How can I bulk delete songs from the playlist, if original file could not be found.

I deleted the original files from the Library iTines. The songs are still in the playlist. How can I bulk delete songs from the playlist, if original file could not be found. Thank.

Take a look at my FindTracks script. Download it and test it out on a few tracks first. Use the No option first time around to manually confirm each path that it wants to fix so you can see how it works. When you're happy it does what you want select a larger group of tracks to process automatically.
tt2

Similar Messages

  • Songs cannot be used because original files could not be found.

    I had my laptop stolen with my original iTunes Music libary. The library was backed up on office server. When I copied bqackup to new laptop iTune file, the song list shows but all songs will not play with message:
    "the song "XXX" could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?"
    Unfortunately, the originals are on stolen laptop? Is there anything I can do!

    happyhannah wrote:
    I right-clicked on the song to 'get info' and found out that the path is 'file://localhost/users/Hannah/desktop/iTunes' etc. I remembered that I had moved the iTunes library to the desktop as not to forget to back it up.
    Hmm, if the active iTunes library knows where to look for files but they have been misplaced then putting them back where it expects to find them should work. However you should only be moving the media folder not the library files, or if moving both you should shift-start iTunes and choose a new library.
    Now, I have deleted the iTunes library from the (default) Music folder and have put it on the desktop with the hope that this is now where iTunes will find the original library. However, it's still not working!!! Please help!!! I really cannot lose my whole iTunes library
    As long as you have the media files and a copy of the library files from your old system it really should be possible to coax them back into working order.
    Are you currently connected to a library which lists your media? If so what is the path given for a sample missing file and where is the actual copy of that file now?
    tt2

  • HT1386 When I sync my i-phone with my pc, will it pull audio from my phone to my i-tunes on my pc?  My problem is I have songs on my pc that will not play - the message says "original file could not be found"... They play on my phone.

    I am not sure if the synching will pull the audio from my phone and replace the 'not working' files on my i-tunes, or if it will replace the working audio on my phone with the non-functioning audio on my pc.
    Thanks for any insight...

    No it won't.  You are getting that message because those song are no longer in your my music folder and itunes doesn't know where to look for the file.

  • Deleting Duplicates creates "original file could not be found" error

    I am not running iTunes 8.2.1.6 and trying to delete duplicates that were created as I tried to move my iTunes Library to other drives. Now I have many duplicates - sometimes 3-4 of the same song. If I delete them I begin to get "original file could not be found" error when trying to play the one version I kept.
    Is there some magic to which one I should keep?

    iTunes doesn't help you distinguish between duplicates that are two identical copies of the same file or two separate references to the one original file. If the later is the case and you delete any reference allowing the source file to be deleted then ALL other references to the file become invalid. You can either check the properties of each file before deleting and choose whether to keep or delete accordingly or use itunesremoveduplicates from Teridon's iTunes Scripts.
    tt2

  • How can I bulk delete contacts from my iPhone 4S? I've imported contacts from gmail and hotmail, many of which I don't need. Deleting them individually will take ages, there must be a quicker way. Also, are my contacts taking up space on my iPhone or

    How can I bulk delete contacts from my iPhone 4S? I've imported them from gmail and hotmail and there are many more than I need. Deleting them one by one will take ages, there must be a quicker way! Also, do contacts take up space on the phone or are they stored remotely?
    Thanks.. J

    You should be syncing your contacts with an app on your computer or cloud service (iCloud, Gmail, Yahoo, etc), and not relying on a backup.  If you haven't been doing this, start now and then restore your old backup.  You will then be able to sync the new contacts back into the phone.  However, you will lose all messages, etc newer thant the backup.

  • ITunes tells me "Could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?"  I can locate it and all my other music, but can only open one song at a time.  How do I set it to open all my music whenever I want it?

    iTunes tells me my song selection: "Could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?"  I can locate it and all my other music, but can only open one song at a time.  How do I set it to open all my music whenever I want?
    Message was edited by: Woildbill

    I just spent several hours dealing with this when switching to a new PC. It was extremely frustrating as I knew my files were on my external HD but no matter how many times I copied my old iTunes folder over the files were still missing...because dummy me had forgotten to "unhide folders" on my new PC and my old files were actually stored in a hidden folder created long long ago.
    This is how I did it on Windows 7 with iTunes 10
    1. Look in iTunes Advanced Preferences to see where iTunes is saving files. (Edit, Preferences, Advanced)
         Example: C:/Users/Woildbill/My Music/iTunes/Music
    2. Ensure you are able to see hidden files - Control Panel, Folder Option, View, Show Hidden Files
    3. Use Your Computer's Search Function to Locate the Missing File (Start, Search, type name of song - I started my search in "My Music" folder but be sure to expand to entire Computer if not found right away)
    4. In Search Results, right-click found folder and select properties. This will tell you where the file is actually stored.
    5. Use Windows Explorer (right-click start) to navigate to the location of the file. It is likley your other missing files are in the same location.
    6. In Windows Explorer, copy the newly located files to the iTumes location from Step 1 and everything should work again.
    Hope this helps!

  • Can someone please tell me the cause of the msg-The song could not be used because the original file could not be found- and how I might correct that problem?

    Can anyone please tell me the cause of the msg-The song"    " could no be used
    because the original file could not be found-and how I might correct that problem?  Lou

    I stupidly tried to copy my music files to an external drive so I could transfer them to my new iMac (old Macbook Pro is being retired). I now know I should've tried home sharing or something to transfer the music.
    Anyway, the situation I am in is that I have not managed to transfer anything and I now cannot access the music on my old Macbook Pro either! I have the message "the song 'xyz' could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?". I understand that this is because iTunes cannot locate the files. When I try to locate the files I find nothing.
    I have tried searching my whole Macbook Pro for mp3 files and m4a files and Spotlight cant find any! The tracks are all still listed in iTunes. I also searched the external hard drive. I definitely haven't deleted anything. So where could they have gone and is there anything else I can do to search for them? I have a feeling I am just not searching for them in the right way because I have not deleted anything.
    Old computer is Macbook Pro OS X 10.6.8 with iTunes 10.4.1
    New computer is iMac OS X 10.7.2 with iTunes 10.5
    All I want to do is to set everything back to how it was so I can try the transfer a better way.
    Please help. Thanks, Dashford.

  • I have moved my file from my old computer.  Now that I am trying to play songs and movies iTunes says the original file could not be found.  How do I reverse this problem?

    I have moved my file from my old computer.  Now that I am trying to play songs and movies iTunes says the original file could not be found.  How do I reverse this problem?

    Put the files back where iTunes expects them to be.

  • I recently reset my computer and copy my music from an external hard drive to my itunes library.  When I click on a song to play i get an error message that says " the song could not be used because the original file could not be found".  need help

    I recently reset my computer and copy my music from an external hard drive to my itunes library.  When I click on a song to play i get an error message that says " the song could not be used because the original file could not be found".  But when I have my external hard drive plug in the song will play with no problem.  What do I need to do to play my music without having the external harddrive plug in ????????  Please help

    Because the location for each song in your library is on your hard drive.  If the hard drive isn't there, how can iTunes play it?
    You'll have to move/copy the music from your hard drive to your computer's hard drive.
    Basically, EASIEST way to do all this, if you don't care about your play counts, etc...
    -Delete EVERYTHING from iTunes, so that your library is now empty.
    -Go to "Advanced" inside of the "Preferences" window, found in the "Edit" drop-down.  You can also access Preferences by pressing Ctrl+, (Press Ctrl and the comma key)
    -Change your iTunes Media Folder Location to something simple, but on your computer. I use C:/iTunes.  Make sure "Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized" and "Copy files to...." are both checked.  You can close Preferences now.
    -Now, drag and drop your music from your hard drive into your iTunes library.  iTunes will automatically add the music to your library, as you would expect, and also creates a copy of each file to place into that iTunes Media Folder you just created.
    Shouldn't have any more problems...

  • Error message when trying to play music on computer states The song ... could not be used because the original file could not be found.  However, my library shows how many items and the GBs used.  How do I locate the files?

    When I try to play my iTunes music on my computer, an error message comes up and state "The song (title of song) could not be used because the original file could not be found.  Would you like to locate it?
    When I click on Locate It, I cannot find where the music file may be located.  Does anyone have any suggestions?
    This all occurred when I attempted to do a backup to an external hard drive.  Unbeknownest to me, the files did not copy over and do not appear on the external hard drive. 
    When I open my iTunes library, at the bottom of my music list it shows how many songs and the GBs, so it appears that the files are still there; however, cannot be located.
    Thank you.

    Hi angela dfromtx,
    When tracks in iTunes display a it means the file cannot be located; it may have been moved or deleted. You'll have to locate the file manually if it is still available. For more information refer to the following article:
    iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
    http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1408
    Alternatively, if your media was downloaded from the iTunes Store, you may be able to download it again free of charge:
    Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
    Thanks,
    Matt M.

  • My partner deleted my itunes (10) library. I use a WD external back-up and retrieved my itunes library, but when i try to play a song i get the message 'could not be used because the original file could not be found Would you like to locate it?'

    My partner deleted, by accident my itunes library. I have an iMac 10.6.7, Itunes 10. I use an WD passport as an external back up and retrieved my itunes library but now get the message "could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?" so itunes is not recognised the exclamation marked songs, how do i get the retrieved files recognised. At times I get fed-up with Apple blocking files being used, although I like the product its restrictions are so silly!

    You not only have to retrieve the library file from the backup drive but the actual music files (usually stored within the "iTunes Media" folder) as well.

  • I cannot play music from my library on either my external drive or my laptop - keep getting same message "___ song (all of them) could not be used because the original file could not be found. I have tried changing the path in prefernces many times.

    I cannot play music from my libray on either my external drive or my laptop. I keep getting the same message - "___ song (all of them) could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?" I have changed the path several times under preferences and it still won't recognize any songs from either my laptop hard drive or my external drive. I can't play any music at all.

    I think I've fixed this on my machine.  If you look in the ITunes folder there is a subfolder called Previous iTunes Libraries.  In my case for some reason this contained the one which had always worked and a new one was in the main  folder.  I closed iTunes, deleted the new one, and moved the old one back to the main folder, then opened iTunes.  It then rebuilt the library and it plays correctly.  Hope it works for you.

  • My iTunes account sayscould not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it? whenever i click on a song and i didn't move the songs anywhere. I don't know if i saved them to my hard drive so i can't find any songs

    I downloaded something that was told to me to get to put some of my itunes songs onto my android phone. I think it synced my account, though. Whenever i click on a song an exclamation point comes up and something pops up and says "could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?" and i don't remember ever backing up my songs (this computer is fairly new) and now none of my songs come up. I have no idea what to do but ive spent hundreds of dollars on this account purchasing from the itunes store. Please help me!

    Tunes works through a database file which has a list of your tracks.  When you click on a track it looks up in the database which file it needs to play, then plays the file.  If something breaks this link then you get !  The two main ways to get ! are to move a file from where iTunes expects it to be, or to delete it altogether.  I don't know which has happened in your case.  You can try using Spotlight to find a file for the one referred to in a broken link.  If the files have been moved then they need to be moved back.  If they were deleted completely you will have to restore them from a backup or download them again from the iTunes Store and rebuild your library.

  • HT1933 I bought six songs using my itunes gift card in February but I cannot play the songs or downlaod them to my ipod because I get an error saying the original file could not be found.  I have used the gift card previously with no issue.  How do I fix

    I bought six songs using my itunes gift card in February but I cannot play the songs or downlaod them to my ipod because I get an error saying the original file could not be found.  I have used the gift card previously with no issue.  How do I fix it?

    Have you moved or deleted those tracks on your computer (the gift card has got nothing to do with it) ?
    You might be able to re-download them via the Purchased link under Quick Links on the right-hand side of the iTunes store home page on your computer's iTunes (re-downloading isn't possible in all countries) - if those songs appear there then delete the entries from your iTunes library (where you are clicking on them to play them and gettinf the 'original file' error), and they should then get a cloud symbol against them for re-downloading.
    If they don't appear in that link then have you got them on, for example, an external drive ?

  • When I try to play a song it says " The song "Take a Chance on Me" Could not be used because the original file could not be found" how do I fix this?

    When I try to play a song it says " The song "Take a Chance on Me" Could not be used because the original file could not be found" how do I fix this?

    1. delete this songs from your liblary
    2. go File -> Add File to Liblary... (Ctrl+O) or File -> Add Folder to Liblary

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