Can i download and run itunes from an external hard drive

can i download and run itunes from an external hard drive?

The iTunes application should be on the boot drive but you can keep the iTunes library on an external.
hold Shift when launching iTune sand select Create library and select the external.
This will create an iTunes folder on the external with all the library files and all media will also go into this folder.

Similar Messages

Why can't I move my iTunes library and run iTunes from an external hard drive?

I've been having issues with space on my Macbook pro, so I wish to move my music in order to free up more space. I have been following the instructions on how to run iTunes from an external drive, but each time I attempt it only the 'Automatically Add to iTunes' folder copies to my drive - which has nothing in it.
What is going on?

Which exact set of instructions? Just about all of them are wrong, even the ones that specifically say how to move your library.
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 iTunes Library.itl file in the moved iTunes folder.
For the record there's this reference for iTunes 11 but it really doesn't strike me as having the specifics you need. iTunes 11 for Mac: Move your library to another computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12168

Running itunes from an external hard drive

Hi there,
My itunes library is getting a little too large for my iMac to handle (nearing 500gb of my 1TB hard drive, leaving little space for all my other software and documents) and I'd like to move the itunes library and run it from an external hard drive.
I've read the following link and am clear on the procedure...
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449
Sure, I can go through the process and see what happens, however, I thought I'd ask to see if anyone else has done something similar and am curious as to whether they encountered any issues / have any words of wisdom to impart?!
I have an Apple TV which syncs with my iTunes, as well as an iPad and an iPhone. The iPad and iPhone sync when connected, but the Apple TV syncs over WiFi...
Will I have any side affects by moving my library to an external hard drive?
I plan to purchase a drive with FireWire 800. That said, I do have a 2TB TimeCapsule, but I cant seem to find any decent information on how to use it as an external hard drive...(even though, I believe, it says you can do so in the 'sales bumf' on the Apple store)
Your thoughts/advice/comments wold be appreciated!
Cheers,
D

MacFormat Issue 236 page 65.
Sorted!

Can i show and play music from my external hard drive in iTunes without adding it to my Mac hard drive?

I have more music than I can keep on my Macbook hard drive by over 200GB. I'm hoping to be able to show and play all music from my external hard drive in iTunes without having to add any of it to my Macbook Hard Drive

Hello B3NN13,
If you would like to add the music from your external hard drive to iTunes without copying it to the iTunes Library on your internal hard drive, you may find the following article helpful:
Add files to your library without adding them to your iTunes folder
When you add an item already on your computer to your iTunes library, iTunes places a copy of the file in your iTunes folder. The original file remains in its current location.
You can change this setting so that files are added to your iTunes library without being added to the iTunes folder. You might want to do this, for example, if you prefer to store video files on an external disk but still want to view them in iTunes.
Choose iTunes > Preferences, and click Advanced.
Deselect the checkbox next to “Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library.”
From now on, when you drag a file to your library or choose File > Add to Library, the item appears in iTunes, but the actual file isn’t copied or moved.
Tip: You can temporarily reverse this setting by holding down the Option key while you drag files to the iTunes window.
iTunes 12 for Mac: Change where your iTunes files are stored
Sincerely,
- Brenden

I recently restored my laptop and also iTunes from an external hard drive, but when I play songs, it says the original file could not be found. How do I locate and fix this?

I recently restored my laptop with Windows 7 and imported my iTunes library from my external hard drive. When I try to play songs, it says it cannot and that the original file could not be located. How do I fix this?

Put the files back where iTunes expects them to be.

Can I run iTunes from an external hard drive?

My laptop's hard drive is getting pretty full. Collection of movies, songs, pods and pictures are taking up most of the space. Can iTunes be reinstalled into an external hard drive dedicated to my Apple iPods and iPhone stuff? Whenever I want to sync or visit the Apple Store, then I can just turn it on. Would appreciate any advice on how to manage a big inventory of files.
Thanks.
Priscilla

I just did this the other night....
I plugged in my hard drive, and copied the ENTIRE ITUNES FOLDER onto my hard drive. This is the folder you see when you open my music. It has all of your playlist and rating information in there. After that is finished, you have to go into your advanced preferences, and change the location of your itunes music folder. once you do this you should be set. it worked for me.
hope this helps!
-Phil

When I download an app while running iTunes from an external hard drive, the app is automatically saved to the my music folder on my desktop.

Also, when I move an updated app from the my music folder to the external hard drive, it no longer automatically deletes the old version of the app in the folder.

Hi, I was waiting for somebody with experience to pipe in, but as I understand it it'll be that way for upto 5 users if your Sharing iTunes.

How do I download and install iTunes on my external hard drive?

I have successfully moved my itunes music files however I foresee a problem when I sync my iPod touch iTunes is going to re-load all the files. The reason for the external hard drive is to free up space on my laptop so she can perform better so I'd be back at square one. ? I'd like to choose which file iTunes downloads to. Please advise.

That does not really matter since to restore your iPod the computer needs an interent connection.

How can I run Itunes from an external hard drive?

I have over 35GB's of music. Its killing my hard drive. Help!!!?!!!!

heres an apple article on how to move your itunes media folder, sounds like exactly what youre looking for.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364
-mvimp

Run iTunes from the external hard drive?

I've been going through the posts and I don't think any recent ones are talking about what I want to do. I have a Macbook Pro (OSX10.5.8) and a desktop G4 (OSX10.4.8). I have extensive iTunes (and iPhoto) collections on each one. Is it possible to install iTunes and iPhoto directly onto the 1T LaCie hard drive and move my entire collection over to it? I already backup all that to various hard drives, but I would like to go to one place to access my songs and photos.

The applications cannot (or at least should not) be moved. But you can move your tracks and photos.
For iTunes, drag the entire iTunes folder (the entire folder, not just the iTunes Music folder) to your desired location. Then hold down the Shift key (Windows)/Option key (Mac) while launching iTunes. You'll be given a dialog box where you can select the iTunes library you want to use. Navigate to and select the iTunes folder in it's new location. Note that this procedure assumes that all of your tracks are contained in the iTunes Music folder. If they're scattered around your volumes, moving them becomes much more complex.
For iPhoto, see:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1229
Regards.

How do I run itunes from an external hard drive?

the internal is small and I use itunes mainly for downloading podcasts which creates a quickly growing library

You do not. iTunes like all programs must be installed on the main drive of the computer, typically the C drive.
The media, apps, and other content can be stored on another drive. Is that possibly what you intended?

How to Play iTunes from a external Hard Drive?

Is it possible to run iTunes from an external hard drive so that I dont use up the space on my labtop? For example, store all my music files on the External and run it through iTunes.

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

I downloaded and installed Lion on an external hard drive using my laptop which is running Snow Leopard I have now decided that I want to install Lion on my Laptop, but when I go to the App store and click on my purchases it will not download

I downloaded and installed Lion on an external hard drive using my laptop which is running Snow Leopard I have now decided that I want to install Lion on my Laptop, but when I go to the App store and click on my purchases it will not download again

Thanks Dirk,
Tried your suggestion various ways but it had no effect the download button was still greyed out and the install button would not activate will keep trying to find a solution. I dont want to boot from the external hard drive that has Lion on mainly because it is a usb HD and the connection to my wireless modem slows the connection rate and downloading would take about ten hours

Running iTunes on an external hard drive

I just recently purchased a 6th Gen iPod with 160 Gb. The PC laptop that I want to sync this new iPod with only has about 13 Gb of room left on the hard drive. Is it possible to download and install iTunes on an external hard disk and run the program as well as store all iTunes content there?
Thanks for the help!

If you are running iTunes 6,, see:
iTunes: Moving Your iTunes Music Folder
IMPORTANT: do not delete the iTunes folder or the preference files it contains from your boot hard drive; delete ONLY the tracks themselves (i.e. the contents of the old iTunes Music folder).
If you have iTunes 7, then you can use the procedure above, but a better way is usually to just drag the entire iTunes folder (the entire folder, not just the iTunes Music folder) to your desired location. Then hold down the Option key while launching iTunes. You'll be given a dialog box where you can select the iTunes library you want to use. Navigate to and select the iTunes folder in it's new location. Note that this procedure assumes that all of your tracks are contained in the iTunes Music folder. If they're scattered around your volumes, moving them becomes much more complex.
In either case, don't delete the tracks from the old location until you've confirmed that they're working correctly from the external drive.

HT1727 how do I transfer my iTunes from an external hard drive to a different computer?

How do I transfer my iTunes from an external hard drive to a pc?

If you don't have all of your music files within the iTunes Music folder structure, simply moving all of your music to a new location will not result in your iTunes library automatically updating the file paths to all of your songs appropriately. If you have a few other locations in which you store your music, you can take the ExportImport script turingtest2 wrote, make the modifications below, export the results, paste them into Microsoft Word or Excel, do a Find and Replace with the correct file location, and then import the new locations. To use the script, follow turingtest2's instructions on this thread as posted on Dec 19, 2012 6:28 AM.
Note that the modifications, while they worked for me, show my lack of experience with VB as the progress bar will no longer work. Definitely be sure to back up your iTunes library file before executing the script with the below modifications, but doing this for 3500 items didn't even take 2 minutes for the script to run.
Line 89 was:        Prog=True
Line 89 is now:     Prog=False
* I had to do this because otherwise the progress bar was erroring out. So, i just turned it off.
Lines 164-165 were:
'File.WriteLine "<#>" & .Location           ' Not so useful if working with missing tracks
'File.WriteLine "<Album>" & .Album
Lines 164-165 are now three lines (the middle one is the only uncommented line):
'File.WriteLine "<#>" & .Location           ' Not so useful if working with missing tracks
File.WriteLine "<Location>" & .Location
'File.WriteLine "<Album>" & .Album
Finally, insert this whole block around line 270 so that it looks similar to the others:
        Case "<location>"
          If T.Location<>Value Then                ' Don't update if value won't change
            T.Location=Value
            U=U+1
            Trace T,"Updated Location"
          Else
            V=V+1
          End If
          'If Trace Then MsgBox "Updated Location"
Note that I had to comment the very last line as well or else the program errored out. You won't be able to trace the results either.
Just thought I'd share this in case anyone else needed something like this.

Can i download and run itunes from an external hard drive

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