Hide Apple Music on macOS Catalina: Step-by-Step

If you’ve upgraded to macOS Catalina, the iTunes app is gone, replaced by separate apps for Music, TV, and Podcasts. The Music app is tied to Apple Music and your library, but if you don’t use it, you can hide it from your Dock and even remove it from the Finder sidebar. This guide walks you through the exact steps to declutter your Mac and make the Music app disappear from view—without deleting any of your actual music files.

What You’ll Need

• A Mac running macOS Catalina (10.15) or later
• Administrator access (you’ll need to enter your password for some steps)
• About 5 minutes of time

Step-by-Step

1. Quit the Music app – If the Music app is open, right-click its icon in the Dock and select Quit. You can also press Cmd+Q while the app is active.
2. Remove Music from the Dock – Right-click (or Control-click) the Music icon in the Dock. Hover over Options and then select Remove from Dock. The icon will disappear immediately. This only removes the shortcut; the app itself stays on your Mac.
3. Hide the Music app from Launchpad (optional) – Open Launchpad (click the rocket icon in the Dock or pinch with your thumb and three fingers on the trackpad). Find the Music app icon. Click and hold the icon until it starts wiggling. Click the X in the top-left corner of the icon and confirm you want to delete it. This does not delete your music files—it only removes the app from Launchpad. (If you don’t see an X, the app may be a system app that can’t be removed this way; skip to the next step.)
4. Remove Music from the Finder sidebar – Open a Finder window. In the sidebar, under Favorites, you’ll see Music. Right-click on it and select Remove from Sidebar. If you don’t see it, you may have already removed it or it’s under Locations—check there too.
5. Disable the Music app from opening automatically – The Music app may launch automatically when you connect an iPhone or when you log in. To prevent this:
   • Open the Music app (temporarily).
   • In the menu bar, click Music → Preferences (or press Cmd+,).
   • Click the General tab.
   • Under Connect to iPhone or iPad, change the dropdown to Don’t open Music.
   • Also uncheck Launch Music automatically when you log in if present (the exact wording may vary).
   • Click OK and quit Music again.
6. Hide the Music folder from your home directory (optional) – If you want to hide the actual Music folder (where your files are stored), you can hide it. This is not recommended if you still want to access your files easily, but you can do it:
   • Open Finder and go to your home folder (Cmd+Shift+H).
   • Right-click the Music folder and select Get Info (or press Cmd+I).
   • Click the checkbox Hidden at the bottom of the info window. The folder will become semi-transparent and disappear from view.
   • To unhide it later, open Terminal and type: chflags nohidden ~/Music and press Return.
7. Remove the Music app entirely (advanced, optional) – If you really want to delete the Music app from your Mac, you can do so, but be aware that this may break system functions (like syncing with your iPhone). To remove it:
   • Open Finder and press Cmd+Shift+G.
   • Type /System/Applications and press Return.
   • Find Music.app, right-click it, and select Move to Trash.
   • Enter your administrator password when prompted.
   • Empty the Trash. If you get a message that the app is required by macOS, you won’t be able to delete it—that’s normal. In that case, just hide it as described above.

Common Mistakes

• Deleting the Music app from Launchpad and thinking your music is gone – Removing the app icon from Launchpad only removes the shortcut; your music files remain in ~/Music. To actually delete music, you’d have to delete the files manually.
• Removing the Music folder and losing access to your files – Hiding the folder is safe, but if you delete it, you lose your music. Always back up before doing anything drastic.
• Forgetting to disable auto-open – Even after removing the Dock icon, the Music app may still pop up when you plug in an iPhone. You must change the preference in the Music app itself.
• Dragging the Music icon out of the Dock instead of right-clicking – Dragging works, but it’s easy to accidentally drop it on the desktop, which creates an alias. Right-clicking is cleaner.

Tips

• If you don’t use Apple Music but still want to play local audio files, consider using a third-party player like VLC or IINA. They are lightweight and don’t clutter your Dock.
• You can also hide the Music app from Spotlight results: go to System Preferences → Spotlight → Privacy and add the Music app to the list. This prevents it from appearing when you search with Cmd+Space.
• If you want to keep the Music app but never see it, you can also move it to a folder on your Desktop and create an alias if you need it occasionally.
• Remember that the Music app is also used for podcasts and audiobooks in Catalina. If you use those, hiding the app may be inconvenient—consider just removing it from the Dock but keeping it in Launchpad.

Troubleshooting

• The Music icon reappears in the Dock after restart – This can happen if an app or process triggers it. Check your Login Items: go to System Preferences → Users & Groups → Login Items and remove any Music-related entries. Also, if you have an iPhone connected, the Music app may auto-launch; disable that as described in Step 5.
• Can’t remove Music from the Dock – If the right-click menu doesn’t show “Remove from Dock,” the app may be running. Make sure it’s fully quit (Cmd+Q) and try again. If it’s still stuck, restart your Mac and try again.
• Music folder won’t hide – The “Hidden” checkbox in Get Info may not work on system folders. Use the Terminal command chflags hidden ~/Music instead. To unhide, use chflags nohidden ~/Music.
• Deleted Music.app but it comes back after update – macOS updates may reinstall the Music app. If you want to keep it deleted, you may need to redo the deletion after each update. Alternatively, just hide it rather than delete it.
• Spotlight still shows Music even after adding to Privacy – Make sure you added the actual app (Music.app) and not just a shortcut. Also, restart Spotlight by typing killall Spotlight in Terminal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will hiding the Music app delete my music files?

No. Hiding the app or removing its icon from the Dock or Launchpad does not delete any files. Your music library remains in ~/Music and you can still access it via Finder or other apps.

Can I still listen to my music without the Music app?

Yes. You can use any media player that supports your file formats (MP3, AAC, etc.). Many free options like VLC or IINA work well. You can also drag your music files into a third-party player.

Why does the Music app keep opening when I plug in my iPhone?

This is a default behavior in Catalina. To change it, open Music, go to Preferences → General, and under “Connect to iPhone or iPad,” select “Don’t open Music.”

Is it safe to delete the Music app from /System/Applications?

It’s generally not recommended because the app is tied to system functionality. You may encounter issues with iPhone syncing or system updates. If you do delete it, you can reinstall it by downloading macOS from the App Store, but that’s a hassle. Hiding is safer.

How do I get the Music icon back in the Dock?

Open Launchpad, find Music, and drag it to the Dock. Or open Finder, go to /System/Applications, and drag Music.app to the Dock.

Does this work on newer macOS versions like Big Sur or Monterey?

Yes, the steps are essentially the same for macOS 11 and later. The app is still called Music, and you can remove it from the Dock and sidebar the same way. Some menu labels may differ slightly, but the process is identical.

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