It is important to back up your Apple Music library so you don't lose any music or videos stored in it if you need to swap your machine or have it repaired.

 

By default, the “Music” folder is not on the Finder Sidebar. You might have added it, and your Finder Sidebar looks like the picture below.  If you see it, you can skip to the next section.  If it is not there, please add it using the steps below.  Adding the folder will make the backup process easier.

 

 

If you do not see the Music folder on the Sidebar, select Finder from the top menu bar (next to the Apple logo), and click "Settings".  You can also use the key shortcut <control> <comma>

 

 

 

In “Settings”, select “Sidebar”, then select the “Music” checkbox.  If you are also backing up Movies and Pictures, select those checkboxes.

 

 

To start the Music backup process, launch the Music App.

 

Once launched, go to File > Library > Organize Library

 

 

In the “Organize Library” window, select the “Consolidate Files” checkbox, then select “OK”.  This step ensures Apple Music copies every track into the central Music folder before you back it up.

 

Now we will back up your Playlists. In Music, go to File > Library > Export Library

 

 

Type in a name for your file, change the save location to “Music”, then select “Save”

 

 

Quit the Music app, then open a Finder window.

 

In the Finder window, select the “Music” folder on your Sidebar
 

 

 

There may be other files or folders in your “Music” folder, and that is OK. Verify that there is a folder called “Music” and the name of your Exported Library (.xml) file.

 

 

Select all the files and folders in your “Music” folder by selecting Edit > Select All, typing <command> a, or <shift> clicking all the files and folders.  Select File > “Compress” or right-click the selected files and folders and select “Compress.”

 

 

 

Depending on the file sizes, compressing these files can take some time.

 

 

Once compression is complete, you will have a file in your Music folder named Archive.zip.  The "Archive.zip" file is the compressed file you created.

 

 

Rename the file to Music Backup.zip, so it is easy to locate when you copy it to Google Drive.

 

 

Copy the “Music Backup.zip” file to your Google Drive for backup.

 

Depending on the file size, it may take some time to copy to Google Drive.  Please wait until the file has been fully copied before you turn off or close your computer.  You can continue to do other tasks on your computer while it copies.