How to Burn an Audio CD on Mac OS X

Last Updated: March 28, 2019 Tested

Most Macintosh computers now can burn CDs. It is fairly easy and straightforward to burn a data CD, but it is sometimes more difficult to burn a music CD. With iTunes and a rockin' playlist to burn (the methodology outlined below), you'll have CDs for a fraction of the cost in a fraction of the time it used to take to get your music.

Steps

1
Open up iTunes.^{[1]
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2
Create a new playlist by clicking the + button in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen, N, or File>New Playlist.

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3
Name your playlist.
4
Click and drag your selected songs from the library into the playlist.
5
Change the order by dragging the songs around if desired. (The box at the top of the numbers column must be highlighted to do this.)
6
Insert a blank CD.
7
Click on the "Burn" button in the bottom corner of the screen.
- Some versions of iTunes don't have this option. For those, pull down the File menu and go to the "Burn playlist to disc" option.
8
Choose your settings.
9
Wait patiently. iTunes will burn the music you put in the playlist onto the CD. This may take a while, depending on the speed of your drive. When the CD is done, an audio CD with the tracks you put on it will pop up in iTunes. You can now eject the CD and it will be ready for use.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I burn an audio CD that will play in any CD player?

Community Answer

You have to select the right preferences in your burning software. If there is an audio disc option, pick that. Select a low burning speed (1x) rather than fast ones. iTunes is a great option for getting it right.
Question

What type of blank CD do I use? I have burned audio CD's before but they only play on my laptop.

Community Answer

You need to convert the music file (mp3) which is a compressed file to WAV, then burn the converted files to a blank CD, then a CD player can read it.
Question

What is the easiest way to burn a music CD using the keyboard, not the mouse, on the MAC?

Community Answer

If you have misplaced or do not have a mouse, navigate to the "Mouse and Trackpad" section in system preferences, then click on "Use mouse keys." This will allow you to use number keys to move the mouse around.