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How to play your downloads
Pick your device. Every step has a picture of what to look for.
First: you might not need to download anything
Everything you buy plays in full from your Collection, on any phone or computer, signed in. No file to find, no app to install.
Downloading is for keeping your own copy: for a car USB stick, an offline flight, or a music app you already love. If that’s you, read on.
What you’ll get
A single track downloads as one audio file. An album downloads as one .zip with every track inside. The format is whatever the artist uploaded, and it’s printed on the download button before you click: usually WAV or FLAC, sometimes MP3, AIFF or M4A.
They are ordinary files with nothing locked. Copy them, back them up, put them anywhere.
Windows
Windows 10 and 11. Nothing to install: Media Player is already on your PC and plays every format we send.
Click Download on Insound
On the release page, or next to any release in your Collection. The format is written on the button.
Watch for the download bubble
Edge and Chrome show a small arrow at the top right of the window. When it says Done, the file is on your PC. You can click the file name right there to open it.
Open your Downloads folder
Missed the bubble? Hold the Windows key and press E to open File Explorer, then click Downloads in the left-hand list.
If it's a .zip, unpack it
Right-click the zip and choose Extract All..., then Extract. A normal folder with the same name appears next to it, with the tracks inside.
Double-click a track
It opens in Media Player and starts playing. That’s it. Double-click the folder first if you want the whole album queued.
Keep it in your music library (optional)
In Media Player, open Settings, find Music library locations and click Add folder. Choose the album folder. It now shows up under Music alongside everything else.
iPhone and iPad
Safari saves files into the Files app, and Files plays them directly. Nothing to install.
Tap Download on Insound
On the release page, or next to any release in your Collection.
Tap Download in the pop-up
Safari asks whether you want to download the file. Tap Download. A small arrow appears at the top of Safari while it saves.
Open the Files app
Find Files on your home screen (swipe down and type “Files” if it’s hiding). Tap Browse, then Downloads.
If it's a .zip, tap it once
Your iPhone unpacks it on the spot. A folder with the album name appears right next to the zip. Open the folder.
Tap a track to play it
It plays inside Files, with a scrub bar and the usual controls. WAV, FLAC, MP3, AIFF and M4A all work here. Your Collection on Insound does the same thing with less tapping.
Want it in a music app? (optional)
Install a free player such as VLC from the App Store. Back in Files, press and hold the album folder, tap Share, and pick VLC. The album is copied into the app’s own library.
Mac
Three clicks. Your Mac already knows what to do with every format.
Click Download on Insound
Safari and Chrome save straight into your Downloads folder.
Click the Downloads stack in the Dock
It’s the arrow icon at the right end of the Dock. The newest file is on top. Or open Finder and choose Downloads in the sidebar.
Double-click the zip, then a track
Double-clicking a zip unpacks it into a folder. Double-click any track: MP3, WAV, AIFF and M4A open in the Music app; FLAC opens in QuickTime Player. Press space on any file for an instant preview without opening anything.
Android
Chrome saves to your Downloads folder, and the Files app plays audio without any extra app.
Tap Download on Insound
Chrome shows a small notice at the bottom when it’s done. Tap Open there, or carry on to step 2.
Open Files, then Downloads
The app is called Files (or My Files on Samsung). Tap Downloads. For a zip, tap it and choose Extract.
Tap a track
It plays straight away. Most music apps, including the one that came with your phone, will also find the folder on their own the next time you open them.
Which format plays where
| Format | Windows | iPhone | Mac | Apple Music app |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WAV | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AIFF | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| M4A | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| FLAC | Yes | Yes, in Files | QuickTime or VLC | No |
FLAC is the one to watch: it’s the best quality for the size, and nearly everything plays it, but Apple’s Music app doesn’t. VLC (free, every platform) plays all of them.
Still yours
Re-download from your Collection any time the release is still on Insound. Back the files up anyway: if an artist takes a release down, you keep download access for 90 days after that. These are real files you own. Not a stream that disappears when a subscription lapses. If Insound vanished tomorrow, you’d still have your music.