iMovie is a professional video editing tool available on iOS and Mac devices. It's easy to use, yet powerful. While editing a video, iMovie lets you add background music from its own music library or your own. The question is: can you use Apple Music on iMovie? If you tried, you might be told that this song is DRM protected and cannot be used by iMovie.
This is because all songs on Apple Music are protected, which restricts you from only using Apple Music songs on Apple Music or iTunes. So, if you want to set Apple Music as background music in iMovie videos, you need to do some effort. Read on to learn how to add Apple Music to iMovie on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.
- Part 1. Can You Use Apple Music in iMovie
- Part 2. How to Convert Apple Music to MP3 for iMovie
- Part 3. How to Add Apple Music to iMovie on iPhone
- Part 4. How to Put Apple Music on iMovie on Mac
- Part 5. FAQs about Using Apple Music on iMovie
Part 1. Can You Use Apple Music in iMovie
iMovie allows users to import local audio files into video projects. But it only supports audio files in MP3, WAV, M4A, AIFF, and AAC audio formats. If you purchased songs from iTunes (in AAC format), you can easily add those songs to iMovie. But when it comes to Apple Music, that's a different story.
All songs on Apple Music are encoded in M4P audio format and protected by digital rights management. You cannot use Apple Music on platforms other than Apple Music and iTunes.
So, it's obvious that you need to convert Apple Music M4P to an iMovie-supported audio format. Thankfully, DRmare Apple Music Converter can perfectly meet your needs. It is designed to unprotect Apple Music, Audible audiobooks, and other protected music. With it, you can convert Apple Music to MP3, AAC, WAV, M4A, FLAC and M4B.
iMovie-supported Audio format | MP3, AAC, WAV, M4A, and AIFF |
Apple Music Audio Format | Encoded M4P |
iTunes Purchases Audio Format | AAC |
DRmare Output Format | MP3, AAC, WAV, M4A, M4B, and FLAC |
The DRmare Audio Converter supports lossless conversion and is easy to use. It also supports batch converting songs at 30X higher speed. Still, you can adjust the audio bitrate, etc., of Apple Music files for use on iMovie.
DRmare Apple Music Converter

- Support audio files from Apple Music, iTunes, Audible, etc.
- Convert Apple Music to AAC, WAV, MP3, for use on iMovie
- Keep lossless audio quality and ID3 tags after conversion
- Running at 30X faster speed, support editing output parameters
Part 2. How to Convert Apple Music to MP3 for iMovie
Now, we will guide you on how to convert Apple Music to iMovie-compatible MP3 files. First, you need to download and install the DRmare Apple Music Converter on your computer.
- Step 1Run DRmare Apple Music Converter
- After installation, open DRmare Apple Music Converter on your computer. Then you can get its intuitive interface. As shown above, there are several icons that you will use in the following steps. Note that before converting your desired Apple Music songs, you need to download them in advance.
- Step 2Import downloaded Apple Music songs
- You can click one of the two "add audio" buttons at the bottom left to load Apple Music files. The first allows you to add Apple Music songs from your iTunes library, while the second will open your computer folders.
- Step 3Set output format of Apple Music for iMovie
- To launch the output settings window, click on the 'Set Output Format' icon at the bottom right. To add Apple Music to iMovie, you can choose MP3, AAC, WAV, or M4A format. You can also personalize other Apple Music output parameters according to the iMovie movies you want to create.
- Step 4Convert Apple Music songs for iMovie
- Now press the "Convert" button. It will start to convert the protected M4P Apple Music to MP3 or other plain formats you set before. Once it is done, the output Apple Music files will be easy added to iMovie. You can then find the converted Apple Music songs via the 'View history' icon. Now, you can transfer Apple Music to iMovie or any other platform without any hassle.
Part 3. How to Add Apple Music to iMovie on iPhone
By doing the above steps, you have got Apple Music songs in common audio files. They are ready to be imported into iMovie. And below is a tutorial on how to use DRM protected songs in iMovie iPhone.
Step 1. Open iTunes on your computer and click on "File" > "Add File to Library". Then choose the folder that contains your converted Apple Music files to load them to iTunes.
Step 2. Connect your iPhone to your computer via a lighting cable. Then click on your iPhone from the top panel.
Step 3. Go to "Music" from the left panel and then select to sync converted Apple Music files. Then click the "Sync" button to transfer Apple Music to iPhone.
Step 4. Launch iMovie on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Then open your project and click the "Add" button. Then choose the "Audio" option.
Step 5. Tap on the "My Music" option and it will load your music in the iTunes library.
Step 6. You can find the Apple Music songs you want from the listed categories. Then you can preview the song and tap the "Use" button to import Apple Music to iMovie.
Part 4. How to Put Apple Music on iMovie on Mac
If you are using iMovie on Mac, the steps are easier. Please take a look at it and check how to add Apple Music to iMovie on Mac.
Way 1. By Import Feature
Step 1. Open iMovie from your Mac computer. Then create a video project.
Step 2. Hit on the 'Audio' at the top bar of the window. Next, select 'Music' from the Libraries list.
Step 3. Find the converted Apple Music files in the target folder.
Step 4. Choose the Apple Music song you want to add to the iMovie video. Then drag it to the timeline.
Way 2. By Finder
Step 1. Set up the Finder app on your Mac computer.
Step 2. Locate the converted Apple Music files to import to iMovie.
Step 3. Launch the iMovie program and open a video project.
Step 4. Drag and drop the target Apple Music file to the timeline. Then you can start to alter the iMovie video clip.
Besides that, you can add the audio from a video clip and add sound effects. Or you can record your own sound through a microphone for your iMovie.
Part 5. FAQs about Using Apple Music on iMovie
Q1: Why Won't My Apple Music Show Up on iMovie?
A: Because Apple Music songs are protected with digital rights management, which are not available for iMovie directly. Only songs you purchased via the iTunes store can show up on iMovie automatically.
Q2: How to Add Purchased iTunes Music to iMovie?
A: Open the iMovie project and then click 'Add Media' > 'Audio' > 'My Music' to browse your iTunes purchases. After that, please hit on the 'Add Audio' icon to add iTunes music to iMovie easily.
Q3: How to Use DRM Protected Songs in iMovie?
A: You need to first remove the DRM protection and then you can add the popular songs to iMovie. If you want to use DRM protected Apple Music, use DRmare Apple Music Converter to remove Apple Music DRM and download Apple Music songs to iMovie-supported audio files. After that, you can press the 'Add Media' > 'Files' icons to add and use protected Apple Music songs in iMovie.
Q4: How to Control Apple Music Volume on iMovie?
A: There is an obvious 'Volume' option in iMovie after you click the clip in the timeline for you to adjust the Apple Music volume quickly.
Part 6. The Verdict
When you edit a movie with iMovie, you can add background music from your own audio files. However, Apple Music is not compatible with iMovie. But today we show you how to use DRmare Audio Converter to get iMovie-supported Apple Music files. You can easily convert Apple Music to MP3, AAC, etc., and then transfer the converted files to iMovie on Mac or iOS devices.
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