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Music sync from MacBook to iPad transfers incorrect albums

I am trying to synchronise some of the music downloaded on my MacBook (Sequoia 15.7.9) to my iPAD (iOS 26.7) using a cable connection.


I have selected - ticked - the artists I wish to synchronise.


What is transferred is a selection of albums that I have not selected plus one of the albums of a selected artist.


This problem has continued for some months - I have reported it to Apple via Feedback as a bug.


Do others have the same problem?


Does anyone have a solution?


Thank you



Michael

3 replies

Hi there


Please try this


Deselect All and Re-apply: Uncheck all artists and albums in Finder under the Music tab, click Apply to clear the iPad's music cache completely, disconnect the cable, reconnect, and then re-select only the specific artists you want before hitting Apply again.

Switch to Playlist-Based Syncing: Instead of syncing by entire artists or albums (which often triggers metadata mapping bugs in Finder), create a dedicated playlist on your Mac, add your desired songs/artists to that playlist, and configure Finder to sync only that specific playlist.

Consolidate Library Files: Open the Music app on your Mac, go to File > Library > Organize Library, and select Consolidate to ensure all media files live in one uniform folder path, which repairs broken index links that confuse the sync engine.

Use Manual Management: Change your device settings in Finder to Manually manage music, movies, and TV shows under the General tab, then drag and drop individual albums or tracks directly from your Mac's Music app sidebar onto your iPad icon. 

Dear WheelieNick,


About to go on holiday, so wished to transfer music to my iPad.


I used the first of your solutions [Deselect all; Apply] and as a result it all worked.


Thank you again for your good advice.


Best wishes,


Michael

Dear WheelieNick,


Thank you for these suggestions - I'll try them out.


Best wishes


Michael