchased content, as I've said: File>Transfer Purchases. Music you ripped on your own will have to be transfered by third party software:
http://www.wideanglesoftware.com/touchcopy/
Like I said, when you first sync or manually manage, all itunes content on your phone will be erased & replaced with the content from your "new" computer. There is no way to avoid this. Backing up is your only protection, as the iphone is NOT a backup device.

How can I back up and restore my manually managed music from an old iphone to a new one?

At present, when I go to restore from a previous back up, my music is never transferred to the new device. I assume this is because I have the manually manage music option selected.
Is there a way to back up and add the same music and playlists etc from old iPhone to new iPhone without selecting the box that transfers everything from itunes?
As I have far more music than my iphone could ever take and I only want a selection. So if there is no way of doing this then I have to do it manually everytime? A very long winded task to go through entire itunes library picking it all out again!?!
Any help would be appriciated!?

Thanks very much!
Although I had to add everything again to the playlist, at least I can just copy it over in future!

IPhone 5C cant manually manage music?

My sister's iPhone cant get music from more than one computuer, why? I choose manually manage music on our family PC, select it then tells me I have to erase and sync. I do that but then when plugged into my sister's laptop the manually manage music option is no longer chEcked and if i check it i have to erase and sync again, this happened with her iPhone 4 too. Why does this happen!? HELP

xmendez009 wrote:
For what I know. Managing the music manually is just for iPods and iPads. Even if you tick Manually manage for iPhones it won't work.
Maunally managing music on iPhones works just fine.

ITunes doesn't give me the option to 'manually manage music and videos'?? Just videos.

We are trying to sync my iPhone manually. This is normally straightforward but iTunes on my girlfriends computer won't give us the option of ticking a 'manually manage music and videos' option. Only videos? What are we doing wrong?
iTunes versions is 12. iPhone is 5s.

Hi there itsthenoise,
It sounds to me like you are going to the correct place to try and enable manually manage music and videos, but the checkbox only says you can manually manage videos. According to the following article, that sounds like what you would see if you two have iTunes Match enabled.
Manage content manually on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod
You can’t manually manage music while using iTunes Match on your device.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
All the very best,
Sterling

When I try to select 'Manually manage music and videos' option?

I know to manually manage songs/videos on itunes, i need to select the 'Manually manage music and videos' box under my iPhone 5S summary tab.
However, when I check that box and click apply, this message pops up: http://prntscr.com/248mwn (this is a screenshot of the box showing)
I do not know what that means..I just got this iPhone recently and I've only backed it up to the SHARON-PC that the message is mentioning (also the only computer i use)
Can someone explain what would happen if I chose the erase and sync option, or is there a way around this?
I just want to get my music on my iPhone . Thanks for help.

Still need help....

How can I change "manually manage music and videos" option whitout loose my files?

When I change "manually manage music and videos" option iTunes delete all my files first. This a stupid thing from Apple.
Anybody knows if exists a way to change this option without loose the contents in iPhone?

Denis DCS wrote:
...New iTunes installation...
There's the magic words right there.
The iPhone will only sync with 1 iTunes library at a time. If you want to sync to a new iTunes installation, you have to re-establish the sync relationship, which means wiping the phone and replacing the content with what's in the current iTunes library on the computer.
There is NO WAY around this.

Where is the option to manually manage music gone?

where is the optin to manually manage music gone?

It has not gone.
1 From the top menu View > Show Sidebar
2 Select your device on the left hand panel
3 Scroll down to the options on the right hand page it is there

Manually Manage Music Option Diasppeared

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