iTunes: Some AAC files won't play

Learn why an AAC format file may not play in iTunes 4 or later.

There are some reasons why a song in AAC format may not play in iTunes 4 and later.

• If you can't play a song (AAC format) that you purchased from the iTunes Store, you may have exceeded the number of computers you can use to listen to your music purchases. The limit is five for digital rights management (DRM) protected music.
• If you're listening to a shared library or playlist, iTunes skips any purchased music in the list (if your computer is not authorized to play the music). To listen to a purchased song in a shared library or playlist, double-click the song. If your computer is not authorized to play songs purchased by the person who is sharing the song, you'll need to enter that person's Apple ID and password to hear the song.
• AAC-encoded songs that were not created with iTunes or downloaded from the iTunes Store, may not play in iTunes. Use iTunes 4 or later to encode the song from an audio CD.