How to Import Music from a CD to Your Computer: Easy Guide

PDF download Download Article
Import your favorite tracks to your computer with these easy methods
PDF download Download Article

Do you want to listen to your CD from your computer without the disc? Luckily, you can rip it so you can listen to the music whenever you want, even if you don't have the physical CD. You can do this on Windows or Mac with a few easy steps. Continue reading to learn about importing your CDs with Apple Music, iTunes, and EAC.

Importing Music from CDs on Mac & Windows

  • On a Mac, insert your CD and click Yes to have Apple Music import your CD to your music library.
  • You can also import a CD using iTunes on Windows by clicking Import CD .
  • Use EAC on Windows to import high-quality music from CDs, including scratched CDs.
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Using Apple Music on Mac

PDF download Download Article
  1. Place the audio CD that you want to rip logo side-up in your computer's CD drive.
    • If your computer doesn't have a built-in disc drive (many modern ones don't), you'll need to buy an external CD drive .
  2. 2
    Click Yes in the pop-up. If Apple Music is your default music app, which is automatically the case, you'll see a pop-up as soon as you insert the CD that says something like, "Would you like to import the CD into your music library?"
    • Clicking Yes will begin the ripping process immediately, and you'll see the songs as they are extracted from the CD to your music library.
    • You can find the extracted or ripped songs in Home > Music > Music > Media > Music.
    • Songs ripped this way are automatically converted to .m4a. But you can convert that to a lossless setting by going to Settings > Files > Import Settings > Select a lossless format, like .flac, and click OK to close the Settings window. Press and hold the Opt key and choose File > Convert > Convert to [import preference]. Then select the music you want to rip and convert. [1]
    3. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Using iTunes on Windows

PDF download Download Article
  1. Click or double-click the iTunes app icon, which resembles a multicolored musical note on a white background.
  2. Place the audio CD that you want to rip logo side-up in your computer's CD drive.
    • If you're using a computer that doesn't have a CD drive, you'll need to use an external CD drive for this step.
    • If you see a pop-up window that asks if you want to import the CD, click Yes. If you want to change this setting, go to Edit > Preferences > General , and pick "Show CD," "Play CD," "Ask to Import CD," "Import CD," or "Import CD and Eject."
  3. 3
    Uncheck any songs you don't want to import. You will see the CD's musical contents in the iTunes window, and all the songs will have checkmarks next to them.
    • If you don't see checkmarks, go to Edit > Preferences > General > "List view checkboxes."
    • If you aren't connected to the Internet, iTunes will be unable to get metadata for the songs selected, thus resulting in tracks named "Track 01," "Track 02," etc.
  4. This button is on the upper-right side of the page. Clicking it prompts a pop-up window to appear.
  5. Click the "Import using" drop-down box at the top of the drop-down menu, then click the format in which you want to import the audio CD's contents.
    • For example, you would click MP3 encoder to rip the music to MP3 files on your computer.
    • By default, iTunes will save them as AAC files, which are playable with most audio players and actually have higher inherent quality than MP3 files. [2]
  6. Click the "Setting" drop-down box, then click the quality with which you want to import the files.
    • For example, if you want to import the audio files in extremely high quality, you would click the High Quality option in the drop-down menu.
  7. It's at the bottom of the pop-up window. Doing so prompts iTunes to begin importing your CD. [3]
    • Right-click one of the imported songs and select Show in Windows Explorer to locate where the music is stored on your computer.
    8. Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Using EAC on Windows

PDF download Download Article
  1. 1
    Open EAC. EAC stands for Exact Audio Copy and is a free program for managing audio, like ripping CDS, available for Windows computers and laptops. It's a very popular program since the newest edition of Windows Media no longer rips CDs.
    • If you don't already have EAC, you can download it from the EAC website .
      • If you don't have an ad blocker, make sure you click the website's download button and not a download button from an ad. The download button on the website is listed after the last date it was updated.
    • When you click the download, a "Components" window will open. Make sure you install AccurateRip, CDRDAO, CTDB, and freedb as well by checking those boxes before clicking Install .
    • This is the best option to get high-quality music from a CD, including a scratched CD.
  2. Place the audio CD that you want to rip logo side-up in your computer's CD drive.
    • If you're using a computer that doesn't have a CD drive, you'll need to use an external CD drive for this step.
    • Press Configure and OK if you see a "Configure AccurateRip" window pop-up. You won't have to do anything as it's an automatic process.
  3. 3
    Open EAC Options to the Extraction tab. Do this by clicking EAC > EAC Options , then click the Extraction tab.
    • Alternatively, press F9 and click the Extraction tab.
  4. 4
    Make sure the following boxes are checked:
    • "Fill up missing offset samples with silence"
    • "Synchronize between tracks"
      • Make sure "No use of null samples for CRC calculations" is unchecked (older versions of EAC only).
      • Everything else is optional.
      • Check "Lock drive tray during extraction" if you tend to accidentally open the CD drive occasionally (like a pet pushes the button).
  5. 5
    Set "Error recovery quality" to High . This setting lowers the extraction speed, but it gets rid of a lot of errors while ripping your disc. If you aren't concerned about quality and can accept errors, set this to a lower setting.
  6. 6
    Go to the General tab and make these adjustments:
    • Check the box next to "Unknown CDs" and "automatically access online metadata database" to add album work or CD images from online sources.
    • Uncheck the box next to "Show status dialog after extraction" unless you want to see this data.
    • Check the box next to "Create log files always in English language." This leaves EAC in your native language, but creates the log files in English so it can pass the log checker without needing to be done manually. This is important for international users.
  7. 7
    Go to the Tools tab and make these adjustments:
    • Check or uncheck "Retrieve UPC/ISRC codes…" and "Use CD-Text information in CUE sheet generation" according to your computer's specs. Not every CD drive is capable of reading UPC/IRSC codes, so leave this unchecked if not.
    • Uncheck "On extraction, start external compressors queued in background" and set it to use one compressor thread.
  8. 8
    Go to the Normalize tab and make these adjustments:
    • Uncheck "Normalize."
  9. 9
    Open Drive Options. You can do this by closing the Settings window, then going to EAC > Drive Options .
    • Alternatively, press F10 .
  10. 10
    Go to the Extraction Method tab and make these adjustments:
    • Make sure "Secure mode …" is selected.
    • Select "Drive has 'Accurate Stream' feature" if available. Not every CD drive has this feature, but newer ones do.
    • Check "Drive caches audio data."
  11. 11
    Click Detect Read Features . This may or may not change your adjustments to match what your CD drive can do.
    • Even if your drive uses C2, uncheck that option because it normally produces an error.
  12. 12
    Go to the Drive tab and click Autodetect read command now . Everything on this tab should remain unchecked.
  13. 13
    Go to the Offset/Speed tab and make the following adjustments:
    • The first top half of the tab will be grey if you did the AccurateRip Configuration earlier. If not, you can find the correct information for your setup using this page .
    • The default settings are usually best. For example, "AccurateRip" should be checked.
  14. 14
    Go to the Gap Detection tab and make the following adjustments:
    • Select Detection method A for "Gap/Index retrieval method."
    • Select Secure next to "Detection accuracy."
      • If you're having issues ripping CDs, you can use methods B or C instead of A, or Accurate instead of Secure.
  15. 15
    Open Compression Options. You can press EAC > Compression Options, or press F11 .
  16. 16
    Go to the External Compression tab and make the following adjustments:
    • Check "Use external program for compression."
    • Select "User Defined Encoder" next to "Parameter passing scheme"
    • Write .flac in the text field next to "Use file extension."
    • Browse to the file path of the FLAC extension you downloaded with EAC. By default, the location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\flac.exe .
    • Write -8 -V -T "ARTIST=%artist%" -T "TITLE=%title%" -T "ALBUM=%albumtitle%" -T "DATE=%year%" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%tracknr%" -T "GENRE=%genre%" -T "PERFORMER=%albuminterpret%" -T "COMPOSER=%composer%" %haslyrics%--tag-from-file=LYRICS="%lyricsfile%"%haslyrics% -T "ALBUMARTIST=%albumartist%" -T "DISCNUMBER=%cdnumber%" -T "TOTALDISCS=%totalcds%" -T "TOTALTRACKS=%numtracks%" -T "COMMENT=%comment%" %source% -o %dest% next to "Additional command-line options."
    • Check "Delete WAV after compression" and "Check for external programs return code."
    • Select "High quality"
  17. 17
    Go to the ID3 Tag tab and make the following adjustments:
    • Leave everything unchecked except the last option, "Write cover image into…"
  18. 18
    Press F4 to detect gaps before ripping your CD. You can also find this under Action .
    • "Append Gaps to previous track" should already be checked.
  19. 19
    Create a CUE sheet. Go to Action > Create CUE sheet > Multiple WAV Files with Gaps (Noncompliant) .
    • Give it a name that you'll recognize, like "Artist - Album (Year) [Format] {Extra}"
  20. 20
    Rip your tracks. Click to check the tracks that you want to rip. Then, go to Action > Test & Copy Selected Tracks > Compressed.
    • Ripping music from a CD to your computer can take a few minutes or a few hours, depending on your CD drive and the condition of your CD (more scratches means there are more errors to fix). [4]
    21. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    Will the songs on the CD remain there? It's just copying, right?
    Community Answer
    The songs will remain on the CD. It will just copy them to the desired path on your computer.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 9 Helpful 73
  • Question
    Do I need to put a folder in the library first?
    Community Answer
    Not necessarily. There is already a folder created by the library. What you can do is to rename that folder from the default 'untitled' to a name of your choice.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 6 Helpful 26
  • Question
    How do I do it on a laptop?
    Community Answer
    Use the same process as a PC (computer). You can't rip from a CD if the laptop doesn't have a CD drive.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 4 Helpful 17
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      Warnings

      • Unfortunately, ripping a CD via Windows Media Player will result in a group of untitled tracks (e.g., "Track 1", "Track 2", etc.). You'll need to re-title these by hand, as WMP's album information lookup tool no longer works.
        Thanks
        Helpful 2 Not Helpful 4
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Rip DVDs with VLC Media Player: PC & Mac
      How to
      Download Music
      How to
      Put Music on an MP3 Player: Simple Steps
      How To Download Music on Your Android Phone
      How to
      Download Songs, Albums, and Playlists from Spotify
      5 Ways to Get Free Music for an MP3 Player
      Download SoundCloud Songs for Free: 2 Ways
      Soulseek Setup Guide: Opening Ports & Boosting Download Speed
      The Safest Ways to Download Music
      3 Easy Ways to Make an MP3 File Available for Download
      How to
      Download Free Music Online Legally: 9 Working Sites
      How to
      Save Music from Websites
      How to
      Add Free Music to iTunes (or Apple Music)
      How to
      Get Music on the Kindle
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/108961
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/itunes/choose-import-settings-itns2965/12.13/windows/10#itnsa0f5b802
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/itunes/import-songs-from-cds-itns2935/windows
      4. ↑ https://eacguide.github.io/

      About This Article

      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 812,462 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Larry W.

        Sep 15, 2019

        "The instructions were totally accurate. The pictures made it easy to follow the instructions. I could not have done ..." more
        Rated this article:
      More reader stories Hide reader stories
      Share your story
      If you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission .

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement