Device Links
If the artwork for some of your iTunes songs or albums hasn’t downloaded properly, you may want to know how to add them.
In this article, we’ll discuss how to add the artwork for your songs or albums via Windows and Mac; how to edit your playlist artwork, and how to sync iTunes updates to various Apple devices.
How to Add Album Art to iTunes in Windows?
To add artwork to your iTunes Album via Windows:
- Launch the iTunes app.
- From the top left pop-up menu, select “Music,” then “Library.”
- From your iTunes library, select and right-click on the album with the missing artwork.
- Select “Album Info” > “Edit” > “Artwork.” Then either,
- Select “Add Artwork,” choose an image file then “Open,” or
- Perform a Google search for the album artwork e.g. [Artist] album cover, then drag the image into the artwork area.
- Click on “OK” to save.
To add artwork to your iTunes Songs:
To change a playlists artwork:
- From the left sidebar, select “Songs.”
- Select the song with the missing artwork then, “Info” > “Artwork.”
- Now either select “Add Artwork,” and choose an image file then “Open,” or
- Perform a Google search for the song artwork e.g. [Artist] single cover and drag the single cover image into the artwork area.
- Click on “OK” to save.
- From the top left pop-up menu, select “Music,” then “Library.”
- From the left sidebar, select the playlist you want to edit then right-click on it.
- Now either select “Edit” > “Other” to use a saved image, or
- Perform a Google search for an image and drag it into the artwork window.
- Click on “OK” to save.
How to Add Album Art to iTunes on a Mac?
To add artwork to your iTunes Album via MacOS
- Launch the iTunes app.
- From the top left pop-up menu, select “Music,” then “Library.”
- From your iTunes library, select and right-click on the album with the missing artwork.
- Select “Album Info” > “Edit” > “Artwork.” Then either,
- Select “Add Artwork,” choose an image file then “Open,” or
- Perform a Google search for the album artwork e.g. [Artist] album cover, then drag the image into the artwork area.
- Click on “OK” to save.
To add artwork to your iTunes Songs:
- From the left sidebar, select “Songs.”
- Select the song with the missing artwork then, “Info” > “Artwork.”
- Now either select “Add Artwork,” and choose an image file then “Open,” or
- Perform a Google search for the song artwork e.g. [Artist] single cover and drag the single cover image into the artwork area.
- Click on “Done” to save.
To change a playlists artwork:
- From the top left pop-up menu, select “Music,” then “Library.”
- From the left sidebar, select the playlist you want to edit then right-click on it.
- Now either select “Edit” > “Other” to use a saved image, or
- Perform a Google search for an image and drag it into the artwork window.
- Click on “Done” to save.
How to Add Album Artwork to iTunes on iPhone?
To add artwork to your iTunes Album on iPhone:
- From a PC or Mac launch the iTunes app.
- From the top left pop-up menu, select “Music,” then “Library.”
- From your iTunes library, select and right-click on the album with the missing artwork.
- Select “Album Info” > “Edit” > “Artwork.” Then either,
- Select “Add Artwork,” choose an image file then “Open,” or
- Perform a Google search for the album artwork e.g. [Artist] album cover, then drag the image into the artwork area.
- Click on “OK” to save.
Then, to sync the changes to your iPhone:
- Connect your phone to your PC or Mac using a USB Cable.
- Towards the top left-hand corner, click on the device icon.
- On the left-hand side under “Settings,” select “Music.”
- Check the checkbox next to “Sync Music” and “Entire music library.”
- Towards the lower-right hand corner, click on “Apply,” if syncing doesn’t start click on the “Sync” button.
How to Add Album Artwork to iTunes on iPad?
To add artwork to your iTunes Album on iPad:
- From a PC or Mac launch the iTunes app.
- From the top left pop-up menu, select “Music,” then “Library.”
- From your iTunes library, select and right-click on the album with the missing artwork.
- Select “Album Info” > “Edit” >“Artwork.” Then either,
- Select “Add Artwork,” choose an image file then “Open,” or
- Perform a Google search for the album artwork e.g. [Artist] album cover, then drag the image into the artwork area.
- Click on “OK” to save.
Then to sync the changes to your iPad:
- Connect your phone to your PC or Mac using a USB Cable.
- Towards the top left-hand corner, click on the device icon.
- On the left-hand side under “Settings,” select “Music.”
- Check the checkbox next to “Sync Music” and “Entire music library.”
- Towards the lower right-hand corner, click on “Apply,” if syncing doesn’t start click on the “Sync” button.
How to Add Album Artwork to iTunes on iPod?
To add artwork to your iTunes Album on iPod:
- From a PC or Mac launch the iTunes app.
- From the top left pop-up menu, select “Music,” then “Library.”
- From your iTunes library, select and right-click on the album with the missing artwork.
- Select “Album Info” > “Edit” > “Artwork.” Then either,
- Select “Add Artwork,” choose an image file then “Open,” or
- Perform a Google search for the album artwork e.g. [Artist] album cover, then drag the image into the artwork area.
- Click on “Done” to save.
Then, to sync the changes to your iPod:
- Connect your phone to your PC or Mac using a USB Cable.
- Towards the top left-hand corner, click on the device icon.
- On the left-hand side under “Settings,” select “Music.”
- Check the checkbox next to “Sync Music” and “Entire music library.”
- Towards the lower right-hand corner, click on “Apply,” if syncing doesn’t start click on the “Sync” button.
Additional FAQ
Why Is the Album Artwork Grayed Out in iTunes?
Has the music downloaded?
If a cloud icon appears to the right of the song or album this suggests that it needs to be downloaded:
1. Right-click on it and select “Download.”
2. When the download is complete, try editing the artwork again using the “Add Artwork” option.
Do you have read and write permissions?
You might not have permission to edit the artwork:
1. Right-click the song or any album track, then select “Show in Finder.”
2. Once opened, right-click and select “Get Info.”
3. Find “Sharing and Permissions” towards the bottom.
4. You will not be able to use the “Add Artwork” feature with “Read Only” permissions.
5. Click on the padlock icon, enter your credentials, then swap the permissions to “Read and Write.”
6. Once finished, select the padlock icon again.
· Now try adding the artwork again.
Also, make sure that the artwork you’re trying to add meets the following requirements:
· The following file formats – JPG, BMP, GIF or PNG
· Maximum resolution of 1024 x 1024.
If the problem still occurs, contact iTunes support for assistance.
Can I Make the Album Artwork Show Up Automatically in iTunes?
By default, once you’ve downloaded a song or album, it usually automatically includes all the album info and artwork. However, the artwork may not be available when songs or albums have been imported from a CD or somewhere else.
If artwork is missing for one of your albums do the following:
1. Launch the iTunes app.
2. From the top left pop-up menu, select “Music,” then “Library.”
3. From your iTunes library, select and right-click on the album with the missing artwork.
· Select “Album Info” >“Edit” > “Artwork.” Then either,
· Select “Add Artwork,” choose an image file then “Open,” or
4. Perform a Google search for the album artwork e.g. [Artist] album cover, then drag the image into the artwork area.
5. Click on “OK” to save.
Can I Add My Own Artwork to iTunes Albums?
Yes, you can add still images as artwork to albums, including JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, and Photoshop files. To do so:
1. From your iTunes library, select and right-click on the album you wish to edit.
2. Select “Edit” > “Album Info” > “Artwork.” Then either,
· Select “Add Artwork,” choose the saved image then “Open,” or
· Perform a Google search for the artwork you want, then drag the image into the artwork area.
3. Click on “Done” to save.
Admiring Your iTunes Album Artwork
Seeing the album artwork for your songs and albums on iTunes makes searching through your music collection a lot easier. Album cover artwork helps to quickly remind you of the music you have with a recognizable artist and/or album cover.
Now that you know how to add the artwork to your albums and songs, were you able to successfully find and add the artwork you needed? Do you now have all the album artwork needed for your collection? Let us know in the comment section below.