What is the default music streaming app on macOS?

Music is the default music streaming app on macOS.

Apple introduced the Music app on the Mac in macOS Catalina 10.15, released in 2019. It replaced iTunes as the built-in application for playing music, managing a personal library, and accessing the Apple Music subscription service. The app can handle both streamed tracks and music that users own or import locally.

The distinction between Music and Apple Music is worth noting. Music is the macOS application; Apple Music is the streaming service and subscription catalog available inside it. Spotify is a popular alternative, but it is a third-party app and is not the system default. QuickTime Player can play individual audio files, but it is a general media player rather than macOS’s main music-library application.

Many longtime Mac users remember iTunes because it managed music for years. Apple split its functions into separate apps in Catalina: Music for songs, TV for video, and Podcasts for spoken-audio shows. Finder took over device syncing that had previously happened through iTunes.