Bought a MBA and am trying to keep iTunes files on an external hard drive. Having problems.

Hi, I bought a MBA 13" and want to keep my iTunes files on an external hard drive to save space.However, I keep running into problems. I can't get the iTunes Media folder to stay on the folder in my external hard drive. Whenever I unplug it, regardless if iTunes is open or not, it changes back to the media file on the MBA. I tried renaming the media folder and deleting it, but the computer just makes another if I do that and then ends up deleting my whole library, forcing me to load it all back from my hard drive. Can anyone help me out on this? Thanks.

In iTunes 11 uncheck the preferences setting in in the iTunes Preferences panel "Advanced > Copy Files to iTunes Media folder when adding to Library"

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How do I keep a file on my external hard drive and delete it from my internal hard drive?

I have a iMac with 1 TB internal hard drive, connected to it is a 3 TB Seagate external hard drive using Time Machine to back up my computer.
I use this computer for making family movies with videos and pictures. My 1 TB internal hard drive is now almost full with only 200 GBs of storage left on it. My external drive has 1.62 TBs of space left on it. I would like to delete a lot of the videos on my internal hard drive and keep them only on the external hard drive. I've tried this and it tells me I cannot do it because it is part of the Time Machine back up. Why can't I manage my computer files as I would like??
Also once you import pictures into Aperture or videos into iMovie, good luck having access to the initial files you imported. It seems once these programs get hold of your files they aren't accessible to you any more. I don't understand that! Anyway can anyone help me get the files I want off my iMac and onto my external Seagate hard drive?
Thanks in advance!

CCLIANA wrote:
My sister is trying to rename a file on an external hard drive...
What is the File...?

TS1967 In the past, when I updated iTunes, some items would be 'lost'. I quit updating, still running 10.6 i do keep my files on an external hard drive, which I plug in before starting iTunes. If I leave the drive off, and update, would that keep me from

In the past, when I updated iTunes, some items would be 'lost'. I quit updating, still running 10.6. I do keep my files on an external hard drive, which I plug in before starting iTunes. If I leave the drive off, and update, would that keep me from losing any files? Also, does anyone know how to search the iTunes store by price? I'm particularly interested in movies and audiobooks... Thanks

iTunes does not have provision for automatically storing one kind of media on a separate drive, so you have some basic decisions to make first. Do you want these movies to still appear in your iTunes library, or are you content with browsing filenames on a drive in Finder when you want to look for one? The second's the easiest thing because then you don't have to have an external drive permanently turned on and attached to your computer (wired or wireless). To do that you literelly only need to drag your movies folder to an archive drive and delete movies from iTunes. To watch them again you can add it back to iTunes while holding down the option key so the movie is used from its location on the external drive.
There's ways to move the movies to an external drive while keeping them in iTunes but the external drive iwll always have to be turned on and connected to the computer or you will see a bunch of broken link exclamation marks.
Realize what you are talking about is not "backup". Backup (which you should do) is putting a second or more copy of items on external drives for the day when your internal drive fails and everything on it is lost, inclduing all your home photos and perhaps things that have been pulled from the iTunes Store and can no longer be re-downloaded.

I accidentally deleted my media files from iTunes and Trash when I was trying to move the files to an external hard drive. Is there a way to restore the media files from a Time Machine backup or from iTunes Match? What are the steps to do this?

I accidentally deleted my media files from iTunes and Trash when I was trying to move the files to an external hard drive. Is there a way to restore the media files from a Time Machine backup or from iTunes Match? What are the steps to do this?

If you have been backing up on Timemachine.
All you need to do is enter time machine... Then the rest is obvious.
Find the iTunes folder and hit 'Restor'.
If not the only way to get all your iTunes music back is to enter iTunes Store.
On the right hand side you should see 'Purchased'.
Click 'purchased' and there you have it.

I need to do a clean install of maverick on my 2010 mbp what disk do i use and how do i move certain files from an external hard drive

I want to do a clean install of maverick on my 2010 mbp. I need to know what disk to use and also how i take certain files off my external hard drive and put on my computer. When I was having problems with my airport they did a clean install and they pulled files of my time machine.   however they forgot to put the partition back in for a windows side. Originally I had Parellels on my computer. After my external hard drive got corrupted i called apple and they fixed the problem but didn't have me set up the time machine except for the external hard drive. Now my only back up is from the external not from the laptop.    I am not sure how to do any of this. I am not computer savvy...PLEASE I NEED HELP>

First, you need to make a backup of your MBP onto your external drive. I suggest you start by cloning your MBP drive to the external drive:
Clone Mavericks, Lion/Mountain Lion using Restore Option of Disk Utility
Boot to the Recovery HD:
Restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the COMMAND and R keys until the menu screen appears. Alternatively, restart the computer and after the chime press and hold down the OPTION key until the boot manager screen appears. Select the Recovery HD and click on the downward pointing arrow button.
     1. Select Disk Utility from the main menu then press the Continue
         button.
     2. Select the destination volume from the left side list.
     3. Click on the Restore tab in the DU main window.
     4. Select the destination volume from the left side list and drag it
         to the Destination entry field.
     5. Select the source volume from the left side list and drag it to
         the Source entry field.
     6. Double-check you got it right, then click on the Restore button.
Destination means the external backup drive. Source means the internal startup drive.
This clone is fully bootable and also contains a clone of your Recovery HD.
Second, you need to do a clean install of OS X onto your MBP as follows:
Install or Reinstall Mavericks or Mountain Lion from Scratch
Be sure you backup your files to an external drive or second internal drive because the following procedure will remove everything from the hard drive.
OS X Mavericks- Erase and reinstall OS X
OS X Mountain Lion- Erase and reinstall OS X
OS X Lion- Erase and reinstall Mac OS X
Note: You will need an active Internet connection. I suggest using Ethernet if possible
            because it is three times faster than wireless.
This should accomplish your goals. You will have a clean install of OS X on your MBP and a bootable clone of your old system and all your files on the external drive.

My start up disk is full and I need to move my files to an external hard drive, how do i do so?

My start up disk is full and i need to move my files to an external hard drive, how do i do so?

Ensure that the external is correctly formatted
Drag and dropped the files
Test to be sure that the moved files work
Once the moved files work delete the originals
Allan

Can i keep itunes content on an external hard drive

how to keep itunes content on an external hard drive

Thanks Niel, I tried it and got this. What am I missing

I've tried moving my iTunes library to an external hard drive but it is still on my local C drive?

Hi there,
I am working on PC equipment here, not Apple. I have tried consolidating my my iTunes library and changing the "iTunes Media folder location" to my external hard drive as described on some discussions on this website and at first it seemed to work. But when I disconnect my external hard drive (E: drive) and click my iTunes icon on my desktop, iTunes still comes from my local C: drive, so iTunes is still there taking up all my memory space on C:drive. What I want to do is set up my iTunes to be entirely on my my external E: drive and not on my C:drive at all (it is taking up WAY too much memory on my c:drive). So here are my questions:
1. If I have correctly copied all my iTunes library onto my E:drive - is it just a copy and all the original information is still in C;drive as well? If so, how do I go about clearing my library in C:drive?
2. Do I have to 'unistall' iTunes from my C:drive to get rid of all my memory robbing iTune files. If so, how can I make sure that all my information has been copied onto my external E:drive before I get rid of all my music? I don't want to lose everything?
I just want to clear up my local C:drive on my laptop to get my memory back, what can I do?
Thanks.

Thanks so much for your tip!! I did that, but it says there's no files in the library.
Originaly in Itunes > preferences>advanced>under folder location I put in new path pointing to the Ex HD. made a new folder for my son's library "Nick's Itunes Library". (Keep itunes media folder organized is checked).
Clicked on change.
Then i was prompted ot move the exisiting files over which I did. Went to File>Library>Organize Library>consolidate files>OK
I did all that. I closed itunes, went to the external HD to verify all the files were there. They were. Went back into itunes on the mac mini HD and deleted the files one at a time. I realize that this whole thing is not a deal breaker as it is all in iCloud. And can be downloaded again if necessary. But I want to know how to do this manually.
I just checked the external HD again. The files are there, Itunes isn't recognizing them is my guess.

Trying to move iTunes library to new external hard drive

I'm trying to move my iTunes library to a new, second, external hard drive and I'm not having much luck. I have two G-Tech 500 GB external drives. One is my Time Capsule and the other one I plan to use to house my iTunes and iPhoto libraries -- I want to free up space on my internal drive.
The iPhoto library moved over to the new disk with no problems. iTunes, on the other hand, keeps hanging up, with the "beach ball of death" and a lot of file error messages. I began moving my iTunes library onto the external drive by following these steps:
• Open iTunes
• Go to Itunes Preferences
• Click the Advanced Tab
• Note where the Music Library's located under iTunes Media folder location
• Navigate to the folder and drag the library onto the external HD.
The plan was to then go back over to iTunes and input the folder location in the iTunes Preferences so iTunes can find the library again. However, the simple drag-and-drop just isn't working. My iTunes library is about 10,000 songs and videos; if I have to do this album by album (which seems to be working, but I'm still having the occasional hang-up and freeze) it will take weeks! Has anyone had this problem before, and if so, did you find a fix?
Any advice is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance for taking the time to look -- Tom

the support article Dennis pointed you to would consolidate your media files to the external but keep the iTunes folder on your startup disk.
another approach would be to copy the entire iTunes folder to the external and run your library from there (this assumes that all your media files are currently in <MacintoshHD>/users/<yourname>/music/iTunes/iTunes music).
so, if you're willing, start over yet again. before you proceed, erase the external using disk utility and make sure it is formatted for Mac (make sure the partition map scheme of the drive is GUID and the volume is Mac OS extended (journaled)).
now copy the entire iTunes folder (not just the iTunes music folder) to the external using the finder. when the copying has finished, launch iTunes while holding the option key, click on +choose library+ when prompted, and select the iTunes folder on the external.
once you're satisfied everything worked as expected, you can delete the contents of your local iTunes music folder.
JGG

Keeping iTunes library on an external hard drive

Hi,
I am about to order a 1 TB external hard drive to store my photos and iTunes library on.
It will have Firewire 800, so will my iTunes access files on the external drive as fast if they were the internal drive? ( and will iPhoto do the same? )
Cheers.

Hi, I am also having trouble moving my library. I've looked at a million threads related to this and it looks like other people have had similar issues, but I still can't seem to resolve it. I moved my iTunes music folder from one external hard drive to a larger one. then I went into iTunes-->Preferences-->Advanced, and selected the new location on the new hard drive. Then I clicked file-->Library-->Consolidate Library. Now when I click songs, I still get the message "The song "..." could not be used because the original file could not be found." I also tried quitting out of iTunes, and then opening it while holding option. Even after I selected the new location of the folder that way, I'm still running into the same problem. What am I missing?
Jon

HT5085 I bought a new computer. I backed up my old computer and put my itunes library on an external hard drive, that I then uploaded to the new computer. However, how do I access my Itunes account and use the $25.00 or so credit that Ihave and purchase

I bought a new computer, I backed up my itunes library on an external hard drive from the old computer. I then uploaded the external hardrive to my new comupeter Windows 8 - How do I access my apple store account to purchase additional music and use the $25 or so dollars I have in credit. ?
Thanks - Patti

You should be able to log into your account via the Store > Sign In menu option - if the drop-down menus aren't showing the control-B should them to show.
Your balance should be accessible wherever you are signed into the account. My account's balance shows at the top left of the store's page on my computer's iTunes, and by logging in to view my account via the Store > View Account menu option (that option will only show after you've signed in).

Can i keep my music files on an external hard drive and somehow sync the songs from there?

I have just purchased a new mac book pro, but don't want to fill up all it's memory with music files that i have on my external hard drive. Is there a way that i can keep the files on the external hard drive without having to upload them onto my computers drive, and still play them in iTunes ?

Yes. Just in iTunes>Preferences>Advanced specify the external drive as the location of your iTunes media library. To move an extisting library
iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder

Keeping itunes files on 2 external drives?

i keep my itunes files on an external hard drive right now, i just got a 500gb external drive to back up all my files. how can i keep my current drive as a primary drive for itunes to load up to and also have the files copied into the new drive as a backup all the time? i want all files current and if i change info on a song or album it will upgrade on both drives. how can i backup all my itunes files onto the new hard drive and still have it be recognized by itunes.

Here is what I do if it will assist you.
The iTunes folder is in the My Documents-Music folder.
I copied the whole iTunes folder to an external hard drive as a backup. When I download a new song, movie, upload a new movie from a DVD movie, etc. I copy this song, movie, etc. to the external hard drive and then copy the iTunes Music Database file and iTunes Music Library file over.
So, when I make a change I copy the file over and move the two; iTunes database and library file over.
It works. I have restored to 6 installs already and everything is there in place. I dont have to do anything.
(Oh, dont forget to deauthorize the computer when formatting the computer)
It looks like this is what you are doing.
I have 375GB of iTunes data and am converting all my 300 DVDs to MP4 and uploading into iTunes. Love watching movies on my iPhone. No one bothers me . You cant make DVDs with this much data so an external 500GB+ hard drive is needed. The first move is long, but moving additional files over is pretty quick.
Also as a 3rd backup my iTunes folder is also on my work computer. It takes longer to move changes over...Primary iTunes folder to external drive. Take external drive to work someday and move the files there. Done.
Message was edited by: Wizarc
Message was edited by: Wizarc

How can I transfer and operate my 2tb itunes library to an external hard drive?

How can I transfer and operate my 1.8tb itunes library to an external hard drive?

Drag the entire library there, launch iTunes with the Option key held down, and choose it.
(114893)

I am a long time iTunes user but a new MacBook owner! :) I keep the majority of my music files on an external hard drive. I'm trying to view all those files on my MacBook through iTunes. With windows you would go to : File/Add To Library, and iTunes w

I am a long time iTunes user but a new MacBook owner! I keep the majority of my music files on an external hard drive. I'm trying to view all those files on my MacBook through iTunes. With windows you would go to : File/Add To Library, and iTunes would add all your selected files to your music library BUT WOULD NOT COPY THEM TO YOUR HARD DRIVE. In other words, if the external hard drive was connected, you could listen, drag/drop, and edit the files. When I tried the same thing with my new MacBook... it actually started coping the files to my MacBook harddrive. I don't want that, it's millions and millions of mp3's that I don't want to keep on my computer, only my external hard drive. Can anyone help? I'm sure it's something easy, I'm just so new to the Mac world. Being an iPhone owner for many many years I'm picking up things fast, but this is getting the best of me! Help !

In iTunes 11 uncheck the preferences setting in in the iTunes Preferences panel "Advanced > Copy Files to iTunes Media folder when adding to Library"

Bought a MBA and am trying to keep iTunes files on an external hard drive. Having problems.

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