How to Transfer Music from iPod to MP3 Player With/Without iTunes

September 11, 2020Ashley Mae

It has been cooling to listen to music with an iPod on the way. As other MP3 players from Sony NW, Astell & Kern, FiiO, Cowon, etc., emerged, iPod is not the only option. Moreover, the inconvenience of transferring iPod music due to the iOS closeness, many music lovers switch from iPod to the non-Apple MP3 player.

How to transfer iPod music to an MP3 player while shifting MP3 player?

The step-by-step instructions are provided for how to do this in 3 ways.

Transfer iPod Music to MP3 Player

Part 1. How to Transfer iPod Music to Another MP3 Player (Easiest)

iTunes is the recommended solution to manage iPod music, however, its complexity may drove away many users like you. To save yourself the frustration, you should use Aiseesoft FoneTrans.

Aiseesoft FoneTrans is the professional but easy-to-use iPod music manager. It can easily add, delete, and transfer iPod all audio files, including, songs, playlists, audiobooks, ringtones, and more. Moreover, it can copy iPod music from another iPod or computer (Windows 10/8/7 and Mac OS X 10.7 or above including macOS Sonoma) directly.

FoneTrans

Downloads

FoneTrans – Transfer iPod Music

  • Transfer iPod music including the purchases to a computer or another iPod MP3 player.
  • Manage iPod music (delete, add, create a playlist, edit ID3 tag, etc.).
  • Transfer files among, iOS devices, computer and iTunes.
  • Support all iPod models, iPhone, and iPad with any iOS versions.
  • Transfer videos, photos, contacts, messages, notes, calendars, and more for iOS device.
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You'll need to go through a few extra steps to transfer iPod music to other MP3 players.

Step 1.
Download iPod music transfer tool
Free download Aiseesoft FoneTrans via the download link above. Open it after the successful installation.
Step 2.
Connect both iPod and MP3 player to computer
Get the USB cables to plug both iPod and the MP3 player into your computer.
Connect
Step 3.
Transfer iPod music to MP3 player
On the main interface of FoneTrans, click Music from the left pane. Select the detailed music files, click Export to PC in the toolbar, and then select the MP3 player as the destination target.
Then click OK, and this software will start exporting music from iPod to the MP3 player automatically.
Transfer

It is the easiest way to get all the music from iPod to MP3 player directly. Apart from music sync, it also lets you transfer photos from iPod to computer or other devices for backup.

Part 2. How to Sync iPod Songs to MP3 Player via iTunes

Unlike the MP3 players, iPod cannot be used as a removable device or hard drive on computer directly. For moving music from iPod to MP3 player, you will still need iTunes.

Step 1.
Connect iPod to computer
Get the USB cable to connect iPod into computer. Run iTunes on your PC.
Step 2.
Enable disk use for iPod
Find iPod icon in iTunes, and click it to go to the Summary tab by default.
Check the Enable disk use box under Options and OK to confirm that. Then your iPod will become the common disk.
Enable Disk Use
Step 3.
Open Tools menu
Exit iTunes, and go to My Computer and find your iPod. Double click it and press Alt to open Windows Explorer. Access the Tools menu.
Step 4.
Show hidden files on iPod
From the Folder Options, and click View tab. Then choose Show hidden files, folders and drives under hidden files and folders to show all the music files on iPod. Finally, select Apply and next click OK.
Learn here to show hidden files on Mac.
Show Hidden Files
Step 5.
Copy iPod music to PC
Now, you can see an iPod_controls folder. Open it to copy the music folder, and paste this folder wherever you want to save on this PC.
Step 6.
Move music into MP3 player from PC
Now, disconnect your iPod and plug the MP3 player into your computer. Run the program that supports the music transfer software for your MP3 player.
e.g. Windows Media Player is for Sony MP3 player music sync tool.
Drag the saved music on this PC into Windows Media Player, and click Sync button to start moving the music from PC into the MP3 player. (Windows Media Player not working?)
Sync

In this way, you can easily move all the music (not including music purchases from iTunes or Apple Music)

Part 3. How to Download Purchased iPod Songs to Another iPod

As mentioned above, iTunes can only transfer non-purchased music from iPod. As for those purchased songs, you cannot transfer them due to the protection. However, when you want to transfer music from iPod to another one MP3 player, e.g. iPod Touch, the transfer process can be done via downloading.

Step 1.
Open the iTunes Store app on another iPod touch. Sign in with the same Apple ID that you originally used to purchase the music.
Step 2.
Tap More in the menu at the bottom of the screen, then find Purchased.
Step 3.
Hit Music and find the music that you want to redownload, then tap it.
Step 4.
Tap the download button to download the purchased songs from one iPod to another new iPod Touch.

The purchase downloads are only available for iOS devices and Mac computer. If your MP3 player is not compatible with iTunes Store or Apple Music, this method is not working for you.

Part 4. FAQs of Transferring iPod Music to MP3 Player

Can you transfer iTunes music to MP3 player?

Yes, you can copy iTunes music into USB drive and MP3 player, but only the non-purchased songs. The purchased songs in iTunes are not allowed to transfer.

Why is my iPod music not playing on my MP3 player?

The music on iPod will be stored in the formats of MP3, AAC/M4A, Protected AAC, AIFF, WAV, Audible audiobook, and Apple Lossless. When you transfer the songs that are not compatible with MP3 player, they will fail to play. For solving this problem, you need to convert music to MP3.

Can I put music on my MP3 player from my phone?

Yes, you can.
Step 1. Connect your phone into computer with the USB cable. Copy and paste the music from phone to computer.
Step 2. Run the music sync software that came with your MP3 player. Drag and drop the phone music files into this software.
Step 3. Connect your MP3 player into computer, and click the Sync button on this sync software to complete the transfer process.

Conclusion

How to extract songs from an old iPod into a new MP3 player is the problem that you and users may face. This post shares 3 ways to get all the music from iPod to MP3 player. Whether you want to backup iPod music to computer or another MP3 player, you can find the solutions easily. When you want to move the purchased items, it is limited among the Apple devices via downloading.

Now it is your turn.

Which way would you try?

Do you have any other problems?

Let me know by leaving your comments below.

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Transfer iPod Music to Another MP3 Player