How do I link my itunes library on an external drive to my new mac?

I have an older Mini with about 600 gigs of losses files on an external drive. I have a new mini and I want to use the same drive. Can I somehow point the new mac to the same location?

To Operate iTunes from the External Drive...
Start iTunes with the option key held down and guide it to the new location of the library.

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Easiest way to transfer iTunes library on an external drive to a new Mac?

Hello,
I currently have my entire iTunes Library (Music, Movies, TV Shows, etc.) on an external hard drive.
I have a new Mac arriving tomorrow, to replace my current one. What is the easiest way to get my entire Library into iTunes on my new Mac?
I know Migration Assistant is normally supposed to help with this, but I assume that's only if the Library has been stored internally. Can I simply plug the external drive into the new Mac, authorize the computer, and Import my entire Library from the File menu?
Any pointers would be appreciated. Thanks!

mattfromallston wrote:
I have a new Mac arriving tomorrow, to replace my current one. What is the easiest way to get my entire Library into iTunes on my new Mac?
From your OLD computer...
Copy your ENTIRE iTunes FOLDER to an External Drive... and then from the External Drive to your New Computer..
Full Details Here > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
An Added Bonus is that you will have a Backup of iTunes.
Also... Have a look at these 2 Videos...
http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-library.html
http://macmost.com/moving-your-itunes-media-to-an-external-drive.html
NOTE:
It is important that the External Hard Drive is formatted as Mac OS Extended (journaled).

How do I transfer my iTunes library from an external drive to my new macbook air?

I have an 8 year old MacBook Pro that has a small hard drive. So 8 years ago I put all my songs (35GB) on an external drive. I just bought a MacBook Air that has 256 GB of space and would like to transfer all my songs, movies, etc. to it and stop using the old hard drive. Can anyone help me with how to do this? Thanks.

Choose Go to Folder from the Finder's Go menu, provide ~/Music/ as the folder's path, and drag the entire iTunes library, including the database files, to it.
Alternatively, you can drag the entire library to any location on the internal drive, launch iTunes with the Option key held down, and choose it.
If you only put the songs and not the database files on the external drive, drag it to the internal drive and from there to the library in the open iTunes application window.
(114452)

HT1373 How do I backup my itunes library to an external drive

My iTunes library is unstable. I have two questions:
1) How do I backup my iTunes library to an external drive?
2) Why am I constatntly prompted to add my computer to iCloud when I have done so multiple times?
When opening iTunes, I receive he error message: "Please Sign In Again, iTunes Match has encountered an error. Please choose Sign Out and he Sign In from the iTunes Store menu and try again."
I tried downloading and installing/repairing the latest iTunes. That did not correct the problem.
Also, I have sync'd to iCloud. Every time I select iMatch from iTunes, I am prompted to Add This Computer to iCloud. I have already done this multiple times.

Hello cijackson,
You posted your question in the iTunes for Mac Forum. You may get better results on the iTunes for Windows forum. Best of luck > https://discussions.apple.com/community/itunes/itunes_for_windows?view=overview

How do I move an iTunes library from one external drive to another?

I need to move my iTunes library from one external disk to another, because the original disk is about to fail. So, I went into iTunes Perferences --> Advanced, and set the library to a new, empty folder on the new drive.
Nothing changed. I expected all my music to vanish from iTunes, so that I would have to re-import it. However, all the music remained, still on the old disk. At this point, if I were to recreate the library on the new disk, I would have all of my music twice.
Is it possible to move an iTunes library from one external drive to another, or am I stuck with my original choice until I buy a new machine? If I can move it, can one of you clever folks explain how it could be done?

Paul Seymour1 wrote:
However, those are all dealing with old versions of iTunes that still contained the Advanced --> Consolidate Library command which is no longer part of the app. (I'm on iTunes 10.6.1.)
Consolidate is still part of iTunes.
It is in iTunes menu File > Library > Manage library > Consolidate.
The article you linked to is old and it is (and was) a hacky way of doing it.
Just copy the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder to new location, hold Option (Mac) or Shift (Windows) when launching iTunes.

HT3819 how do i get my iTunes library from my old laptop to my new mac (my purchases have moved across but not my own music files)

How do I get my itunes library from my old laptop to my new imac? My purchases are showing on the new imac but not my own music files.

iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music [library] to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527 - a somewhat bewildering and not always easily understandable set of options.
Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the new location of the iTunes Library.itl file in the moved iTunes folder.
For the record there's this reference for iTunes 11 but it really doesn't strike me as having the specifics you need. iTunes 11 for Mac: Move your library to another computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12168

How do I link an iTunes Library (on an external disk) ?

Hi all,
I'd like to keep my huge collection on external drives.
I was able to link the correct playlist (on external disk which was cloned from my previous Mac).
What exactly should I link?
For example: in Aperture, I just select the Aperture Library on my external drive and all my pics are available (obviously if the drive is plugged in).
In iTunes I don't see this option... The only thing I see is the iTunes Media Folder Location option... which I don't really understand why is not there on my external hard drive.
Any idea?
Thanks

If you have the whole iTunes library (media files, library files, genius, artwork, etc.) on an external drive hold down the option key while starting iTunes, navigate to the external, and it will use the iTunes folder on the external. This is all too often confused with just keeping media (but not the library files or artwork) on an external which is the setting you see in Preferences.

How do I import an iTunes library from an external drive if that drive has been simply removed from a dead computer, without prior measures being taken to ensure it is possible to transfer the library over?

Basically, my issue here is, I had a fully functioning iTunes on my previous Acer laptop which I used to store my music for my iPhone, I have over 2000 songs on this iTunes and as the laptop suddenly died due to motherboard failure, there was no way to follow out the instructions given by apple on how to properly transfer one iTunes library to another.
The only source of music I have comes from source files on the HDD, which, stupidly I chose to organise myself.
A large quantity of this music was deleted from the iTunes library but stayed on the HDD in the source folders (I do not know why)
By simply dragging my music folder from my HDD to a new iTunes, all the files do go over, however many of them are duplicated (due to 320>120 bit rate MP3 creations) and a number of them are simply not wanted.
Is there a way to transfer my old library straight into this new one? bearing in mind I have all the program files and everything that had iTunes running on my old computer stored onto this USB drive?
Thank you!

When I have done this, all I did was network the two machines and copy the contents of the iTunes folder to the other machine, and that's it.
My understanding (which may not be 100% correct) is that the one file that is absolutely necessary is iTunes Library, and that the XML file is actually a copy auto-generated from the iTunes Library, appearing in a different format only for non-iTunes apps that take advantage of the iTunes Library data.
As far as I know, if you simply have the Library (database) file and all your original music files, iTunes on that computer should operate as it did on your old computer. I believe that the Album Artwork, Genius Data, and XML files can be regenerated from the Library file. Not sure about the Extras file.

How do I store my iTunes library on an external drive and can I still access it as I would if it was still all sitting on the mini mac?

The mini mac is full and I want to be able to use the 2 tb drive as storage and time machine. How do I get the content onto the external drive and access it it and hoe does new content get downloaded and stored to the drive not the mac? Also can I have 1 drive playing storeage and back up or do I need a second? Basic questions I suspect but not to me!

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)

How do I move my iTunes Library to an external drive and retain everything?

I'm sure this is a common [stupid] question, but I couldn't find a clear answer and I want to be sure I'm doing it correctly.
To clarify; I want to move/relocate my iTunes Library folder to an external drive (FW800 two-disk RAID1) to free up my system drive and have a backup. Do I redirect iTunes to the new location and use File>Library>Consolidate Library, or, can I just move or copy the 'iTunes' folder to the external drive and then change the iTunes 'music folder location' to the new location? Will this now save all subsequent imported/purchased music, movies,,..etc to the external drive and retain all my library details?
Message was edited by: Sakahara

Hello, Welcome to Apple Discussions.
Below you will find more information about your options of relocating iTunes Library and backing it up.
iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Music folder
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449
How to use your iPod to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1329
Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
How to back up your media in iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1382

How can I move entire ITunes library to an external drive

How can I move the entire file to a new external drive & still add new downloads & use from the external G: drive?
Or can't this be done - I have the 80G Ipod & the files take up so much space that I want to move it to the new G: drive.
I thought I had it figured out but nothing would play from the G drive, so I had to restore everything back to the C: drive.
Thanks for any advice

This is actually the 5G iPod forum, not the iTunes folder.
However, To move your iTunes music...
1 Quit iTunes.
2 Move the entire iTunes folder including music to the external drive.
3 Restart iTunes holding the Shift key in Windows, Option key in Mac.
4 iTunes will ask to Create new library or Choose existing library. Select Choose existing library and select the library in the folder you just moved.
5 Move the old iTunes folder to the trash but do not empty it.
6 Restart iTunes normally and verify the songs work. If they do, empty the trash.

How do I move my itunes library to an external drive to free up space on a Macbook?

Hi, I'd like to free up some room on my Macbook and was thinking of moving all my music library to an external drive. I hardly ever use my computer to play music, more I download an album and then sync it to my iphone to play from that. I use itunes and back up with time machine, but would like the music folder separate entirely, is this possible?
Thanks in advance.

Drag it from the Music item of the Finder's sidebar to an external drive, launch iTunes with the Option key held down, and point it there.
(59635)

Import iTunes library from an external HD to a new Mac

I just got a new macbook and am trying to import my itunes library from my external hard drive. I tried to just select my library on the external HD in the advanced tab, but my list of songs and ratings is not being imported into the software. I selected my xml file and my playlists showed up but not songs
How do I accomplish this?
Thanks,
Jason

I just ran into this, too, when my Mac Mini died. I assume you're taking the data (songs) off of your old hard drive? Maybe with an external enclosure wrapped around it? Here's what I did:
1. Open your Mac's main hard disc, where your iTunes resides. (By "open" I mean "double click on.") 2. Open "Users". 3. Open your user name, whatever you sign into the computer with (if you don't know, it's NOT "Shared"). 4. Open the "Music" folder. 5. Open the "iTunes" folder. 6. Scoot this window off to one side of your screen, and go to your old hard disc, where your music is, and repeat steps 1 through 5. 7. Now drag all of the folders you see on your old hard disc's same window over to your new hard disc's open window. They should be: a folder labeled Album Artwork, iTunes Library, another folder labeled iTunes music (that's where your music is!), and iTunes Library.xml. You might also have additional things like "iTunes Music Library (2)" and a folder labeled Previous iTunes Libraries. Drag them over too! IMPORTANT: you'll get a message saying "This folder already contains a newer version..." etc. "...do you want to replace?" Of course you do! - you're filling up a newly formatted disc, right? Say "yes" each time. You'll know you got it right because it'll take a long time for the iTunes Music folder to copy over, since that's where all the data is. When you start up iTunes afterwards, all your settings should be exactly like they were before! Enjoy!
PowerMac G5 1.6 Mac OS X (10.4.10)

How do i transfer, my itunes library from my old computer to my new mac pro

Ho do i transfer , my itunes library from old netbook to my mac pro

Here is apple's guide to transferring an itunes library.
Hope this helps.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

How do I backup my iTunes library to an external drive?

Hi there,
Is there any way of backing up my itunes library direct to a backup device such as an external hard drive or online back up software? The only option I can see is to back up to disc but that will take 50 discs!

*Fast backup for iTunes library (Windows Only)*
Grab SyncToy 2.1, a free tool from MS. This can be used to copy your entire iTunes library (& other important data folders) onto another hard drive or network share. You can then use SyncToy periodically to synchronise or echo your library to the backup. A preview will show which files need to be updated giving you a chance to spot unexpected changes and during the run only the new or updated files will be copied saving lots of time. And if your media is all organised below the main iTunes folder then you should also be able to open the backup library on any system running the same version of iTunes.
tt2

How do I link my itunes library on an external drive to my new mac?

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