iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, Fourth Edition

Controls Menu

This menu can perform many of the same actions as fiddling with buttons and sliders on the iTunes window—or even on a home stereo system.

Play

With a song or playlist selected in your iTunes window, choose Play to start the music. Keyboard shortcut: Space bar.

Next Song, Previous Song

The next two items on the Controls menu let you skip to the next song or back to the last one on the playlist or album you’re listening to. Keyboard shortcut: ⌘-left or -right arrow (Mac); Ctrl+Left or +Right (Windows).

Shuffle

The Shuffle command tells iTunes to get randomly funky with the order of the songs currently listed in your iTunes window at the time—an album listing, a single playlist, or all the songs in the library. A checkmark next to the Shuffle command means that the setting is already turned on; select Shuffle again to toggle it off. Shortcut: Click the Shuffle button in the iTunes window.

Repeat Off, All, One

The next three choices on the Controls menu make iTunes automatically play current playlists or albums over and over (Repeat All) or just once (Repeat One). Repeat Off command disables the repeat function. You can only choose one at a time, and the checkmark shows you which setting is active.

Volume Up, Down

Incrementally increase or decrease the iTunes volume with these two menu items. Keyboard shortcut: ⌘-up and -down arrow (Mac); Ctrl+Up or +Down arrow (Windows).

Mute

If you need to take a conference call, or your boss is coming down the hall while you’re rocking out ...