Empty iTunes Folders

Why does iTunes leaves behind many empty folders once it moves the songs to other folders? Let me explain further. You see I have it set for iTunes to manage my music. So, when I update ID3 info for example correcting the spelling of an artist name, song title or correct the album title. It creates the new folder but leaves behind the old folder. Is there a way to remedy this?

I guess I have to individually check each folder in the iTunes library to determine if they are empty or not.

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Purpose of empty iTunes folders?

I'm just curious about some folders that I see in my iTunes library:
1. Folder name iTunes Music. My media content, including my music, is in a folder named iTumes Media. The iTunes Music folder is empty. What is its purpose? Can I delete it?
2. Folder name Mobile Applications. Again, this folder is empty. What is its purpose? Can I delete it?
3. Folder name is Previous iTunes Libraries. There are about 10 files in this folder, each with the following name: iTunes Library yyyy-mm-dd.itl. Each has a different date, of course. What is the purpose of these files?
If you know the answers, thank you for the education!
Bob

Hi,
If you have an iTunes media folder, you don't need iTunes music folder is not needed. All your music etc is in the media folder. If folder is empty you can delete.
Mobile applications - I presume that you do not have any iOS devices. Even if you delete this, iTunes will recreate anyway!!
Previous iTunes library may be required if you have problems with current one. These files are created each time there is an update. Keep the latest one, delete the rest.
Jim

How can I delete my empty music folders?

Using a Mac with OS X Mavericks: I recently deleted many songs from my iTunes library and simultaneously from my iTunes music folder. My iTunes music is stored in this order: Music > Artists > Albums > Songs. Now, I am left with many Album folders that are empty because there are no song files in them. I am trying to delete all of these empty Album folders.
I already tried doing an advanced search (below) in my general Music folder, but no results came up.
Is there a way to search for all empty folders within my general music folder and delete them? I don't want to go into each individual artist folder to see which of their albums folder is empty and then delete those one by one. I would like to use a method that would show me all empty folders within the big "Music" folder. I am aware that I can use the Terminal app to do this but have been unable to find a source that clearly explains how to do it for a non-expert like myself. I am an amateur mac user so a beginner's guide to this solution would help. Thanks!

Since you are determined to solve this puzzle, I rolled up my sleeves & dove in -- starting with a refined search...
Some of the categories may be found under Other (which is found at the bottom of the list that pops up when you click on the button to the right of the button).
Before I took this screen shot, I selected all & then ticked Get Info -- obviously, just to view the confirmation dialog box.
On my machine, when I clicked on a folder, the path was revealed on the bottom bar. It was typically either Michael > Music > iTunes > Album Artwork> Cache > (####'s, etc...) [italics mine] or Michael > Music > iTunes > Album Artwork> Cloud Purchases > (####'s, etc...) [italics mine].
Disclaimer: If you do similar to what I have done, then select all, you could use the command in Finder > file > Move To Trash; however, the onus would be on you. Notice how the System Files were specifically NOT included in the search parameters. If you don't empty the trash, then the folder(s) could (theoretically) be dragged back out of the trash & returned to their respective original location(s). Of course you could just select one folder, click on that, check the path for yourself, & decide to do a test drag to trash using said single folder. Then simply investigate the effect it has on your iTunes library.
Finally, you may also wish to see if any higher level ASC volunteers chime in as well -- as they oftentimes do when they come across a rather unique issue such as yours.
Click on the screen shot & it will zoom larger for you.
That's my story & I'm stickin' to it!
mm
iMac (20-inch Early 2008), Mac OS X (10.6.8), iTunes 11.3.1

Have Apple prevented uploading what's on an iPod to an empty iTunes?

Im getting lost in the maze of help topics... Can anyone tell me if I can retrieve my iTunes library from my iPod? My laptop recently fried so I bought a new one, however I now have no back-up library for what's already on my iPod...
Have Apple actually prevented the user from uploading what's on an iPod to an empty iTunes library??!

Have Apple actually prevented the user from uploading what's on an iPod to an empty iTunes library??!
It was (and still is) only ever possible to transfer iTunes purchases from iPod to iTunes. However, there are ways of transferring other non Tunes purchases. Read on.
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 do I consolidate multiple Itunes folders on one computer?

I had a mishap with my external hard drive (I didn't know how to use it properly..yup USER ERROR!) so I have three different Itunes folders intertwined in my music folders with different previous Itunes libraries. I made a backup of the entire music mess on a flash drive, have a new computer and finally an ipod to put my music on...
Can someone give me some detailed steps to be able to consolidate all of my many Itunes libraries and let me know how I can access the music in my previous Itunes libraries? I want to make sure that I still have the rights to the music that I purchased in the past. I had some music in the Itunes cloud which is great but not nearly all of it...DRATS!
I found some steps to consolidate music from different computers onto one but I'm not sure that the same steps apply to my situation. Here are the links that I was looking at in eHow: http://www.ehow.com/how_5704389_consolidate-multiple-itunes-libraries.html and http://www.ehow.com/how_8149083_can-itunes-libraries-two-computers.html.
Thanks so much in advance!
Itunes libraries make my brain hurt!

Import everything into one library and then dedupe it.
tt2

Help - moved itunes folders to external drive and now my itunes is totally

A few months ago, in order to free up space on my c drive, i had to purchase an external drive - everything i installed via itunes since that date has been on the hard drive and everything was fine.
Last night i needed more room on my C drive so i stupidly moved the remaining itunes folders from my C drive to my F drive - unfortunately, when i opened itunes it was blank.
i've tried a few things - including adding the folder from the F drive - and that retrieved about 80% of my music/videos and the last playlists i had - however, they were all missing songs - even if all the songs that should be included remained on my itunes
i began the tedious process of manually adding files back in but soon realized this doesn't help itunes consider this the same ipod as what's still on my actual ipod.
*What I'd like to do (if possible) is to wipe itunes clean and somehow restore everything on my ipod into itunes so that i retrieve not only the songs and videos but also the playlists that i've spent way too much time building. At this point i fear that the various components to my ipod are in too many files on my external drive to be easily restored another way (though if i'm wrong please let me know)*
sadly (as this story might suggest) I am borderline computer illiterate - I've read a few posts suggesting some sort of software online (something the apple help line also made an "off the record" remark about) - but I can't for the life of me figure out which i would use or how to do this without risking the contents of my existing ipod (which has the playlists and songs/video I want to reestablish).
*Can anyone possibly suggest how to best handle this and walk me through it in painstakingly basic and specific detail? I would be forever grateful.*
Thanks

iTunes uses the iTunes Library files - in particular the iTunes Library.itl file - to keep track of where your song files are located as well as playlist and related information.
Most likely in moving your folders around iTunes has been confused to such an extent that it created a new Library file. With a bit of luck you might still be able to find the old file which would restore your old Library.
So the first thing you want to do is look around your computer and make a note of any iTunes Library.itl files you can find. Generally speaking you'll find them in the iTunes folders on your system and depending on how you've been moving the folders - i.e. whether you "cut" them or "copied" them - you may still find at least one one on your F: drive and some on your C: drive.
Having noted where they are you know want to check each of them out as described in this article in the Apple Knowledge Base. In following those instructions you want to select the Choose Library option and use the pop-up window that appears to zero in on the various .itl files you've located.
Remember that each Library file will show a different Library in iTunes - perhaps slightly different, perhaps completely different - and if the first one isn't what you're looking for you'll have to close iTunes and repeat the procedure by selecting one of the other .itl's.
Post back for any clarification.

2 iTunes folders on one computer, 1 iPod - does it work?

This part seems to work: putting one iTunes folder into the users>music folder at a time, with the other iTunes folder (containing its own iTunes Music folder and library) into a folder located elsewhere on the computer. If I just switch the entire iTunes folders then I can access each as I please. So far it works great that way (eventually I may merge the two but there are thousands of songs in each so it will be a monster job just creating new playlists). So now -- unless someone tells me that there is a problem with that part -- my question relates to putting music into my one (1) iPod. Can I do it from both iTunes libraries (one at a time)? Or can I just do it from one library?

Import everything into one library and then dedupe it.
tt2

Two iTunes Folders on one PC (My mistake). Please help!

Sorry, I had this in another post that was too long and could not edit. Please don't punish me, mods...
https://discussions.apple.com/message/12497755#12497755
Edited:
My old computer crashed and I couldn't recover the most recent iTunes folder on that drive. However, I did back-up the folder to an external drive a few months ago (I know, why so long).
Here's where I did something wrong... I installed iTunes on my new Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit computer, then I copied the older backed-up folder from the external to write over the iTunes folder installed on my PC by the iTunes app after installation (can't remember which location I put the B/U folder, I am new to Win7).
I did a "Shift" Open iTunes to choose folder and the app informed me I have two (2) iTunes folders. One is path "Home -> My Music -> iTunes" and the other is under path "Libraries -> Music - iTunes". I think I really screwed-up here.
* How do I tell which folder the app iTunes is using (they are both the same size and same number of files)?
* How do I tell which folder to safely delete since I don't know which one iTunes is accessing?
* How do I get this back to way it was on my old XP machine? (iTunes folder was in failed machine "My Documents -> My Music -> iTunes")
When I try to delete the one in "Libraries -> Music - iTunes" the computer also deletes the one in "Home -> My Music -> iTunes".

Here's where the duplicate folder is:
But I want to consolidate to my path "Home - My Music - iTunes" and have one folder only.
Ideas? Thanks

How do you move or can I move Itune folders (Movies), (TV Shows) and (Home Videos) to other internal hard drives (running out of space) on my computer's main hard drive and have Itunes recongize where they are?

I built my own computer which has 4 internal hard drives with 3 internal hard drives that are 3tb. With my movies and tv shows, I need to know if I can move the Itunes folders (Movies, TV shows and Home Video's) and move each one of them to 3 seperate internal hard drives while Itunes can still find them to play with my apple tv. Does anyone know how I can do it?

While you can do that, it is not a feature of iTunes. Put your movies on the external drive, then add them to iTunes by dragging the files to iTunes while holding the option (alt) key down so it leaves the files where they are located. There are other ways to move them if they are already added but they can be more involved and tricky. If it's just one or two try: http://dougscripts.com/itunes/scripts/ss.php?sp=relocateselected

How can I sync my iPhone to a new (empty) iTunes without replacing everything on my phone with the new library?

I recently had my MacBook stolen. I have an iPhone which had selected playlists, photos, ringtones, and apps from my old iTunes. Now I have purchased a new MacBook Pro and would like to sync my iPhone with my laptop, which has a whole new (empty) iTunes library. However, when I choose "sync" my phone with the new iTunes, it says it will erase all items on my iPhone and replace it with my new iTunes library(which is empty). Can someone please help me?? I really would like to keep these photos and playlists!!

You can transfer items on your iPhone to iPhoto, iTunes, etc. the software merely transfer the data, it does not store it. Very handy software to have around.

How can I download a previously downloaded purchase to my iTunes library on my laptop when the listing for the song in my library won't play because it says it cannot locate the file. Yes I have searched my iTunes folders and also done a full windows sear

How can I download a previously downloaded purchase to my iTunes library on my laptop when the listing for the song in my library won't play because it says it cannot locate the file. Yes I have searched my iTunes folders and also done a full windows search. The track plays on my iPad and my iPhones but will not play on my laptop!?
It has an "!" To the left of the song title in my library
My worry is that if I sync my iPad/iPhone then I will lose the track on those also!

If you cannot find the file on your hard drive then once you delete the current broken entry you should be able to redownload from iTunes in the Cloud. This assumes the item in question qualifies. Note that audiobooks, digital booklets, iTunes LPs & Extras, ringtones, selected movies etc. don't.
If prompted don't hide the item. You may find that you need to close and then reopen iTunes before it will appear for download.
tt2

How do I permanently delete music files from itunes AND my computer (without going to the folder to delete each item)? It's a windows system. I've tried 'reset all dialogue warnings' as I've been told to do but no luck. Files are still in Itunes folders.

How do I permanently delete music files from itunes AND my computer (without going to the folder to delete each item)? It's a windows system. I've tried 'reset all dialogue warnings' as I've been told to do but no luck. Files are still in Itunes folders. I would really appreciate help!

Solved! Music was in Itunes folder but not in Media folder within that. It doesn't seem like a very user friendly system so far!

HT1473 My itunes will not open at all - I repeatedly get the message"itunes library is corrupted...not installed correctly...please reinstall itunes" I have tried opening all my itunes folders but nothing will even open.

My itunes will not open at all - I repeatedly get the message"itunes library is corrupted...not installed correctly...please reinstall itunes" I have tried opening all my itunes folders but nothing will even open.

Let's try a repair install of iTunes first.
Restart the PC. If you're using Vista or 7, now head into your Uninstall a program control panel, select "iTunes" and then click "Repair". If you're using XP, head into your Add or Remove Programs control panel, select "iTunes", click "Change" and then click "Repair".
Can you launch your iTunes now?

Please HELP join these 2 iTunes folders in Windows 7 preserving album artwork & tags (discussion reply requested)

(Discussion Reply Requested ) Please HELP join these 2 iTunes folders in
Windows 7 preserving album artwork & "tags"
I have searched and not found an up to date understandable answer as how
to join 2 working portable same (apple ID) user iTunes folders into one itunes folder
while above all else preserving hand edited Abum Artwork and hand edited tags.
( It was many hours of hand edited added Album Artwork and editing of tags )
Situation is Windows 7 ( 64 bit ) with current iTunes installed ( 2014-03-17 )
The hard drive crashed and the old \iTunes folder and all old contents have been copied and backed up.
The windows 7 64 bit and latest iTunes 64 bit has been re-installed cleanly ( no old music added )
Music from the iTunes cloud was then added/downloaded into iTunes
Now \itunes has 40 gig of music available to play.
Now I want to join the currently installed working \itunes folder ( 40 gig of music )
with the old saved \itunes folder ( 100 gig of music ) into just one \iTunes folder
with preserving the current Album Artwork and editing of "tags" of both folders.
I have seen previous answers that use words like " consolidate " , " export / import ",
" merge " , " apple home sharing " , " use explorer to copy ..." , ect
none of which mentioned if the current Album Artwork
or tags survive unchanged from their current "specially edited" status.
I know their may be the ineviatable "duplicates", but there seems
to be several ways to handle them. ( If you know the best way to
prevent or remove duplicates in this situation with joining two
iTunes folders in Windows please include that information also ).
Please provide an explanation of how to join these 2 iTunes folders
in Windows 7 into one \iTunes folder while preserving Album Artwork and tags.

Mike, thanks for the response. I will try this. I'll have to dig around here too, bc I want to know more about how I can import a windows xml file (while replacing the drive paths) and it creating a seperate itunes library with the pointers on the mac. Essentially, I have 2 libraries and there may not be a way around this with a windows machine and a mac - ive read plenty on Choose library on open, and mac to mac, windows to windows.
I also need to know more about what is getting stored in the album art folders. I believe it seems that when you select all, and copy the image in the artwork get info page its actually embedding these images in the files themselves, but if you paste into the left bottom artwork display pane its just adding where?? If I deleted the contents of this folder what would happen, should I not be copying this content?
If I update the images on the mac and swap out the drive paths and move the external drive back to the windows box, will i lose any updates I did while on the mac?
Good suggestion though, I'll try this out.

Join these 2 iTunes folders in Windows 7 preserving artwork

I have searched and not found an up to date understandable answer as how
to join 2 working portable same apple user iTunes folders into one itunes folder
while above all else preserving hand edited Abum Artwork and hand edited tags.
( It was many hours of hand edited added Album Artwork and editing of tags )
Situation is Windows 7 ( 64 bit ) with current iTunes installed ( 2014-03-17 )
The hard drive crashed and the \iTunes folder and all contents have been copied and backed up.
The windows 7 64 bit and latest iTunes 64 bit has been re-installed cleanly ( no old music added )
Music from the iTunes cloud was then added/downloaded into iTunes
Now \itunes has 40 gig of music available to play, all is ok
Now I want to join the currently installed working \itunes folder ( 40 gig of music )
with the old saved \itunes folder ( 100 gig of music ) into just one \iTunes folder
with preserving the current Album Artwork and editing of "tags" of both folders.
I have seen previous answers that use words like "consolidate " , "export / import ",
"merge" , "apple home sharing" , "use explorer to copy ..."
none of which mentioned if the current Album Artwork
or tags survive unchanged from their current "specially edited" status.
It was easy to find out how to "backup" the \itunes folder and make them "portable".
I currently can rename my \iTunes folder \oldiTunes and start itunes with the
Shift key held down to "Choose Library" to point to the ".itl" file and load
either one of the iTunes "Libraries" ( the 40 gig new clean itunes or the
older 100 gig itunes ) and it will play the music when asked.
I know their may be the ineviatable "duplicates", but there seems
to be several ways to handle them.
Please provide an explanation of how to join these 2 iTunes folders
into one while preserving Album Artwork and tags.
Thanks

Hi, welcome to Apple Discussions.
I've a feeling that Windows Vista & 7 differ from XP in that they "should" be able to create folder images on the fly from the files themselves. In XP this is a side effect of having the media files catalogued by Windows Media Player which in turn creates hidden Folder.jpg images in each folder that holds WMP compatible media. I have a script called CreateFolderArt which can automate the production of Folder.jpg images for all types of iTunes media which you might find useful.
tt2

Empty iTunes Folders

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