How to Transfer Music and Media into iDrive 7
iDrive 7 is the latest and greatest BMW software, and it comes standard in all new available 2020 models. One of the hardest things about getting a new car is getting it set up so you feel at home again, including transferring your music and media. Because we had this question over the weekend and because BMW USA does not have this resource, we figured the best way to help our customers would be to provide a simple step-by-step guide so your car can feel like home again, and you can get on the road as soon as possible.
If you are moving from iDrive 6 to iDrive 7:
The move from iDrive 6 to iDrive 7 is super easy and can be done in eight steps.
- Plug your USB into your car’s interface
- Navigate to “Media” → “Export”
- Export all of your songs onto a USB drive
- Plug the drive into the USB port in the new car with iDrive 7, select “Music Collection.”
- Next, select “Option”
- Select “Manage Music Collection”
- Select “Restore Music Collection from USB Drive”.
- All your media will port over and you’ll be back to normal.
If you are moving from iDrive 5 or older to iDrive 7:
On the previous generation harddrives, BMW ripped CD content and saved it as a .BR25 or .BRx file. This file type is exclusive to the BMW brand, and as non-standard as that format is, there is a way forward. In the newer iteration of iDrive, media files will be saved as either .MP3 or .ACC, which is more user friendly and easier to transfer to a backup solution.
We searched and searched for a way to convert the .BR25 and .BRx files back so they can be used on the new iDrive, and fortunately there is a developer out there that has a proven solution. Matthias Rebbe is frequently mentioned in the forums and has a program called BRx converter that you can be downloaded at a minimal cost, and will help you transfer from iDrive 5 (or older) to iDrive 7.
If you run into any issues while trying to export your media, you can always call us directly and speak to our BMW Genius, Meghan Galeli. She is the one who was initially asked this question and the one who tracked down all the right answers step by step.
9 comment(s) so far on How to Transfer Music and Media into iDrive 7
I tried to load songs from a USB thumb drive. In my attempt to test whether the upload would allow for songs inside a folder to import, the process corrupted the contents of the thumb drive. Fortunately, nothing critical on the drive, but i would like to attempt restoration because there was a folder with about 8 .mp4 files stored.
It looks as though everything in subfolders got erased, and since the files are inaccessible now, this is effectively true. There should be a warning about making sure one doesn’t attempt the Import from USB with files in subfolders!
We’re really sorry about this. Is this something you could discuss with one of our techs? If so, give us a ring and let us know how we can help. If the files are gone, then we are truly sorry.
I am in Australia and trying to download music to the hard drive in my new 330e. The music is either in MP3 or WMA format. The system does not recognize my thumb drive and so will not even open it. My I phone is recognized. Is there a solution as BMW Australia does not seem able to help? Thanks Harry
Hey Harry! Could be an issue with how many folders you have within the thumb drive. If not, we would try loading them onto a fresh thumb drive that is formatted to FAT32
I am having trouble figuring out how to delete music files that I downloaded on to the iDrive 7 hard drive (Music Collection) on my new 2020 530e
Hey Michael, we can help you with this. Can you shoot us an email to [email protected] so we can help you one-to-one?
Hi, I copied music from a CD onto the idrive (new 435) and wondered if i can then copy it from there to my iphone???
Hi Rebekkah, no it’s not possible to go from CD –> iDrive –> iPhone
Hi.
Just got my shiny new 1 series but cannot import my music onto drive. I can play all tracks direct from USB thumb drive but no import option to be seen.
Any help appreciated!