How to keep music files on external hard drive

My laptop is only 80 gigs. My external hard drive is 500. I want to keep my music on the external drive because I have over a hundred gigs of music. I would like iTunes to just reach into the external drive and play the tunes without bringing them into my laptop, yet whenever I add the files to my library, they are brought into my laptop, filling up all the space. How do I get them into the library without bringing them into the laptop? My favorite way of playing music is by Shuffle.

Turn off the preference setting for "Copy Files to iTunes library"
Choose Edit > Preferences and click Advanced.
Uncheck the "Copy files" checkbox.

Similar Messages

How to keep music on an external hard drive, but still manage in itunes

Hello, so i just got a new pc. Have downloaded and authorized Itunes and have pointed my file media folder to the external hard drive. What I'd like to do is keep all my music on the external hard drive without saving any music onto my new pc. So is it possible to keep all my music on the external hard drive but still be able to manage the music library in itunes?

Hi,
I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're asking for, but I asked a similar question once before. I hope this helps.
Here is a tutorial from Apple: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364?viewlocale=en_US
and here is a link to the question I asked previously: http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=2110013&tstart=0

My PC computer was wiped (virus) including itunes. How do I transfer the many playlists and music to the new re-installed itunes?? Ipod is synced to old itunes. I have all original music files on external hard drive. Please help?

My PC computer was wiped (virus) including itunes. How do I transfer the many playlists and music on my ipod to the new re-installed itunes?? Ipod is synced to old itunes. I have all original music files on external hard drive. Please help?
New itunes is trying to wipe the ipod. But have many many playlists (many hours making) which I want to save. Any help would be appreciated.

If you want to just extract the playlists from your iPod, plug it in iTunes. When it appears under devices, right->click on it and choose Export Playlists. Save them to a location such as your desktop and them import them into your library once you have copied and imported all of your music back into it.
See this older post from another forum member Zevoneer covering the different methods and software available to assist you with the task of copying content from your iPod back to your PC and into iTunes.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2452022?start=0&tstart=0
B-rock

How to import music from an external hard drive to my itunes on my computer?

how can import music from an external hard drive that i saved my itunes music to. i dragged the music from my hard drive to the itunes on my computer but the music does not play from my itunes. it does however play on my ipod. it gives me an error that the original can not be found and do i wish to locate it. i am thinking that i did not drag the right file or all of the files necessary .thanks. kevin

To import music into your iTunes library on the computer go to iTunes>Help>iTunes Help>Add items to iTunes and follow the instructions

Moving music files via external hard drive-- Can you keep ratings/playlists

I keep all my music on an external hard drive in order to prevent it getting lost. Anyways... what I'm wondering is if I go to move my music from one computer (comp. A) to another computer (comp. B), is it possible to keep all the ratings and my playlists? I've seen the stuff for transfering with your ipod, but the problem is my 30Gb doesn't hold all my music, and I would reeeeeaaally hate to go through and redo all the ratings. If anyone knows maybe a file involved with itunes that might contain the ratings or playlists that I could store with the files themselves to transfer that would be excellent. Thanks to anyone who can help out. If you need clarification on any of the details just lemme know.

It looks like it should, thanks. One other bit that I'm wondering about is how do I load that Library list once I've installed itunes on comp B? Is it just a matter of going file>import or file>add new file to library? Thanks again

How do I get iTunes to access music files on external hard drive?

We moved all of our music to an external hard drive. The hd is always on and I connect to it wirelessly. I don't know how to get iTunes to use the library that is on the hard drive, can anyone help me please.

iTunes expects to find its library in the ./Music/iTunes folder. To get iTunes to see music on another drive, you first have to create the library on your internal drive. Once you've done that, you copy the iTunes folder over to your external drive, and redirect iTunes to that drive, using an alias. (I originally did this in Tiger and it continues to work fine in Leopard. I don't know if doing it originally in Leopard would make any difference.)
Note: If your external drive library is already too large for your internal drive, simply use as much of it as you can to create the original library on your internal drive. You can add the rest of it once you've got iTunes looking at the external drive. In this case, remember to name any "iTunes" folder on the external drive to something else, so you don't erase everything in the following procedure.
Load up as much music as you can on your internal drive, making sure it appears in iTunes.
Quit iTunes and copy the iTunes folder from your internal drive to your external drive (be sure you don't erase whatever's already on the external drive). Copying that folder to the root of the external drive is OK.
On your internal drive, rename the 'iTunes" folder to something else (like orig_iTunes) -- or move it out of the Music folder.
Open your external hard drive to the directory containing your iTunes folder.
Cmd-Option drag the iTunes folder from the external hard drive to the internal hard drive Music folder, creating an alias in the internal drive's Music folder.
Launch iTunes. You should now see the music from the external hard drive. If necessary, you can now add back any missing music, and it will automatically create the necessary music and library files inside your iTunes folder on the external drive. Once you've got them all added, you can delete both the orig_iTunes folder, and the folder on your external drive that served as the source for adding your library back in.

How do I keep music on an external hard drive?

I know there are some iTunes geniuses out there that can help me! I want to keep my music on an external hard drive (USB port kind) and have iTunes automatically pull music from it and dump new stuff in it. However, I am having continuous problems. Would someone please give me instructions? Or directions to where I can find instructions? Thank you SO SO much.

If you are running iTunes 6 or wish to keep the library files on your internal drive, see:
iTunes: Moving Your iTunes Music Folder
IMPORTANT: do not delete the iTunes folder or the preference files it contains from your boot hard drive; delete ONLY the tracks themselves (i.e. the contents of the old iTunes Music folder).
If you have iTunes 7, then you can use the procedure above, or you can just drag the entire iTunes folder (the entire folder, not just the iTunes Music folder) to your desired location. Then hold down the Shift key in Windows while launching iTunes. You'll be given a dialog box where you can select the iTunes library you want to use. Navigate to and select the iTunes folder in it's new location.
In either case, don't delete the tracks from the old location until you've confirmed that they're working correctly from the external drive.
Forum Tip: Since you're new here, you've probably not discovered the Search feature available on every Discussions page, but next time, it might save you time (and everyone else from having to answer the same question multiple times) if you search a couple of ways for a topic, both in the relevant forums, in the User Tips Library and in the Apple Knowledge Base before you post a question.
Regards.

Hard Drive Crash--Restoring music files from External Hard Drive

My hard disk crashed, but I think (at least I hope) that I'm backed up. I had copied all of my Itunes music onto an external hard disk before the crash, although I'm not sure I copied everything that you are supposed for a full backup (i.e. all files in the Itunes folder). I'm uncertain as to the process to get everything restored.
Right now, Itunes is not installed on the new hard disk. Obviously I need to download and reinstall Itunes, which I'll do. But from here I'm confused, and I haven't seen a straightforward explanation of the next steps. Is it then as easy as copying all the old music from the external hard drive into the new Itunes music folder once Itunes is reinstalled, then synching? Or, do install itunes, then reopen it while the external hard drive is attached, and "consolidate" the old library into the new? Or do I first have to plug in the Ipod, authorize the new drive, and move the purchased music from the Ipod to the new drive through the manually managing music process that I've read about? Is there a relatively straightforward "step by step" process someone can point me at?
I'd appreciate any guidance anyone can provide, or any directions to some materials that I can read. Thanks very much.

If you copied the entire iTunes folder to the external, then all you have to do is install iTunes like normal, then start up with these instructions and point it to your backup on the external...
How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304447
Assuming that works, you can either leave everything as is and continue to use it directly off the external. Or close iTunes, then again copy the entire iTunes folder back to your internal drive, then reopen iTunes with those instructions again and re-point it back to your internal drive's copy.
Patrick

How to play music through my external hard drive through iTunes on my mac?

I recently purchased a external hard drive for my mac for my movies and music, as my disc was almost full.
I have spent HOURS searching how to play music through my itunes without transferring them onto the mac.
BUT everytime I click media destination folder in prefrences and advance, the whole music library in my external hard drive folder is greyed out, and when i click it nothing happens.
PLEASE someone help...

First, a brand new drive is likely formatted for use with Windows. You need to reformat it for use with Mac.
Pondini: Formatting, Partitioning, Verifying, and Repairing Disks... - http://web.me.com/pondini/AppleTips/DU.html
Second, you are better off moving the whole iTunes library to the external drive, not just the media.
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
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 library.
Do not confuse moving your whole folder and library with moving just media files as in
iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449

2 CD Music Files in External Hard Drive

I remember you told me how to file my iTunes music folder into my existing one in my external hard drive (EHD).
When I slide the one from my PC directly over the iTunes Music File in my EHD it copies and updates everything fine. However, when I look in the iTunes Music folder file on the EHD to see all the songs, there is another iTunes music folder with all the same songs in that one too.
In other words, I have two of the same folders on my EHD that read 'iTunes Music folder." Understand what I'm saying?
So should i delete one of them since they are apparently the same?

Go to File -> Add then naviage to and pick your new location where your songs are. They should all be added to the library and hopefully have the right information. You may still need to go in and delete the older pointers which now have the in front of them.
Patrick

How to add music files from other hard drives

how to add music files from other external hard drives??

Not sure what you are trying to achieve.. You can copy the files to anywhere you like.. but the TC is a backup target for Time Machine.. it is not a media server.. it is totally useless copying your files to the TC as they will not be backed up from there.. TC has no built in backup and TM cannot backup network drives.

ITunes transferring SOME!!!! (not all!) music files to external hard drive

How do I transfer SOME music files NOT ALL to an external hard drive. Is there some sort of systematic way I can do this, such as highlighting a selection of items and then transfering them?

You can transfer purchased content ONLY! Unfortunately, you have no choice as to what gets transferred. Here are some work arounds
1. Delete off iPod Touch/iPhone/iPod then transfer
2. Transfer all content then delete from computer

How to delete music from an external hard drive

Hi I have 1 Toshiba and 1 WD Elements external hard drive which is working find the only problem I have is that I can not transfer files music videos nothing between this 2 external Hard Drive's and I can not Delete anything while they are connected to My 13 inch MacBook Pro, OS X Yosemite 10.10.1
please let me know what do I Have to do Thank You

A word of warning. You can change privileges for yourself as an administrator (Me) but don't interfere with others in the list on the left ("System" "Wheel" etc.)
Here's a shot of the Get Info window for a partition on an external hard drive whose icon I selected on the desktop.
Yours should look something like this. The one you want is the one at the top (Me).
Move your cursor to Read only in that line and click on it. You should get this, or something like it.
Now move your cursor to Read & Write at the top on the left and click on it.
This should be the result.
You now have read and write privileges for that disk or partition and should be able to put files on it or delete files.

Moving music files to external hard drive

I bought an external hard drive and want to free up my main C drive by moving my music, pictures and videos to it. One of the folders in My Music is "iTunes" which has the folder "iTunes Music" which holds all of the music that iTunes communicates with. The new external drive is the "H" drive. How do I tell iTunes that all of my music is now located elsewhere, without actually having to go down the list song by song, which would be impossible, time wise. Some sort of single bulk change from one drive to another. Thank you

Well, you never said that's what you wanted to do, so why don't you calm down and stop yelling at the people who are trying desperately to help you.
"How do I tell iTunes that all of my music is now located elsewhere, without actually having to go down the list song by song, which would be impossible, time wise. Some sort of single bulk change from one drive to another. Thank you."
All you asked for was assistance with moving your iTunes music. We provided instructions, which you chose to ignore.
Moving your entire My Documents folder is a completely different procedure and you could have saved everyone a lot of frustration if you just made it clear that you wanted to do that in the first place.
At the risk of complicating this thread any further, I am going to remove myself from it. Moving your My Documents folder is not something I feel comfortable helping with, as I am not a Windows user and I don't want to provide the wrong info for you and end up screwing up your entire machine.

How do i transfer files an external hard drive to a new macbook pro

how do i transfer files from an external hard drive to a new macbook pro?

thank you. i did that with my old computer, and it saved it as a whole other computer on my new macbook. now if i do the same for the external hard drive, i guess it will save it as another separate computer on the new one. so i guess what i should have asked is, is there any way to copy my whole old computer and external, but have the files integrated into the new mac, so i don't have to log in and out of 3 computers just to use my old programs or to see pictures or movies or files from the past. ??? and i now have the apple tv and i have to turn on my macbook and log into the old computer to see certain old files and pictures or home movies???? there has to be an easier way???

How to keep music files on external hard drive

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