iTunes is the official media manager for iPods and all iOS Devices. It was pre-installed on macOS (OS X 10.0 Cheetah to OS X 10.14 Mojave) and HP computers from 2003 to 2005. iTunes is still available for Windows and can be downloaded from Apple's website.

To connect an iPod to iTunes for syncing, use the cable meant for your specific iPod. If you are using a 1st or 2nd gen iPod classic, use a FireWire cable. If you are using a 3rd gen Classic, use either a FireWire or USB cable to sync (although the 3rd gen will not charge over USB, so make sure it is sufficiently charged). If you are using a 4th gen Classic or higher, a Nano, or a Touch, use a 30Pin to USB Cable. If you are using a Shuffle 1st gen, connect it directly to the computer. If you are using a Shuffle 2nd-4th gen, use the included 3.5MM to USB cable.

Since MacOS 10.15, iTunes has been replaced by the Music and Finder apps on MacOS. Most previous syncing capabilities are still available; Music and Podcasts can still be synced to the iPod via the Music app (not the Podcasts apps) and iPod settings management and backups is now conducted via Finder. This does mean that an iPod with disk use turned on will now have two listings in Finder; One for accessing the files stored on the iPod, and another for managing the settings of said iPod. Contact, Calendar, and Notes syncing via iTunes is fully depreciated when using this function and will no longer work on MacOS Catalina and above; while the feature has been depreciated in iTunes, it still works as of the latest version 12.12.3.5 for iPod Touch models.