Downloads Help for Windows

This page contains instructions for using a Windows PC to download and listen to MP3 albums.

For help with accessing the links in your order confirmation to download your purchases, refer to the Downloads Help Overview page.

For help with downloads on a Mac, visit Downloads help for Mac computers

Table of Contents

Music Downloads Overview for Windows

When the albums and songs are first downloaded, they are in a compressed form called a "zip file" that makes the download process easier.

Before the music can be played, the zip file has to be uncompressed, or "unzipped", to extract the folder and music files that are inside it.

After unzipping, each album will be in the form of a folder with the same name as the album. Inside the folder there will be one MP3 audio file for each song. (If you downloaded an individual song instead of an album, the process is the same, except after unzipping there will be an individual MP3 file without a folder).

The MP3 files can be played in iTunes and can be transferred to any MP3 player device, including iPods and others.

The steps for accessing your new music are as follows:

  • download the zip file
  • locate the downloaded file on your computer
  • unzip the zip file to reveal the folder containing the MP3 files
  • use iTunes to play the MP3 files
  • it's a good idea to protect your music files from loss or damage by making backup copies

Detailed instructions for each step follows on this page, and can be accessed from the Table of Contents above.

How to contact us for help with your downloads

For fastest results, please review the instructions on this page and try the steps that apply to your situation.

If that doesn't solve the problem, to email us for assistance, use our Downloads Help Request Form.

Step by Step Instructions

Where are the downloaded zip files located?

When your browser downloads the files, they will be placed in the browser's assigned downloads folder. Usually, in Windows the default downloads location is set to the Desktop, for all browsers. But your computer could have a different setting.

If your download does not appear on the Desktop, you can find out where your browser is saving downloaded files as follows:

  • Windows 7 (Internet Explorer 7 & Internet Explorer 8)
    • Windows 7 usually saves downloaded files in the Downloads folder
    • The Downloads folder is located under your user name in the users folder on the drive where Windows is installed (for example C:\users\your name\downloads).
    • When you are saving the file, you can choose to save it to a different folder.
    • If you're not sure where the file was saved, you can search for it from the Start menu.
  • Windows XP (Internet Explorer 7)
    • Internet Explorer usually opens a dialog box for new downloads and shows where the file will be saved.
    • If this does not occur, please refer to this help page on the Microsoft Support site.
  • Windows Vista (Internet Explorer 7)
    • Go to your account in the Vista user profile.
    • Right-click the download folder in the user profile and it will show you where the downloads are being saved.
    • You can also set a new location for your downloads folder in this properties dialog box.
  • Windows 7, XP or Vista (Firefox)
    • In the main window menu, go to: Tools -> Options
    • Choose the Main tab in the options window.
    • In the "Downloads" section, look for "Save files as" and to the right it will identify the folder where downloads are saved.
    • You can also set a new location for your downloads folder in this options dialog box.
  • Windows 7, XP or Vista (Safari)
    • In the main window menu, go to: Safari > Preferences
    • Choose the Main tab in the preferences window.
    • In the "Downloads" section, look for "Save files as" and to the right it will identify the folder where downloads are saved.
    • You can also set a new location for your downloads folder in this preferences tab.

How to unzip a zip file

To unzip your download files, do these steps for each of the albums you downloaded.

Most versions of Windows have a built-in utility for unzipping files, but it does not always work as expected or could be missing. This section also includes additional information for how to unzip the files if the built-in method cannot be used.

  • Windows — built-in method:
    • All versions of Windows have a built-in utility for unzipping.
      • Usually it works as expected, but some customers have reported difficulties, especially in Windows Vista.
      • Those problems have been solved by the easy installation of a free third-party unzip utility.
      • If you have trouble unzipping your downloads with Windows, please see the section below, titled:
              "Windows free add-on utility (Stuffit-Expander)"
    • Basic Windows built-in unzip method:
      • Right-click on the icon of the zip file
      • Choose "Extract all" from the pop-up menu
      • In some versions of Windows, the unzipped folder will be located in the same folder as the zip file
    • In some versions of Windows, a new window will open with the "Extraction Wizard"
      • In the Extraction Wizard, navigate to the directory where you want the extracted folder to be created
      • On the last screen of the Extraction Wizard, check the box to "Show extracted files"
      • Click "Finish" to complete the extraction and reveal the folder with the MP3 files
    • In Windows Vista, there is an added security feature that can block opening of files downloaded from the internet.
      • To tell Vista to unblock the opening of the zip file:
        • right-click on the icon of the zip file
        • From the drop-down menu, choose "Properties"
        • Choose the "General" tab in the Properties window
        • Look for the section titled "Security" near the bottom of the window
        • Click the button to the right, labelled "Unblock"
        • Click the "Apply" button at the bottom of the window.
        • Next, follow the unzipping instructions listed above.
    • What if there is no "extract all" option in the pop-up menu, or the above methods do not work?
      • Please see the section below, titled: "Windows — free add-on utility (Stuffit-Expander)"

  • Windows — free add-on utility (Stuffit-Expander):
    • If the Windows built-in method does not work, you can download a free mini-application to unzip your albums.
    • We recommend Stuffit-Expander, because customers have reported good results with it.
      • Stuffit-Expander is a popular free program and is safe to download and install.
      • It is offered as a free sample of their larger program Stuffit Deluxe, so there may be a sales message included.
      • Stuffit-Expander is available at these links (make sure to choose the free "Expander" version):
      • After you install Stuffit-Expander, unzip your albums as follows:
        • Right-click on the icon of the zip file
        • Choose "Open with Stuffit Expander" from the pop-up menu
        • A new unzipped folder will appear in the same location as the zipped folder
        • The new folder will include one MP3-file for each song and will be ready for you to play the music.

  • Windows — free add-on utility (others):

What are the files and folders inside the unzipped album folder?

After you unzip the file, there will be new folder for each album, and with the mp3 songs inside.

Each song will have one file with the .mp3 extension after the song title. Depending on your version of Windows, the files might have a music icon or a different icon.

There may be extra folders or files with the following names inside the unzipped folder. These extra files and folders can be deleted - they are used only for the Mac OS and are not needed for Windows to play your downloaded music:

  • MACOSX
  • .DS_Store

How to play the MP3 files in Windows Media Player or iTunes

Simply double-click the MP3 files to launch your default media player and play the songs.

If double-clicking does not work as expected, then instead, right-click the MP3 file. In the pop-up menu, choose "Open with" and then choose your media player from the list.

In some Windows installations, the option for iTunes may not appear in the pop-up menu. In that case, if you want to play the songs with iTunes, follow the instructions below for adding the albums to your iTunes music library.

How to add your downloaded albums to your Windows Media Player library

When you play a file on your Windows computer, the Windows Media Player automatically adds the file to your library if it isn't already in your library. The Player does not automatically add a file that you play from removable storage media, a removable storage device, or on a shared network folder. For example, if you play a file that is stored on a CompactFlash card, a data CD, or in a shared folder on another computer on your network, the Player will not automatically add the file to your library.

For more information about how Windows Media Player organizes files, please refer to this page on the Microsoft Windows support website.


To sync your Windows Media Player Library with a portable device, please refer to this page on the Microsoft Windows support website.

If you are using a Palm Pre to play your music files, please refer to this page on the Palm Pre support website.

The complete Microsoft FAQ about Windows Media Player is located here.

How to add your downloaded albums to your iTunes music library

If iTunes is not yet installed on your computer, you can download the installer from the Apple iTunes website.

To add your downloaded MP3 albums to your iTunes library, follow these steps:

  • Open iTunes
  • (OPTIONAL, BUT RECOMMENDED) Go to iTunes preferences and choose the Advanced tab.
    • Check the box to select "Copy files to the iTunes Music folder when adding to library"
    • This will require iTunes to copy all content that is added to the iTunes library to the iTunes Music folder.
  • From the File menu, choose Add to Library
  • Navigate to the folder containing the unzipped music MP3 albums that you want to add
  • Select the folder or individual MP3 files to add
  • Click the "Choose" button

The above instructions were adapted from an article on Apple's iTunes support website.

For more information, view the original article here.

Finding where iTunes for stores your audio files

By default, items you import into iTunes from CDs are stored in this folder:

$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;$nbsp;My Documents/My Music/iTunes

Depending on how you've imported items into iTunes, your library might include items located elsewhere.

Here are ways to locate where your iTunes files are stored:

  • Select an item in iTunes
  • Choose File > Get Info
  • The path to the file is shown at the bottom of the Summary pane (the Where section).

To reveal the file in Windows Explorer:

  • select the song in iTunes
  • choose File > Show in Explorer

The iTunes Library file is a database of your library's contents. If you move or delete this file, iTunes creates a new one the next time you open iTunes, but it doesn't contain playlists, song ratings, comments, and other information you created.

For best results, don't move the iTunes folder or folders inside it.

These instructions are based on two iTunes for Windows help pages on Apple's website.

For more information, view the original articles here and .

How to burn your MP3 album to a CD using Windows Media Player

You can use Windows Media Player to burn any mix of songs you want from your library to an audio CD. Once you've burned a CD, you can play it in any standard CD player.

To burn an audio CD

  • In Windows Media Player, click Library and then, in the List pane, click List.
    • Next, click the menu command Burn List.
    • If you need to clear the list before beginning, click Burn List, and then click Clear List.
  • Drag a folder from the Contents pane or songs from the Details pane to the List pane to create a list of songs to burn.
  • In the burn list, drag songs up or down to arrange them in the order you want them to appear on the CD.
  • Insert a blank CD-R or CD-RW disc in the CD drive.
  • In the List pane, verify that the songs you have selected to burn will all fit on the disc.
    • If necessary, remove songs from the list by right-clicking a song and then clicking Remove from List.
  • Click the Start Burn arrow and verify that Audio CD is selected, as shown in the following screen shot.
  • Click Start Burn.

While the CD is burned, you can check its progress in the burn list. Burning a CD will take some time.

It is recommended that you do not try to perform any other actions while burning a CD. For example, playback may be affected if you try to play a music CD while burning a CD.

You cannot burn additional files to a CD after burning is completed. If you are using a CD-RW, you can erase the entire CD before using the Player to burn files to the CD again.

For more information about burning CDs with Windows Media Player, please refer to this page on the Microsoft Windows support website.

How to burn your MP3 album to a CD using iTunes

1) Tell iTunes That You Want an Audio CD

  • Open iTunes and from the iTunes menu, choose Preferences.
  • Click Advanced in the resulting dialog and then click the Burning tab.
  • Next to Disc Format, select Audio CD and then click OK.

2) Create a New Playlist of Songs

  • From the File menu, choose New Playlist.
  • Type a name for your playlist in the Source list (this will become your CD's name)
  • Then drag songs from your library to your new playlist.
  • To change the song order, select your playlist and just drag and drop songs in the order you want.

3) Burn Your Disc

  • With your playlist selected, click the Burn Disc icon in the upper-right corner of the window.
  • Then simply insert a blank, recordable CD into your disc drive to start burning it.

The above instructions were adapted from an article on Apple's iTunes support website.

For more information, view the original article here.

How to View Album Art in Windows Media Player

Album art can appear in a variety of places inside and outside the Player, including:

  • In the library
  • In the status area at the bottom of the Player (near the playback controls)
  • In certain visualizations
  • In the Windows folder where you store your music files (for example, the Music folder)
  • In the Info Center View. To see this view:
    • Click the Now Playing tab
    • Rght-click the area where videos and visualizations appear
    • Click Info Center View.

You can also view art in n the Find Album Information dialog box (the dialog box that appears when you click the Find Album Info command), however album art that appears in the Find Album Information dialog box is provided by data providers, such as AMG and is not part of the downloaded files.

To view album art when playing music, do one of the following:

  • Begin playing the song, and then click Now Playing.
    • Click the arrow below the Now Playing tab, point to Visualizations, and then click Album Art.
    • Begin playing the song, and then click Now Playing.
      • If the List pane is not visible, click the arrow below the Now Playing tab, and then click Show List Pane.
      • Small album art appears in the List pane.

    For more information, refer to this page on the Microsoft Windows Media Player support website.

    How to View Album Art in iTunes

    To show or hide the album cover in the Artwork Viewer section of the main iTunes Window:

    • Locate the four buttons together in a row at the lower left corner of the main iTunes window
    • Click the right-most button that looks like an arrow pointing up
    • The album cover will display in the Artwork Viewer, in the lower left-hand column of the iTunes window
      • To hide the album cover, click the same button again
      • (when the album cover is visible, the button changes to a downward pointing arrow)

    To display artwork in its own window:

    • Follow the instructions above to view the album cover in the Artwork Viewer
    • Click the art image in the Artwork Viewer.
    • A new window will open, displaying a larger image of the album cover artowrk.

    To show or hide artwork next to each item in a playlist in the music browser:

    • Choose the menu command View > Show Artwork Column

    To visually browse your iTunes library:

    • Locate the View buttons, located at the top right corner of the main iTunes window, tothe left of the search bar.
    • Click either the middle and rightmost View buttons.
      • The middle View button will display your iTunes library as a grid of album covers
      • The right-most View button will cause your iTunes browser to enter Coverflow mode
    • While you are using Cover Flow (the rightmost View button), to view artwork full screen:
      • Click the button in the Coverflow display at the far right beneath the displayed album covers
      • To exit fullscreen Coverflow mode, click the same button again or press Escape.

    The above instructions were adapted from an article on Apple's iTunes support website.

    For more information, view the original article here.

    Make backups of your downloaded MP3 albums

    Make a backup copy of your new songs: copy them to an external disk drive, or burn them to a CDR. That way if you erase them by accident later you have a way to get them back.

on our home page