# FAQ > Answers to common questions about ClassicTunes, from which Macs and iPods it works with to what happens to the music already on your iPod. ## About ClassicTunes ### What is ClassicTunes? A Mac app that does what iTunes used to do for classic click wheel iPods. It keeps your music, videos, podcasts, audiobooks and photos in a library of its own, plays them on your Mac, and syncs them to your iPod. It can also sync other music players and SD cards. See [Getting started](https://classictunes.app/docs/getting-started). ### Do I need iTunes, the Music app or Finder to sync? No. ClassicTunes writes the iPod's music database itself, so it doesn't use iTunes, the Music app or Finder's syncing. You can import your songs from the Music app once (**File › Import from Music App…**); after that they're copied into ClassicTunes' library and don't depend on the Music app again. ### Which Macs does it run on? Any Mac with macOS 12 Monterey or later, Apple silicon or Intel. Shortcuts actions need macOS 13 Ventura or later; everything else works on Monterey. ### How much does it cost? US$14.99 plus tax, once, from the [ClassicTunes website](https://classictunes.app/buy). Any sales tax, VAT or GST for where you live is added at checkout, which shows the total before you pay. That includes free updates for all of version 1. Paddle handles the payment, sales tax and receipts, and you can ask for a refund within 14 days. ### Is there a free trial? Yes. Everything works for 14 days, with nothing to sign up for. After that, syncing needs a license; your library, playback and everything already on your iPod stay usable. ### How many Macs can I use it on? Two at a time. Each license can be active on 2 Macs; to use it on another one, deactivate it on one of them first. ### I've lost my license key. How do I get it back? Enter the email address you bought it with under **Lost your license key?** on the [Support](https://classictunes.app/support#lost-your-license-key) page, and it's emailed to you again. ### How do I move my license to a new Mac? On the old Mac, choose **ClassicTunes › License…** and deactivate it, then activate it on the new one. If the old Mac is gone, activate on the new Mac anyway: when the license is already active on 2 Macs, ClassicTunes lists them and lets you deactivate one from there. ### Is ClassicTunes made by Apple? No. iPod is a trademark of Apple Inc. ClassicTunes isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Apple. ## iPods ### Which iPods does it work with? The iPod classic, the iPod with video (5th and 5.5 generation), the iPod nano 1st and 2nd generation, the iPod photo and color, the iPod mini, and the original iPods (1st to 4th generation) are fully supported. The iPod classic 120 GB and 2009 160 GB and the iPod nano 3rd and 4th generation are expected to work but haven't been tested yet, and the iPod nano 7th generation is experimental. See [Supported iPods](https://classictunes.app/docs/supported-ipods) for every model. ### Does it work with iCloud Photos? Yes. ClassicTunes reads the Photos app's library, including photos stored only in iCloud: those are downloaded at screen size the first time they're synced (you can turn that off). You don't need the Photos app at all, though: ClassicTunes can import photos straight from a digital camera or its SD card into a photo library of its own. See [Photos](https://classictunes.app/docs/photos). ### Can it sync my MP3 player, or a music player that isn't an iPod? Almost certainly. Any music player that shows up on your Mac as a drive, or takes an SD card you can put in your Mac, can sync with your library: ClassicTunes copies songs as ordinary files in folders, converts the ones the player can't play, and adds covers and playlists. It knows the formats of popular players such as Rockbox players, FiiO, Shanling and Innioasis, and handles any other as a generic player. See [Music players](https://classictunes.app/docs/music-players). ### Which cable do I need? A 30-pin cable that carries data, not just charge; for a Mac with only USB-C ports, a USB-C to 30-pin one. We've tested the [KabelDirekt 30-pin to USB-C cable](https://link.amazon/B01kuD40Z) (Amazon UK; *affiliate link: we earn a small commission if you buy through it, at no extra cost to you*). See [Cables](https://classictunes.app/docs/connecting#cables). ### What about iPod touch, iPod shuffle, or the nano 5th and 6th generation? They aren't supported. See [Supported iPods](https://classictunes.app/docs/supported-ipods). ### Will syncing erase the music already on my iPod? Not unless you ask it to. Songs already on the iPod that aren't in your library are kept, unless you turn on **Remove items that aren't in this library** in the iPod's Sync Options. Before an iPod's first sync, ClassicTunes also offers to take a snapshot, so you can put the iPod back exactly as it was. See [Syncing](https://classictunes.app/docs/syncing) and [Snapshots](https://classictunes.app/docs/snapshots). ### Can I copy the music from my iPod onto my Mac? Yes. **Import Media from iPod…** on the iPod's page adds everything on it that isn't in your library yet, with covers, play counts, ratings and playlists. Nothing on the iPod changes. See [iPod tools](https://classictunes.app/docs/ipod-tools). ### Can I see what a sync will do before it happens? Yes: **iPod › Preview Sync…** (⌥⌘S) works out what will be added, converted, removed and changed, and the space left afterward, without touching the iPod. See [Preview Sync](https://classictunes.app/docs/preview-sync). ### Can I sync more than one iPod? Yes. Several iPods can share one library, each with its own choice of music, or each iPod can have a library of its own. Plugging in an iPod opens the library it belongs to. See [Libraries](https://classictunes.app/docs/libraries). ### Do my play counts and ratings come back from the iPod? Yes. Each sync reads the play counts, ratings and On-The-Go playlists back from the iPod, and your place in audiobooks syncs both ways. See [Syncing](https://classictunes.app/docs/syncing). ### Does it work with Rockbox? Yes. On an iPod that also runs Rockbox, each sync writes your playlists for Rockbox and adds Rockbox's plays to your library. An iPod that only runs Rockbox can sync as a Rockbox music player instead. See [iPod tools](https://classictunes.app/docs/ipod-tools) and [Music players](https://classictunes.app/docs/music-players). ### Can it remove the volume limit on European iPods? No. That limit is set by Apple's firmware, and removing it means altering the firmware, which could leave the iPod unable to start. Rockbox has no such limit. See [Connecting an iPod](https://classictunes.app/docs/connecting#maximum-volume-ipods-sold-in-europe). ## Music and formats ### Can I sync songs from Apple Music? No. Songs from an Apple Music subscription are copy-protected, and no iPod can play them. iTunes Store purchases, CD rips and your own files sync fine. ### What about FLAC, Ogg and other formats? ClassicTunes plays and syncs FLAC, MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, WAV and AIFF, and also Ogg Vorbis, Opus, WMA, Musepack, DSD, Monkey's Audio, WavPack and more, with nothing extra to install. Songs the iPod can't play are converted during the sync (to AAC, or Apple Lossless for lossless songs), and your originals stay as they are. See [Your library](https://classictunes.app/docs/library). ### Can I sync Audible audiobooks? Not Audible's copy-protected .aa and .aax files: they can't be played or synced, so they're skipped with a message. Other audiobooks, including .m4b files, go to the iPod's Audiobooks menu. See [Audiobooks](https://classictunes.app/docs/audiobooks). ### Can I import CDs? Yes, with a CD drive. ClassicTunes checks each track against AccurateRip's database of other people's rips, so you know your copy is exact. See [CDs](https://classictunes.app/docs/cds). ### Where are my music files kept? In the library's folder, at first inside your Library's Application Support folder. You can move it, for example to an external drive, in **Settings › General › Library**. See [Settings](https://classictunes.app/docs/settings#library). ## Privacy and safety ### Does ClassicTunes send my data anywhere? Only what's needed to look things up for you (album details and covers, CD details, podcasts), to check for updates, and to send your plays to ListenBrainz if you turn that on. There are no accounts, analytics or tracking. See [Privacy and safety](https://classictunes.app/docs/privacy-and-safety). ### What if something goes wrong during a sync? A sync writes the iPod's new database in one go before removing anything, so a sync that's cut short leaves the iPod working; sync again to finish. Snapshots let you put the whole iPod back as it was. See [Troubleshooting](https://classictunes.app/docs/troubleshooting). ## Automation ### Can I automate ClassicTunes? Yes, with AppleScript on any supported macOS, and with the Shortcuts app on macOS 13 Ventura and later. For example: ```applescript tell application "ClassicTunes" sync end tell ``` See [AppleScript](https://classictunes.app/docs/applescript) and [Shortcuts](https://classictunes.app/docs/shortcuts).