How to change which media syncs with your Zune device

This article explains how to control which content will sync with your Zune device by using the Sync Groups and the Sync options features in the Zune software.

Sync Options lets you control whether all or just some of your content will sync automatically. This setting also lets you control when the content will sync.

Sync Groups lets you control which content to sync with the Zune device. To create a sync group in the Zune software, use one of the following two methods:

• Drag an artist, an album, a genre, or other content that you want to the device icon on the lower-left side of the window.
• Use the sync group feature to manually create a sync group. This method lets you predefine a set of rules for your sync group.

When you set up your Zune device for the first time, you can choose between All Items I Choose and Manual Sync. Under Sync Options, if you select All for the content type, all of that content is synced automatically. If you select Items I Choose, you can sync artists, songs, and other items by dragging them to your Zune device. These become your sync groups. Or, you can create a sync group yourself. If you want even more control, you can manually sync all the content by selecting the Manual sync option.

To create a sync group, follow these steps:

1. Start the Zune software.
2. Connect the Zune device to the computer by using the sync cable.
3. Click settings, click device, and then click SYNC GROUPS.
4. Click New Group. This step opens the sync group dialog box in which you can create a sync group from the predefined sources and filters.
5. Under SYNC GROUP, type the sync group name that you want.
6. Under Source, select the source of the media that you want to include in the sync group. You can also select all the music, video, pictures, and collections from the menu.
7. Under Filters, select the filters to apply to your sync group from a predefined list. This step lets you specify what content will be included from the source that you selected in step 6.
   Note By default, filters are disabled.
8. Click OK to create your sync group.
9. Click OK again to close the Zune settings window and to begin to sync with your new sync group(s).