How to Transfer Videos to iPod via iTunes
Once you've converted a video, here's exactly how to sync it onto the iPod — whether you're on Windows 11, modern macOS, or older OSes.
Apple split iTunes into three apps in 2019. The video-sync workflow is almost identical in each of them, but the menus moved.
If you're on Windows 11
Install the Apple Devices app from the Microsoft Store. This is the modern replacement for iTunes on Windows.
- Connect your iPod via USB and unlock the screen.
- Open Apple Devices. Your iPod appears in the sidebar.
- Click Movies in the device tab and tick "Sync movies onto this device".
- Drag your .mp4 into the Movies library in the main Apple Devices / Music window first.
- Back on the device tab, tick the new movie and click Apply.
If you're on macOS Catalina or later
Finder handles iPod sync now.
- Connect your iPod and select it in the Finder sidebar.
- Click the Movies tab in the top bar.
- Drag your .mp4 into the iPod from another Finder window, or use the Sync Movies checkbox to pick titles already imported into the TV app.
- Click Sync.
If you're on older systems
Open iTunes, drag the .mp4 into the library (it appears under Movies), plug in your iPod, and drag the title from Movies onto the iPod icon. Click Sync.
Manual mode (recommended for power users)
In the iPod's Summary tab, tick Manually manage music and videos. You can now drag files directly onto the iPod without syncing the whole library. This is much faster if you only want to add one or two videos at a time.
"My video doesn't show up after syncing"
Three things to check:
- The file extension is .mp4 or .m4v, not .mov.
- The Kind column in iTunes/Apple Devices shows "Video", not "Music". If it shows Music, right-click the file, choose Get Info, and change the media kind under Options.
- The H.264 profile is Baseline. If it's High, the sync succeeds but the iPod won't display the video.