Here’s what to do if some of your favorite songs are suddenly unavailable.
There’s nothing better than listening to your favorite album, which is why it’s so unsettling when tracks stop playing on your Apple device. And when you take a look at the track listing, you may find some of your tracks are grayed out. What’s happening?
Often this is because your device is offline. Typically, you’ll regain access once you get online again.
Licensing is another common cause. The music industry is built around a territorial licensing system, with labels owning different rights and then selling them or staggering release schedules –- sometimes even on AI-generated tracks.
This territorial licensing model means artists or labels sometimes remove tracks from Apple Music’s catalog, or don’t make them available in a specific region at all. When that happens, the song will not be available and will appear grayed out. There is nothing you or Apple can do about that.
How to check if it is a licensing problem
To check if a track’s licensing has been revoked, open Apple Music/iTunes, click Songs in the sidebar, right-click the column headers, (where it says Name), and check the box for Cloud Status, which shows:
- No Longer Available: Track likely removed by artist or label
- Exclamation mark (!): A local sync issue
- Waiting: Sync is incomplete
There are other causes that the following guide will help you address.
Technical problems and how to solve them
If your tracks are still grayed out and you’ve verified that it’s not a licensing issue, here are some other things you can try.
Switch it off and on again
I always recommend a full restart of your device. That’s as easy as switching your Mac or PC off and on again, or running a force reset on your iPad or iPhone. Turning things off and switching them on again solves a lot of consumer tech problems.
Delete and redownload the track
Select the track, delete it and then search for it in Apple Music and download it again. If the track is unavailable, it has probably been removed from the platform.
Check for sync errors
The Music app may have developed a glitch; let’s fix it:
- iPhone or iPad: Open Settings > Apps > Music and switch Sync Library off. Wait 30 seconds, turn it on again and open Apple Music.
- Mac: Open Apple Music, choose Settings > General in the menu bar, and uncheck the Sync Library item. Wait a few seconds, then turn it on again.
- Windows: Click the gear or profile icon, choose Settings and then select the General tab at the top of that window. Find Sync Library, turn it off, click OK and re-enable it after a few seconds.
How to solve content and Apple account problems
Still having trouble? The issue could run deeper than your phone’s settings. Here’s how to see whether it’s a problem with your Apple account.
Content Restrictions
To protect minors, Apple Music’s Content Restrictions feature prevents playback of explicit-tagged tracks. Override this in Settings > Content Restrictions in Apple Music on Windows, or in System Settings > Content & Privacy on Apple devices. Just set it to allow explicit content.
Check your Apple Account
Another reason music sometimes seems to disappear is because songs were purchased using a different Apple account than the one you are currently using. You’ll regain access once you log out of your current account and log in with the correct one.
Reset your Apple Account
As a last resort, you can try signing out of your Apple account on your device in Settings > Apple Account > Media & Purchases and tapping the Sign Out button before signing in again.
