Docs/Adding a Library Folder
Adding a Library Folder
You pick folders; Icoustic indexes what’s inside.
Add a source
- Open library settings:
- Mac: toolbar Sources, or Settings → Library (Library Folders) - iPhone / iPad: Settings (the gear)
- Choose Add Folder.
- Pick a folder through the system document picker (on-device storage, iCloud Drive, or another location you’ve connected).
- Icoustic saves a security-scoped bookmark so it can reopen that folder later.
Each folder has its own Share switch in Settings → Library. Shared folders are browsable by approved devices on this network while the app is open. See Devices & Networks.
Songs and folders dragged into Icoustic are copied into the library folder you choose. The same pane has Organize into Artist/Album folders.
What gets scanned
Icoustic looks for DRM-free MP3, FLAC, and M4A/AAC files. DRM-protected subscription downloads are out of scope. Plain purchased M4A files work fine.
iCloud Drive
Files that live in iCloud but aren’t downloaded yet are indexed anyway — they show a download badge and fetch on first play. “Not downloaded yet” is a normal state, not an error.
Dropbox, Google Drive, NAS
Icoustic deliberately has no cloud-service or NAS integrations — it reads folders. If your music lives in one of those, bring it to a folder the system can see: on the Mac, the provider’s desktop app syncs to a normal folder that works as a source directly, and a mounted network share behaves like any other drive. For one-off copies, Import Files… on the same Sources / Library screen copies picked audio files into a library folder you choose (Settings → Library → Copy added music to on Mac). Add a folder first — Icoustic does not create its own import location.
On the Mac
External drives and desktop-synced folders work as sources. If a drive is unplugged, its source is skipped gracefully — your tracks and playlists remain, and everything comes back when the drive does.
Artwork
Artwork comes from embedded tags when present, or from cover.jpg / folder.jpg / front.png in the album folder.
Tips
- Prefer one root folder (or a few) rather than dozens of tiny picks.
- Removing a source from Icoustic does not delete your files.