How to Set Up and Use Home Sharing in iTunes

Share music and more from iTunes libraries on the same network

What to Know
Computer: Open iTunes > File > Home Sharing > Turn On Home Sharing. Log in with Apple ID.
iOS: Tap Settings > Music > in Home Sharing section, tap Sign In. Log in with Apple ID.
Apple TV: Open iTunes on computer > File > Home Sharing > Choose Photos to Share with Apple TV.

This article explains how to set up and use Home Sharing in iTunes on a computer, phone, or Apple TV. Instructions in this article apply to iTunes 12, 11, 10, and 9. To use Home Sharing, you’ll need a Mac or PC running iTunes 9 or higher; an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch; or an Apple TV 4K or 4th Generation.

Enable iTunes Home Sharing on a Mac or PC

Home Sharing enables music sharing from separate iTunes libraries between multiple computers in a single house connected to the same network. Follow these steps to enable Home Sharing on your computer:

Ensure your devices are connected to the same network and signed into the same Apple ID. The devices also must be awake with iTunes open.

In iTunes, select File > Home Sharing > Turn On Home Sharing.

Log in with your Apple ID. Home Sharing is turned on. This makes your iTunes library available to another computer on the same Wi-Fi network.

In the Home Sharing is now on dialog box, select OK.

Repeat these steps for other computers you want to make available via Home Sharing.

Enable Home Sharing on iOS Devices

To share music from your iOS devices using Home Sharing:

Tap Settings.

Tap Music.

In the Home Sharing section, tap Sign In.

Enter your Apple ID and tap Sign In.

Using Other iTunes Libraries With Home Sharing

To access computers and other devices available to you through Home Sharing:

iTunes 12: Open the menu in the upper-left corner of iTunes (the one with Music, TV, and Movies in it) to display the name of other computers available to you. To view that computer’s music library, select it.
iTunes 11: Select View > Show Sidebar (in earlier versions of iTunes, the sidebar is shown at all times). Look for the Shared section in the left-hand tray in iTunes to find other iTunes libraries you can access.

When you select another computer’s library, it loads in your main iTunes window. With the other library loaded, you can:

Browse the iTunes music library on the other computer.
Play songs or albums from the other computer.
Browse other media such as TV shows, movies, and audiobooks from the other computer and stream them.
Display Photos Through Apple TV With Home Sharing

Home Sharing is one way to display photos from your computer on your Apple TV or on a big TV screen.

To choose what photos are sent to your Apple TV:

In iTunes, select File > Home Sharing > Choose Photos to Share with Apple TV.

In the Photo Sharing Preferences window, select the Share Photos from check box.

Select the Share Photos from dropdown arrow and choose the location where your photos are located.

Choose to share either All folders or Selected folders.

If you choose Selected folders, go to the Folders section and select the folders you want to share to your Apple TV.

Select Done.

Launch the Photos app on your Apple TV.

How to Turn Off iTunes Home Sharing

If you no longer want to share your iTunes library with other devices, turn off Home Sharing. In iTunes, select File > Home Sharing > Turn Off Home Sharing.

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