Apple officially retired iTunes with the launch of macOS Catalina, a change that carried forward into macOS Big Sur 11.7. The software had become bloated over two decades of feature additions. To improve system performance and streamline user experiences, Apple broke iTunes down into dedicated, lightweight applications.

Disclaimer: This guide is based on the features available in macOS Big Sur 11.7. Later versions of macOS may have updated functionality.

Since the Finder replaces iTunes for hardware management, here is a step-by-step guide to backing up and syncing your device:

While iTunes is not officially supported, that can restore iTunes functionality on Big Sur. The most notable is a free, open-source application called Retroactive , which patches older versions of iTunes to run on modern macOS versions.

If you are looking to manage your media, skip the hassle of trying to reinstall old software. Embrace the Finder and native Music apps—they offer the exact same utility, optimized natively for your Big Sur operating system.

However, all the core functionalities of iTunes—including managing local music playlists, backing up an iPhone or iPad, purchasing media, and organizing podcasts—are fully active on macOS Big Sur 11.7. Apple simply separated the monolithic iTunes application into faster, dedicated native utilities.

When you upgraded to Big Sur, your iTunes library was not deleted; it was migrated.

On macOS Big Sur, Finder has absorbed all iOS device management features. Here's how to use it: