Can I restore my iTunes library?

When rebooting my computer I got this 'library not found' error...I figured my external hard where all my iTunes stuff is kept hadn't come online yet. That's happened before. Nope. Now I can't seem to find the current library file. Also, strangely, these files were in the trash:
iTunes Library Extras.itdb
iTunes Library Genius.itdb
Can I restore my iTunes to what it was a few days ago when it was acting normally? Can I just do iTunes or do I need to do the entire system?
Thanks in advance!
TR

Not really.. I trust Yosemite backups not a tiny jot or tittle..
Sorry but if you started Yosemite backups over the top of existing OS backups you could have ruined them all.
You need to manually check through the sparsebundle for the exact file you want.. and recover just that file to a different location .. then use it in itunes.
See the instructions for manual recovery.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6503649
This is just an extension of what Pondini already has which you should have read through. It is extremely time consuming.. you need to open every single time stamp folder in the sparsebundle and hunt for the file.
You must also realise TM will not keep a file once it is gone on the computer.. it can wipe it from the backup.. TM is not an archiving software. It has certain rules once a file is gone.. it can delete it very rapidly from the whole backup.

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Hey Russfromchicago,
Thanks for the question. After reviewing your post, it sounds like you want to move content from your iOS device to the computer. I would recommend that you read this article, it may be able to help you resolve or isolate the issue.
If you purchased items from the iTunes Store and you've stored them on only your iOS device or iPod, you can transfer them to any computer that is authorized with your Apple ID.
iTunes Store: Transfer purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Have a nice day,
Mario

Can I restore my iTunes library file (iTunes Library.itl) from my iOS device?

After upgrading iTunes to 12.1.1.4 (around 2/25/2015), my library has reverted to a version from 12/28/2013.
None of the "Previous iTunes Libraries" or .tmp files are newer than the 12/28/2013 version.
All of the media files are perfectly fine and in their normal location.
Can I restore my "iTunes Library.itl" file from my iOS device?

I suspect you have been attempting to access the previous libraries in a way which always shows you the same content. See Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash for advice.
Otherwise see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device. You can import any missing media from the media folder into the library. There are some scripts mentioned towards the end of the recovery tools section that can rebuild ratings, play counts and playlists.
tt2

How can I restore my itunes library from iphone 4?

My backup files failed to restore my itunes library music after I had to reinstall Win 7. I followed all the instructions from Apple but my music library is empty. It now shows duplicate folders in my itunes file under 'My Music.'
Is there a third party software that will let me back up my iphone music so it will not get erased by itunes? Or is there some way to use icloud to send my iphone music to itunes?

lol, nevermind. I came across an article that made it easy. For anyone else with this problem it's real simple.
Open itunes
File>Add Folder to Library
select 'itunes' and it will add your music to your library
Although it went through all my apps asking if I want to replace or don't replace with newer, when it finished all my music appeared in itunes just like I left it before reinstalling Win 7. Easy Peasy. I've seen others with same problem but nobody seemed to have this easy solution.
Now I can finally plug in my iphone and sync without losing all my music from my iphone.

How can I restore my iTunes library from iPod after a HD crash?

My computer HD crashed and had to be replaced....
I've just installed iTunes and connected my iPod, I can't find a way to restore the iTunes library from the iPod.
I keep all my music on an external HD, everything that is on the iPod (~140GB) is on the external HD (and more) so I don't want to restore the library from the iPod to the HD nor recreate playlists, etc.
What can I do?
Thanks for your help

Check out the following post. It will work with your iPod video.
Be very careful when connecting an iPod full of music to an empty iTunes library.There is very real risk of permanently losing all the music.
To prevent auto sync, before you connect the iPod go to the iTunes preferences and select "devices", then select "disable automatic syncing for iPhones and iPods".
An alternative method is to connect the iPod whilst holding down the 'control+shift' keys and do not let them go until your iPod appears in iTunes.
If you see a message that your iPod is associated with a different library and asks if you want to link to a new one, make sure you press "Cancel".
If you should click on "Erase and Sync" will erase all the content currently on your iPod and it will be replaced with the content of the iTunes library you just connected to.
When you've pressed cancel your iPod should appear in the iTunes source list under "devices" and allow you to change the update setting to manage the iPod content manually, and that will let you use your iPod for the time being without the risk of accidentally erasing the contents.
Then do any of the following to transfer your music from iPod back to the computer/iTunes.
For iTunes version 7 or later, then you can transfer purchased iTunes store music from the iPod to an authorized computer by using the "file/transfer purchases from iPod" menu. Note that the maximum of 5 authorized computers applies here.
Find out how to do that here.
How to copy iTunes purchases from an iPod or iPhone to a computer.
For all other non purchased content (your own CDs etc), check out the instructions/suggestions here.
Music from iPod to computer (using option 2). This a manual method using "hidden folders" and although it works, it is a little more involved than other methods.
Much easier ways are to use one of the many 3rd party programs that copy music from the iPod to the computer.
One of the most recommended is Yamipod. This is a free program that transfers music from iPod back to the computer. However, it does not transfer playcounts/ratings etc.
Other free programs are Pod Player, SharePod and Floola and iDump and iPodRobot.
If you want to recover just the structure of playlists from the iPod (and not the actual song files themselves), there's iRepo for Windows. which I understand has this feature along with all the standard features for these programs.
iPodRip also has the feature enabling you to reconstruct playlists.
There is also CopyTrans. This does preserve ratings/playcounts etc if those are important to you but this program is not free. It also supports video transfer.
More information is contained here.
Copying content from your iPod to your computer - The Definitive Guide.

How can i restore my itunes library back to it's original location and restore the settings so that all my tunes play all the way through, I am on leopard

HI.. I tried to share my itunes library with all the account holders in my house - basially to make an account for each iphone, and some how i messed it up and moved the whole library into the home folder?? it didnt work and i lost my entire library, but by messing about i have managed to create a second identical library.. but it now only plays some tracks all the way thriugh and others it stops near the end.. this has also moved onto my iphone 4s and also my iphone 3gs... can someone help me restore it back to the original settings???. I have a mac running leopard

What model Mini?
How to identify Mac mini models
If you have another Mac there are ways to use the other Mac to regain use of the "new" Mac.
Try booting to recovery and see if you can reinstall the OS:
OS X: About OS X Recovery - Apple Support
Doing so depends upon the OS that was on the Mac before and what was done.
Otherwise you will need to boot from install disks.
You can call Apple 1-800-MY-APPLE
If you have a Mac with an Intel processor you can order Snow Leopard install disk here
and boot from it and format the disk and instll Snow Leopard.

How can I restore my iTunes library via Time Machine after an erase/install and upgrade to Snow Leopard?

Actual problem:
I reinstalled all my programs that I need without a hitch. Meanwhile, I've been trying to recover the few files (mostly music) I actually store on my computer's hard drive as opposed to on my external HDs. I use one external HD for my graphic files and the other is strictly for Time Machine backups. I tried to recover my iTunes music, but I got a message that says: "The file: "iTunes Library.itl" cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes." I restored (I thought) my iTunes library Username/Music/iTunes." Additionally, I was going to upgrade to Mountain Lion, but I have seen that there were issues with Lion and iTunes libraries so I'm a little wary of this.
Excuse the long explanation, but I figure the problem may possibly be in the details of the weeks prior this problem:
I have recently been having issues with my iMac. I brought it in to see a Genius twice within the past month and they couldn't seem to find the problem. (It would restart Finder of it's own accord while I was using Adobe CS programs) I figured it was worth backing everything up via Time Machine and doing a complete erase/install/factory reset. I did so and had a problem again, and brought it in again, third time. The Genius did another diagnostics tests and found nothing and said my erase/install probably did the trick, but time will tell. I am, after the erase/rewrite and upgrade running Mac OS X 10.6.3 and previous to this was still running Tiger.

So, I didn't update iTunes and the rest of it after installing Snow Leopard. My stupidity, I figured that the OS was more up to date than the one I had previously so that all the programs that come with it probably were more current than the ones I was using. However, now that I have updated all my software, I am still getting the same message from iTunes that I was previously. I cannot open iTunes at all, same "The file: "iTunes Library.itl" cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes." message. I'm confused again. Checked a few other threads and whatnot and cannot seem to figure this out.

Can you restore an iTunes Library from an iPod Touch??

I had a hard drive crash on my PC and lost my iTunes Library. Can I recreate it from my iPod Touch? My fear is that I'll connect my iPod and everything will be erased. I have not yet downloaded new iTunes s/w.
Jim

Open iTunes first and go to Edit>Preferences>Devices and check the box "Prevent iPods and iPhones from syncing automatically" and choose Ok before connecting your device.
iTunes will only give you the option to copy your iTunes Store purchases directly from an iPod to the computer, you'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
Purchased applications can be downloaded over again, see this article for details: How to redownload purchased applications from the App Store
For everything else (music from CDs etc.) there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod Touch or iPhone. You'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer data (such as playcounts and ratings), movies, videos, photos, podcasts and games as well.
A selection of iPod/iPhone to iTunes utilities:
Senuti Mac Only (iPod Touch & iPhone compatible)
SharePod Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
TuneJack Windows Only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPodRip Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
Music Rescue Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iGadget Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
TouchCopy Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
Once you have recovered everything from the iPod and your iTunes library has been rebuilt it will be safe to sync again.
I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up, relying on an iPod as your sole backup is not a good idea and external drives are comparatively inexpensive these days, you can get loads of storage for a reasonable outlay: Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive

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Quite a while ago my 'old' PC was hit by a virus and I was unable to extract any data from it. When I got a new PC I could not find a way to recover my library from itunes so reluctantly I signed up for a new account. Is there some way that I can contact itunes to see about having my old library restored on my new PC ?? I even had money in the account that was unused !!

If for some reason you have failed to maintain a backup copy of your computer ( not good), then you can redownload some itunes purchases in some countries.
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
Why would you start a new account? Why no use the same account on the new computer?

How can I restore my iTunes Library?

Hi:
To free up space in my MacBook, I deleted all the songs from my hard drive. In Itunes, now some songs appear with the Cloud, but some don't. When I click on one of those, I get a message that says that the original file can't be located. On the other hand, all my songs are in the cloud. I can listen to them in my Iphone or Ipad. How can I retore them to the MacBook?
Thanks

Hi:
To free up space in my MacBook, I deleted all the songs from my hard drive.
You did have a complete backup before you did this, correct?
Yes I did
On the other hand, all my songs are in the cloud.
Do you meant they are all in iTunes Match?
Correct
I can listen to them in my Iphone or Ipad.
Are they downloaded onto the iPad/iPhone?
Some are, the others are in the Cloud. It's only in the MacBook that I have this issue. About half my songs show the Cloud Icon, the others show an exclamation mark, meaning they can't be found on the hard drive. I thought the purpose of itunes MAtch was being able to listen to your songs in several devices, but also that since the songs are stored in the Cloud, you could just delete them from your computer

How can I restore my ITunes Library (music, album artwork, Playlists, etc) to my desktop Itunes Library from my Iphone's internal storage? (computer crash, no backups, other than what's on IPhone)

Windows 7
IPhone 4 iOS 7.1.2
Itunes 11.4.0.18

Hey Russfromchicago,
Thanks for the question. After reviewing your post, it sounds like you want to move content from your iOS device to the computer. I would recommend that you read this article, it may be able to help you resolve or isolate the issue.
If you purchased items from the iTunes Store and you've stored them on only your iOS device or iPod, you can transfer them to any computer that is authorized with your Apple ID.
iTunes Store: Transfer purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Have a nice day,
Mario

TS1717 I had to restore my itunes library however everytime I try to go to my podcasts I am kicked off of Itunes with a send/dont send error report I can acess podcasts only while syncing ipod

I have been having trouble getting into my podcasts after restoring my itunes library to an earlier library, every time I select podcast i am kicked off itunes with an error send/dont send pop up however I can acess the podcasts when sinking my ipod only

Hello there, danbucfan.
It seems that you were referred to us from the very article that provides steps for troubleshooting your issue. Although they may seem extensive, these steps will help pinpoint where the issue lies:
iTunes for Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8: Fix unexpected quits or launch issues
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1717
If you continue to get the error, please feel free to provide the exact error message, to see if that sheds further light on what your issue may be.
Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.
Cheers,
Pedro.

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can anyone tell me how to restore my itunes library and playlists? After I downloaded mountain lion my library is missing and my devices can be synced to only one library ...the missing one

That .itl file actually is the library -- at least the critical part of it although the library is actually many files and folders.
Try starting iTunes and immediately hold down the option key. When it asks, guide it to the .itl file.
It's really hard to say without being able to poke around your computer. Upgrading should not delete the old library, but still it happens to the very, very few which is why we make backups before updating. If the old library file is gone then so are your playlists. You can always see if the following is of any use:
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451

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I still don't know if the drive that crashed was the external drive, or if it was the internal drive, and if it was the external drive if that was the only copy of the library.
Downloading (using iOS or computer) past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519 - enabled with iTunes 10.3 and newer; not available in all countries; apps, books (not audiobooks), music, t.v. shows, and movies (some - not all studios have permitted this). Movies currently available in the USA only. Downloading previously purchased movies and TV shows requires iTunes 10.6 or later. Discontinued items not available. For items not included in the iCloud list (e.g., ringtones), or locations or computer systems where iCloud is not (yet?) available, you only get one download per fee paid. Apple notes it is your responsibility to back up your purchases.
Select the store on the left side of iTunes.
Click on Purchased on the right side under Quick Links.
You can re-download your available previous purchases.

Can I restore my iTunes library?

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