Missing album artwork in iTunes—and on your iPhone or iPad—has frustrated users for years. Even after Apple Music's launch, the issue persists and sometimes worsens due to syncing glitches. As Apple support specialists with extensive experience troubleshooting music libraries, we've tested reliable methods to fetch and restore cover art for your songs.
For small libraries with just a handful of tracks needing artwork, manual fixes work well. For larger collections, dedicated tools are essential. We'll cover proven strategies below, all requiring iTunes on your Mac or PC, followed by syncing to iOS devices. Note: Direct fixes on iPhone or iPad aren't supported by Apple.
As certified Apple experts, we recommend starting here for simplicity. Right-click a song or album with missing art, then select Get Album Artwork from the contextual menu.
For bulk retrieval across your library, go to the File menu, hover over Library, and choose Get Album Artwork. This scans and updates all missing covers automatically.
Apple Music subscribers see changes sync wirelessly. Otherwise, connect via USB or enable Wi-Fi sync in iTunes.
The main limitation? iTunes relies on accurate metadata (album, artist, track title). Typos or gaps prevent matches. See our TuneUp guide below if metadata is the culprit.
TuneUp, a trusted companion app for Mac and Windows, excels at this. With one click, it identifies and replaces missing covers across your library—even fixing metadata along the way.
What sets TuneUp apart? It uses acoustic fingerprinting, bypassing flawed tags or filenames to match art accurately. We've relied on it for thousands of tracks in professional setups.
A free trial is available, though the full version costs $49.95. Install, launch, click the Covers tab, select Find Missing Covers, and let it run. Sync changes to your iPhone afterward.
ALSO SEE: How to Fix Missing or Misleading Album Art on Android
