ITunes can't find most of my music!

Up to now, synching my iPad to my iMac has been a piece of cake. Suddenly on the latest synch, I get an alert informing me that half my list can't be found and will not be synched to my iPad. So I investigated and found all the music that iTunes claims to be missing still residing in the same folders in the iTunes folder where they have always been.
Is my copy of iTunes getting senile?

Very strange, I attempted to get iTunes to find it by using (what else) the Finder. It said it could not find it because it did not exist. So I went in manually and double-clicked on one of the lost songs and it went to QuickTime 7 and started to play. Huh?

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Itunes can't find most of my music - help!

I accidentally started moving my itunes folder to my desktop one day. I cancelled it but since then itunes hasn't been able to find most of my music. It's confused about it's location. I cleaned up my folders and made sure all of my music was in the one main itunes folder. I pressed consolidate library. Still itunes has no idea where most of my music is. I have thousands of songs and i don't want to go through my entire library telling itunes where each song is. There must be an easier way. Like i say, my songs are now clearly organised in one folder.

This is going to lose your playcounts, ratings, and playlists, but at this point all I can think of is, make a new blank library.
Directions on that:http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=iTunesWin/7.5/en/15502.html
Then drag the iTunes folder into it from Win Explorer, or used the files > add folder.

ITunes can't find any of my music

I've been using iTunes for a long time now. I keep all my music on an external (portable) drive with the exception of podcasts or downloaded music from the store. All of a sudden iTunes can't find any of my music. Everytime I click on a song to play that is stored on that drive I get the "!" mark and a box that says itunes couldn't find the song, do I want to search for it. I really don't want to have to do that to all 3k songs. My drive is fine, the songs are there. Could my library file have been currupted? This every happen to anyone else?

Do what Katrina says and that will most likely fix it.
Usually, when this happens, it's because a new device has been added via USB, like even a thumb drive.
When windows boots up, it assigns drive letters to the external devices. If it does it out of order from what it used to do, that effectively changes the location of your music files.
So if you've added anything to your computer via a different USB port, try taking that out. Of course you'd have to reboot after that.
But the permanent solution is what Katrina says, but you might need more detailed instructions on how to achieve what she says.
Look at the XML file to see what the drive is supposed to be. Open My Computer and match it with what your external harddrive is. If they don't match, there's your answer.
Once you fix that, your exclamation marks will disappear; you don't have to re-import or anything silly like that.

I moved all my music from c: drive(because it was full) to an external harddrive and now itunes can't find any of my music. Is there a way to get Itunes to find music on external drive without having to place all the music back onto the c: drive? Thanks

I moved all my music from c: drive(because it was full) to an external harddrive and now itunes can't find any of my music. Is there a way to get Itunes to find music on external drive without having to place all the music back onto the c: drive? Thanks

Hopefully you moved the entire iTunes Media (or iTunes Music) folder to a new path on your external drive. Copy your iTunes library folder out to the root of the external drive, e.g. X:\iTunes (where X: is your external drive), then move the media folder inside it. Hold down shift as you start iTUnes and keep holding untila asked to choose or create a library. Choose the library at X:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl. Should all be good.
Failing that, download and run my FindTracks script and point it at the new location of your media folder.
tt2

Itunes can't find alot of my music.....

I don't know what happen but oneday all my music or atleast the majority of them itunes can't find in my harddrive the names of all the song are in the library but once i click on them it take me to this screen where i have to search for them and there are not in my computer anying more....i shared my computer w/ my girlfriend so i don't know if she deleted them all by mistake somehow when she upgraded itunes.....if anyone know how i can get the back please help.....

Do what Katrina says and that will most likely fix it.
Usually, when this happens, it's because a new device has been added via USB, like even a thumb drive.
When windows boots up, it assigns drive letters to the external devices. If it does it out of order from what it used to do, that effectively changes the location of your music files.
So if you've added anything to your computer via a different USB port, try taking that out. Of course you'd have to reboot after that.
But the permanent solution is what Katrina says, but you might need more detailed instructions on how to achieve what she says.
Look at the XML file to see what the drive is supposed to be. Open My Computer and match it with what your external harddrive is. If they don't match, there's your answer.
Once you fix that, your exclamation marks will disappear; you don't have to re-import or anything silly like that.

ITunes update corrupted some of my music files so iTunes can't find the file, nor music I bought from the iTunes store.

After an iTunes generated update of iTunes, some of my music can't be accesed any more. When I try to play the file, iTunes says it can't find the link. This also happens with music I purchase from the iTunes store, so I've lost all this music; do I have to re-buy the purchased music again? My iTunes program is on my C drive, and the music library is on my D drive. In iTunes, I've set the ripped music to be placed in my D drive. The lost links are on some music files, but not others which do play music. Some compilation music files were split up into individual files, usually without LP art attached. Some album art was placed on wrong albums as well. Music with lost links have a ! mark beside the song name. File info says the link is on my C drive, but I can't find it there. Any ideas on how to get these lost files back. Thanks, Moizy.

Try this...
Empty/corrupt library after upgrade/crash
Hopefully it's not been too long since you last upgraded iTunes, in fact if you get an empty/incomplete library immediately after upgrading then with the following steps you shouldn't lose a thing or need to do any further housekeeping. In the Previous iTunes Libraries folder should be a number of dated iTunes Library files. Take the most recent of these and copy it into the iTunes folder. Rename iTunes Library.itl as iTunes Library (Corrupt).itl and then rename the restored file as iTunes Library.itl. Start iTunes. Should all be good, bar any recent additions to or deletions from your library.
See iTunes Folder Watch for a tool to catch up with any changes since the backup file was created.
When you get it all working make a backup!
tt2

For some reason itunes can't find original file for music. If I have purchased from Itunes do I have to re-purchase?

I keep losing music from my library because "itunes cannot locate original file". Why does my computer lose this? If I have purchased in itunes, can I copy again for free? how? Thanks.

kenfromoshawa wrote:
I keep losing music from my library because "itunes cannot locate original file". Why does my computer lose this?
If you are losing music which can mean the database in iTunes is not stable. Maybe you should do under File > Library > Organize Library > Consolidate Files.
Thanks and I did find the link, it now states that they have been downloaded but how do I copy thise files into my itunes or how does my itunes find those files? Again thank you for your help
Downloaded means you already have it in iTunes. If you've deleted them then you will see a cloud symbol. Click the cloud symbol and it will download into iTunes. (iCloud is your backup for all your purchased items)

Itunes can't find my music from old file

Although my music is available on my ipad and phone, Itunes can't find and play my music on my laptop. WTH?

+changed the location of the music folder to E: iTunes Music.+
All this does is make future additions go to that new place.
When you move things around outside of itunes, it loses the path, as you've found.
Can you move everything back and use the Consolidate Library command to move it to the new location?
Here is a good article from iLounge on what you need to understand about the process.
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to -a-new-hard-drive

ITunes suddenly cannot find any of my music (but I see it!!)

So all of my music (the entire library, including the library and xml files) are sitting on an external USB 2.0 drive, in this location:
e:/ITUNES/library
the xml and itl file is sitting at e:/ITUNES/
In advanced itunes preferences, my itunes library is set to stay organized, copy new music when opened in itunes, and the music folder is set to e:/ITUNES/library
All of the sudden, itunes can't find any of my music. I've tried to restart, no luck. I took a look in the XML file, and it is pointing at the G:/ drive instead of E for some reason (I don't even have a G drive!). I did a replace all with programmer's notepad (G:/ to E:/), but no luck. And when I re-open the xml file the next time, it's all back to G again....
any ideas??
Thanks

Your music will only be where you put it.
It has always been very basic to always maintain a backup copy. Have you failed to do this?
If for some reason you have failed to back up, then you can redownload some itunes purchases in some countries:
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store

Moved my music folder, iTunes can't find it

My music is there, but iTunes can't find it. I created a new music folder on an external HD because of space issues. I have set the preferences to find the music folder at the new location, then consolidated the library.
I deleted the original music folder in it's entirety. Apparently, that's bad. Is there a way to re-create that folder? Or is there another way to make iTunes find the music in it's new location?
Any help much appreciated.

If you deleted the original iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Library.xml files, you may need to re-load all the music. You should be able to go to File-Add Folder to Library, select the folder that holds all your music and have it re-loaded.

Move all my music to another folder but Itunes can't find the files!

I have all my music on my desktop in small folders for each artist.
But now i don't have room anymore, because i have to much music.
So i want to move it all in to a folder called "Music". But when i do that
Itunes can't find the files, and i have to search for each file, to find the new location instead of the desktop. How do i move my music more easily? So i don't have to synchronize it all in again, with the right album covers and that..
Please, need some help here!

You need to open your preferences file in iTunes and click on advance then select the location of where you put the folder. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

I can't find most of my files for the songs in my iTunes library and so cannot Sync them with my iPhone, Help please

Help please! When I try to sync my iPhone it tells me it can't find most of my files for the songs in my iTunes library, although the songs are there!!

Can anyone help?

ITunes Can't locate most music files

I updated iTunes and it can't locate most of my music. I'd say only about 10% and that being the most recent stuff I added is all it can locate... it asks me to look for the file and I point it exactly to where it should be.
I searched around and some have had this happen when they move files or store on an external HD whose name (ie F: or G:) switches. I did not do any of that, though, and everything is where it should be. The only answer seems to be reimporting the songs, I did that, but I have lost all my playlists, ratings, and counts.
I think this is a serious issue and no one seems to have an answer on how to solve it.

Welcome to AD!
Your best hope is to see if there is an ITL file in a folder named *Previous iTunes Libraries* that will have most of the metadata.
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1967

Bought new HD and now iTunes can't find my music

I just bought a new FW HD, WD My Passport. I copied all of my music from my old USB 2.0 HD to the new one and now iTunes can't find all the songs. It'll play probably 40 or 50 songs but the rest of them show the "!" next to the song name. Right now the only thing I can do to show iTunes where the songs are without having to rebuild my playlists is to manually point it to each individual song but since but that would mean pointing it to over 14,000 songs......... I DID go in to the preferences and changed the folder location to the new HD and it still won't find the files. But strangely enough, when I have the old HD plugged in, as well as the new one, it'll play everything just fine, checking the preferences shows that iTunes is pointed to the new folder but "Get Info" on individual tracks shows iTunes finding the file in the old HD, unplug old HD and files cannot be found. Why doesn't the **** program look where I want it to and what do I have to do to fix it? I know my description here isn't crystal clear so I'll gladly answer any question to help clear it up a little. ANY help is very much appreciated as I do not want to spend the next 3 weeks teaching iTunes one song at a time. Thank you.
Chris

For moving your iTunes library, I recommend this method...
Assuming you use the iTunes default settings where iTunes copied added items to your iTunes folder and organizes your library (meaning - everything is all self contained in the iTunes folder), then all you have to do is drag & drop your iTunes folder (not just the iTunes Music folder you find inside the iTunes folder) to the external drive and copy the entire thing.
If you want to test that it worked or would like to actually start using it from that location instead, use these instructions when you start iTunes to point it to the new location...
How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304447
If you are just testing, then close iTunes after you verify it works, and restart iTunes again with the same instructions and point it back to your internal drive (original) location.
Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307074
Patrick

Seems like the iTunes app has lost most of my music. How can I get my music back?

Seems like the iTunes app has lost most of my music. How can I get my music back?

A new version shouldn't do that but it does seem to happen on occasion to a few unlucky ones. Restore your library from the backup you make of your computer before you install new software. If you don't have one, this is a learning experience.
Your i-device was not designed for unique storage of your media. It is not a backup device and media transfer was planned with you maintaining a master copy of your media on a computer which is itself properly backed up against loss. Syncing is one way, computer to device, updating the device content to the content on the computer, not updating or restoring content on a computer. The exception is iTunes Store purchases which can be transferred to a computer.
iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848 - only purchases from iTunes Store
For transferring other items from an i-device to a computer you will have to use third party commercial software. See this document by turingtest2: Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991

ITunes can't find most of my music!

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