Google appear a migration tool for taking your library from Google Play Music library of uploaded songs and getting them onto its new YouTube Music service dorsum in May. Now, it's apace becoming more than widely available across the globe. It's not immediately intuitive what the tool will and won't preserve, though, and the benefits and drawbacks of taking your cloud music library over to Google's new music streaming platform. In this guide, we'll evidence you lot the ins and outs of the tool and everything you need to know nearly using it.

Earlier we dive into the process, be warned that information technology might have a while until library migration is available to you. Since all of your information needs to exist copied over, Google is probably fighting with limited server capacities, so it'due south rolling out the tool in stages based on your location. You should see a popup or toast in Google Play Music when it arrives on your account, and the company will send y'all an email.

Using the Android (or iOS) app

To get started with the migration, yous demand to install YouTube Music on your phone. Make sure it's at to the lowest degree version iii.65. If it'due south non available to you lot on the Play Store only yet, you tin get the latest version from APK Mirror.

Left & Middle: Switch banners. Right: Transfer workflow.

If the tool has rolled out to you, you should encounter a bulletin on the app'south homescreen, telling you lot that Play Music is going away and that y'all can beginning the migration. Tap the "Let's go" button and you're taken to a screen showing y'all in which social club your items will be moved over. If yous're a Play Music subscriber, your subscription volition also exist rolled over, and the toll will remain the same — even if yous're grandfathered in on the $7.99 plan or the family subscription. When y'all're fix to start, tap "Transfer." A banner will pop up, telling you that the migration is in progress and that you tin explore YouTube Music now.

The tool volition start import your recommendations so you can get-go listening to personalized mixes on YouTube Music before the full transfer is finished. Y'all can tap a banner below the top bar to run across how far your migration has progressed.

You lot can start exploring YTM while the migration is in progress.

You'll receive a notification and an email one time the transfer is finished, which can have a few minutes or multiple days depending on how many songs yous've uploaded. When I fabricated the switch myself, I noticed that a few songs in some former Play Music playlists were nevertheless grayed out and unavailable after getting the notification, merely that issue stock-still itself later a few days.

Using the spider web app

If you'd rather use your computer to boot off the migration, head to music.youtube.com/transfer. Like the app, this website shows you which data information technology'll transfer in which social club. Click the "Transfer" push to get going. Yous tin can then explore the YouTube web app, and a banner will allow your render to the transfer overview then you can see your progress — the process is basically the same as in the Android app.

What if I continue using Play Music later the switch?

If y'all yet proceed using Play Music after making the initial switch, don't worry: You can sync your libraries as ofttimes as you desire to past clicking or borer your profile picture in the top right corner and heading to settings, where you'll detect an selection to boot off the migration tool over again. That tin be done both on the spider web and in the Android app.

Where are my uploads and stations?

YouTube Music organizes some things differently from Play Music. Your uploads sit in a split section of the app, sealed away from the platform's streaming service aspect. When you browse your library or search results, you'll notice that there are ii tabs at the summit, 1 for YT Music and one for uploads. It'southward self-explanatory enough, only you demand to be aware of information technology if yous can't find some of the albums yous thought you'd uploaded. We've got a granular comparison of how YouTube Music handles uploads compared to Play Music.

Stations aren't a thing in YouTube Music, so it converts all of your stations to playlists. Their content is identical — the only departure is that yous can actually see all the individual songs within a playlist, which you couldn't with stations, at least without playing them. YouTube Music also has curated and AI-generated playlists that replace things like Play Music's New Release Radio or the Feeling Lucky station.

I'm missing some songs. What's up with that?

All of your uploads and purchases volition be transferred, only since YouTube Music has different licensing deals than Play Music, you lot might non find the aforementioned selection of songs as available on Play Music's streaming service. Google says these cases should be few and far between, and some songs that have disappeared from your Play Music library due to rights or licensing might even reappear in YouTube Music eventually.

Can I make the switch if I'grand a free user?

Yeah. YouTube Music lets you play your uploaded songs in the groundwork, and yous can download them. Casting capability is limited, though — every bit far as I can tell, you tin't ask an Assistant-equipped speaker to play uploaded songs, and so you need to cast your music via the Android app.

In contrast to Play Music, you lot can also access the streaming service of the platform for costless, simply you'll have to endure ads, and you lot need to leave your telephone'due south screen turned on and the YouTube Music app in the foreground while you listen. The background limitation doesn't apply to the web app, though.

I already utilise YouTube Music. Will my library be overwritten?

That'due south the state of affairs I found myself in, and as far equally I can tell, no information got lost when I made the switch. Instead, your libraries volition be combined intelligently. I uploaded a few albums to YouTube Music already in my Play Music library prior to the migration and there were no duplicates. A few identically titled playlists beyond the two services were retained as separate lists, instead.

What about podcasts?

Some people use Play Music to listen to podcasts, just YouTube Music doesn't support that format. Y'all can instead export your episode progress and subscriptions to Google Podcasts. One time the migration tool has rolled out to you, you can head to podcasts.google.com/transfer to kick off the separate transfer.

The podcast player is available on your Android phone as function of the Google app (merely search for a podcast you're interested in), but you tin also become a defended launcher icon from the Play Store if you prefer. There's also a web interface.

While some people might wish to have more granular control over which songs and playlists to transfer, the tool is as straightforward and easy to apply every bit it can get, which was Google's goal. The YouTube Music team knows that there are still some significant differences between the 2 services, so information technology wanted to make the transition equally smooth and painless as possible.

If you lot're interested in how such a switch pans out for someone who has used Play Music always since it became available, check out my editorial on my experience with YouTube Music (written earlier the migration tool rolled out).