Changed iTunes library location....

I just changed my lib location. Created a new dir on the external HD, changed the preferences to reflect that in iTunes. However, when I get info or play one of the files it still goes to the old location to play the file. Thoughts?

The library.itl file is the central controlling file of iTunes. It contains the file locations. When you open this library it displays your content (as it know it) and playlists, etc. When you play a track it checks the file location in iTunes and goes and plays that file. If the file is not where iTunes thinks it is, you get a broken link.
You didn't change your library location. What you did was tell iTunes, in future, to put all media in a new location. Did it ask to move your old media, and did you say yes? If it didn't move it then you may end up with split media. Existing media is still where you put it (as seems to be the case from your description), new media will go on the external.
In general the above is not what most people want to do. To correctly move the "library" (I say collection so as to not confuse this with the library file) you want to drag the whole iTunes folder to the external and tell iTunes when it starts up where the new location is. This is assuming you have everything in a nice, neat package in that folder. Now if you're in an intermediate stage then things are messy, but you'll have to let us know where you various files are at this stage.
Some people only want to move their media. That's okay, but you have to know what iTunes is doing, and also realize it gets tricky when moving the collection in the future.

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Can't change itunes library location to external hard drive

I did have my itunes library location set to an external disk (my time capsule) and this worked great with my macbook pro. However, the macbook pro "died" last week and now I'm trying to set my new replacement imac itunes library to also be the external hard drive.
The advance tab on itunes preferences indicates that library location is set as requested however, I can't see any of my music in my itunes window.
I could of course just copy my music on to my new computer but that'll take ages and I'd rather keep it on the time capsule.
Many thanks
Anna

So the additional step need to do was make sure the copy files to itunes media folder is unchecked and the go to itunes>files>add to library then select my itunes music folder in my itunes location on the time capsule. Done!
Answer was found here http://www.macworld.com/article/46248/2005/08/shiftitunes.html

How do I stop Itunes from changing my library location

Is there just no answer to what should be a simple setting change?? No matter what I do, Itunes insists on changing my library location the instant there's any problem talking to my network share where all of my music is. This is absolutely ridiculous because this is on a laptop and there are times when the network connection is just not up yet, or whatever. Then it takes 10 minutes for me to change it back and let it figure everything out again. Has anyone ever been able to resolve this? I'd rather Itunes just return an error that tells me it can't read my library than to change it on me....

Have struggled with this issue in the past. In my experience, there is no simple, painless solution. I attempted to transfer my entire internal drive to my new external where there were copies of all the songs in place. Check to see how your library is organized on your network drive. Is it by media content (e.g. separate folders within /users/music/itunes/ folder such as Music, TV Shows, Movies, etc.)? Or are the various media types all lumped within a single iTunes Music Folder? If there is a discrepancy between your internal and external Library configurations iTunes struggles to cope. Can't say why this is the case, but I found that the only solution was to throoughly uninstall itunes via terminal (or using an app such as 'Amnesia'), reinstalling iTunes, and creating the library from scratch using files that are located on the external/network drive. I'm a moderately savvy programmer and I couldn't for the life of me get iTunes to build my library from an XML playlist that I modified to reflect the changed directory location of the new library on my external, but if you are more competent and patient than I am I'm convinced that the proper alteration of the Master library build would result in a seamless relocating of you media library as far as itunes is concerned. One last thing, make sure you click the 'I'll Add files myself later' option if you do choose to reinstall itunes just to cover your bases. sorry i can't give you a more helpful response--iTunes is a cruel mistress sometimes.
but: Used to introduce something contrasting with what has already been mentioned
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How to change the library location because i don't have enough memory in my internal hard disk

can i change the library location because i don't have enough memory in my internal hard disk

Hi ahmedmagdyelrasheedy,
It is not clear what library you are trying to move, but if you are running out of space on your internal hard drive the most likely culprits are your iTunes music and your iPhoto library. Either of these can be moved to an external hard drive making room on the internal.
For the iPhoto library see this article -
iPhoto: How to move the Library folder to a new location
To move the iTunes music see this article -
iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L

ITunes library location resetting itself

I have moved my iTunes Library to a server drive so that it can be backed up, but iTunes keeps resetting it to my local hard drive. I had first moved the library several weeks ago, and then accidentally discovered it had changed back to my local hard drive all by itself at some point. I had moved it prior to the recent 6.0 and 6.0.1 releases (currently running 6.0.1), so I thought maybe the upgrade from 5 had reset it. A couple of nights ago, I got it all cleaned up and recombined back on the server drive. I had downloaded the 2 new free downloads this week, and then had numerous podcast updates during the day. That night, I found that again the location of my library has changed back to my local hard drive, and those downloads I had just done had went there. Again, I changed the library location through Preferences (with the "Keep iTunes Music folder oganized" and "Copy files to iTunes Music folder" options checked), and then "Consolidated" the library. Today, at around 4:00 this afternoon, it again switched back to the default C: drive location, when no one was even home. What's up with this? iTunes is supposed to allow changing of the library location, and I have followed the proper procedures, but it will not stay!
Help!

Speculation about future iTunes releases, features, or bug fixes is not allowed to be discussed here, but I can safely say that iTunes 7 won't be out for a long time. We went from 4.9 to 6 in six weeks recently. Highly unusual, and I don't expect that to be repeated anytime soon. However, that doesn't mean version 6 won't be updated.
What's important to remember is that your setup isn't the majority of iTunes' target market. That translates into your feature request or bug fix requirement probably being lower on the ladder of priority.
What would be useful to the iTunes community here is someone to volunteer to do some extensive testing and report the results.
- try multiple network/mount methods
- quit/launch iTunes quickly and see if there's any correlation with the speed of disk access
- make a note of any other processes that may have locked the network volume for a brief period, causing iTunes not to have access

Changing the Library Location

Because my computer is old and running out of disk space, I purchased a 250gig portable hard drive and moved all my photos and music to it for permanent storage. I have another portable hard drive for backups.
In iTunes I went to Preferences > Advanced and changed the Library location to the new iTunes Music folder on my portable hard drive. I noted the original location first and made sure I followed the same pattern, getting all the way down to the needed folder. But when I open iTunes the next time, I didn't have any music listed.
I didn't have time to mess with it this morning before work but I'm wondering how to fix this problem. Do I need to tell it to add a Library somehow?
Thanks for any input.

Followed the instructions at http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449
I've completed the move - from my iMac's internal hard drive to an external drive and everything is working fine. No worries or problems.
Now, the big question. On my computer's internal hard drive, I still have a the following folders
[myusersname]/Music
this folder contains every single artist and song in my iTunes
This same folder also contains a folder
[myusersname]/Music/iTunes
which, in addition to several other items (including the all important iTunes Library and Album Artwork folders) also contains another folder named
[myusersname]/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music
which also contains every single artist and song in my iTunes.
Now that "everything" is moved over to the external hard drive, can I delete either the
[myusersname]/Music folder (leaving the abovementioned iTunes folder intact to keep from deleting the subfolder)
or also delete the
[myusersname]/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music
I'm hoping to free up space on the internal hard drive.

HT201562 Multiple Itunes Library locations

Hello and Good Day,
I haven't yet found an answer to this question. I have have a 3TB USB 3.0 Hard-drive that I store most of my media content on. I also use an Apple TV to watch my content. When I add a movie to iTunes it gets copied to the Macbook. I would like to be able to store some content on the 3TB drive and some on the macbook. Is there a way to add content or have mixed iTunes library locations.
Thank you,

I figured it out and did not lose my music,

Moved media to TC. Now itunes keeps changing default library location

I realize this might be better suited in the iTunes discussion forum however...
I recently purchased a time capsule and moved all my media to the new drive. I changed the default library location in preferences. Problem is, every time I quit and relaunch iTunes, the default library location reverts back to my old location on my mac. Any ideas how I can get iTunes to remember my new default location? It's as if it's picking up a location file somewhere that is telling it to create a new library on my mac's hard drive.
Thanks for any input.

I don't have a TC but I also keep my iTunes library on an external Firewire drive and the following is the behaviour. Maybe it's so for you too:
• When the firewire drive is mounted on the desktop and I open iTunes, iTunes will link back to the library on the firewire drive.
• When the firewire drive is unmounted and I open iTunes, iTunes preferences will revert the library to default back to the internet drive.
• BUT, when I remount the firewire drive, and open iTunes again (after it's been closed), iTunes preferences will automatically go back to linking the library on the firewire drive.
So in short: when unmounted, iTunes links music library to the original default which is the internal drive. When mounted, iTunes will automatically relink music back to the firewire drive.
Does it work like so for iTunes on Time Capsule?

ITunes 5 Changes Music Library Location to Default

ITunes 5 Developers - you might want to check your code somewhere, because installing iTunes5 via Software Update meant my library location randomly changes back to the default, instead of just using the location I had set in iTunes 4.x
(I wondered why my playlists were showing Exclamation Marks everywhere).
I use an external firewire disk to store my music as the internal 80Gb drive isn't big enough to store my CD collection in AAC160.
Mark.

Mark hello,
It is a trap many fall into... the 'Location Pointer' as it has become known does not do that... what it does do is tell iTunes where to put the next song you 'import' (rip) into your library and if that Location is not available iTunes will set it to the home iTunes Music folder by default when it starts up.
In your case the program must be trying to access the Ext.hard disk and is not finding it straight away hence it follows the default ruling and resets the 'Location' to home iTunes Music folder... why ? ... not up to speed when iTunes starts.... bad connection to name a couple...
A bit more on the Location of files...
You can store music files anywhere as long as iTunes knows about it... how does it know ?... it gets that information when you 1st put them in the library file... if the music files get moved iTunes may lose track of them and you will have to tell iTunes where they are... now you may think why can't iTunes just find them... as you can have absolute identical files stored elsewhere how would iTunes know which ones to add... the rule is: if you move them tell iTunes about the move.
The way Music files are stored has been changed recently ...
iTunes for Mac OS X uses the file's HFS+ FileID (inode number) rather than the /path/to/filename to locate the file where ever it is moved on the same volume; the file's inode number remains constant.
Although not fully recommended you can now move things around on the boot vol. and iTunes and OS X will keep track of it all but the same senario does not yet exist for other media like Ext. HD's... so there, do not move anything without telling iTunes about the move.
HTH Mark let's know if you need more help .... TP

How do I move my iTunes library location?

Hello, I am trying to move my iTunes library file location from my internal HD into an external HD.
I read a lot of topics within this community regarding this topic, and nothing worked for me...
I copied my entire itunes folder into the new location.
Then I opened iTunes with option key pressed, and selected the new iTunes folder in the new location.
When I tried to play a song, it asked me to locate it, and when I located it, itunes asked me if I want this new location for everything else missing, I said yes, but it does not find any other song, I need to locate one song at a time, and it is quite boring.
What can I do? What I am doing wrong?
Any ideas? I still need to change my iTunes library file location because I do not have more space in my MacBook's HD
Thanks....
KONRAD

Type "move itunes library" into the google search bar.

Changing iTunes Library to Another Pre-existing Library

*First some background-* My wife and I each have our own Apple laptops, and we repurposed her old HP PC as an iTunes server to house copies of all our media and sync with the Apple TV. Our laptops each have only our own music collections while the PC's library contains all of the music from both our personal libraries as well as all of our video content (which we do not keep on our laptops due to size constraints.) The PC's library is housed on a Drobo via a DroboShare. The PC is old and terribly slow, however, and watching content via the Apple TV that is streaming from the PC is an oftentimes painful experience. We have decided to ditch the PC and make my laptop the main iTunes repository.
*Now The Question-* What is the best way to make the larger, all-inclusive iTunes/Drobo library my laptop's library without losing all of my playlists and ratings that I have accumulated over the years that live in my laptop's library. If I change my storage location under Preferences and then Consolidate, will all of the media I don't have currently in my library get added, or will my library still only see what it knew about before, just stored in a new location now?
I apologize for the length, but I am trying to provide as much data as I can. I don't want to lose my ratings or playlists from my library, any media from the Drobo, or hours of my life trying to manually fix everything should I mess it up from taking a wrong turn somewhere. Thanks in advance!

You missed 'Point 14':
After the folder has been copied, locate your original iTunes Music folder, and drag it to the Trash or Recycle Bin. Note: Don't remove the iTunes 4 Music Library files that may be in the same location as the iTunes Music folder.
If you deleted the 'iTunes Library.itl' file from that folder, then you deleted the iTunes database file that keeps track of all your song references, Playlists and some attributes. See:What are the iTunes Library files?
Can you recover this file from the ExHD? Or maybe the Recycle Bin? Place it back into the 'iTunes' folder under the 'My Music' folder.
If not, you'll have to 'Rebuild' your Library from the ExHD's music files. It's a simple 'File=>Add Folder' from within iTunes, but you will lose your Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts and Last Played attributes.

Changing itunes folder location

I am unable to play music from itunes, after having upgraded my hard drive to solid state.
I have selected the path in advanced preferences, then selected that path again under file,
I selected organize library, and all of the albums and only half the artwork, but that's another subject,
are now available from itunes music, but the songs will not play. I believe my music library is identical on two separate external hard drives, I can move this drive to my imac and access the music but no longer on the mini, since installation of SSD. The settings on each computer seem to be identical, but obviously I've overlooked something?

Change the location of the library in the Preferences. This tells iTunes where new music that you add will go, but it won't move your existing music there.
Back in iTunes, use the Consolidate Library option. This will copy all the music currently in iTunes to the new Library location, along with organizing it and renaming it and such. Once this is done, you can check that the music is there, and then delete the old location.
Few things:
-There's a couple of files that live in My Music\iTunes. These are an ITL and an XML file. These cannot be moved. They contain all the information about what's in your iTunes library.
-If you still want to move them, use TweakUI to change the location of your My Music folder to somewhere that won't get copied to the server. Then move/copy the library files to that new location.

Locating files after changing iTune file location

iTunes 7 XP Pro
I changed the default location and moved the contents of the iTunes Music folder, however iTunes does not automatically recognize the new location for existing files. Is there anyway I can globally change the location in iTunes so I do not have to change the location of hundreds of files one at a time?
Thank you

The location you set in preference only sets the location for all FUTURE additions to the library. Anything already in your iTunes library will remain in the location they were already being accessed.
If you want to move all the files to the new location, then use the consolidate command. This command copies all files not located in the preference location into that location, thus consolidating them to one location. As I said, I think it copies, not moves the files. So after a consolidate, you may need to go and delete the old locations manually.
Patrick

ITunes Library Location and Music Default Folder

I have a fairly large music library (350 GB) and keep it on external hard drive. In the iTunes Preferences I changed my default library location to such external drive. However, from time to time I can see that my library location gets back to the default internal HD of my Mac. Once it does that the system starts slowly copying music from my external to my dafault internal HD where there is obviously not enough space for that. Is their any way to stop iTunes changing the location of my Library? Did anyone come accross this issue?
Also does anyone know how to change the location of the default Music folder to refer to my external disc? I can not find where this can be done.
Thanks
Ruben

If iTunes doesn't find the iTunes Music folder at startup, it will set it to the default location. iTunes does so, because it has to know a location where to store imported music.
To prevent this, always connect your ext. HD before running iTunes.
You can make it somehow failsafe by using the method I described here:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=318759
It's not an elegant solution, because it will give an error and iTunes won't run.
At least it doesn't reset the 'iTunes Music folder' location and you are reminded to connect your ext. HD.
Hope this helps.
M

How can I change "iTunes Library" to "iTunes Music Library"?

i use iTunes as my muisc-pool and a DiscoXT as DJ-programm. There is the possibility to use my iTunes Music Library there in form of the "iTunes Muisc Library.xml". now iTunes created a new Library called "iTunes Library.itl" and "iTunes Library.xml". The "iTunes Music Library.xml" now is not actauized since Dec 2011. How to come back to the "iTunes Music Library.xml" as actualized in iTunes and so also actualized in Disco XT?
How can I create this in iTunes?
I need some help!
Thx for this
Dhwani

You cannot change the name of the .itl file iTunes creates. Attempting to do so will almost certainly cause iTunes to fail. And iTunes automatically creates the XML file and there's no way to change the name of the file it creates.
If Disco XT uses the XML file, as most such applications do, you could probably make a copy of the iTunes Library.xml file and rename the copy as necessary. That copy will probably then work, though you'll have to make a new copy any time you make a change in iTunes. Otherwise, the developers of Disco XT will need to change the application to look for both versions of the file name, if they have not done so already; consult with the developer's support.
Regards.

Changed iTunes library location....

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