How to Transfer Music / Songs to Your PS Vita

The PlayStation Vita might not be the most portable gadget out there, but with a solid music app and support for custom game soundtracks, there are plenty of reasons to keep the handheld stocked up with all of your favorite music. The process of transferring music to the Vita is actually fairly involved, so we've made things easy for you with a step-by-step guide that'll help you get some tunes onto your fancy new handheld.

Before you get started, make sure that the songs you want to transfer are compatible. The PlayStation Vita will only play MP3, MP4, and WAV files, and it won't be able to use any files that contain copy-protection, which could rule out some of your older iTunes purchases.

If it's your first time transferring anything to or from your Vita, you'll need to plug in your Vita's USB cable to your PC or Mac, then start up the Content Manager app.

Select PC to PS Vita System, and it should inform you that you'll need to install an application first. Select that option, then head to your computer and follow the instructions to install the software.

Be sure to pay special attention to the folders Content Manager will use for file transfers to and from the Vita. You'll need to put all the songs you want to transfer into this folder in order for them to show up later on. By default, the music folder will be C:\Users\[Your User Account Name]\Music on PC, but you can change this during the installation process.

If you forgot where the folder is or would just like to change it after the install is complete, you can right click on the Content Manager Assistant icon in the taskbar and then click Settings.

Once the install is complete, you can head back to your Vita. You should now be able to select Music from the list of options, and it'll automatically open the Music app for the next step of the transfer.

You should now see a list of all the songs you can transfer to your PC. Just check the boxes of the files you'd like on the Vita (or the Select All button, if you'd like to send all of them) then hit the Copy button.

A progress bar will pop up. Once it's completed, you're all done. You can now unplug the Vita from your computer and listen to your music.

In the future, you can save yourself some time by just plugging the Vita in to your computer and going straight into the Music app. From here, you can select PC at the bottom of the menu, pick a category, and tap the "..." in the lower righthand corner of the screen to bring up an action menu. Just select Copy, tick everything you want to transfer, and hit Copy once more. 

While this guide only focuses on music, it's worth noting that the process is identical for getting videos and photos onto your Vita. Just drop the files you want to transfer into the folders on your PC Content Manager is set up to use, then send them over to the Vita using the relevant application.