Changing iTunes library path

Weird things happened when I upgraded to Lion. The main problem is that my user name changed from an old to a new user name. I vaguely remember Lion asking me if I wanted to keep a user name or use both or something like that - well - I didn't make the right choice. The old is in a password protected directory or something like that. The unfortunate part of this is that my iTunes library and all the songs are now password protected. To fix this I need to put the library in the main directory and then tell iTunes to choose this library. Does this sound correct? Or do I need to do something else?
Lou

I'm glad if iTunes is happy, but of course I care more about my happiness!
Indeed.
The problem is that although you can move the iTunes Music folder wheresoever you desire as described in my previous link, the iTunes folder has to be in the My Music folder and Windows XP is quite particular about moving that folder.
You have to use the Tweak UI Power Toy (or do some registry editing on your own) to do so. Have a look at this article in the Apple Knowledge Base for information and a link for downloading it.

Similar Messages

Unable to change my iTunes library path

Just upgraded to itunes 11 this afternoon, wanted to change my library path to my Time Capsule, but when I select it; itunes crashes.
Thank you and I hope there is fix for this SOON!

Happens to me as well on Windows 8, but even earlier. When the pop-up dialog to select a new library location appears, iTunes crashes immediately.

How to change the library path from development machine to application serv

hi
how can i change the library path which i developed in windows machine and the library path is c:/fas/dss.pll and now i hosted all forms,menu,library and reports in application server that is running in linux machine now i want to know how to change the library path c:\fas\dss.pll to /oracle/fas/dss.pll.

Hi !
It is standard functionality to change ship-to party address in ISA B2C. This happens only from the checkout.inc.jsp. The ship-to party is part of the basket object.
Cheers,
Ashok.

After moving itunes library paths are still set to old drive

I have moved my itunes library from my hard drive to a network connected NAS drive. The problem I'm finding is that itunes now can't find the songs in the library as they still show (when looking at 'Get info') the path to the old location).
I have done the following:
1 copied all song files in the 'itunes music' folder as well as the files in the folder above (including 'itunes library.itl' and 'itunes library.xml') to the new location
2 Checked the boxes in Edit > Preferences > Advanced that read 'Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized' and 'Copy Files to ITunes Media folder when adding to library'.
3 Changed the iTunes Media Folder location to the new location (the same folder as the 'itunes library.itl' file is held.
4 Re-started iTunes while holding the shift button so that I can 'choose' the library, then browsed to the new location and selected the 'itunes library.itl' file in the new location.
None of this has any effect. This is what I've noticed:
a - The individual files cannot be found and when I right click and choose 'get info' it shows that the path is still set to the old location
b - The 'itunes library.xml' file still shows links to the old path for each of the individual songs.
c - I can manually 'point' the songs individually to the new location so that they can be found - although this is not an option for the whole library which is several thousand. I do this when I get the error message 'The song 'xxxx' cound not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?'.
d - I import a new CD or buy a new song from iTunes, the songs are correctly located on the new drive and play with no problems.
Can anyone tell me if I've missed a step? If I was to guess, I'd say that the 'itunes library.itl' still has all the old paths for the individual songs, but I don't know how to get iTunes to re-create or update that file and can't edit it myself.
Regards, Steve.

Thanks for that R. I'd seen a few of those posts but none of them seemed to match my query exactly.
However, I seem to have found a solution to my own problem. Whether it will help with yours I don't know (looks like you're a Mac user) but here's what I've found:
* The basic problem was with the file itunes music.itl' which was still pointing iTunes to the old location of the music files. I don't know why it didn't update this file when all the 'consolidating files' was done but there you go. This is not in a format editable by ordinary mortals, but you can re-create it if it gets corrupted by editing another file called 'itunes music.xml', which is in an editable format.
* It seems the .xml file basically contains all the .itl file information and is used essentially as a backup (my guess, don't know if it's correct). So deleting the .itl file and then re-creating it by telling the system to import the information from the .xml file is the thing to do. Here's how I did it:
* Go to the new drive and path where you've copied your itunes library to. I copied both the two files above first just in case to my desktop (doesn't really matter where). They're in the 'Music' folder above the folder where all your music files are kept (music files are kept in 'iTunes Music' in my setup).
* Edit the 'itunes music.xml' file. You'll need a good text editor with search and replace functions to do this as you'll have to do the same number of replacements as you have song files - in my case a number of thousand. Even better than a standard text editor would be an XML editor as that will make the text file easier to read (I used Dreamweaver just because I already have it on my system).
* If you look through your xml file you'll see all your songs listed with lots of other information such as track id. At the end you'll see a line that says something like:
<key>Location</key><string>file://localhost//EDNET01/Users/Steve/My%20Documents/My%20Music/iTunes/iTunes%20 Music/Bob%20Dylan/Modern%20Times/01%20Thunder%20On%20the%20Mountain.m4p</string>
If you're in the same position as me you'll notice that the path name is wrong (it's still showing the old path and drive). So the job is basically to edit and replace each of the paths to show the new drive and path.
*To do this with a single search and replace you don't need to change the album and file name, nor should you need to change the folder containing all the song files. This is the search and replace change I made then:
Search (all instances, hopefully if your text editor will allow it):
//localhost//EDNET01/Users/Steve/My%20Documents/My%20Music/iTunes/
Replace with:
//localhost/X:/FamilyMusic/
which is the drive and path where I've moved my itunes music to. The song folders are in the folder below that called 'itunes music'.
* Once you've saved this file (and having a backup copy of the old .itl and .xml files saved somewhere just in case) delete the two old files from the new folder where you've copied your music
* Open iTunes. Go to File > Library > Import playlist.
* Navigate to your newly edited version of 'itunes music.xml'. Select it and you should find that itunes begins rebuilding your library with the new paths and creates a new 'itunes music.itl' file in the process.
Once that's done you should have your music, podcasts and playlists back.
** Disclaimer ** I'm no iTunes expert so I don't know if this is the 'proper' way to do things. If it doesn't work you should be ok to replace the copied files back into your music folder and no damage done, but in any event I'm not responsible for any problems. Make sure you've got backups is my advice!

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.

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.

Changing iTunes library that iPhoto looks for

Hello all...
I have the same problem that others have posted about but with a bit of a twist. When I go to add iTunes music to my slideshow, it says to "open iTunes 6 or later to populate this list." I have tried the suggested Apple solutions but I think my "twist" is where the problem lies.
My iTunes library [and music] is stored on an external drive and accessed through my in-home network.
The one time I did manage to get iPhoto to pull up a library in iTunes showed a handful of songs and playlists that are probably still on the PowerMac hard drive. Is there a way to change the iTunes library that the iPhoto program is looking for?
Thanks

Welcome to the Apple Discussions. iPhoto will look to the currently active iTunes library. So if you have more than one, open the one you want to use before opening iPhoto.
Happy Holidays
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.

Changing iTunes library and when I set it back to the current one the library is still the old one

Last night I changed my iTunes library into one from a few years ago. When I went to choose the current one to set it back, the library's contents were the same as the old one and the current file became what was in the library now--the contents of the old one. I tried a few different ways and this was the most current library. I upgraded after to the new iTunes in case that was it, and it still isn't changing back into my current library. Help please.

Try resetting the SMC.
Instructions here

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.

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

I cannot change iTunes library in Windows

I cannot seem to change iTunes libraries in Windows. I have been trying the old shift trick and the dialog box won't appear. I have reinstalled and that had no effect either. Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong?
Thanks

Recover media from iPod
See this post from forum regular Zevoneer for options on moving your iPod data back to your computer.
tt2

Odd iTunes Library Path Info

I've been searching for hours to find an answer to this problem and either I'm the only one in the world having this problem (not bloody likely) or I'm not searching on the right terms. Anyway--let's see if I can explain it this way:
My music is stored on a NAS, and a sample path to the actual file location looks like this:
...\Drobo1\My Music\iTunes Music\Music\Artist Name\Album Name\01 Track Name.mp3
If I go into iTunes 11 and select the same track within iTunes, and select 'Get Info', I get this:
...\Drobo1\Volumes\Drobo1\My Music\iTunes Music\Music\Music\Artist Name\Album Name\01 Track Name.mp3
Even though the second path does not exist on my network, iTunes is still able to find and play the file with no trouble (I can also manually browse to the track and play it in Finder no problem). However, iTunes' nonsensical path information is exported to the XML file and this is causing me all kinds of havoc for 3rd party apps like my Sonos system. I've deleted the iTunes XML file and recreated it and the weird path info persists.
Bottom Line: How can I get iTunes to retain the true path info and properly export this information to the XML file?
Thanks in advance.

If the drive is not mounted, online and ready, iTunes will not see it.
Stop iTunes from opening at startup.
You could create an Applescript that checks for the external drive, then when it sees it, starts iTunes.
Put that in your Login items (instead of iTunes itself).
For details, post over in the Applescript forum here -> http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=724

How 2 Multiple backups while changing itunes library?!?!

i have a huge dilemma. My music collection is huge, too huge actually and i do NOT listen to all the music on my computer. I have a 12" powerbook with only 40 gigs free (after all the software is installed) but with all my music, i barely have any more room left.
Question is: I have made a backup of my current itunes library on an external.
NOW: i want to delete LOTS of my songs from my laptop to free up space but that's ok because i can always retreieve them from my external...
DILEMMA: Once i've deleted some songs and of course add some, let's say in about 2 months i want to back up my itunes library again. if i just drag the itunes Music folder into my external, it's going to replace my backup itunes music folder that has ALL my songs in it already. So it'll replace my let's say 30 gigs of music with the brand new folder that only contains lets say 15 gigs of music and i lose 15 gigs of music!!
is there a way to have a central backup folder that will just ADD songs so i can continue to build my external music library? know what i mean? I NEED HELP! i just want to continually ADD music in ADDITION to all the music i've already backed up. i don't want to lose my music!!
PLEASE HELP!!

Hello realitylpma,
You do all those songs indivually and have iTunes locate them or you can move the songs back to were they were. Once that is done, the go through the step to organize your library. Take a look at the articles below to sort you out with finding where the songs was before as well as organizing the library.
iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
http://support.apple.com/en-us/TS1408
Locate and organize your iTunes files
http://support.apple.com/en-us/ht1391
iTunes: Understanding iTunes Media Organization
http://support.apple.com/en-us/ht3847
Regards,
-Norm G.

Changing ITunes Library

Hey Guys,
My girlfriends phone is synced to my macbook and she has bought herself a macbook pro. Jealous yes i am. How do i sync her phone to her macbook pro with out erasing all her contacts?
Should i just back it up with itunes then sync and erase or is there another way?
Cheers,

By design, the iphone will sync itunes content with one computer at a time. Any attempt to sync such content with a second computer will result in ALL itunes content being first erased from your phone & then replaced with the content from the second computer. This is a design feature and cannot be overridden. Because your girlfriend has a new computer, her phone will be wiped of ALL itunes content. Follow these instructions in the order specified regarding her contacts:
1. Disable auto sync when an ipod/iphone is connected under preferences in itunes.
2. Make sure she has one contact & one event in Address Book & iCal. The entries can be fake, doesn't matter, the important point is that these programs not be empty.
3. Connect her phone, itunes running, do not sync at this point.
4. Store>Authorize this computer.
5. File>Transfer Purchases(To make sure all purchased content on her phone will be in her itunes library).
6. Right click in the device pane & select reset warnings.
7. Right click again and select backup.
8. Right click again & select restore from backup, select the backup you just made. When prompted to create another backup, decline.
9. This MUST be followed by a sync to restore her itunes content, which you select from the various tabs, You'll get a popup regarding your contacts & calendars asking to merge or replace, select merge.
Her contacts should now be in Address Book & she is syncing to her new computer.

Itunes library path x 2

I have two iTunes libraries on the same laptop. One path is:
C:\Users\Users 1\My Music\iTunes and the new library is:
C:\Users\User 1\Documents\Empty Rip Folder do not delete\new user\iTunes Media
I created the empty rip folder because of all of the confusion between Media Player and iTunes, but that is a long story. Anyway I would like to change the path of the second library because it just is not something I remember. Does anyone have a suggestion of how I can put it into My Music without causing problems?
Do you think I could have something like:
My Music\King\iTunes and My Music\Queen\iTunes

See my user tips Make a split library portable and Getting iTunes & Windows Media Player to play nicely.
If you want to be able to switch between two libraries easily both should be in a portable layout and each should really be using iTunes Media as the media folder name. The folder above can vary, so you could have ..\My Music\King and ..\My Music\Queen, with independent library files in each of those folders, and each containing an iTunes Media folder for its own media files. The first tip should help with manipulating the libraries into the right shape for moving around without breaking the internal links between the library and the media.
Note also that certain settings such Keep iTunes Media folder organized & Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to the library act on a per user basis rather than per library, so changing settings while one library is active may affect when happens when you switch to the other one.
tt2

Changing iTunes library path

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