Best Way to Move Songs into Existing iTunes Installation

I have been using iTunes on my fairly new iMac so I already have a library of songs on it. My old iMac has some songs in iTunes which are also on my new iMac and has many others which are not on my new iMac. I want to move everything from my old iMac to the new one. What's the best way to copy the music onto my new iMac and put it in iTunes? I don't want to lose anything on my new installation but I'd like to avoid duplications if possible. Do I copy my whole "Music" folder or the "iTunes" folder or the "iTunes Music" folder? And at what "level" of iTunes do I drop it in?
Thanks,
Steve M.

have you consider using _*Home Sharing*_ to transfer the content ?
another option would be 3rd party apps such as PowerTunes or TuneRanger.
JGG

Similar Messages

When I download music into Itunes and move songs into playlists, Itunes has twice randomly deleted all recently added songs from the playlists they have been added to. It is driving me crazy. Has anyone else had this problem?

When I download music into Itunes on my PC, every song is transferred into a specific playlist. Twice now when I have opened up Itunes, all the recent songs that have been moved into playlists have been deleted by Itunes. I now have to go back and figure out which songs are missing and re-add them. It is driving me crazy. I have 10,000 songs and now have no idea which ones are missing and which ones have been retained.
Please help. Does anyone else have this problem?

Hi TRuss08,
Thank you for contributing to the Apple Support Communities.
It sounds like songs are missing from iTunes on your PC, and need to be re-added. I know that can be a frustrating situation.
The tips in this article may help the process go a little smoother:
iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads - Apple Support
All the best,
Jeremy

What is the best way to move part of my iTunes library to an external drive?

After many years of collecting iTunes content on my Mac, I'm starting to get low on internal hard drive space. I'd like to move my movies and tv shows to an external drive while keeping all other content where it is. I have found numerous explanations on how to do this, but they vary widely in their methods and most of them are at least a couple of years old.
Could anyone with recent experience share with me the best practices for doing this? In addition, I'd love to know this: Although I have a firewire external drive, but I don't keep it connected at all times and would prefer to put the files on my Time Capsule, since it connects to the Mac wirelessly. Would that work?
Thank you!

I don't think it is easy to move part of a collection unless you don't care about the metadata such as date added, etc. You can copy the files to the other drive, delete in iTunes the references to the copies still on your computer, then hold down the option key while dragging the files on the external to iTunes so it doesn't copy them back to your internal but just references them where they are. You have to remember to do this each time. Either that, or set preferences so iTunes does not automatically copy any file to your media folder when added but leaves them all where they land on your computer. You can move them by hand around the computer, but not between drives.
You could try Dougscript "Move Files To Folder" but I don't know if this enables iTunes to track items moved to a different drive. iTunes doesn't really like using multiple drives.
As for using Time Capsule, I have seen various takes on this. I recall reading somebody saying it isn't a good idea to have a backup drive competing for dual purposes. My take on it is, TC is a backup, period. If you keep your movies on it and the TC drive dies, you lose your only copy of the movies.
How often do you really watch these movies? Yes, it is nice having them appear in iTunes, but unless you are watching them every day then it isn't a huge burden to have them on another drive. Frankly, if I had iTunes movies I would probably make a whole different library for them and start from it with the external drive turned on when I was in a movie mood.

HT5848 Any way to move the Radio tab (Itunes Radio) right? Because it's the left-most tab, it loads first..forcing me to click on songs every time itunes loads. I'll never use ITunes Radio. The screen will forever be trying to sell me on using it. Its fr

Any way to move the Radio tab (Itunes Radio) right? Because it's the left-most tab, it loads first..forcing me to click on songs every time itunes loads. I'll never use ITunes Radio. The screen will forever be trying to sell me on using it. Its free, I know. Still not using it.

Margthecar wrote:
Apple has to stop pretending that their technology is not complicated. It is. Apple has to stop pretending users won’t have problems. They will. Apple needs to train their employees in their own technology.
Awesome post. This is the best description I've seen of what continually makes me angry about Apple. I guess their attitude is, "Whoa, look at all this money! If it ain't broke, why fix it?" And Margthecar the I keep shoveling money into their coffers ....

Best way to move iTunes library & media from MacBook to mini server?

First, I searched the forums (parameter: "itunes") and didn't see this addressed.
Second, I searched the web (using multiple parameters), and didn't find an answer on point. I saw discussions about moving the iTunes library (well, media files) to another location (but same computer) and discussion about manually copying everything (with warnings about ensuring that the volume name and path are exactly the same, or else it's totally messed up).
That said, I currently use SL on a MacBook and I'm getting a mini with SLS. Among other things, I'd like the core of my iTunes media to be on the mini (for direct playback to my TV and for serving/sharing to my Apple TV). I'll still use iTunes on the MacBook for selected media (like books).
My media includes both iTunes purchases and non-DRM'd media.
Question: does SLS come with Migration Assistant and will this move my iTunes library from my MacBook (with SL) to the mini (with SLS)? I'm not interested in a migration assistant to move servers (web, email servers) or apps, or documents for that matter, as this is not a server move (some discussions online focused on this).
If it doesn't, what's the best way to move my iTunes library and media from my "clien" machine to the server so that playlists, ratings, purchases, etc. are all intact?

MrHoffman wrote:
iTunes has its own private little world, and this question isn't really specific to Mac OS X Server, and the generic media-transfer discussion will likely receive better coverage over in the [iTunes forum|http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=149].
Mac OS X Server doesn't do anything special with iTunes, and likely doesn't do anything specific with it at all; you're going to a "different" Mac, and server makes this more akin to a transfer to a new Mac, rather than the "replacement Mac" sequence seen with Mac OS X client.
I'd be surprised if this music transfer wasn't something that could be sorted out (within the limits of the copyrights) from some FAQ over in the iTunes forum, or from some of the following support articles:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1329
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1848
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1203
http://support.apple.com/kb/TA38534
See if the folks over in the iTunes forum have something for this. (And again, server likely isn't relevant here; you're "just" going to transfer your music to a different Mac box here, and one that happens to run Mac OS X Server.
Thanks for the links - unfortunately, none of those are on point. The reason this is unique to server, I think, is that in the case of a regular mac to mac transfer, you would use Migration Assistant, and the move is easily done. But in seems like server doesn't come with Migration Assistant.
I suppose when I get it, I'll first try copying Migration Assistant to it, and try to run it. That will probably fail (but you never know), so my next attempt will be to have my MacBook move the media to the server (as if the server is simply network storage), and then copy over the library files. (I'm hoping that will enable the file paths to remain intact.)
The mini server is special in that it is the most appropriate home server, and home servers should be expected to do double duty - and outright server, and desktop. So, it would be handy for Apple to include Migration Assistant with the mini server.

What is the best way to move multiple formats of songs/photos/podcasts to a new computer?

For most of my life, I have used my family's home Windows desktop to establish my iTunes account with my iPod Classic (5th gen). On this computer I have:
iTunes store purchases
CD imports
Other MP3 files
Podcasts
Photos downloaded from online
Now I am in college in another city, and I won't be able to come home much, so I'm setting up iTunes on my laptop as my new "home base", as it were. I've already authorized it under the same account that I use on my desktop. What is the best way to move all of this stuff from my old computer to my new one? I'm thinking an external hard drive is the best decision, but I want the input of the Apple community. You guys are much more knowledgable than I am! Thanks!

Hey Alayna,
Welcome to Apple Support Communities, and thanks for the question! I'm not really in a position to recommend a "best" option, as there are several different ways to go. You can read over your options in the following document and decide which one works best for you:
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4527
Have a good one,
David

Best way to move large iTunes library?

I have a large (nearly 1Tb) iTunes library of music, videos and TV shows and have almost reached the capacity of the HDD they currently eside upon. At the moment they ae on a Wester Digital My Book, attached by USB to my TimeCapsule. I have just ordered a larger La Cie drive to put them on and plan to attach this to my iMac directly, by Firewire (I don't have a Thunderbolt iMac). The TimeCapsule is attached to the iMac by Ethernet cable.
I know the best way to move an iTunes library is to point the library at the new location and then 'Organise Library' from the File menu. I suspect this will take a while, with so much data to transfer. I am wondering if I would be better to attach both drives to my computer directly and transfer the files across, then point the iTunes library at the new location - would this work? It is vital that whatever I do keeps all the metadat intact, as I spent ages tagging all my DVDs. I don't care about play counts and my Playlists can easily be remade, so I don't mind losing them.
Any advice is gatefully received,
Steve

I have a 270 gig iTunes folder and a 260gig Iphoto Library and used this technique to massively speed up the transfer to an external USB3 drive. It uses terminal commands i found here:
http://www.cnet.com/au/news/using-the-os-x-terminal-instead-of-the-finder-to-cop y-files/
I used this command successfully to achieve 3 GB per minute transfer.
First open Terminal app (easy to find in spotlight)
Type the following noting that all content in () is an instruction for you to complete or a spacebar between text. "c (space) -av (space) (drag source folder directory onto open terminal app window) /* (space) (drag destination folder onto open terminal app window) /"
Your transfer should begin
NOTE: If you are using this for your iPhoto or Aperture libraries there are many index files containing meta data of your photos. This may appear to not transfer large amounts of data while transferring these files before getting to the .jpg or .RAW files. Don't worry, be patient, once these are done the speed will pick up considerably.
I hope this helps,
Matthew

What is the best way to move my itunes from one computer to another and retain all files?

what is the best way to move my itunes from one comupter to another?

I assume you mean the media and playlists, not the iTunes application.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

What is the best way to move my itunes music library from my old computer to my new one?

what is the best way to move my itunes music library from my old computer to my new one?

Home Sharing is option A.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3819
Option B is consolidating the library to an external HD.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1364
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1751
Or you can use one of the other 8000 methods. I just prefer these two.

Best way to move iTunes library from network drive to NAS drive?

Hi all,
I need to move my iTunes library which currently lives on a Buffalo network drive to a new Synology NAS drive.
What is the best way to move the library?
Thanks,
Ed

iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music [library] to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527 - a somewhat bewildering and not always easily understandable set of options.
Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the new location of the library.itl file in the moved iTunes folder.

Best way to move iTunes to different user account

My wife and I share a computer and it has a separate user account for each of us. She got an iPod but set it up and synced it on my account instead of hers. That was not a problem until now. I got an iPhone and want to set it up and sync in my account. What folders and files do I need to move from My Documents/Music to hers? Or what would the best way to move her personalized Ipod settings, etc? Thanks.

I don't know if it's what you're looking for, but it's worth reading: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203 or http://forums.ilounge.com/archive/index.php/t-176735.html

Best way to move all music to new hard drvie and computer

I'm updating my existing computer, will be installing Vista home premium to new hard drive on new computer, using some of my existing hardware - setting up existing hard drive as secondary drive to move data over - I was hoping to backup all itunes files to the hard drive and then restore from backup to new drive but I can only backup to DVD - which i dont want to do. Once Itunes is setup on the new computer, whats the best way to move all files from the old directory without losing the purchased folder and all settings? thanks.
Windows XP Pro

Make the drive name the same as the old one, or point to the first file when asked. PR will then find the rest of the files, at least if they are in the same directory.

HT1589 what's the best way to move content to a new library I created ie a holiday music only library?

what's the best way to move content to a new library I created ie a holiday music only library?

Sophie:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. You're only hope to recover the library as it once was is to: 1 - if you have a backup copy of your iPhoto Library or 2 - you can put everything back exactly the way it was in the Finder.
Otherwise you'll have to start over with a new library and import the Originals folder from your current library as follows:
Creating a new library while preserving the Events from the original library.
Move the existing library folder to the desktop.
Open the library package like this.
Launch iPhoto and, when asked, select the option to create a new library.
Drag the Originals folder from the iPhoto Library on the desktop into the open iPhoto window.
This will create a new library with the same Events as the original library if you have the Finder checkbox unchecked in the Events preference pane.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 08 libraries and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Best way to move Chrismas music off ipod until next christmas

What is the best way to move all Christmas music off my ipod? I want to be able to also easily restore it next November. I just don't want to hear Christmas music in March. Thanks

If you are like me and you want to copy checked and non checked songs then do this from iTunes:
1) make sure all your xmas songs are under one genre (xmas versus holiday or whatever)
2) create a play list for that genre
3) export the song list for that genre
4) select all songs in that genre and hit the delete key
5) choose yes for deleting the songs and choose no for deleting the files
6) store the exported file list in a safe place
7) next xmas, import the exported file list

How do I put all my iPod songs into my iTunes library?

I got my iPod in October, and at the time I didn't own a computer. I used my dad's computer to put songs from my CDs onto my iPod.
Today I finally bought my own laptop, a Mac iBook. I'm trying to load all my iPod songs into my iTunes, but I can't figure out how.
Thanks for any help!

Hello Colleen,
The transfer of music is designed to be one way by default - from iTunes to iPod. However, there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the files from your iPod. This is just a selection but I would recommend Senuti, I have used it myself and it's very user friendly.
Senuti Mac Only
iPodRip Mac Only
YamiPod Mac and Windows Versions
PodUtil Mac and Windows Versions
iPodCopy Mac and Windows Versions
http://www.ipodsoft.com/index.php?/software/
Have a look at the web pages and documentation for these and pick one you are happy with, they are generally quite straightforward.

Best Way to Move Songs into Existing iTunes Installation

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for