How to Remove DRM from iTunes Music? Top 4 Ways!

Part 1. More about iTunes Music DRM

What Is iTunes Music FairPlay DRM Protection?

FairPlay is a digital rights management technology developed by Apple to protect multimedia files in M4P format under an encrypted AAC audio layer. DRM technology was used to protect copyrighted works sold through the iTunes store prior to 2009. You could only play DRM-protected iTunes music on licensed devices compatible with this format.

Why We Need to Remove iTunes DRM?

The main purpose of removing iTunes DRM is to take full control of your legally purchased iTunes content and to maximize its widespread use. If you can get rid of DRM encryption, you have the possibility to play your favorite iTunes music on any device.

Is It Legal to Remove DRM from iTunes Music?

Of course, it is perfectly legal to use some iTunes music DRM removal to remove DRM protection from iTunes music for personal use. However, it is absolutely forbidden to do so for commercial purposes.

Part 2. How to Remove DRM from iTunes - Best iTunes DRM Removal

Generally speaking, the most convenient way to unlock DRM-protected iTunes music is to use an excellent iTunes DRM removal software which can convert iTunes DRM M4P songs to normal audio files. AudFree DRM Audio Converter is one such professional software which has long been providing convenience for audio conversion.

By using innovative DRM decryption technology, it can strip DRM from iTunes and convert iTunes M4P to MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC, M4A and M4B at 30x speed . It allows you to save and edit iTunes music with ID3 tags, including title, album, artist, genre, etc. In addition, it can also be used to remove DRM protection from Apple Music and Audible audiobooks.

AudFree DRM Audios Converter

• Remove DRM protection from iTunes songs, Apple Music, and Audible
• Convert iTunes music to MP3, FLAC, WAV, AAC for free playback
• Convert iTunes songs at 30x speed with high quality retention
• Keep iTunes audio with the lossless audio quality and ID3 tags

Download

Download

How to Remove DRM Protection from iTunes Music

Step 1 ISelect DRM iTunes Music to AudFree Auditior

Install and launch AudFree iTunes Music Converter on your computer. You can click the first "Add Files" button to load iTunes M4P songs from your iTunes library, or just add iTunes files via drag-and-drop action.

Step 2Customize output settings for iTunes Music

When DRM iTunes M4P songs are imported to AudFree software completely, please click the 'Format' button to define output format as MP3 or other audio format. It is possible to customize bit rate, sample rate, audio channel, etc. for iTunes music according to your needs.

Step 3Remove DRM from iTunes Music

Just press the "Convert" button at the bottom right corner, the added iTunes music will be converted to DRM-free MP3 audio files. Then you can stream all iTunes music to any device and player for offline playback, such as playing iTunes music in the car, transferring them to a USB flash drive for backup, etc. without limitation.

Part 3. How to Remove DRM from iTunes Music for Free - Audacity

If you're interested in a free way to remove iTunes DRM, you can't go wrong with Audacity. Audacity is a powerful audio recording tool and contains a large number of advanced features. It is specifically designed to record and capture sound on your computer, including streaming audio from iTunes, Spotify, Tidal and more.

With this recording software, you can record iTunes music tracks as unprotected MP3, FLAC or other audio tracks. By using this workaround, you can bypass the annoying DRM restrictions to play iTunes songs on any device. However, if you are a beginner, you may find the tutorial for this software a bit complicated.

How to Remove DRM from iTunes via Audacity

Step 1. Launch Audacity on your computer. click on Preferences and select Windows WASAPI from the drop-down menu under Audio Host Box.

Step 2. You need to turn software playthrough off by tapping on Transport > Transport Options > Software Playthrough. After that hit the 'Options' button to export the iTunes song format to MP3.

Step 3. Tap the Record button and then start playing the iTunes song you want to record. Click the 'Stop' button to end the recording process and save the DRM-free iTunes track to your computer.

Part 4. How to Get DRM Free Music from iTunes via iTunes Match

If your iTunes music tracks were purchased from the iTunes Store before 2009, iTunes Match is the best tool for you. By subscribing to the iTunes Match service, you can upload 100,000 tracks from your iTunes library to iCloud. Then it’s able to stream or download DRM free iTunes songs on up to 10 devices. Please refer to the following steps to download high quality unprotected iTunes music again.

How to Subscribe to iTunes Match

For Windows Users: Open iTunes and click on the Store button at the top of the window. Select iTunes Match under Features. Then fill in your billing information and click the Subscribe button.

For Mac Users: Launch the Apple Music app. Click on iTunes Store in the sidebar. Under Features, select iTunes Match. Then confirm billing information and select the Subscribe button.

How to Find iTunes DRM Protected Songs

Step 1. Open the iTunes app and log in to your account.

Step 2. Select View > Column Browser > Show Column Browser > Kinds options.

Step 3. Right-click on any iTunes song you want to check and click on "Song Info".

Step 4. If the "Kind" column shows "Protected AAC Audio Files", the song is protected by DRM. If it is something else, then the iTunes song is DRM-free.

How to Remove Protection from iTunes Music

Step 1. Go to the iTunes library and delete the DRM protected iTunes songs you found earlier.

Step 2. Click the iCloud Download icon to download these iTunes songs from iCloud.

Step 3. Now you can get the unprotected iTunes songs and stream or download them to other devices.

Part 5. How to Unprotect iTunes Songs by Burning to CD

In fact, it is free to burn iTunes music to CD through iTunes itself. That's to say, you can remove DRM from iTunes music free via burning them to a CD. There is no need to equip a special CD burner, but to prepare a blank disc. Then you can get non-DRM iTunes songs by using iTunes app as follows.

How to Remove DRM from iTunes

Step 1. Launch iTunes app on your Mac or PC, insert a blank CD or DVD disc to your computer hard drive. And go to the top menu bar to choose File > New Playlist to create a new playlist.

Step 2. You can choose all M4P songs that you'd like to remove DRM from iTunes and add them to the new playlist you created.

Step 3. Open the new playlist and right-click it to get the settings option and please choose Burn Playlist to Disk. It will pop up a dialogue box where you need to select the kind of CD/DVD you'd like to burn. Just choose Audio CD option, the iTunes playlist will be burned to CD automatically.

Step 4. To get the digital unprotected music tracks again, you can try again to rip songs from the CD you have burned with the help of iTunes. Just open iTunes and choose Edit > Preferences > General > Import Settings tab, iTunes will rip songs from the audio CD.

Note: All iTunes songs can be burned to CD once. Besides, if you'd like to burn Apple Music protected M4P streams to CD, you can refer to this detailed tutorial: How to Burn Apple Music to CD.

Part 6. Conclusion

It is obvious that bypassing the annoying DRM restrictions can help us play iTunes music freely. Thus, this article introduces four effective ways to remove protection from iTunes music. If you want to get DRM free music from iTunes losslessly, AudFree DRM Audio Converter is the best choice. With it, you can download and convert DRM iTunes music to normal MP3, FLAC, WAV for unlimited playback.