Where does Android store Google Play music files

[Thralkzilla]

Same issue? All songs are marked with the blue push-pin in Google play, seemingly indicating they're "On Device", yet following the directory chain below...

sdcard-->Android-->data-->com.google.android.music-->cache-->music

...yields an empty folder. I'm using Astro File Manager to navigate through all this and have successfully done this in the past to cut snippets from other songs to make into ringtones. I really don't think I should have to waste a manual download through the browser to access something that's already showing up in the app...any advice?

 

[vzwty]

Same issue? All songs are marked with the blue push-pin in Google play, seemingly indicating they're "On Device", yet following the directory chain below...

sdcard-->Android-->data-->com.google.android.music-->cache-->music

...yields an empty folder. I'm using Astro File Manager to navigate through all this and have successfully done this in the past to cut snippets from other songs to make into ringtones. I really don't think I should have to waste a manual download through the browser to access something that's already showing up in the app...any advice?

I'm having the same issue on my new Verizon S3. Using the built in file manager and ES explorer I can't find the files. I just saved a couple gb's of music to my "device". I want to move them to my 32gb micro sd card when it arrives, but can't find the files anywhere.

 

[seanyoung24]

I'm having the same issue on my new Verizon S3. Using the built in file manager and ES explorer I can't find the files. I just saved a couple gb's of music to my "device". I want to move them to my 32gb micro sd card when it arrives, but can't find the files anywhere.

you actually need to go to: sdcard-->Android-->data-->com.google.android.music-->files-->music. the cache is where it stores music that you haven't marked for offline use so that it can access it faster. the files folder is where it stores music that you marked for offline use.

I'm having a bigger issue where first my droid charge lost all my music, so I had to re-sync to my account. then once I got it all back, I had to re-mark all of my offline music again. now that I've done that, google music refuses to play any of it. the only way I've been able to play it is pathing to the location above, and play it in the Sound Player that came with my android. annoying.

 

[felipe66]

What if your sdcard does not show an Android folder? I found all my music on the phone itself. Should android create that folder automatically, or do I need to?

 

[Del Young]

I purchased an album a few months ago was really niggled that i couldn't play it through my phone's player now i can thanks to this post but having to download it as a zip file to my laptop is a joke when i purchase from amazon it goes straight to my player needless to say i shall not be purchasing from google again....

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Alternative players aside, Google has 2 players on their phones MUSIC and PLAY MUSIC and neither of them talks to each other.

 

[cstrehlo]

I have a Galaxy Note 2 and I downloaded a "file manager" from the playstore. I assume that is what y'all are talking about? Anyway I dont have the path /mnt/sdcard/android/data/com.google.music/files/music There is no "mnt" to even start with. I am so distraught....I had the Google music manager and I had a hard drive issue...it was fixed and when I tried to reload Google music manager again....and it keeps saying "cannot connect check your internet connection" There are threads on this as well...it is a known problem with Google and they just don't care to correct it. So I wanted to take the songs on my phone and move to laptop...my God...where the hell are they? I can listen to them with the phone internet turned off so I know they are on the phone...why is Google hiding them? They are mine! I cannot even find the above path on my Galaxy Note 2. Someone please help?

 

[ier80899]

I posted this on another thread and thought the info would help here...

So I'm taking people's advice in NOT downloading Google Play Music anymore... I cannot find my other downloaded music from the app... and then when using other apps (i.e. TuneWiki or Winamp), I cannot get to the music I just paid Google for.

BUTTTTTT... here's a work-around.
1. Via a computer attached to the phone, find the files at \Android\data\com.google.android.music.files.music. I found all of my songs with the file names of ###..mp3
2. Copy the files over to a directory used by the other app... I moved it over to the Music folder.
3. Rename the files - as well as right-clicking the file name, click Properties, Summary and changing the song's properties.
4. Open a file manager app, find the file, open using your mp3 player app (i.e. not Google Player).
5. I added each song to the Playlist I created for "Google Download" - but STILL couldn't see the songs in the new playlist. But when I went to the playlist called "recently added songs", I could THEN see the songs. So I played the songs from the "recently added songs" playlist, and then added the songs to the "google download" playlist, and it worked.

I'm sure this ALL depends on your phone, O/S, configuration, etc. I am on a Droid 4, ICS, and used the TuneWiki app.

Bottom line, I've only resorted to this step for the songs I had recently purchased from Google Play... moving forward, I won't need to use this work-around as I'll try Amazon music.

 

[margauxato]

i cannot use my internet using wifi on my tablet android system please tell me what i going to do.............

 

[WoundedPhoenix]

I am using the latest app store update of play music, I have ensured my marked for download files are marked as having completed the download process (and the queue is now empty), and I have checked all of the locations mentioned in the thread.
I am using Astro file manager.
I have a Samsung Galaxy S Relay, unrooted. (Bad things happened when I rooted my other brick.)
I have no clue where these stupid files are, and will be very annoyed if I have to use a web download to get them.
Many thanks for any help you can provide.
-WP

(Edit to change subscription prefs for this post)

 

[TheMaskedMamba]

In /data/data/com.google.android.music/files/music ? but you need a rooted phone to access them.

this worked for me also, thanks.

I believe if you remove the ".NoMedia" file in this folder, other music players will be able to scan and play music in the folder.

 

[B. Diddy]

What if your sdcard does not show an Android folder? I found all my music on the phone itself. Should android create that folder automatically, or do I need to?

Just create a folder on your SD card called "Music" and put your music files there, organized by artist, with album subfolders.

 

[Lynx5217]

I used android file share to transfer iTunes music to android...

 

[jujuwms74]

How do I get to the folder that contains the downloaded music from Google Play Store?

 

[Airfluff22]

Ok...so, based off my logic, experience, and knowledge of Android (which isnt a whole lot or little), I've come up with my own explanation of why this happens..

I have google play music installed on my PHONE and I have ICS. I have nothing in the before mentioned folders. On my last phone I had Google play music installed on my SDCARD and could find the files without a problem in the before mentioned folders (i think i found it in the cache folder, but whatever). I think that since the app is installed on my phone now, the files must be in a folder I can't access since my phone isn't rooted (which someone mentioned earlier).

Solution?

1. Root my phone or
2. Somehow install google play music in Sdcard. Problem is I don't have that convenient "move to sdcard" option...so I have to find an app that'll do it for me..

If you know of one, please, feel free to post it.

P.s., all the apps I've tried hasn't worked..apparently my phone doesn't support it..sigh

 

[B. Diddy]

If you download music from Google Play directly to your phone, it doesn't show up as a clearly identifiable file in the Music folder--instead, it's a coded file in a more obscure folder (/storage/sdcard0/Android/data/com.google.android.music/files/music). Some feel that this is Google's way of forcing you to use their app, but I think it's more of an effort to deter easy file sharing (aka pirating). Since everyone has a mobile phone, pirating could become rampant if people simply downloaded their music onto their phone and transferred it to a friend on the spot. It's true that you can download your entire library on your computer an unlimited number of times using Google Music Manager, but it's inconvenient in that you have to download your entire library all at once. You can download an individual song from the Google Music website on your desktop, but you're limited to doing so a total of twice per song.

 

[Shawn Dickens]

Wow, this is disappointing since now it's like dealing with iTunes. I have to use my computer to get my music and also to put it on my phone. The plus of this is the music is almost half the price of Amazon that is way easy to manage. Downloads to AmazonMP3 folder, sorted with labels. The thing is you pay more for it and it they just upgraded it to 256 bit rate. The Google music I tested with came in 320, so that is worth the extra work to me, but I don't see the reason for the hoops. Just let us have what you charged us for straight to our phone. I'm now on a pay for data plan as many others are and more will be in the future, so this cloud crap is just to costly.

 

[Connor Phares]

it is stored under the /sdcard/Android/data/com.google.android.music/files/music

 

[WmAEvans]

I have downloaded a couple dozen albums and songs from Google Play Store and have chosen to store the music on the device. It is not located in the standard music folder, nor is it located in sdcard0/Android/data/com.google.android.music/cache/music. It just pain isn't there. I cannot find this music anywhere on my device. How do I access the music to add it to my PC, where I store all music purchased for use on future devices? This is insane. I buy the music, and then do not get full access. Google can take it an shove it if that is the way they are going to treat their customers.

 

[B. Diddy]

I have downloaded a couple dozen albums and songs from Google Play Store and have chosen to store the music on the device. It is not located in the standard music folder, nor is it located in sdcard0/Android/data/com.google.android.music/cache/music. It just pain isn't there. I cannot find this music anywhere on my device. How do I access the music to add it to my PC, where I store all music purchased for use on future devices? This is insane. I buy the music, and then do not get full access. Google can take it an shove it if that is the way they are going to treat their customers.

This is copied from what I wrote 3 posts above you:

If you download music from Google Play directly to your phone, it doesn't show up as a clearly identifiable file in the Music folder--instead, it's a coded file in a more obscure folder (/storage/sdcard0/Android/data/com.google.android.music/files/music). Some feel that this is Google's way of forcing you to use their app, but I think it's more of an effort to deter easy file sharing (aka pirating). Since everyone has a mobile phone, pirating could become rampant if people simply downloaded their music onto their phone and transferred it to a friend on the spot. It's true that you can download your entire library on your computer an unlimited number of times using Google Music Manager, but it's inconvenient in that you have to download your entire library all at once. You can download an individual song from the Google Music website on your desktop, but you're limited to doing so a total of twice per song.

So if you're looking to add your music to your PC, your best bet is to go to the Google Play Music website on your desktop or laptop browser, and download the music from there.