How to Keep iTunes After a Reformat

You can keep your purchased iTunes tracks after a reformat, thanks to iCloud.

Restoring your iTunes library after a hard drive reformat has never been easier thanks to iCloud, the new service from iTunes that allows you to re-downloaded previously purchased music, apps, books and TV shows from the iTunes Store. In the past you had to back up your iTunes music to an external hard drive and transfer the library back to the computer, but with iCloud your purchase history is linked to your Apple ID for simplified re-downloads.

Things You'll Need

• iTunes 10.3 or later

Instructions

1. Launch iTunes on your computer and click "iTunes Store" in the program's left-side window.

2. Click "Sign In" and enter your Apple ID and password.

3. Click "Purchased" on the right side of the iTunes Store window. Click "All" to view a list of all of your iTunes purchases, or click "Not in My Library" to view only the tracks that are not currently stored in iTunes.

4. Click "Download" next to the track you want to download, or click "Download All" to re-download all selected tracks.

References

• Apple: Support - Downloading Past Purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store

Resources

• Apple: iTunes