April 12, 2010

Use the Tabs in iTunes to Customize Your Syncs

When you connect an iPhone, iPad, or iPod to your computer for syncing, it will appear in the Devices section in the left column of the iTunes window. Select it and you'll see a series of tabs across the top of the viewing area --Summary, Music, Movies, etc. -- the exact list depends on what sort of device you're syncing. In every case the tabs give you the ability to customize what gets synced for each part of your library. (And the Apps tab also gives you the ability to arrange where the apps live on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch home screens.)

The Photos tab, for instance, lets you pick where the photos you want to display will come from (by default My Pictures on Windows and iPhoto on Mac). The Info or Contacts tab (depending on your device) is where you can find contact management settings. The Music, Movies, and TV Shows tabs let you pick specific playlists, movies, and TV shows and episodes so you can manage the space on your device. Likewise the Books, Podcasts, and iTunes U tabs. And the Summary tab lets you check for software updates and choose among other options specific to the device you're syncing.