How to move my library...

Exactly what folder do I need to copy to replicate my existing iTunes music onto my new iMac? No migration assisstant nor Cloud - going to copy onto an external hdd that will be connected to the new iMac via usb3.0 dock.
Also, what do I need to do to link / point iTunes to the external drive?
Thanks...

Well - I helped myself :-)
Fortunately, I had a Mac that was pristine so far as iTunes is concerned and was able to view the folder structure - replicated that structure and all works well now.
FWIW, I had nested the folders incorrectly and the app could not find the proper folder - but could play it once I manually navigated through the mess iI created.
Peace to all.

Similar Messages

How to Move iTunes Library BACK to the Hard Drive

Almost every single support topic/YouTube video shows how to move the library to an external drive. I did that... about a year ago. I recall it being very easy. I just moved, changed the location and that was that. I want to give my external drive to my friend, though... and want to to move all the content back to the original location on my hard drive... but I'm not sure how/where. What I THINK I'm supposed to do is copy the music folder back to ITunes Media\Music.
Ideas?
Thanks

Hello TWBuddha,
You can use the directions listed in the following article, under "External drive." Just pick up at 'Part 5.'
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Cheers,
Allen

How to move music library from old pc to new Mac air

How to move music library from old pc to new Mac air

Here's an Apple article:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527?viewlocale=en_US

How to move iTunes Library/Media Files to external firewire Hard Drive and make it the master library, and then point iTunes to that when adding new content??

How to move iTunes Library/Media Files to external firewire Hard Drive and make it the master library, and then point iTunes to that when adding new content??

Copy your ENTIRE iTunes FOLDER to an External Drive...
Full Details Here > http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751
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.
Be Sure the drive is Formatted Mac OS Extended (journaled)
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

How to move iTunes Library to new computer

I am selling my imac and getting a retina mbp, but the imac will be gone before I can get the new one. So, I need to move all my music from the imac onto an external hard drive to import later. How can I go about doing this? If possible I could just copy all mp3s into a folder on the external and then import it into itunes on new computer. Can I do this? What other ways are there/are they easier? Thanks.

See Here...
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
Or...
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 > Copy iTunes Library to Hard Drive to Back Up Data

How to Move My Library to a New Location

The title is a bit misleading. This is actually related to a previous discussion I started but never got any feedback on.
Here is the situation:
I have iTunes Match.
For whatever reason, my iTunes library got hopelessly muddled and confused. Probably user error.
I decided to move the library to a new location (different external hard drive).
I completely uninstalled iTunes and all Apple software from pc. (yes, i have a mac but easier to keep this on the desktop).
I reinstalled iTunes, but something is still there, because my library immediately showed up. I turned off iTunes Match, updated the preferences to point to the new location and turned iTunes Match back on.
iTunes does not "see" my new library location, and tells me that all music is only in the cloud.
How can I make it re-scan the hard drive and recognize that the music is all there?
The big problem this causes is that, as I add music, it's impossible to tell what is really physically there and what needs to be downloaded.
Thanks for any suggestions or help. Perhaps I need to uninstall in a more thorough way, if so, I welcome help with that.

Thanks Cander.
I've been syncing my iPod this way since I first got my 3Gen iPod a few years ago (i'm on my 4th ipod) - and I know they've made improvements to iTunes.
Is there a better way to achieve what I wanna do with just 1 computer?
Is there a way to manage 2 or 3 iPods on 1 computer using seperate "itl" or "xml" files for each iPod's library?
As it is now, I still have to go to My wife's computer and "add files or folders" to her library to get the newest tracks to add to her library - and over the network, it could take a full day If I did the whole library. Instead I write down what I've added on my Mac and just go through on her computer and add those folders.
I've read some things about holding down a "shift" or "command" key to select a library on iTunes startup... (part of my discovery on how I F-ed up my library when moving it in the first place)
Would this be the way to achieve that?
Can I have 3 seperate data files that manage the preferred tracks for 3 different iPods?
Would I have to update all 3 data files or would they all stay current when I added tracks?
EDITED - well wait...!
I'm reading this:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300432

HT1364 I need to reload my operating system on my computer. I created a folder, itunes media, on a external drive. When I download itunes again how do move my library information back?

I have to reload my operating system. I created and copied my library info to a folder, itunesmedia, on a external drive. when I download itunes again, how do move the files back?

You need to follow the moving media per: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364

How to move itunes library from winXP to NAS drive

Can someone point me to a location that has intructions on how to offload
my Itunes library from my XP PC to my IOMEGA media center NAS drive? I've
searched quite a bit and haven't been able to find a comlete set of intructions
yet. Just trying to free up disk space on my desktop. It gets a bit confusing sometimes when they mention music files and library files. To me, they are one in the same, but I think they are not. Would be nice if there was a flow chart of
how Itunes works and what each file component does. You know, like the difference between an .itl file and a .xml file?

First of all I still don't know how to post a question. There is nothing in here that asks me to do so. Therefore I can only reply to one already asked. My problem is that I followed the instructions in iTunes which tell me how to move the files from the C Drive to another location (which happens to be my D Drive). After doing that it then tells me to drag the old files into the recycle bin, however, it won't comply and tells me that the procedure can't be performed because of copywrite protections. Where do I go from here? Or at the very least, how do I post a question in this forum the normal way?

How to move iTunes library from C-drive to D-drive

I'm a Mac guy, but my wife has a PC running XP Home & iTunes 7.1.1.5. At this point, everything works fine. I thought I'd better ask this question BEFORE I did something stupid.
I've noticed that the C-drive has most (not all) of the apps on it and is only partitioned to give 14GB, whereas the D-drive has ten times that much. The system shows me that most of the C-drive space is used (only 15% free space remaining), so I thought it'd be a good idea to move iTunes to the D-drive before she goes crazy ripping her whole CD collection. Seems silly to not use the space!
I've seen enough horror stories about people's mishaps with their iTunes Library to not take this idea lightly.
How do I keep everything on the same computer, but move the app & the Lbrary to the D-drive?? BTW, I have not yet used the "Consolidate Library" feature... is that good or bad?
Thanks in advance!
Windows XP

First of all I still don't know how to post a question. There is nothing in here that asks me to do so. Therefore I can only reply to one already asked. My problem is that I followed the instructions in iTunes which tell me how to move the files from the C Drive to another location (which happens to be my D Drive). After doing that it then tells me to drag the old files into the recycle bin, however, it won't comply and tells me that the procedure can't be performed because of copywrite protections. Where do I go from here? Or at the very least, how do I post a question in this forum the normal way?

How to move iPhoto Library from internal drive to ext. drive?

Hello,
If someome can assist me with the procedure on how to move my iphoto library from my internal drive to external drive, so that I can keep and access all my iphoto library files primarily from the external drive. In addition I would also like to know once the process has been completed if it would be safe to delete the internal iphoto library? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jag

First and foremost, before you begin, make sure you're doing some sort of backup of those photos and your systems. Preferably with Time Machine to some sort of external drive (besides the one that will store the photos) or Time Capsule.
Then you can follow these steps:
1) Make sure the external drive is formatted for the Mac. You can use Disk Utility (applications-->utilities) and select the drive to find out if it's HFS Extended format.
2) Quit iPhoto, then drag the iPhoto library onto the eternal drive and let it copy.
3) Once it's done copying, hold down the Option key and click to launch iPhoto, it will ask you to select an iphoto library and you would choose the one on the external drive.
4) You're safe to delete the original iPhoto Library from there.. however I still recommend you've made extra sure to back your stuff up.

How To Move Existing Library to External Drive

I have my Aperture library on my main internal drive. I have just purchased an eSATA drive (CalDigit's SVR Duo) and want to move my library off my internal drive onto the new external drive.
How can this be done? The only way I can figure out how to do it is to create a vault, backup the entire library, then restore with a new library referenced onto the external drive.
Any suggestions? Thanks.

A little easier is merely to move the Aperture library in Finder (Aperture Library.aplibrary) to its new location. Then double-click it to launch Aperture. Aperture will use this library and reset the Prefs. (came in in 1.5.0).
What I don't know is whether the Vault will still see the new location as the original library and continue providing incremental updates. Hopefully so.
The other big option is to leave the library "as is" on the internal drive, and using File/Relocate Masters for Project to relocate masters to the external drive leaving a small library. Note that Vault does not back up referenced masters.
G.

How to move iTunes library content

how do I move library content for itunes from PC to my new mac?

There's a few different ways. The following document is worth checking through:
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer

HT1229 How to move iPhoto Library to a NAS backup?

How do I move iPhoto Library, which is now stored on a separate backup hard drive, to a new LaCie 2Big NAS backup? My iPhoto library is large, 73GB, and I have kept it on a separate 250GB backup up hard drive connected directly to my iMac; the iPhoto Library is not in my Pictures folders, as is usual. The 250GB is full, and I now want to store the iPhoto Library on a new LaCie 2Big NAS backup hard drive.
I assume I could move the Library back to Pictures folder on the iMac, so that the Library is stored on my iMac, and then it would be backed up on LaCie, but I would rather not take up all that space on the iMac. How do I store it on the LaCie? Usually to move iPhoto Library, you locate it, and then drag to new location. The LaCie does appear in my Finder. Should I drag and drop it?
I asked LaCie support, and they said the following:
If you do intend to place data on the share that needs to be accessed directly by an application on your computer (such as iTunes or iPhoto), however, then you might want to check with support for the software application itself for advice on the best way to accomplish this. It is important that such an application is able to locate the files once you relocate them to the NAS drive, or else the program will not function properly.
I want to access the Library through iPhoto. The LaCie is not connected directly to iMac, but instead connected via ethernet to my Airport Extreme.
Suggestions?
Thanks,
Armando

I experienced the same frustration when i bought my Iomega NAS (which I do not recommed by the way).
I wanted my iPhoto library to be stored on it, thats the main reason i bought it.
But as you have discovered the library connot be stored on a non Mac formatted disc.
So I began to store my photos in a logical folder structure (based on events) on the NAS and access that folder structure from some other software (Adobe bridge).
The PC users in my household could therefore also access this folder stucture and view all the photos. Bonus.
I wasn't satisfied though. I wanted to use iPhoto. Location, Faces, Events, simple editing, etc.
So I created a new iPhoto library on my Mac and then went to iPhoto preferences / Advanced and UNTICKED the 'Copy items to the iPhoto Library'. This creates what I think is called a reference library. This kind of library has some pros and cons but for me it is all pros.
Then simply drag your file structure from your nas into iPhoto and voila. All your photos and any home movies are added to iPhoto but accessed from the NAS.
I continue to add new photos into the event based file structure on the NAS and then drag the new folder across to iPhoto.
This also has the added benifit in that you don't need iPhoto to view the photos (PC users)
This method works perfectly for me. Enabling me to use iPhoto AND my NAS.
Hope this helps.

How to move itunes library from PC to mac

im getting a iMac intel core duo 17" very soon. I currently have my 1,750 song iTunes library on my PC. to move my library, should I connect the computers with a cable? then do the same thing as moving the library with an iPod? (except for the ipod part)
thanks

Hey all,
I haven't been on this section of the apple site for a while. I sadly took a job at a school where they use pcs.
Anyway I thought I could help.
I've transfer full music folders from two computers many times but never a library from a pc to a mac. Let me explain the difference.
The folder that holds all your music only holds your music. IE on mac (osx) its ~/Music/iTunes Library/Music
and on a pc (windows 2000 and newer) its in
/Documents and Settings/user name/My Music/iTunes/Music
The "Library" is the thing that keeps tracksof your albums. I belive this file is in XML format and should work the same on both a pc and mac.
Anyway, this is how you transfer the whole thing from one machien to the other over a network.
It is best if you wire them together. Proccess goes much faster.
On the mac we must first turn it into a server that the pc can talk to
When you are logged in as an administrator on the mac go to the apple menu > system prefernces
click on sharing
enable windows sharing. You may also need to enable an account to connect with. I recomend that you enable the user who gets the music. ( i can clerify this if requested [email protected])
Ok then on the PC
go to the start menu > run
type in your macs ip address or name
it should look something like this \\192.168.1.2
then clock ok, wait a bit and eventualy it will ask for a username and a password. Use them name and pass for the user you enabled in the sharing control panel step
then you will see a window with your users folder in it.open it and navigate to the Music folder.
I hope that you havent loaded anymsuic on that user gets trickeier if you did and you may not be able to keep your albums. I can expalin this too in greater detail later.
So you have one window that shows the content of your mac and ist user.
Now we need to go get the documents out of the pc.
Open the "My Documenst" fodlder on the desktop and open my msuic. within it you will find an iTunes folder just like the one on the mac. replace the one on the windows machine with the one on the mac and let it copy. Dont let either machine sleep or you might have to do it again.
Anyway. I hope this helps. I see they now have added browny points to peoples posts. And I was just happy helping people switch.
Anyway now to find a solution to my problem cheers
pax

How to Move My Library from my C: to D:

I was wondering how to move my iTunes library from my C: drive to my D: drive without deleting songs, or having to completely recreate my library in my D: drive. I need to do this because my C: drive is becoming very low on space, and the main reason being because of my iTunes Library. Please help!

Have a look at this: "Moving your iTunes Music folder" http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301748

How to Move iTunes Library on an External Drive to Another Computer

How do you move your iTunes library (including all your playlists) if your iTunes media files—movies, TV shows, music, etc.—are housed on an external drive, rather than the local drive on your computer?
The usual advice concerns copying media files from one computer to the next, e.g.:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
But if your media is on an external device, you don’t want to copy it, just access it from a new device. You could plug the drive into your new computer and drag the media into iTunes, but then you would lose your playlists and other information.
Fortunately, you can transfer an entire iTunes Library using the Export/Import function. The essential information is found in an Apple support document, “iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists”:
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451
Using this information, we can create a procedure for transferring both the media files that are on an external drive and the iTunes Library that goes with it.
Here is the procedure:
1. On the old computer, Export the playlist, using File > Library > Export Library. Transfer the resulting file to the new computer.
2. You might want to note the number of music files, TV shows, etc. you have on the old system. Select View > Show Status Bar, then choose the “List” view, and this information will be shown at the bottom of the iTunes window. Also disable sharing, etc.; you may want to deauthorize the computer as well.
3. Close iTunes on the old computer, dismount and disconnect the external drive(s). (Yes, this will work with media on multiple drives).
4. On the new computer, close iTunes and delete “iTunes Library.itl” in the iTunes folder.
5. On the new computer, Connect and mount the external drive(s).
6. Open iTunes on the new computer. Choose Preferences > Advanced. Deselect (uncheck) both “Keep iTunes Media Organized” (because it’s already organized on your external drive, right?) and “Copy files to iTunes Media folder” (because the files are on the external drive). Then set your iTunes Media folder location to your media folder on the external drive and click on “OK”. (Note: don’t close iTunes after this step, because it will automatically reset your media folder to your local machine rather than the external drive).
7. Choose File > Library > Import Playlist and choose the file you exported from the old computer. This will import all the media you had on the old system into iTunes (no need to manually move anything from the external drive). The import will probably take some time. (If you see that iTunes is copying files, you probably messed up Step 6; you can stop it and go back to Step 4 without harm).
8. After the import, you can check the numbers you noted in Step 2; if there is a discrepancy that bothers you, check out the scripts “Music Folder Files Not Added” “List MIAs” and at http://dougscripts.com/itunes/.
9. When everything is satisfactory, you can recheck “Keep iTunes Media Organized” and “Copy files to iTunes Media folder” in Preferences.
10. You may now want to enable sharing, sync iOS devices, etc. Also be sure to set up your backup strategies on the new machine (you *do* have backups of your external drive(s), right?). If you already had some media on your new computer and you want to incorporate it into the external drive, choose File > Library > Consolidate.
11. Oddities:
* iTunes Extras must be manually imported.
* Some of my movies & TV shows imported as “Home Video”.
* Mobile applications did not import (presumably because no iOS device was synced).
* Books that were once handled by iTunes are now handled by iBooks and will not import (to let iTunes see them again, you’ll need to add them manually to iBooks, then choose File > Move Books from iTunes). Audiobooks import okay, but you may have to authorize your Audible account.

Or:
Copy the iTunes folder from the old computer to the same location in your user area on the new one. Attach the external drive and start iTunes. If you have put it in your Home > Music folder the application will automatically know to look for it there and becausse you are using the same library it will be configured to look for media on the external drive.

How to move my library...

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