Industry guru Dave Taylor answers free tech support questions about a wide variety of business and technical topics, including blogging, Google AdSense, MySpace, Sony PSP, Apple iPod, Mp3 players, management, Linux, SEO, Mac OS X, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Microsoft Windows.

Still befuddled? Get immediate live tech support with SupportSpace!

How do I remove the maximum volume limit on my iPod?

I forgot the code to unlock the maximum volume limit on my iPod nano, is there some way to hack around it or otherwise get rid of it? I can't even hear my music when I'm on the bus!

Dave's Answer:

First off, a parental disclaimer: if your folks have set the maximum volume limit on your iPod then you really should talk with them about changing it. Honestly, a lot of kids are finding that their hearing is taking a hit from all the loud music and having the speaker shoved into your ear with an earbud, well, that's even worse. Before you decide to change it, can I suggest you read this article: Watch the Volume on your iPod. In it the researcher says:

"Maxing out the volume on a typical MP3 player -- such as the popular Apple "iPod" -- for anything more than five minutes a day can permanently damage a listener's hearing."

Still want to proceed? Well, okayyyyy....

If you know the code, you need to turn the iPod on but pause the music, then go to Settings --> Volume Limit and enter the combo by using the click wheel. Then move the maximum level to your desired point (or all the way to the right to disable it) and press the center button to accept the new setting.

If you don't know your code -- which is why you're reading this article in the first place, I bet -- then here's the bad news: the only way to get around the combination is to restore your iPod to the factory defaults, which means that it'll wipe out all your music, all your videos, photos, games, anything you've put on it. It'll end up as if you'd just pulled it out of a box, brand new.

If you can deal with that, which shouldn't be too bad if you have the disk space on your computer to do a full sync and double-check that all the content on your iPod is mirrored on your Mac or PC, here's how you restore the iPod to its pristine factory state.

Step one is to download iTunes, the very latest version, onto your computer and install it. Back up all the content from your iPod onto your computer using the program and double check that it worked so you don't end up losing your favorite songs and material.

Click on your iPod name on the left panel and you'll see a summary view of how much space you have on it, what kind of material you have taking up space, what version of the iPod software you have, and so on. On that screen you'll also see a Restore button in the middle of the screen, as shown in this image:

Apple iTunes / iPod: Restore iPod to Factory Settings

Once you click that, you'll see a warning:

iTunes Update: Are you sure you want to restore to get rid of your max maximum volume limit?

If you're good with that, click on "Restore" and you might find that you need to download a newer version of the iPod software. If so, you'll have four options: "Restore" using the same software version already on your iPod, "Use Same Version", which uses the same version even though there's a newer one available, "Use Newest Version", and "Restore and Update", which is the choice you should make of these four. Either way, you'll next see:

Restoring Apple iPod Shuffle / Nano / Video to factory state

And, after just a few minutes, you'll be looking at the initial screen of the iPod configuration setup sequence:

Setup Apple iPod post-restore / reformat operation

Now you should be able to pour all your music, audiobooks, video, photos, games, etc etc onto the newly restored iPod and enjoy it all without any volume limit.

Please, though, be careful. Immersive music is one thing, but losing your ability to hear is something else entirely. It's not worth it. Really.

Help others find this article at Del.icio.us, Digg, Netscape, Reddit, and Simpy.

Categorized: Sony PSP, MP3 Players, Etc. (Article 7450)
Tagged: apple ipod, apple itunes
Previous: I didn't apply to refinance my home, but... ?
Next: Is the Apple iPhone going to be a business phone?

Still Have Sony PSP Questions?
Looking for all your Sony PSP answers in one place, organized as a convenient quick reference work? Then you need Dave's Everything Guide to the Sony PSP, a 150-page ebook ready for you to download right now!

Subscribe!

Never miss another useful Q&A article again! Subscribe to AskDaveTaylor with Google Reader.

Comments

Actually there is an easier way to do it on the ipod itself.

Instructions as follows..

The main ipod menu >> settings >> Reset All Settings >> Reset

Easy!

Posted by: oliver at June 28, 2007 10:27 AM

You can also try to use the small PC application that is here http://www.hiddenvision.co.uk/ipod

Hope that hekps

Posted by: Steve at July 13, 2007 9:05 PM

I know what to do but I dont know how to transfer my music to the new file before I restore it?????

Posted by: Jeffrey at August 23, 2007 7:18 AM

Hi Dave, was wondering if you had any advice for me? I've been given an old iPod which has been formatted by a Macintosh. Is there any way of reformatting it for Windows XP. I've just downloaded Itunes 4.7 and when I plugged the thing in via firewire it came up with a restore option. However it comes up with "Only windows formatted Ipods can be restored". Is there a way of changing it over? Thanks, Karl

Posted by: Karl at October 4, 2007 5:10 PM

Karl, please see this:

http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_to_reformat_mac-formatted_ipod_windows_xp.html

Posted by: Dave Taylor at October 17, 2007 11:09 AM

Is there another way cause i dont want to restore it i have so many songs and pictures?

Posted by: tyler at February 1, 2008 10:58 PM

Easy peasy way that doesn't involve restoring.

Normally you would have to restore your iPod, but if you follow these instructions carefully and don't delete anything else you're not supposed to delete, it will work.

First, plug your iPod into iTunes and in the main iPod screen, scroll down and select Enable Disk Mode (or Enable Disk Use). Then eject your iPod and plug it back in. Your iPod should now be in My Computer. Double-click on your iPod.

Then enable hidden folders.
First, go to Tools and then click Folder Options. Then click on the View tab, and under Hidden Files and Folders, click Show Hidden Files and Folders.
Then go to the hidden folder called iPod_Control, and in that folder, double click on the folder called Device. Once there, delete the file named "_volumelocked". Be careful. Don't delete anything else.

After you've done all that correctly, eject your iPod (using iTunes). Then restart your iPod by holding down the center and menu button until the screen shows an Apple logo.

Once your iPod has done this, check and make sure that it worked. Go into Settings, then Volume Limit. If it doesn't ask for a code, it worked! If not, have another go and see if it works.

Posted by: Sam at February 17, 2008 3:08 AM

If you're like me, and have 30 gb worth of music and videos, you don't want to do that.
Here's the quicker way:
Steps(Mac)

1. Enable hidden folders.
If you go into Terminal and run these two commands all the hidden files appear when you open Finder.
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE
killall Finder
To get back to hiding hidden files use these commands
defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles FALSE
killall Finder
2. Navigate to the hidden folder named "iPod_Control", and once there click on the folder "Device". Once there, delete the file named "_volumelocked".
3. Eject your iPod. Then, restart your iPod. You can do this by holding down the center and menu button for at least 6 seconds.
4. Once your iPod has rebooted, check and make sure that it worked. Simply go into "Settings", "Volume Limit". If it asks for a PIN, you did it WRONG. Retry the above procedure.

Steps(Windows)

1. Enable hidden folders.
Go to "Tools", "Folder Options". Then click on the tab called "View", and under "Hidden Files and Folders", click "Show Hidden Files and Folders". I honestly do not know how to do this on a mac. I'm simply stupid.
2. Navigate to the hidden folder named "iPod_Control", and once there click on the folder "Device". Once there, delete the file named "_volumelocked".
3. Eject your iPod. Then, restart your iPod. You can do this by holding down the center and menu button for at least 6 seconds.
4. Once your iPod has rebooted, check and make sure that it worked. Simply go into "Settings", "Volume Limit". If it asks for a PIN, you did it WRONG. Retry the above procedure.

Posted by: Lilly Evans at March 1, 2008 10:15 AM

I have a lot to say, but ...

I have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but most of all I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a chai!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!