Honestly, using Apple Music desktop PC apps used to be a total nightmare. For years, Windows users were stuck with iTunes, which felt like trying to run a marathon while wearing lead boots. It was slow. It was bloated. It crashed if you looked at it wrong. But things changed recently because Apple finally split the services up, giving us a dedicated app that actually feels like it belongs in this decade.
If you’re sitting there wondering why your high-end rig is struggling to play a simple AAC stream, you’re probably still clinging to the old software. Let's fix that. We're talking about bit-perfect playback, the weirdness of the Windows Preview tags, and how to actually get that lossless audio you're paying for through your speakers.
The Death of iTunes and the Rise of the New App
Apple finally took pity on us. They released the standalone Apple Music app for Windows, moving away from the "everything-and-the-kitchen-sink" approach of iTunes. It’s snappy. Navigating your library doesn't feel like wading through molasses anymore.
When you download the new Apple Music desktop PC version from the Microsoft Store, the first thing you’ll notice is the sidebar. It’s clean. It mimics the iPadOS and macOS experience almost perfectly, which is great for muscle memory but a bit weird if you’re a die-hard Windows UI fan.
One thing that catches people off guard is that you can’t run iTunes and the new Music app at the same time. If you install the new one, iTunes basically becomes a ghost. It’ll only handle podcasts and audiobooks. If you try to open music there, it just points you back to the new app. It's a "one or the other" situation.
System Requirements and the Microsoft Store
You need Windows 10 version 19041.0 or higher. If you're on Windows 11, you're golden. The app is distributed through the Microsoft Store, which is... fine. It handles updates automatically, so you don't have to deal with those annoying "A new version of iTunes is available" pop-ups that used to interrupt your workflow every three days.
Getting Lossless Audio to Actually Work
This is where it gets technical. Apple touts "Lossless" and "Hi-Res Lossless," but your Windows PC might be lying to you about what you’re hearing. By default, Windows does this thing where it resamples all audio to a specific sample rate set in your Control Panel.
If you want the real deal, you have to go into the app settings.
Click your name at the bottom of the sidebar.
Go to Settings.
Hit Playback.
You’ll see "Lossless audio." Toggle that on. But wait. There's a catch. Windows doesn't have an "Exclusive Mode" in the official Apple Music app yet—unlike Tidal or Qobuz. This means if you have a high-end DAC, the Apple Music desktop PC app won't automatically switch the sample rate to match the song. You have to manually set your Windows Sound Settings to something like 24-bit/192kHz if you want the overhead for Hi-Res tracks.
It's a bit of a chore. Most people won't hear the difference between 256kbps AAC and 24-bit Lossless on cheap desktop speakers. But if you’ve spent $500 on Sennheiser headphones, you want every bit of data.
The UI: What Works and What’s Still Broken
The "Listen Now" tab is actually pretty smart. It uses the same algorithms as the iPhone app, so your Discovery Station and New Music Mix are right there.
Searching is faster. Way faster.
Type a name.
Results pop up instantly.
No more spinning beach ball of death (or the Windows equivalent).
However, it’s not perfect. The "MiniPlayer" is still a bit finicky. Sometimes it gets stuck on top of other windows, and other times it disappears into the taskbar void. And if you’re a power user who likes to manage local files—like those rare bootlegs you ripped in 2009—the integration is still a little clunky compared to the old "Add Folder to Library" flow in iTunes. It works, but it feels like an afterthought.
Keyboard Shortcuts You’ll Actually Use
Stop clicking the tiny "Next" button.
- Spacebar: Play/Pause (obviously).
- Ctrl + Right Arrow: Next track.
- Ctrl + Left Arrow: Previous track.
- Ctrl + L: Jump to the current song in your library.
These make the experience feel way more native. If you have a keyboard with dedicated media keys, they should work out of the box now, which was a huge pain point in the early beta versions of the app.
Why Use the App Instead of the Browser?
You might think, "Why bother installing software? I'll just use music.apple.com."
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Don't do it.
The web player is capped at a lower bitrate. You won't get Lossless. You won't get Time-Synced Lyrics (the cool feature where words glow as they’re sung). And most importantly, you can’t download music for offline listening on the web. If your internet drops, your music stops.
The Apple Music desktop PC app allows for local downloads. If you’re traveling with a laptop or live in an area with spotty Wi-Fi, this is the only way to go. Just keep an eye on your storage; Lossless files are massive and can eat up 100GB of your SSD before you even realize what happened.
Solving Common Bugs
Sometimes the app just... stops. Or it won't sign you in.
- The "Authorize This Computer" Loop: This is a classic Apple-on-Windows bug. If it keeps asking you to authorize, try deauthorizing all computers in your account settings, then re-authorizing the PC. It usually clears the cache.
- Missing Media Keys: If your play/pause buttons aren't working, check if Chrome or Edge is "stealing" the media session. Closing browser tabs with video players often fixes this.
- GPU Acceleration: If the app feels laggy or the animations look choppy, check your Windows Graphics settings. Sometimes forcing the app to run on your "High Performance" GPU helps, though it's an audio app and shouldn't really need a 3080 to display lyrics.
Comparison: Apple Music vs. Spotify on Windows
Spotify’s Windows app is arguably more mature. It has a better "Connect" feature that lets you use your phone as a remote for your PC. Apple Music doesn't really have a direct equivalent to this on Windows yet. You can’t just open the app on your iPhone and hit "Play on PC."
But Apple wins on audio quality. Spotify HiFi has been "coming soon" for years, while Apple just gave everyone Lossless for free. If you care about the texture of a cello or the crispness of a hi-hat, the Apple Music desktop PC experience is objectively better for your ears, even if the software is slightly less "social."
Actionable Steps for the Best Experience
To get the most out of your setup right now, follow these steps:
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- Download the official app: Get it from the Microsoft Store, not a third-party site. Look for the one published by Apple Inc.
- Set your playback quality: Immediately go to Settings > Playback and set "Streaming" and "Download" to Lossless.
- Configure Windows Sound: Go to System > Sound > Properties for your output device. Set the "Default Format" to the highest bit depth and frequency your hardware supports (usually 24-bit, 48kHz or 96kHz).
- Clean up your library: Use the "Sort By" function in the top right to organize by "Recently Added" to find your newest tracks quickly.
- Check your authorization: You can only have 5 computers authorized at once. If you’re switching from an old PC to a new one, remember to deauthorize the old hardware.
- Use wired headphones: Bluetooth on Windows uses the AAC or SBC codec, which compresses the audio. To actually hear the Lossless quality you're paying for, you need a wired connection.
The transition from iTunes to the dedicated Apple Music app isn't just a facelift; it's a total rebuild that finally respects the Windows ecosystem. It’s not flawless, but it’s the best way to listen to high-quality audio on a PC today.