Copying iTunes files and playlists from Powerbook to iMac

I've got a load of songs and playlists set up on my Powerbook and I want to copy them all across to my iMac.
What's the most straightforward way of doing this, ensuring that both the playlists and song files are copied across?
Copyright/copy protection isn't an issue as none of it is commercial stuff.

Probably the most straightforward way to get iTunes onto your new computer is to network the two and copy your iTunes folder across. This works fine if you have been using iTunes to completely manage your music and all your songs are in iTunes Music not in different folders. Connecting two Mac computers using Ethernet
Another way is to put your original computer into target disk mode and copy the data over Firewire: How to use FireWire target disk mode
Copying the whole folder brings with it the iTunes Music folder and also the iTunes Library (iTunes Library.itl in Windows) database file which holds all the information about your songs (Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, Last Played, Date Added, etc). You'll get more information including the Folder/File structure in this article: What are the iTunes library files?
When you copy the iTunes folder make sure you put it into the same location on the new computer. This has to be the exact same place, on a Mac this would be in Username/Music/. When you open iTunes on the new computer it will be the same as on the original one Songs, Playlists, Play Counts, Ratings etc. When I moved iTunes a while ago for my daughter I was also using the same version of iTunes, not sure how important that is but it's probably worth keeping them the same.

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I have tried and failed to copy my iTunes library and playlists from my Windows 8 desktop to my Windows 7 laptop using an external hard drive. Can it be done? Help would be appreciated.

I have tried and failed to copy my iTunes library and playlists from my Windows 8 desktop to my Windows 7 laptop using an external hard drive. Can it be done? Help would be appreciated. I have followed instructions found online but the library of music doesn't pull in. Thanks!
Nate

Migrate an iTunes library from one computer to another
These are two possible approaches that will normally work to move an existing library to a new computer.
Method 1
Backup the library with this User Tip.
Deauthorize the old computer if you no longer want to access protected content on it.
Restore the backup to your new computer using the same tool used to back it up.
Keep your backup up-to-date in future.
Method 2
Connect the two computers to the same network. Share your <User's Music> folder from the old computer and copy the entireiTunes library folder into the <User's Music> folder on the new one. Again, deauthorize the old computer if no longer required.
Both methods should give the new computer a working clone of the library that was on the old one, with ratings, play counts, playlists etc. preserved. As far as iTunes is concerned this is still the "home" library for your devices so you shouldn't have any issues with iTunes wanting to erase and reload.
I'd normally recommend method 1 since it establishes an ongoing backup for your library and unlike copying with Windows Explorer the process can be resumed if it is interrupted and it will continue to the next item if there are any read/access errors.
Note if you have iOS devices and haven't moved your contacts and calendar items across then you should create one dummy entry of each in your new profile and iTunes should merge the existing data from the device.
If your media folder has been split out from the main iTunes folder you may need to do some preparatory work to make it easier to move. See Make a split library portable.
Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library or a backup then then seeRecover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device for advice on how to set up your devices with a new library with the maximum preservation of data.
tt2

How can I transfer my iTunes library and playlists from one computer to another?

How can I transfer my iTunes library and playlists from one computer to another?

Copy the iTunes folder (Mac: Home\Music or PC: My Music) to the same location on the new computer. If an iTunes folder already exists on the new computer (it will on a Mac) replace it with one you copied.

What is the fastest way to transfer files and applications from an older iMac to a new MacBook Pro?

What is the fastest way to transfer files and applications from an older iMac to a new MacBook Pro?
I have a Firewire cable and Thunderbolt adapter, but no icons showing either Mac appear on either desktop.

The fastest way is to use Carbon Copy Cloner and a external drive formatted GUID OS X Ext. J in Disk Utlilty, then connecting to the new Mac and using Migration Assistant in the Utilites folder.
Even faster, if you can determine your going to replace all the apps from fresh sources anyway (like if the older Mac's OS X verison is old thus the apps) then just use a external drive and copy just your files to it, then connect to the new Mac and transfer over.
Some apps you can just grab the registration code and install it fresh on the new machine with the old code, talk to the developer about transfering the program, as long as it's deleted on the older Mac in the process.
It used to be Firewire Target disk mode was fastest, but since Thunderbolt came out...
Notice this support doc hasn't been updated since june 2012, no Thunderbolt info
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1661

I transferred files and photos from MacBook to iMac via ethernet cable and using migration assistant. However every time I transferred, it created a separate user and it transferred all files and photos again and again. So now I have 3 users accounts ?

I transferred files and photos from MacBook to iMac via ethernet cable and using migration assistant. However every time I transferred, it created a separate user and it transferred all files and photos again and again. So now I have 3 users accounts with all files and photos saved 3 times on same iMac !! Any idea how to avoid this ?

Yes, you ran into a very understandable problem.
When you use Migration Assistant, it cannot over-write the account that you happen to be using at the time. Upon migrating accounts, it will tell you that it is going to create a new one, but that message is easy to miss.
If you have three identical accounts, log in to the account you want to keep, and delete the redundant ones in System Preferences > Users & Groups.
Now that you know, the easiest way to migrate accounts is to use Setup Assistant when you first get a new Mac. That eliminates any possibility for this to occur, but most people are so eager to use their new Mac that they elect to migrate later.
That's OK too, but in that case you would want to create a temporary account whose sole purpose is to run Migration Assistant so that you may migrate your old one with an identical name. Be sure to give the new account Administrator privileges. When that finishes you would log in to the newly migrated account, and delete the temporary account.

How can I migrate my itunes music and playlists from my old PC to my new macbook?

Hi
I have a approx 250 GB of music and itunes content to move to my new macbook pro (running Lion) from my PC laptop (Windows 7)
I'd like to retain all the playlists that I have painstakingly built over the past few years but I dont want to rebuild them all manually. I'm not concerned about retaining info on play counts etc, I want to copy all the media to the mac and replicate the playlists.
None of the media is in the default itunes location (normally in Music in My Documents), the iTunes Media folder lives in another folder on my harddrive called 'Audio etc'. The majority of the music files are in various subfolders I created manually and the newest stuff lives in the iTunes Media folder (since I recently told iTunes to organise new music for me).
When I've moved my music from PC to PC I simply copied all the itunes files and copied my music to folders replicating the same file paths as per the previous computer so the playlists are looking for the music files in all the right locations. Easy.
I considered copying all the itunes library files from the pc to replace the existing itunes files on my mac and copy across all my music (not sure where to put it though).
I expect the 'migrate files' setup wizard on the mac would help me in this situation or is it cleverer that I think?
One suggestion I read was to use the consolidate function in iTunes which will copy my entire collection to the iTunes Media folder and I assume will update the file locations for the playlists and library file then some how migrate that to the mac. Only problem is my harddrive will not have nearly enough space to have duplicate copies of all that music in the iTunes Media folder and it's original location at the same time.
Any suggestions?
I'm stupidly trying to do all this in time for a DJ gig tomorrow night but if I get desperate I'll just have to copy my music over and manually create some of my important playlists.
Thanks
Jon

This article should outline the options
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

Move itunes music and playlists from one disk to another on same mac pro

I was running Maverick 10.9.1 on my early 08 Mac Pro. I was having significant problems with the system locking up and having to shut it down manually. After discussing the problem with an Apple Support Rep, I executed a clean installed of Snow Leopard 10.6.8 on a new HDD. I need to move my itunes library from the old Maverick HD to the new Snow Leopard HD. My Time Machine is corrupted for the old drive. How can I move my music and playlists from itunes on the old drive Maverick to the new Snow Leopard drive? I will also need to move my address book contacts. Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks. This solved the iTunes problem. Any suggestion as to how I cam move or copy my address book to the new HD? I can't find the location of the address book files on the old HD.

How to recover iTunes files and playlists

I recently had to reinstall the operating system on my computer. That means I had to reinstall iTunes from scratch. Fortunately, I kept a back-up of all the iTunes files on an external hard drive, so I should be able to recover everything.
However, I want to be able to recover how everything was organized previously including playlists.
Is it possible to use my backup files to recover the playlists? If yes, how? Thanks.

It depends exactly on what it was you backed up. If you made a back up of your entire iTunes folder that will have included the iTunes Music folder and also the iTunes Library (iTunes Library.itl in Windows) database file which holds all the information about your songs (Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, Last Played, Date Added, etc). If that's what you did then copy the folder back to My Music and open iTunes while holding down the Shift key. You will get a box opening giving you the option to create a new library or navigate to an existing one. Navigate to where you copied the iTunes folder and choose the library file that's there: How to open an alternate iTunes Library file

How to transfer files and playlists from separate drives

I have my iTunes library on an external hard drive, but the iTunes is on the old G3 iMac.
I want to transfer the music files and the iTunes prefs (eg playlists) to a newer laptop.
Both the iMac and the hard drive have firewire connections.
How do I go about doing this?
Thanks,
Boris

I would probably try using the migration assistant utility. Go to Applications > Utilities > Migration Assistant. Otherwise, it might work to simply copy the iTunes folder on your old mac to the new one but I'm not sure about this.

I need to copy audio files and projects from logic to an external hard as my MBPis nearly full and my external hard drive has packed up with all my files on it, any suggestions on how do I copy 200GB from my MBP to a new external HD

I Use logic and back my audio file and projects on an external HD ,this has now packed up . I have all the files in the MBP , but need to copy them to a new external HD, I have only 10GB left on my machine , how do I copy 200GB from my machine to a new External HD.
any helpful full advice would be appreciated.
angus

Yes, just drag and drop them into the drive..
How long will it take? Hard to say without knowing the type and speed of the drives in question.. and even then it's hard to estimate... but does time really matter?
The fact you only have 10 Gigs left will/may slow the process down but it wont/shouldn't stop it...
If needed.. just drag and drop some of the files at a time.. not all of them.
Remember that copying files doesn't delete them from the original drive... You will still need to delete them yourself after they are copied over and empty the trash....
However....
When you saved these projects in Logic (Pro X?) did you save them using the include audio files option?
If not, then when you move the audio files used in these projects... Logic will not know where they are to reload them........ and that will cause you issues.
So.. if you didn't...
I would use this method instead...
Logic Pro X: Move, copy, and convert audio files

HT1923 I had a computer crash with Windows XP. I was able to copy all my songs are on to a ZIP Drive. My iPod is up to date. I bought a new computer with Windows 8 and I installed iTunes. How do I import all of my files and playlists from my iPod?

How do I recover from a crash?

Hey Captain Kenny,
I would follow the External drive section in this link to transfer the music to your new computer:
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Welcome to Apple Support Communities!
Have a good one,
Delgadoh

How do I move iTunes settings and playlists from PC to Mac?

I have a very convoluted arrangement of playlists and folders in my Windows version of iTunes. I now would like to move these over to my new Mac. Is this easy or indeed possible? I'm not referring to the music files themselves. They reside on a separate external drive.

It's easiest if you network the two machines, or use another drive to "transport" them.
You can select all the songs in a playlist and drag them to a folder on your desktop, or through the network to the other machine. Then, on your mac, drag this folder to your iTunes. They should be copied to your new library, and you can remove them from the folder.

How do I migrate my extensive ipad files and apps from my old iMac to my new windows machine?

I had to go to a windows machine. All of my stuff, apps, books, music, pictures, etc. is on my iMac. Is there any way to gracefully move the information from the iMac to the windows machine? It's about 60 GB.

If all your data is on your iTunes library, follow the steps of this site to transfer your library to a PC with an external disk > http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1751 You have to do the "Restoring your iTunes Library backup" step on your PC.
Apart from that, if you have got more data you want to transfer, you can put it in the external disk, too. You must do this because there isn't an app to migrate files from a Mac to the PC

Is it possible to move my iTunes from the old laptop to the new one (including all the music files and playlists) without having to start all over again with a blank iTunes?

Is it possible to move my iTunes from the old laptop to the new one (including all the music files and playlists) without having to start all over again with a blank iTunes?

yes
You will need to copy the whole iTunes folder which is in your user profile on the old computer in Music folder.
Before you do it make sure iTunes are updates on the old computer and it works without any problems.
This will copy all your media, music, movies (provided you did not change the default location).
After the migration you will need to sing in to Apple store again with your Apple ID
and also authorize your new computer (both done from the tom menu bar in Store.
Once you are done please deauthorize your old computer (the same menu path) if you are not planning to use it anymore.
Any problems post here.

Can I copy my iTunes files and folders to Time Capsule wirelessly from my PC?

Can I copy my iTunes files and folders to Time Capsule wirelessly from my PC? I was wondering since my iTunes files and folders are connected to iTunes.

You can but the TC is the worst possible location. The design is slow to start and quick to stop data connections.. that will cause trouble.
Moving folders has specific instructions.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1364
Move it to an external hard disk fine.. but be very sure you will not be happy with the TC as a location.

Copying iTunes files and playlists from Powerbook to iMac

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