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I have been using iMovie on my iPad for several years and have been able to add music from my Apple Music library or the included soundtracks. Now I have switched to a new MacBook and am unable to see my Music Library or the included soundtracks in either iMovie or Final Cut Pro. Is there a setting I'm missing?
MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.15
iMovie will not recognize songs stored in the cloud. They must first be downloaded to your physical library.
Open your library in the iTunes app. Next to each song title will be a cloud icon with a downward pointing arrow in it, indicating that the song is in the cloud and has not been downloaded. Click on the cloud icon for each song to download it. The songs should then be recognized in the Music item in the iMovie sidebar.
-- Rich
iMovie will not recognize songs stored in the cloud. They must first be downloaded to your physical library.
Open your library in the iTunes app. Next to each song title will be a cloud icon with a downward pointing arrow in it, indicating that the song is in the cloud and has not been downloaded. Click on the cloud icon for each song to download it. The songs should then be recognized in the Music item in the iMovie sidebar.
-- Rich
Hi, poppabarker,
Not sure what you mean by "my Apple Music library". Are you talking about an iTunes library or an Apple Music library?
Songs from Apple Music (the subscription service) cannot be used in Mac iMovie because they are DRM protected. Nor are the iPad iMovie soundtracks available on the Mac.
iMovie for iOS and iMovie for Mac are different apps with different features and architecture. Being able to do something on the iPad iMovie does not mean that the same function will be available on the Mac iMovie.
-- Rich
Hi, Rich.
Thanks for the response. Maybe I'm not using the correct terminology. When I click on Audio and Video in iMovie on my MacBook, it lists Music, Apple TV and Sound Effects. When I click on Music it says, "The contents of your Music library will appear here". Nothing shows. Yet, when I go to Apple Music I can see my full library with playlists, etc. I assumed it was that library to which it referred. If not, what library is supposed to show there.
I'll take your word for it, but eliminating the Soundtracks from the macOS version of iMovie seems foolish on Apple's part since using their soundtracks avoids the DRM issue.
Do I have to add a bunch of music from some other source to my library?
Regards,
Ken (poppabarker)
Hey, Rich!
Update: I followed your suggestion and downloaded a couple of tracks from my Apple Music Library. They now appear in the iMovie list on my MacBook.
Thanks so much. You’ve ended a few days of frustration for me!
Regards, Ken
Also, make sure that you new computer is authorized for iTunes. Open the iTunes app and go to Account/Authorizations.
-- Rich
Thanks, Rich. I’ll give that a try.
Regards, Ken
Great. Glad you got it to work.
— Rich
Access to Music Library in iMovie for MacOS
