Cleaning Up iTunes Library

My music library contains duplicates of songs (some on my original hard drive and on my back up copy of external hard drive). I want to clear the library and have one list of songs.
How do I do this without losing the purchased songs as well.
I like to do the housekeeping on occassion and when I click on the library for it to be able to locate the song. Right now, because I may remove the external hard drive, it will tell me that it is unable to locate the song.
Assistance is greatly appreciated.

There are many applications out there to remove 'dead links' in itunes. I know idleTunes will do this.
I'd suggest you disconnect the external drive, then run idleTunes and tell it to remove dead links.

Similar Messages

  • Recreating my iTunes library from my iPod classic

    I recently had to reinstall Windows XP on my laptop for various reasons. Obviously, in the process I wiped clean my iTunes library. I am now wary of synchronisng my iPod classic as I have a LOT of DVDs, purchased music, etc. that took a considerable amount of time to encrypt and transfer to my iPod.
    My question is, is there any safe way to reinstall my iTunes library from iPod classic, without losing anything? Any advice would be appreciated, thanks.
    Garry

    Copying from iPod to Computer threads...
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1300144
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=797432&#797432
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=809624&tstart=0
    Also these useful internet articles...
    http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/copying-music-from-ipod-to-co mputer/
    http://www.engadget.com/2004/11/02/how-to-get-music-off-your-ipod/
    http://playlistmag.com/help/2005/01/2waystreet/
    Cheers!
    Patrick

  • PC died and in turn my main iTunes library. iPhone was synced to it. Now when I try to connect to another library it tells me the phone must be wiped clean before I can manage music with new library. Any way around that? Don't want to lose music.

    My PC died and in turn so did my main iTunes library.  My iPhone was synced to the library that is gone.  Now when I try to connect to another library, it tells me the phone must be wiped clean before I can manage music with new library.  Any way around that?  I don't want to lose the music that is on my phone.  I am looking for a way to tell the phone to "forget" the old library and let me start working with a new library. 

    It has always been very basic to always maintain a backup copy of your computer for just such an occasion.
    Use your backup copy of your computer to put everything on the new one.
    It sounds like you have failed to do this, which is not good at all.
    You will have to transfer your itunes purchases from your iphone.  Authorize your computer for your itunes account 
    About iTunes Store authorization and deauthorization
    Open itunes, plug in iphone, do NOT sync, click File>Transfer Purchases
    When you do sync you will lose your pics ( photo library - synced from your old computer), your itunes content ( music, apps, videos,etc) , your contacts and your calendars.  So do NOT sync yet.  This is why a backup copy is so important.
    Enter one unique contact and calendar entry on your computer.
    When you first sync, you should get the option to merger the data.  Choose it.
    If you want your pics, then you will need to e-mail them to yourself before you sync.  They will not be of the original quality as they are reduced when synced to iphone.
    When all is as goos as it can be, then backup your computer, and always maintain the backup.

  • How to restore iTunes library from TimeMachine external hard drive backup after clean install

    I was not able to solve this problem, hence I decided to open this discussion.
    1. Recently, I clean installed Yosemite so my new Mac is completely empty.
    2. I have my time machine backup on my eternal hard drive and would like to restore only specific things - such as iTunes library.
    3. I did not manually copy iTunes library to my drive, I did the TM backup only, but I also do have all the files in my own "music" folder I manually backed-up.
    However, I cannot locate the library there, where is it?
    How do I move the library to my new Mac and then establish a new source folder that would be on my drive?
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    This leads me to the conclusion that my backup copy of iTunes library did not contain the files anyway.
    Any advice?
    Thank you in advance.

    I am confused as to what you had or have where and when.  The bottom line is, your library (for the standard user) is everything in the iTunes folder.  As far as iTunes' organization and display is concerned, your library is a file called "iTunes Library.itl" which points to all the other host of files and folders normally in the iTunes folder which all work together.
    What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
    More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
    What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
    Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
    iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847 - plus supplemental information about organizing to new structure https://discussions.apple.com/message/26404702#26404702
    Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7392 and making an iTunes library portable.
    If you kept everything together in one place then you need to put the whole iTunes folder on the drive where you want it, start iTunes while holding down the option key and guide it to that .itl file.  If things were split up and you had media on the external and the rest of the library on the internal you need to get them back to exactly where they were before.  If you can't find that iTunes folder holding the critical .itl file anywhere then you have a bunch of media tracks and no organization and will need to rebuild the organization from ground level.

  • HT1473 My computer crashed and when it was cleaned and rebooted I lost a lot of music from my iTunes library.  Is there a way to sync (or copy) my iPod with iTunes?

    Hey y'all,
    My computer had a virus recently and everything had to be "cleaned".  I've noticed that a big chunk of my iTunes library is missing.  I did make sure everything was on my iPod before the IT guy took over, so the question is:  Can I upload the music in my iPod into iTunes?  If yes, how? 
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    Sue

    Copy the entire iTunes folder from your backup to /Music/ on your computer.

  • Slicked computer clean, downloaded itunes and now it won't recognize my ipod, says it is synced with another library. How do I correct this?

    Slicked computer clean, downloaded itunes and now it won't recognize my ipod, says it is synced with another itunes library.  It isn't.  How do I fix this?

    If no backup exists....
    Recover media from iPod
    See this post from forum regular Zevoneer for options on moving your iPod data back to your computer.
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  • Clean up duplicated songs in itunes library

    my external harddisk was dead 2 weeks ago , together with my thousands of songs . i ripped some hundred songs from 2 ipods back to my macbook . now , i have problem .
    i found duplicated songs , one is real but the other with "!" sign and is only a dead link . how can i clean up all the useless names ?
    moreover , i want to clean up my itunes library , kill all duplacted files and all those "hollow names with no songs " . any simple way ?
    please help . thanks
    PS : the macbook i am using is with latest itunes and OS

    Hi,
    You need Doug's applescript - "Super Remove Dead Tracks" You can get it here - http://dougscripts.com/itunes/ixarch/arch.php?my=2007-03#032007a
    Regards

  • I have just made a clean instalation of Lion, with a bootable disk, and I planned to restore my files (music, photos, etc.), but Lion doesn't find my backup files. So, I'm about to loose all of my iTunes library, work docum The installation run perfectly,

    I have just made a clean instalation of Lion, with a bootable disk, and I planned to restore my files (music, photos, etc.), The installation run perfectly, but Lion doesn't find my backup files. So, I'm about to loose all of my iTunes library, work documents (I'm a lawyer!!), my kid's photos.... How can I restore my files?? Help!!

    Since you seem to be using a new disk for Lion, Time Machine will consider previous backups to be for a "different" computer.  Try doing a control-click or click-and-hold on the Time Machine icon in the Dock, then choose "Browse Other Time Machine Disks".  This should allow Time Machine to see the previous backups.
    In the worst case you should be able to open those Time Machine backups and copy your documents from there to your home folder.
    By the way, you've been misled by poor field labeling on this forum into typing a large part of your message into the field intended for the subject.  In the future just type a short summary of your post into that field and type the whole message into the field below that.

  • I just clean installed maverick on my computer and I have nothing in my iTunes library, how can I get back all the music I have bought?

    I just clean installed maverick on my computer and I have nothing in my iTunes library, how can I get back all the music I have bought?

    From your backups. By doing a clean install you erased your startup volume. You may have installed OS X, but your personal software was erased. You can restore from backups if your have them. If not, then you've lost it all, permanently.

  • HT4796 I need to transfer my iTunes library, email and a few clean files from my PC to my new Mac.  I was about to use the Migration Assistant, however I am concerned that viruses on my PC will tag along.  Should I be concerned?

    I need to transfer my iTunes library, email and a few clean files from my PC to my new Mac.  I was about to use the Migration Assistant, however I am concerned that viruses on my PC will tag along.  Should I be concerned?

    No.

  • Clean Itunes library

    My Itunes library has become a little untidy with missing art work and track info, can anyone recommend any software which will help solve the problem?

    Hey Biggie
    Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
    I am a religious user of the Software, Rinse and TuneUp media. I refer Rinse because of its great interface, some prefer TuneUp. Install them both and find out for yourself. For me Rinse works smoothly and perfectly.
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  • Rebuilding an iTunes Library: How to Do It & What to Expect

    When iTunes is performing poorly--sluggishness, weird Podcast updating behavior, etc.--and you have tried everything, the prospect arises of rebuilding the iTunes Library. Instructions are simple. The idea is that the XML Library file will inevitably be "cleaner" than the possibly corrupted ITL file which is the file that iTunes edits in managing your iTunes content, and that after rebuilding your library from the xml file, you will have a fresh, clean ITL file. So, back up your machine. Then, go to your iTunes folder and TRASH the file "iTunes ibrary.itl" in the ~/Music/Tunes Folder. Do not empty the Trash. Also, MOVE the file "iTunes Music Library.xml" to your Desktop. Then start iTunes, select Import in the File Menu and select the iTunes Music Library.xml" that is on your Desktop. It could take hours depending on the size and you can just wait until the automatic rebuild is complete. Incidentally, I strongly recommend that you also disconnect your Mac from the Internet during this entire procedure; more on that later.
    Here is the caveat in rebuilding your Library: Apple purposely does not document the ITL file and will only say that most but not all of the information is written to the XML file, a file that technically only exists so that third party applications might be able to work with the iTunes Library. So what information will be missing after you rebuild you library from the XML file? Here is what I found:
    i. Music library and playlists: Good news, this remains intact. However, if your ITL file was corrupted you will discover some funny business. For example, there may be items such as Podcasts you have converted to Music files that reappear as Podcast files. You may find that there are files that are missing or files that you know you have, but seem to be missing from the new iTunes Library. There are various utilities or iTunes plugins such as those from the Doug's Applescripts site that will automate the discovery of these and other problems. Also, alas, the Date Added for all files will be today's date and time, not the day and time from as long as 10 years ago.
    Your iDeivces (iPods, iPhones, and iPads) will see this rebult library as entirely new. Thus, you will need to decide which Playlists, Artists, etc. to manage/import into each of your iDevices as though they are brand new. Basically, this is a time consuming slog, but you will need to do it. All will be erased and reimported even though they are already on your device. Dumb but there you have it.
    Movies, TV Shows, Audiobooks, Books, and Photos: These will remain intact with the same general caveats and iDeivce reimport issues as with the Music files. Namely, you will need to decide what you want to sync anew.
    Apps: Here is something that is not included n the XML file. Fortunately, the fix is to simply drag the contents of the Mobile Applications folder into iTunes and drop it. The import will be automatic. However, there may be multiple versions of some of your apps. about which iTunes will warn you and ask for a decision. Unfortunately, the file names of the multiple version apps are not given. So, my technique is to keep the newest version and leave the older one where it is, keeping a list of all of the ones you did not import. After you are done with the import you can go to the Apps window in iTunes, find the imported versions of those files, right click the icon, and then select "Show in Finder." You will then know the file name of the kept file and by inference can identify and decide what you want to do with the other version. In may cases it turns out to be a downrev version that can be moved elsewhere. However, it could also be a version for, say, your iPhone, that does not work with your iPad. In this case, import it and keep it. I would suggest keeping all of the seemingly orphaned apps around for awhile just in case you later find you need them.
    Good news: When you connect your iDevice(s) to iTunes you will find that iTunes accepts the apps already installed on them. You need do nothing further in most cases. Wonderful.
    Podcasts: Hopefully you heeded my advice to disconnect from the Internet. Because Podcasts seem to be the most problematic of the Library. If connected to the Internet you may, for example, find that the Podcasts will begin to download episodes willy nilly and contrary to your preferred settings. You don't need this right now! So, that said, the Podcasts will be restored including Podcasts that may not currently have any current episodes in them. However, you may find that you will need to Subscribe to some podcasts even though you already had a subscription. In fact, some this having to Subscribe may persist over a few days. Just go ahead and do it of you want the subscriptions. Also, make sure that the Settings for each Podcast are as you like them. You can then connect your iDevice and set it up just as though it is new and iTunes will tediously build your new Podcast library on your iDevice just as with your Music files. Of course you will need to do this for each of your iDevices.
    One other thing to watch in connection with Podcasts is your Music section. I ended up with almost 3000 podcast episodes that were not current that were listed in my Music section but greyed out and identified as Streaming content. Rooting these out was a simple matter of selecting for "Genre" and deleting all of the genre "Streaming" from the Library. This list had nothing to do with the settings for Podcasts. It may be a bug or just one of the symptoms of corruption of my particular original ITL file. Notably, I was connected to the Internet when I rebuilt my Library and this is one of the reasons I highly recommend disconnecting before the rebuild. However, this gremlin could occur when you do reconnect. I don't know and I am not about to test for it, So watch for this or for other funny business.
    Cloud/iTunes Match stuff: If you had turned on iTunes Match I have no help for you. I have never used it. Intuitively, I suspect this could be an epic mess in the context of rebuilding your Library from the XML file. But maybe not--hopefully not!
    iPads, iPhones and the Library: In my case it appears that much of the problem with my iTunes Library file had to do with anomalies and differences betwen what my iTunes Library thought was on a device and what was actually there. Do not be surprised if you feel that you need to restore one of your iDevices. However, prior to doing so consider making an encrypted backup of your iDevice. Encrypted backups include settings and other information that could take hours to reenter and is not included on regular style backups. After a restore, you can be sure that this restoration will be the canonical status of both what is on your iDevice and what iTunes thinks is on your device. Thus you can work with this and then modify it confidently.
    Epilogue: For me, this procedure restored performance to iTunes that had been getting steadily worse for about two years. The new ITL file was about 1MB smaller than the old one. Incidentally, even though the ITL fle was modified by iTunes with most major iTunes versions, it traced its provenance back to 2004 when I got my first iPod. That is very long time and so the development of errors and weirdness is not terribly surprising.

    Because the Nano was previous synced to another comuter/iTunes library.
    See the following:
    Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive: Apple Support Communities

  • How can I switch to syncing to another itunes library without losing my app data?

    I have a new imac and I built a new itunes library on that machine - I wanted a clean library. It's big. I want sync my iphone 5 to this new library but it's synced to my mbp13. I don't mind reloading my music, but I don't want to lose my app data.
    Is there any way to backup my iphone (current its backed up to icloud) but then do a restore and use it with a different itunes library? It will be under the same itunes store account and itunes match account, etc.
    The main goal is to not lose my app data or apps. I have no prob copying my music over, its the same on both computers.

    Doh! I figured it out. I had to turn on "sync music" from the music tab and selected no music to sync - so it wiped all my music on the iphone - which was fine. Then I could enable manually manage music and presto - now I am able to copy my music over to the iphone from my new imac.

  • How can I manage 1 iTunes library with 2 computers (not on same network)?

    I have 1 very large iTunes library in which I am always adding/deleting/editing songs and 2 computers (1 home, 1 laptop). I would like to be able to manage my library with my laptop when I am away from home but also be able to see any changes I made next time I open iTunes on my home computer. I tried home sharing but this seems to be more for computers on the same network. My library is much too big for iCloud. Someone suggested I hold shift when I open iTunes to select a library but even though I can select the library file I want, it doesn't populate iTunes with my changes (or any music for that matter). I'm running XP with the latest version of iTunes (10.7.0.21). Thanks

    This describes a work/home scenario.  For home/away use, edit the library directly on the portable backup when away, then sync libraries on your return.
    Sync iPod/iPad/iPhone with two computers
    Although it isn't possible to sync an Apple device with two different libraries it is possible to sync with the same logical library from multiple computers. Each library has an internal ID and when iTunes connects to your iPod/iPad/iPhone it compares the local ID with the one the device normally syncs with. If they are the same you can go ahead and sync...
    I have my library cloned to a small 1Tb USB drive which I can take between home & work. At either location I use SyncToy 2.1 to update the local copy with the external drive. Mac users should be able to find similar tools. I can open either of the local libraries or the one on the external drive and update the media content of my iPhone. The slight exception is Photos which normally connects to a specific folder on a specific machine, although that can easily be remapped to the current library if you create a "Photos" folder inside the iTunes Media folder so that syncing the iTunes folders keeps this up to date as well. I periodically sweep my library for new files & orphans with iTunes Folder Watch just in case I make changes at one location but then overwrite the library with a newer copy from the other. Again Mac users should be able to find similar tools.
    As long as your media is organized within an iTunes Music or Tunes Media folder, in turn held inside the main iTunes folder that has your library files (whether or not you let iTunes keep the media folder organized) each library can access items at the same relative path from the library folder so the library can be at different drives/paths on different machines. This solution ensures I always have adequate backups of my library and I can update my devices whenever I can connect to the same build of iTunes.
    When working with an iPhone earlier builds of iTunes would remove any file not physically present in the local library, even if there was an entry for it, making manual management practically redundant on the iPhone. This behavior has been changed but it will still only permit manual management with a library that has the correct internal ID. If you don't want to sync your library between machines on a regular basis just copy the iTunes Library.itl file from the current "home" machine to any other you want to use, then clean out the library entries and import the local content you have on that box.
    tt2

  • Have found multiple iTunes Library.xml files. Moved Library to new Hard Drive and it needs to be completely rebuilt?

    Hello. I have a Mac Mini operating Mac OS X 10.7.2. I recently had to move my iTunes Library to a new hard drive. I followed the directions on how to move the library and refind everything yet when I do so what comes up is a mere skeleton of what I had. I have had to hunt down my purchased Apps, Music and Movies and re-add them to the library. I also noticed in doing this I have multiple iTunes Library.xml files ... shouldn't there only be one?  If so how do I clean this up without doing any accidental damage (i.e. how do I find the one that is being used and delete the rest?)?  If I delete the others is there any risk of losing purchased content? Lastly syncing my iPads has become a nightmare as I get the "This iPad is currently synced to another iTunes library" message. Obviously something

    It's hard for me to picture the exact situation. It sounds like you still have your library file on the internal but some files on the external, and maybe some on the internal, some of which are in the library and others not...  By re-adding things after consolidating it may have made things into a hodge-podge. Yes, that article you referenced says: "iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder"with Media Folder being the emphasis.  You probably should have just moved your whole iTunes folder.  Still, moving the media folder as instructed should not have messed up the library.  Did you make the mistake of starting up iTunes before the external drive had mounted fully and it then told you it couldn't find many files?  How you proceed to sort it out will depend upon how much time you want to spend and how important things such as ratings and playcount are to you.  I have not actually used the consolidate feature across different drives myself (and don't feel inclined to do so here to test ).
    If you are in the USA you can download some previous purhcases with iCloud, but not all.
    Here's a bit on what an iTunes folder should look like:
    What are the iTunes library files? - [http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660]
    More on iTunes library files and what they do - [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management]
    Library files with graphic and explanation of different iTunes versions - http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=13169517
    Once you get iTunes working off the external drive it should just put new media to the external when you add it.
    I have almost no experience with synching (I synched my neice's iPod, once, about 4 years ago).

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