How can i recover my iTunes library when i reformated mac

The other day i decided to reformat my Macbook just becouse i wanted to start again clean. I put my iTunes library in an external drive like i should have done. But when i finished reinstaling OS X and i checked my external hard drive my iTunes library was not there. My question is is there anyway i can recover my music.
Message was edited by: bron012
Message was edited by: bron012

If you have no other back up and if your move to the external drive was unsuccessful and the music you thought you moved isn't actually there then there really is nowhere to recover your music from. There are data recovery services and programs that you could investigate to see if they can mine the information back from your reformatted MacBook but they aren't going to be a cheap option. So you have to decide if in your particular circumstances it's worth it to get your songs back. It may be if you have a lot of purchased tracks which you will have to pay to download again. If they came primarily from your CDs then it's most likely not as you can re-rip them.
If you didn't make a back-up of your purchases to restore from (as you are advised to do) then I'm sorry to say that the policy on lost purchases is that you have to pay to download them again:
"Once a Product is purchased and you receive the Product, it is your responsibility not to lose, destroy, or damage the Product, and Apple shall be without liability to you in the event of any loss, destruction, or damage." iTunes Store: Purchased content can be downloaded only once
You could try contacting the iTunes Music Store Customer Service and you might be able to persuade them to sanction a second free download. There have been occasional reports in the iTunes forum of this happening, however just be aware that they are not under any obligation to do so. If you click on this link you'll be able to email your query: iTMS Customer Service
If you have an iPod that still has the purchases on it the transfer of purchased content from the iPod to authorised computers was introduced with iTunes 7. You'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer

Similar Messages

  • How can i put my itunes library from an old mac g4 10.4.11 to an ipod2?

    How can i put my itunes library from an old mac g4 10.4.11 to an ipod2?

    Install iTunes 9.2.1 on your computer. If the device's requirements specify iTunes 10 or newer, you need to purchase Mac OS X 10.5 on DVD.
    (63879)

  • How can I transfer my iTunes library to a new Mac from a Macbook

    How can I transfer my iTunes library to a new Mac from a Macbook

    Type "move itunes library" into the google search bar.
    Copy the entire itunes folder from one computer to the other.
    Use migration assistant.

  • How can I access my iTunes library on my new mac?

    Just got my first mac. How can I access my itunes library and/or transfer it from my old pc (Dell Inspiron) to my new? Thanks

    TempleDoc wrote:
    Just got my first mac. How can I access my itunes library and/or transfer it from my old pc (Dell Inspiron) to my new? Thanks
    See Here...
    Move iTunes Library from PC to MAC
    http://www.macworld.com/article/146958/2010/03/move_itunes_windows_mac.html

  • How can I transfer my iTunes Library back onto my mac?

    Hi there,
    Up until recently I had a 2006 17" iMac and 500gb Time Capsule. I transfered my entire 140gb iTunes library onto the Time Capsule and made it the default location for all of my music, videos and apps due to the fairly small HD on the Mac.
    I recently bought a new Mac with a 500gb HD and I would like to transfer the iTunes library and change the location back onto the computer again. This would enable me to format the Time Capsule, (which has been playing up) and use it for back-ups through Time Machine...something that it hasn't been able to do for some time.
    I would be very grateful for some advice on this, as I don't want to risk losing any of my music files and I'm no expert!
    Thanks in advance for any help!
    Brent

    The info here should be helpful.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
    It does seem to depend on the version of itunes you run..
    Best asking in the itunes area.. as this is not really a TC issue.
    But i would strongly recommend you do an archive to a usb drive of the present contents of the TC.. as they can die suddenly and without recourse.. and it is a sealed unit without spares or parts available.. Apple will offer no help.. although we do fix them that will cost you and it is probably time for a new one.

  • How can I add my iTunes library to a 2nd Mac?

    Hi.  I want to download all my iTunes music and videos onto a Macbook Pro, they already exist on an old MacBook.  When I attempted this the iTunes tells me that my library will removed from my phone.  Why is this and is there a work round?
    Thanks.

    Michael Allbritton wrote:
    You may find this Apple KB article helpful: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US
    Michael,
    That article is used for moving the iTunes media of a library to another location/external drive. It will use the same library on the same computer.
    It's not for moving the library/media to a new computer/library.
    Use this one instead -> iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer

  • How can I download my iTunes library from my old Mac to my new iPhone 5 without being able to use iMatch. iMatch is not compatible with my old Mac that runs on 10.5.1

    Just got an iPhone 5, and learned that the 100 or more CDs that I had uploaded to iTunes on my older Mac cannot be downloaded to my new phone using iCloud/iMatch. I match is not compatible with the older operating systems. I spoke to a Apple genius, and he said that there is software out there that will do the job. Is anyone familiar with any of these? Frustrated, and need help.

    I regret to say that you need a new computer. That G5, as good as it still is, simply cannot run the required software to be used with the latest iPhones and other software.

  • Hello there - how can I share my iTunes library between two users on the same computer? I put the library in a shared folder between both and have selected this library on both as well, but when I update iTunes with music etc it only appears on one?

    Hello there - how can I share my iTunes library between two users on the same computer? I put the library in a shared folder between both and have selected this library on both as well, but when I update iTunes with music etc it only appears on one?

    Thank you Joe - I tried this but it's only showing a teensy amount of music - the stuff on the second users account as opposed to the giagntic library on the 'main' account. I actually went to a Genius Bar and they said that apple doesn't really want you to share music between accounts - parents don't want to hear their kids music etc. Which seemed strange, but it might be the case sadly   Thanks anyway!

  • How can I locate my iTunes library files. When I click on my itunes icon the message appears, "The file iTunes Library.itl." cannot be found because it was created by a newer version of iTunes."

    How can I locate my iTunes library files?  When I click on my iTunes icon rather than my iTunes files I receive, " The file iTunes Library.itl." cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes."  I have already tried to update my iTunes program.

    Had same problem and solved it without having to reinstore any music or movies:
    1. Delete old Library file
    2. Go to the 'Previous iTunes Libraries' folder and copy one of the earlier files - note, they have a date extension, e.g. 'iTunes Library 2011-11-01'.
    3. Paste this file in your iTuners folder and rename file by removing the date extension -  'iTunes Library'
    You should have all your music and paylists in tact, unless it was a really old previous file.

  • I have an older ipod 80gb that I've just reset and associated with my iTunes account.  It's recognized and up to date but when I sync I can't download any of my music.  How can I download my iTunes library to this device?

    I have an older ipod classic 80gb that I've just reset and associated with my iTunes account.  It's recognized and up to date but when I sync I can't download any of my music.  How can I download my iTunes library to this device?

    Hello Analogue guy living in wireless world,
    Thank you for providing the details of the issue you are experiencing when trying to sync your music to your iPod.
    I recommend trying to sync your music again using iTunes.  When you have your iPhone connected to iTunes, I recommend checking the Music tab to verify that Sync Music is checked.  From here, you will be able to select to sync your "Entire music library" or "Selected playlists, artists, albums, and genres:"
    I recommend reviewing the full article here:
    iTunes 11 for Mac: Set up syncing for iPod, iPhone, or iPad
    http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12113
    Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
    Best,
    Sheila M.

  • My computers hard drive has stoped working, how can I retrieve my Itunes library from my computer?

    My computers hard drive has stoped working. How can I retrieve my itunes library? My back ups were on this hard drive as well.
    When I brought my computer to be fixed they said they would retrieve photos and music and documents but loose my programs. That being said I am not sure if I will recover my music from itunes because it may fall under the program category. I support itunes by purchasing from itunes, but now i am in a position where i may loose years of purchassing music and it has me feeling a little bit sick to be honest...the stress this is causing is really big. DÙoes anyone have any experience with this type of problem?
    Help is appreciated, thank you.

    If the data is recoverable from the drive then they should have recovered the entire iTunes folder which includes the library database. Restore this into the <User's Music> folder of a replacement system, install iTunes, and it should be as before.
    See also  Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device. Even if you don't have one there should be some useful links...
    tt2

  • I just purchased a Macbook, iPad, and iPhone and I am trying to sync my iTunes library from my Windows laptop.  How can I sync my iTunes library to all devices?

    I just recently purchased a MacBook Pro (13 inch with Retina display), an iPad Air 2, and an iPhone 6 plus.  Before these purchases, I was using a Windows 7 laptop to manage my iTunes library and iTunes purchases.  I am in need of syncing my iTunes library on my iPod classic (160 GB) with all of my new Apple devices.  How can I sync my iTunes library with all of my new devices?

    Devices can only sync to one library at a time. You can, however, have multiple copies of libraries on different computers though it can be tricky making sure they are always synchronized.  You can put your Windows iTunes on your Mac.
    Moving a library: Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings:  Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its sub-folders and files) intact to the other drive.  Hold down the option (alt) key (shift on Windows) and open iTunes.  At the prompt to create or choose a library choose the copied iTunes folder.
    When this is to a new computer put the copied iTunes folder in the default location of Macintosh HD > Users > *User Name* > Music  then you don't even need to start with the option key held down, iTunes will automatically look for it there.  (Make sure there isn't anything already in the iTunes folder there that you want to keep since you will be replacing it with the one you are moving.)

  • How can I move my iTunes library from one Mac to another?

    I recently purchased a new 13" MacBook Air to replace my older 17" MacBook Pro. 
    How can I move my iTunes library to my new MBA? 
    I also plan on purchasing a new iPhone in the next month or so.  Can I move my songs from my iPod to that too?

    Easy. Copy it from the old Mac to the new one.
    There are a variety of techniques including Setup Assistant (as soon as you get your new MacBook Air, it will ask you if you want to transfer information from another computer), Migration Assistant (if you elect to transfer information later), enabling file sharing between the two computers, or copying your music to a flash drive or other storage device followed by importing it to iTunes.
    iTunes: How to move your music from one computer to another
    Once your music library and everything else you want to transfer from the MacBook Pro resides on the new MBA, sync your iPod to the MBA. Sync the iPhone too when you get it, and they will both have identical iTunes music libraries.

  • How can I "refresh" my iTunes Library?

    How can I "refresh" my iTunes Library? I recently moved my library to an external and made the source folder change in preferences. My library now shows all exclamations asking me to locate the files. What is the quick fix to locate or "refresh" all?

    Michael,
    Your response here seems exaclty like the answer that I need.  My logic board broke and I had to get a new one.  Sent to Apple and all is working again.  I didn't have an super recent time machine back up....my last one was 2 months old.  I was able to salvage my music from the computer before sending in for repair and when I got it back, I reloaded my music file onto my machine.  I use iTunes match so maybe that kept many of my files/playlists etc in order.  But my iTunes is asking me to download many songs that are showing in iTunes and are in a folder in iTunes.  These are songs I downloaded during that 2 month break between time machine backups.  I think a refresh will fix this issue.  But when I follow your steps above, I not certain what file to choose.  I tried to go to my itunes ---> itunes media ---> music but that doesn't work.  Do I need to choose the "iTuens Library.itl" file?  I use my playlists for my job so I don't want to just guess here and lose everything.  I did do a backup of my playlists so hopefully I'm protected if something happens but just want a bit more guidance on this.  Thank you for your help and your time and let me know if you have any questions. 
    Best,
    Kirk

  • How can I store my iTunes library on an NAS (Fritz Box)?

    How can I store my iTunes library on an NAS (Fritz Box)?

    1. Drag the library to the external drive, launch iTunes with the Option key held down, click on Choose Library, and point it there.
    2. Get a second. Having the backups on the same drive as the original data won't help when that drive fails.
    (66929)

Maybe you are looking for

  • Help on select options.

    Hi gurus!! I have a report where in i am putting the values in select-options. but yj eproblem i have is when i am not putting any values i am getting the correct output. but with the same data i am putting the values in low or high i am not getting

  • Dump while executing the report in the background!!!

    Hi Experts, I have created one report which is calling the "HRASR_TEST_PROCESS" (HR form process) thru BDC. Its running fine while executing via SE38 (foreground) but getting dump while executing from the background with same variant. The dump is fol

  • Navigation not working in Weblogic Server but working from JDeveloper.

    Hi I created a simple application with some page navigations (some declarative and some dynamic using Managed Bean). The navigation works fine when I run from JDeveloper. (Local System) So I deployed the application to the WebLogic server (Local syst

  • Trouble exporting blob brush to a PDF

    Hi, I used the blob brush to outline the main shapes in my image and then used the fill tool for the inside.  When I save as a PDF a white line is visible.  I have tried merging the fill and blob brush in the pathfinder but there is still a white lin

  • SSO in BO if the Report  is from Multiple Datasources

    Hi, We have requirement to design crystal reports from both Bex query and CRM table. Saved in BOE and wile running the report i'm getting an Error: "Database log in information for this report is Incomplete or Incorrect" We assigned a generic ID &Pas