Luma Luma for Mac: Install and add your music folders
Mac & Luma Transfer, updated
Luma for Mac is a separate app for macOS. Unlike on the iPhone, it doesn’t copy your music into a library. It reads it straight from your music folders.
Install
- Download the DMGGet Luma for Mac on the download page. The app runs on macOS 26 or later.
- Drag it to ApplicationsDouble-click the DMG file and drag Luma onto the “Applications” folder in the window.
- LaunchOpen Luma from your Applications folder or with Spotlight.
To update, download the new DMG and replace the app in your Applications folder. Your library, playlists and settings stay as they are.
Trial and license
You can try Luma for Mac free and fully featured for 30 days. After that, you unlock the app with a license key for a one-time €39. The license is valid for life and all updates are included. There is no subscription and no account.
If Luma for Mac can ever no longer be continued, for economic reasons for example, the app becomes free and open source. So what you bought stays usable.
Luma for iPhone and iPad is a free download on the App Store; Luma for Mac is licensed separately. Every price is on the pricing page.
Add music folders
- Pick a folderChoose File › Add Music Folder… (⌘O) and select the folder your music lives in, for example “Music” or an external drive.
- Let it scanLuma searches the folder and its subfolders, reads the tags and sorts everything by album, artist and song. The first scan of a large collection takes a moment.
- More foldersYou can add as many folders as you like. They’re all listed under Settings › Library › Music Folders, where you can also remove one again.
Your files stay where they are. Luma makes no copies, so it takes up no extra space.
Pick up changes
Luma checks your music folders for new, changed and deleted files every time it launches. If you changed something in the Finder during a session, choose File › Rescan Library (⌘R) or Settings › Library › Rescan Now.
- Moving and renaming: Luma recognizes moved or renamed files. Likes, play counts and places in playlists are kept.
- Protection against accidents: If more than half of the library suddenly goes missing, say because an external drive isn’t connected, Luma deletes nothing and shows a notice instead.
Deleting tracks
Because Luma for Mac works with your real files, Move to Trash moves the music file itself to the Trash. It’s then deleted from your Mac, not just from Luma. Until you empty the Trash, you can restore it from there.
Export the library
File › Export Library… copies every track with its covers and your playlists into a folder of your choice, for a backup or a move, for example. To save just your playlists, collections, likes and stats without the music, use File › Export Data… (⇧⌘E) and bring them back with Import Data… (⇧⌘I), see Export and backup.
And the iPhone?
Luma for Mac and Luma on the iPhone each have their own library. There is no sync through a cloud. To bring music from the Mac to the iPhone, use the built-in Luma Transfer over Wi-Fi or a USB cable.
Still have a question or found a mistake? Email hello@suenavus.com.