How to transfer music from a FAT32 ssd to an APFS SSD

[The NY Dad]

Here's some back ground that may help. My intel MacBook Air died, I bought a new M3 MacBook Air. I have music on an external SSD that I want to import into my music library on the new computer, the external SSD being formatted FAT32 is not allowing me to do this because the new computer doesn't support that format.

I have access to another intel based MacBook. I know the intel based MacBooks support a fat32 formatted SSD, correct me if I'm wrong but I think they will also support an APFS formatted SSD.

If this is true I should be able to buy another SSD format it to APFS plug both drives into the intel MacBook and copy everything from the FAT32 SSD to the APFS. SSD. Then Import music from that drive into the music library on my M3 MacBook. If anyone can verify this or has a better way to do this I'm open to suggestions, Thanks

 

[MacsBug]

Your MacBook Air should have no issues reading a FAT32 formatted drive.

Once you plug it in, you should see it on the desktop. If it does not show up there then from the Finder under the Go Menu, you can select Computer, and you should see the drive listed there.

 

[The NY Dad]

I can see ithe drive but. When I click on music then click on file in the top menu, then click o. Import in the drop down. I can the select the drive. select the artist folder in the dropdown, select the album then the song but I don’t get an import button only an open button and when I click on that it closes the drop down window and doesn’t import the song

 

[MacsBug]

the way that I have always imported songs into iTunes (Music app) is on the left side of iTunes (Music) select Songs to display the song list. Then locate the songs that you want to import that are on your flash drive and drag them over the window that is showing the songs in iTunes (Music)

 

[The NY Dad]

Me too, but that’s not working, thats why I tried the way I described above and that didn’t work either

 

[The NY Dad]

Haven’t been able to get back on here in a few days. Before I posted the first time I had taken my M3 Mac and the SSD to the Genius Bar. They told me 2 things. They couldn’t see any file extensions on the music on the drive (which I don’t understand because they have to be there or I wouldn’t have been able to move music from the drive to my old intel MacBook. The he saw they the drive was formatted in fat32 and suggested transferring my music to a drive formatted in APFS.

 

[MacsBug]

If you know the extention of the musoc files, (mo3, m4a, etc...) you can use a renamer app to add the extention to the files.

As far as the genius bar saying that you need APFS, APFS work better for SSD's on Macs but it shouldnt matter for what you are trying to do.

 

[Ashakashi]

i also want to know, i tried the method above mention but didn't get any result.