Folder Structure in iTunes

In Finder, the folders are structured:
Music > iTunes (which has about a thousand folders under the artists names, a folder named iTunes Music and a few .itdb, .xml and .itl files)
inside the iTunes Music folder are over 800 folders named after different artists not contained in the iTunes folder.
Should all of the folders named for the artists be in the same folder? Either iTunes or iTunes Music? What about the .itdb, .xml and .itl files? I have 20,000 songs in my library and am using Tuneup to clean it up. The program is having a hard time finding files and when I looked, I realized I have some music in one folder and some in anaother. It seems to me that they should all be in the same folder.
Thanks in advance.

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
iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847
Image of iTunes folder structure Dec. 2011 - https://discussions.apple.com/message/16923545
see also:
Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/message/13025536 and https://discussions.apple.com/message/17457605

Similar Messages

What is the default iTune Folder Structure for iTunes 10?

What is the default iTune Folder Structure for iTunes 10? As far as I can tell in windows 7 it goes something like.
My Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music
Other folders for downloads, pod casts, mobile applications are all in the iTunes Media folder, however the iTunes library database files are located in the iTunes Folder.
The reason I ask is that I am re-doing my music collection and I set up the folder structure mentioned above, but iTunes re-arranded everything and copied all of my music into the iTunes Media folder.
Anyone have any idea how iTunes does it by default?

Here are typical layouts for the iTunes folders:
If you have upgraded from version 8 (or earlier) to iTunes 9 (or later) at some point, then your media folder (everything inside the red outline) may still be called iTunes Music instead of iTunes Media. The extra Music folder inside the media folder is used if you have allowed iTunes to Upgrade to iTunes Media Organization (iTunes 9) or used File > Library > Organize Library > Reorganize files in the folder "<Media Folder>" (iTunes 10). Depending on your choices for Keep iTunes Media folder organized and Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library plus a little bug in which one build changed the name of the file storing the choice of layout it is quite easy for some of your files to be organized according to one layout and some the other.
Assuming you're happy letting iTunes organize your files the following steps should tidy things up (should it be necessary):
1. Select File > Library > Organize Library... > Tick Reorganize files in the folder "<Media Folder>" and click OK. Skip if this option is greyed out (already upgraded) or you prefer the older layout.
2. Select File > Library > Organize Library... > Tick Consolidate files and click OK. This will bring any files currently organised outside the designated media folder into it. NB This will create duplicate copies of any file that needs to be consolidated, and you will need to manually clean up afterwards. If space is at a premium try my scripts Unconsolidated to find out what would need moving and ConsolidatebyMoving to move rather than copy it.
3. Select Edit > Preferences > Advanced tab, uncheck Keep iTunes Media folder organized and click OK.
4. Select Edit > Preferences > Advanced tab, check Keep iTunes Media folder organized and click OK. This triggers iTunes into reorganizing everything according to your preferences.
5. (Optional) Close iTunes, rename the folder iTunes Music as iTunes Media then restart iTunes. Check under Edit > Preferences > Advanced tab that the location has automatically updated. If you can't access the media for any reason just undo the folder rename.
6. (Optional - Windows only) If Windows Media Player has ever had access to your files it may have liberally scattered folder artwork files about which iTunes won't tidy up when it reorganizes things, thus leaving behind a heap of folders with artwork and no media. I've written a script for cleaning this mess up called CleanDeadArt.
PS If you really prefer the older layout, but it is already in the new one then edit the file called .iTunes Preferences.plist in your media folder and change the integer from 1 to 0 before doing step 3.
tt2

What is the folder structure for iTunes for Ver. 11.0.5

What is the folder structure for iTunes for Ver. 11.0.5 since I have iTunes on an external drive at the moment but want to move it back to the HD temporary so as to back it up to TM, the problem is that it seems that the files are some what disarranged and I'm not sure where and how iTune reads them.

Time Machine will back up connected external drives as long as they are not on the exclude list.
Connect the drive with your iTunes library > System Preferences > Time Machine > Options > if the external drive with the iTunes library is listed, select it and click the minus sign then run the Time Machine backup

Folder Structures For Music

Greetings Everyone,
I have an iPod Classic (160gb) connecting to a Windows XP PRO machine.
I understand how to sync music to the player.
I understand how to create playlists in with iTunes.
I understand how to create folders in iTunes to organize the playlists with.
The format of the music file is when it is loaded into the iPod is not an issue.
Here Is the problem:
I have thousands of music files [MP3's] that I have sorted into well over 100+ folders.
Normally, with any other MP3 player I could simply drag folders onto that MP3 Player and there they would be organized the way I want them.
I wish to do the same with the iPod the only problem is that either the Intuitive people at Apple have made dragging and dropping folders into iTunes impossible [while maintaining the original folder structure] or I am just missing how to do it.
For instance, when I drag three folders into iTunes instead of creating three folders with playlists in each folder iTunes simply merges all the songs into one list totally negating the point of a folder structure.
Now, as I stated, I am fully aware of how to make the folder structure in iTunes myself, but I often add new songs and albums, and the thought of manually updating each individual folder every time I add new songs is tedious and depressing.
I have looked the issue up and even tried many third party programs but none of them address the specific issue I have had. Most the searches result in "Xfer iPod files to PC" or vice versa, I have all the files on the PC and I can get them to the iPod, I simply want an easier way to put a folder structure into iTunes.
Simply put, I want to be able to copy a folder from Windows into iTunes and have it create an iTunes Folder and a playlist rather than having to create the folder in iTunes myself, then dragging the songs into it to create a playlist.
If there truly is no way to do this a concrete "not possible" answer would be appreciated.
If there is a better forum for this question please advise and I will post it there.
The iPod family is truly a fantastic product line with a great many features but something that is so simple with other MP3's is truly eluding me and I hope the answer is a simple on that I have well, simply missed.
At this point I will even take a highly complicated How-To as I have no problem "jimmy-rigging" it to work if I knew how.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

iTunes doesn't care about or read any meaning into the folder structure. You can stop iTunes moving your files around by turning off *Keep the iTunes Media folder organised* in *Edit > Preferences > Advanced* but you probably know this already. There is no mechanism in iTunes itself to reveal the folder structure, or use it to create smart playlists. iTunes works with the tags. Put meaningful infomration in there and iTunes can be very powerful. It all depends on exactly what it is you want to achieve. If you can cope with a bit of programming it is possible to write scripts which could transfer the meaning from your folder structure into the tags in some format that iTunes could then use.
tt2

Retaining folder structure when importing videos

Having created a new library just for my videos I want to import them but without copying into iTunes. I know how to do that.
But I do not know how to reflect the folder structure in iTunes. What I mean is this:
My videos are in several folders (which happen to be at the same level) e.g.
<European vacations> <North American Vacations> <Cruises> .....
When I Add to library or drag and drop the individual videos are imported but the structure ofthe folders is not. (so far as Ican tell)
Is there any way to do this so that I can navigate to a folder using iTunes?
It is my intention to buy an AppleTV to hook up to my LAN and HD TV.
Right now I'm using another piece of SW and I cna navigate the folders.
TIA for your suggestions

On my hard disc, the music is stored in folders, as below:
Classical>
Beethoven>
1st Symphony>
-1st Movement
-2nd Movement
-3rd Movement
-4th Movement
Rock>
Allman Bros.>
Brothers and Sisters>
-song1
-song2
-song3
-etc.
Eat A Peach>
-song1
-song2
-song3
etc.
But I can't figure out how to load all this music into iTunes while retaining the folder structure, it just dumps them all together in the main playlist...

Syncing apps FROM iPhone TO ITunes and retaining app folder structure

How can you retain the app folder structure you have painstakingly created on your iPhone (OS4.3) when syncing apps with iTunes?
It seems that it only works the other way - i.e. creating the structure in iTunes and having that copied to the iPhone when syncing apps.
I know this has been posted in various ways before, but there seems to be no answer, and Apple appear either not to understand the question, or its importance to so many users.
Anyone found a way of doing this yet - or Apple - please can we have this fixed?

Thanks Mr. Gnome I was aware of that - it was a rhetorical question as far as Apple are concerned, but I do hope someone out there may have found a way around this illogical glitch.
By the way, I think you meant your link to be...
http://www.apple.com/feedback

Best way to integrate system Music & Movies folders with iTunes' default folder structure?

I understand that OSX has system folders that can't be moved (Music, Movies, Documents, etc.). These folders are the only ones that get their specialized icons in the sidebar. I like those icons as they make choosing the right folder easier (even though I can read).
MUSIC:
Isn't there something very un-elegant to have my actual music files buried 4 layers deep in OSX's folder structure? By that I mean, I'd like to click on my (system) Music folder and see my music. But OSX and iTunes have schemed to make users have to deal with Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music. It's weird, right?
I am aware that the iTunes library location can be altered via Advanced Prefs, but I like having Music, Podcasts, Movies, etc. be on the same folder level, if that makes sense. If I point iTunes to my (system) Music folder, then my other media will be down below in the iTunes Media folder.
MOVIES:
Likewise, if I let iTunes manage my files, movies go to the Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Movies folder. I don't let iTunes copy everything into the Media folder (as I don't want to eat HD space with duplicates), but that's still where it wants movies to go when it organizes. Similar to the Music folder issue above, how can I make use of my (system) Movies folder given this setup?
I know that I can just remove whatever folders I want from the sidebar and put in the ones that iTunes uses, but then I lose out on the icons and I end up having permanent folders in my Home folder that don't even get directly used for the media files they're supposed to hold.
Thoughts?

first of all, to get rid of the duplicates, you tell iTunes to consolidate Library.
I think you may be missing the idea of what iTunes does for you. If you have content, like music, that you want to find the file of, you right click the name of the file in itunes and then "show in finder" . For things like iChat, you can simply drag and drop your music into the chat window from itunes, just like it was finder. iTunes organizes your media for you so you don't have to go looking for it.
The same thing goes with videos.
There is no reason to have two of the same files on your computer. Think of iTunes like finder, only it plays media too.
Not everyone uses itunes. Things like quicktime player, after you do a recording, will save the content into your videos folder. They're not on itunes but it uses your video folder to save the recordings. This is just one example of how your video sidebar icon folder will still be useful.
Delete the backups you have of your media unless they're in a format the itunes doesn't support, like lossess formats such as Flac, because it is pointless and wasteful to have two of the same files for music and video on your computer.

Backup-Restore v Copying itunes folder structure to a backup drive.

Is there any difference whatsoever in performing a backup to DVD and then a restore, and copying the itunes folder structure to a back up drive and using that to restore? (Assuming you know how)
I know there are other files involved in itunes that aren't in the main folder, such as cd names database files and other hidden files. Do these get backed up during a proper DVD backup from the file menu and are they necessary really?
I like the convenience of simply copying the folder structure as a means of backup but don't want to miss out on important files that may be backed up the recommended way with DVD's.
Is it a big deal if I don't use DVD's and just continue to copy the folders? What am I missing out on by doing this?
Also - Is it wise to un authorize my computer before I perform a reformat and re install of the entire operating system and iTunes?
-Frankie

1. yes you should deauthorise your PC before reinstalling Windows, then reauthorise after reinstalling itunes.
2. Assuming you have the default arrangement for iTunes i.e. Music\iTunes\iTunes Music with all your music files in iTunes Music.
You can backup iTunes by copying the iTunes folder in Music with all its subfolders to an external drive.
Then after you have reinstalled Windows and iTunes, you can replace the empty iTunes folder created at installation with the one from backup.

ITunes Mantch and managing music folder structure

Hi,
My current music collection is organized on disk using a folder structure of [ARTIST] > [ALBUM] with the songs in the Album folders. If i enable Match and then delete my music and redownload it. will Match default to some kind of logical /file folder structure or will the subsequest downloads be random? Hope the question makes sense. Thanks in advance...

iTunes Match works well with the iTunes options to organise your library - found under the advanced preferences tab. Using this approach typical organisation is by artist by album.

All music not in iTunes app, but it is in iTunes folder structure

I have all of my music organized in folders under C:\Users\me\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music. When looking in the iTunes app, only half of my music is there. Additionally, for some albums, not all songs appear. I have over 600 CDs, so this equates to about 300 entire CDs and an unknown number of songs randomly mising from CDs that show up in iTunnes. Anything missing in iTunes (at least the percentage I've checked) is in the folder I mention above. Is there a way to get iTunes to re-scan this folder structure and pick up the stuff its missing?

See this post.
tt2

How can I batch move files to the same folder structure in a different location?

Hi,
I recently had an issue with my iTunes Library so I used the Organize Library feature to have iTunes organise my library. What happened was that it put all of my music in a folder called 'Music' on my external hard drive, whereas previously it was not in a folder at all, e.g.
BEFORE: External Hard Drive / Abba / Greatest Hits / Mama Mia.m4a
AFTER: External Hard Drive / Music / Abba / Greatest Hits / Mama Mia.m4a
I don't have any particular issue with the updated folder structure, except that I had copies of the artwork for each album in my album folders, and these weren't moved when the audio files were moved/consolidated/organised. So I need to find a way of moving all of the artwork to the new folders, e.g.
External Hard Drive / Abba / Greatest Hits / folder.jpg
needs to become:
External Hard Drive / Music / Abba / Greatest Hits / folder.jpg
I have to do this for 3,000+ albums, and I have multiple artwork files for some albums, so I am hoping that there is a way of doing this using a batch/automated method of some kind, but I haven't been able to turn up anything yet.
Can someone help with this?
Thanks,
Nick

You can make a smart playlist containing episodes of both series and play from that. Podcasts are linked together by the URL they are served from so merging ongoing series isn't really practical.
tt2

I am trying to delete songs from itune 11 library and i want it to delete the song from my hard drive as well. All my songs are in the music folder but not in the itunes folder?? itunes did not prompt me to move file to trash nor is there an option??

I am trying to delete songs from itune 11 library and i want it to delete the song from my hard drive as well. All my songs are in the music folder but not in the itunes folder. itunes did not prompt me to move file to trash nor is there an option to remove file to trash bin. How can i delete songs from both the itunes and hard drive at the same time?

aespinoza2210 wrote:
could it be in the itunes folder or does it have to be in the itunes media folder, which is within the itunes folder??
A Espinoza,
The iTunes Media folder is set in Preferences > Advanced, and is the key to most iTunes folder organizational activities. So I doubt that the automatic deletion will work for files that are somewhere else within the folder structure.
However, I have not experimented with that issue in quite a while, so you are welcome to give it a try in iTunes 11.

How can i adopt the iPhone App-Structure to iTunes for Sync?

Hello Community!
I usually buy apps or games directly over the iPhone-App-Store and i also manage the folder structure directly on the iPhone Screen.
Yesterday i bought a new App via the iTunes Store on my MacBook (don't know why, i thought it would be no problem)
ITunes is set to manual organisation (the box "App Sync" is not set in iTunes).
So my problem is:
I cannot install my recently bought app on my phone without enable synchronisation with iTunes.
But if i set iTunes to app sync it is going to destroy my folder structures and remove apps i bought with the iPhone EVEN if i click "Transfer Purchases"!
Is there a way to manually install the app without destroying my complete structure and losing apps?
Sorry for the critics, but this is not very user-friendly!
Thanks for Help!
Greetings from Germany ,
Patrick

This article will tell you where your iPhone backup is stored on your computer:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4946 iTunes content is NOT part of the iPhone backup. You can either copy your iTunes library to your new computer, or you can re-download your purchased iTunes content(except ringtones) to your new computer; http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4527

How to import a complex mp3 folder strucutr in itunes and automated create playlists namend after this folders?

Hi to all,
I have a Problem. I organised since years my mp3 music in folders with subfolders and so on. I didnt create any playlists. Now i want to use itunes and ipod/ipone. How can i import a the complex mp3 folder strucutr in itunes and automated create playlists namend after this folders?
I understood how to import the music in the media library but i dont want to creat hundreds of playlists by hand.
Maybe someone has a tip?
Thank to all
Andy

iTunes doesn't take any notice of your folder structure or provide any automatic way to use any information that might be coded in the path. Can you describe the current layout in a bit more detail and explain what you hope to achieve. It may be possible to use tools in other program's such as MediaMonkey or custom scripts to get the data from the file paths into something that iTunes can work with. The most important thing at this stage is not to import media to iTunes without first making sure under Edit > Preferences > Advanced that Keep iTunes Media folder organized and Copy to iTunes Media folder when adding to library are turned off otherwise iTunes may destroy your existing structure.
tt2

Can I keep folder structure at import??

Hi,
I am a new User auf Itunes. On my harddisk i have several folders sorted by topics. Can i keep this folder structure when i import the songs into itunes? When I tried it yesterday all songs were in the main folder in itunes. I dont want to sort these songs again.
Is there any possibility to keep this folder structure?
thank you !!!!!!
ingo

If you have music organised in folders before you installed iTunes and you want to keep you music where it is, go to:
Edit>Preferences>Advanced>General
Find the check box "Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library"
If you uncheck this box, iTunes just stores the location of the file and does not copy it into the iTunes Music folder.
There is also a check box called Keep iTunes Muisc folder organised. If this box is checked, iTunes organises files in the iTunes Music folder into folders by Arist / Album. It does nothing outside the iTunes Music folder.
It is important not to move files in the iTunes library yourself or iTunes will loose them. iTunes does not watch folders like some other music players.

Folder Structure in iTunes

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