How to Play iTunes Songs in Winamp

Don't like managing your song library in iTunes? Try Winamp

By
Mark Harris
Mark Harris
Writer
  • University of Wolverhampton
Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner.
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Updated on November 26, 2021

What to Know

  • Go to File > Add media to Library > This PC > Music > iTunes Media > Music, and then select Add.
  • You can also use this process to import audiobooks, podcasts, and other iTunes media.
  • Apple Music tracks do not currently import into Winamp.

In this article, you'll learn how to import your iTunes library into Winamp to listen to music on a Windows computer. Instructions apply to Winamp 5.8 and earlier.

How to Play iTunes Songs in Winamp

Windows has a version of iTunes for its computers, but for whatever reason, you may prefer another program for your playback. Here's how to move your existing iTunes library to Winamp.

  1. Make sure you're running the most current version of Winamp. To download the latest version, visit the Winamp website.

  2. When Winamp opens, it may automatically prompt you to import music from iTunes. If it doesn't, go to File > Add media to Library.

    The "Add media to Library" command under the File menu in Winamp

  3. If you already know where your music files are (or if you use a custom folder), navigate to them in the window that opens. Otherwise, choose the This PC folder.

    The "This PC" folder in the Winamp browser window

  4. Select Music.

    The "Music" folder in the Winamp browser

  5. Open iTunes Media.

    The "iTunes Media" folder

  6. This folder contains all of the items you might have downloaded with iTunes, and they'll each have a subfolder in this area (for example, Music, Podcasts, Audiobooks). Select Music.

    The Apple Music folder in the Winamp browser

  7. Select Add.

    To choose specific artists, albums, or songs, you can highlight them individually from their subfolders.

    The "Add" button in Winamp

  8. The tracks from your Music folder will appear in Winamp, and you can play them from there.

How to Play Apple Music Tracks in Winamp

To bring your Apple Music library into Winamp, you'll have a little more trouble thanks to the digital rights management Apple uses for its tracks. Future versions of Winamp may play well with Apple Music, but until then, you'll need to stick with the ones you have. Some sites offer converters to remove the DRM and let you easily move your Apple Music library to Winamp, but you should only download software from sources you trust.

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