How to open previous itunes library

How can I open my previous itunes library? Please can you help, I need my music. Please please

iTunes Preferences/Advanced....select the desired media library there.

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How to change "previous iTunes library" header after choosing and old library

This worked for me on windows vista ultimate:
- Open itunes with shift press down
- Create a new library, by default, it is created at C:\Users\"your user"\Music\iTunes\iTunes
(different location from where it is originally), close iTunes
-Now remove the 4 files created on C:\Users\"your user"\Music\iTunes\iTunes
- Locate C:\Users\"your user"\Music\iTunes\Previous iTunes Libraries ; note the added date to the files*
Note: if you have more than one previous version of the library, Note that it comes on groups of 4 check the size of the files and choose
- Copy and paste those 4 files to C:\Users\"your user"\Music\iTunes\iTunes, where the new library was created
- *Remove the added date to the 4 files (make sure there is no space between the . (dot) dividing the extension and the word library on each file.
- Now, open iTunes back again and salut your normal "iTunes" header

Here's a post by forum regular Zevoneer that will help you
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=6850628#6850628

I've lost my music, how can i restore my iTunes from a "Previous iTunes Library"?

my music library is still intact but when i try to play my music, it tells me i need to locate it.
I didn't delete my music and i have quite a few important files,
one of my "Previous iTunes Library" has a date when i know it worked,
I still have all the music files working on my iPhone so this is stopping me from syncing my iphone.
How do I reset it back to how it was and get my music back?
Or at least transfer the songs back from my iPhone (They're not purchased)
Thanks.

For general library squiffiness following an upgrade the easiest thing is to restore your last backup, but I guess if it were that simple you wouldn't be here.
Empty/corrupt library after upgrade/crash
Hopefully it's not been too long since you last upgraded iTunes, in fact if you get an empty/incomplete library immediately after upgrading then with the following steps you shouldn't lose a thing or need to do any further housekeeping. In the Previous iTunes Libraries folder should be a number of dated iTunes Library files. Take the most recent of these andcopy it into the iTunes folder. Rename iTunes Library.itl as iTunes Library (Corrupt).itl and then rename the restored file as iTunes Library.itl. Start iTunes. Should all be good, bar any recent additions to or deletions from your library.
See iTunes Folder Watch for a tool to catch up with any changes since the backup file was created.
When you get it all working make a backup! For example 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 regardless of drive letter or path.
tt2

Previous iTunes Library - how to "force" a backup

Hi there
Running iTunes 11.4 on Windows 7 64 bit
With the Previous iTunes Library folder I notice iTunes seems to make Library backups at "random". Is there a way I can force it to do a library backup whenever I want?
Am asking as this morning opened iTunes and there was no music in it. From searching here I found the fix, that is, to copy and past a library from "Previous iTunes Library" folder to the main iTunes folder. The fix worked a treat but the only thing was the most library file was back in May of this year (2014). Henve my question.
I'd like to make this file once a month or so, is there a way to do it so if ? Is there any rhyme or reason as to when iTunes actually does it?
Many thanks
Andrew

The backups are made during any iTunes update that makes a change to the database structure, e.g. to support a new feature. You can make a manual copy of the .itl file any time that iTunes isn't running. See Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy for a comprehensive approach to backing up the entire library.
tt2

"Previous iTunes Library" title. How do I remove this?

I upgraded to iTunes 10 and when I decided to open iTunes it told me to choose a library. I chose the most recent one but noticed that some songs were missing.
Right now I have organized all of my music under the iTunes folder and deleted all the other old libraries.
I've opened iTunes once again, but "previous iTunes library" keeps appearing as the title.
I tried to figure it out on my own by reading discussions here but I keep seeing something about .itl (if im correct, dont remember). but I don't see anything like that in my folders.
Please help?!

Hi, welcome to Apple Discussions.
The usual reason for getting in this position is that your original library was corrupt in some fashion and on start-up iTunes prompted you to find another one. Ideally you would restore your most recent backup of your library but I'm guessing you don't have one of those.
The next best thing is the most recent file in the *Previous iTunes Libraries* folder. These are often created automatically when iTunes is updated. Although it will usually work from there as you have found iTunes picks up the window title from the folder which is why your iTunes is now called *Previous iTunes Libraries*. Close iTunes and copy the file with the most recent date into the main iTunes folder. Rename any existing *iTunes Library.itl* file as *iTunes Library (BROKEN).itl* because it almost certainly is, then rename the file you've just copied as *iTunes Library.itl*. Now use the SHIFT-start iTunes method (press and hold down shift immediately on clicking the icon to start iTunes and continue to hold until a dialog box appears) to open the library file in the main iTunes folder.
Now that you've repaired the library you need a tool such as iTunes Folder Watch to detect any changes in your library since the backup file was created. Enable the option to check for dead tracks on startup so that it will find any files deleted since your last update.
For future reference...
*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 to use/access my previous itunes library in itunes.

I accidently deleted all my songs then emptied trash (i am on a mac, and i sick of window users solving their problems) and now i have 1/90th of my songs (i have around 2,500 songs. I still have my video, but i want my songs back. There is the previous library i had before the upgrade to 7.6, that is very recent. I've tried to downgrade (7.5) then import my previous itunes library, but that wont work. CAN SOMEBODY RUNNING MAC PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO GET MY PREVIOUS ITUNES LIBRARY BACK INTO MY CURRENT ITUNES LIBRARY?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

Locate the iTunes folder from the user profile on the rescued drive, typically at X:\Users\<User>\Music\iTunes. Delete the "empty" iTunes library from your current User's Music folder and copy in the originial library in its place.
tt2

I will soon be purchasing a new PC running Windows 7. I need to know how to migrate my iTunes Library and apple devices to the PC. Is there a previously published support document on this topic? Thank You.

I will soon be purchasing a new PC running Windows 7. I need to know how to migrate my iTunes Library and apple devices to the PC. Is there a previously published support document on this topic? Thank You.

Connect a blank powered external drive to the PC.
Right click on the Disk in the File manager and choose format: exFAT
(if it's a XP machine, first install exFAT from Microsoft and reboot)
navigate to your user account folders on the PC and drag and drop copy (or copy and paste) to the external drive.
(if a program has your files, then export them out first)
Hook up the drive to the Mac, and transfer files to the desktop or to their same appropritate folders.
Import photo's into iPhoto program, import music into iTunes etc and they will manage those files.
You can continue to use the external exFAT drive between Mac's and PC's
Do not format the drive NTFS or FAT, NTFS can't be written too by the Mac and FAT can't hold over 4GB sized files.
If you format exFAT on the Mac, it likely won't work correctly on the PC.
"Migration" type programs are a utter waste of time and effort between PC's and Mac's for the fact that only certain files (and no programs or anything else) will work between them, also it's a hassle and takes too long. So don't even bother with it.

How to use my previous itunes library in itunes.

I accidently deleted all my songs then emptied trash (i am on a mac, and i sick of window users solving their problems) and now i have 1/90th of my songs (i have around 2,500 songs. I still have my video, but i want my songs back. There is the previous library i had before the upgrade to 7.6, that is very recent. I've tried to downgrade (7.5) then import my previous itunes library, but that wont work. CAN SOMEBODY RUNNING MAC PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO GET MY PREVIOUS ITUNES LIBRARY BACK INTO MY CURRENT ITUNES LIBRARY?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

I FIGURED IT OUT., IF U EVERY HAVE A PROBLEM TELL ME.

How can I open my itune library from my phone

How can I open my iTunes library with on my iPhone

iPhone User Guide
http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/iphone_user_guide.pdf

I have lost my previous itunes library and the content is no longer on my ipod touch. How do I recover my previous itunes library? I have already tried the backup but because the content was erased from my ipod that did not work.

I have lost my previous itunes library content after atempting to sync my ipod. Is there any way that apple can provide me with a history restore for an itunes library?

if you have all the songs still on your ipod you can put them back on your computer from the ipod... just DONT LET ITUNES SYNC WITH YOU IPOD when you plug it back in. change the settings to manual control for syncing ipods or your itunes will delete all of them. i dont know what to do for the unchecked songs... i had a similar situation and i used a mac program to take the songs off of my ipod. hope this helps.. just google for an application that will let ya take songs off the ipod.

How do I restore my iTunes library when "Previous iTunes Library" is not showing up in iTunes folder?

I turn off my PC with Windows 7 for an hour, turn it back on and suddenly the only songs that show up are ones in the Cloud.
I looked through a bunch of questions on the Apple Support Communitities and they all say look for the "Previous iTunes Library" in the iTunes folder, but it's not there.
Thanks.

LibraryHelp wrote:
I turn off my PC with Windows 7 for an hour, turn it back on and suddenly the only songs that show up are ones in the Cloud.
If you have AVG AntiVirus the issue may rear its head again. See this post.
tt2

When i try and open itunes a memo pops up saying "itunes could not connect to this iPhone. This device is no longer connected" my iphone is not plugged into my mac so i dont know why its mentioning an iphone nor why i cant open my itunes library

when i try and open itunes a memo pops up saying "itunes could not connect to this iPhone. This device is no longer connected" my iphone is not plugged into my mac so i dont know why its mentioning an iphone nor why i cant open my itunes library?

Each time you connect your iPhone to iTunes, you need to eject it before closing iTunes by clicking on the little "eject" icon shown in iTunes. It seems that sometime in the past, you did not do that.
I'm not sure how to undo the previously done damage, but maybe a reboot of your Mac would help.

Previous Itunes Library Help!!

i have five previous itunes library database files dated back to as far as 2006. when i try to open them, itunes opens, but nothing happens. i have tried to copy the file and open it that way, but nothing happens then either. how can i restore these files and retrieve the music?!? please help!

*Adding new items/removing orphans*
Try iTunes Folder Watch or iTunes Library Updater. Folder Watch is much faster on the adding files front, can be set to run in the background and includes a useful exclusion feature, however it’s really slow at removing orphans. iTLU is better for this although doing it manually after looking at a list of proposed removals generated by Folder Watch is probably faster still. iTLU can also be set to update iTunes when you've used 3rd party tools to change tag info.
tt2

HOW TO MOVE YOUR ITUNES LIBRARY TO AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE

Read these directions before actually doing anything, just so you can do this right. I've messed things up before, it can get ugly...
That being said, here's what you've gotta do if you're running on a Mac:
Have all your music on the external hard drive. It should be organized in folders the way iTunes set it up
The folders should be organized something like this:iTunes Media (Top folder, everything is inside of this folder)
Audiobooks
Automatically Add To iTunes
Books
Downloads
iPod Games
iTunes U
Mobile Applications
Music
Podcasts
Ringtones
TV Shows
Voice Memos
Those folders are what I have in my 'iTunes Media' folder on my external hard drive. You don't necessarily need to have all of these folders. (I happen to just have a lot of things in my iTunes.)
Finding your iTunes Library Files
The way iTunes works is there are two parts to make what you see in iTunes work right. There's your media (songs, video, iPod games and Apps, etc) and there are your library files. They tell iTunes what your playlists are, where your 'iTunes Media' folder is located, and a lot of other important things. Here is how to find the iTunes Library files (there will probably be more than one!)
Look in (yourusername)/Music/iTunes
There will be a few things in here:
Album Artwork (It's a folder)
iTunes Library Extras.itdb
iTunes Library Genius.itdb
Itunes Library.itl
iTunes Media (a folder)
iTunes Music Library Backup.xml (this file might or might not be here. If there is no file with this name, it's okay.)
iTunes Music Library.xml
Some "temp" files (maybe, maybe not -- they are not important for this)
Anything in the list that is BOLDED needs to be placed in (yourusername)/Music/iTunesIf you copied these files to your external hard drive, you will need to copy them back onto your internal hard drive. These library files do not need to be in the same place as your iTunes Media folder.
Telling iTunes Where Your Music Is
Now that your iTunes Media folder is on your external drive, and your Library Files are in place in "(yourusername)/Music/iTunes", we need to open iTunes.
On the top bar of the screen, go to iTunes>Preferences.
In preferences, go to the farthest right tab, titled "Advanced" with a picture of a gear.
The top section says "iTunes Media Folder location" and underneath that you see a filepath ending in the 'iTunes Media" folder.
This path is probably wrong, not leading you through the external hard drive.
If it is incorrect:
Click "change" on the right and then locate the folder in the prompt that shows up. Once the "iTunes Media" folder on your external hard drive is highlighted blue, click "Open" in the bottom right corner of the window.
Give iTunes a moment or two (depending on the size of your library) to re-locate all of your songs. Voila!
If it is correct:Do nothing!
While you're in the advanced section, let's check to make sure you have a few important 'housekeeping' things checked off:
"Keep iTunes Media folder organized" (CHECK THIS BOX!)
"Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library" (CHECK THIS BOX!)
At this point, iTunes should be all ready to go. Before I get into any troubleshooting, note a few things:
If you ever unplug/disconnect the external hard drive from the computer, you must first make sure that iTunes is NOT running.
Also, if the hard drive is unplugged and you open up iTunes, all of your songs will have little symbols next to them. Until you plug/reconnect the hard drive, the songs will stay like this and will be missing.
TROUBLESHOOTING:
Not having permission to access the external hard drive:
In Finder (or on your desktop), right-click the external hard drive (if you don't have right-click, control-click will also work).
Click on "Get Info"
A thin, tall window will appear on the screen.
Part One:In the "General" section, make sure that "Locked" is unchecked. If it IS checked, uncheck it.
Part Two:
We are now focusing on the very bottom of the window, where it says "Sharing & Permissions"/
In the bottom right corner of the window there is a small padlock icon. Click it. When asked for an administrator password, type it in, and click "Ok".
You will now notice that the bottom section of the 'get info' window is not greyed out anymore. Make sure your user name (it says in parentheses "(Me)" so there is no going wrong here) has "Read & Write" privileges.If not, click on whichever privilege you currently have, and a drop-down menu will appear. Click on "Read & Write".
If you have any other issues, I will add them to the troubleshooting list to help you out. Hope this was helpful!

My iTunes library is set up the way I said in the top post and works totally fine.
Yes, and that is the default structure to which I was referring. iTunes will organize it that way automatically unless people do start changing settings (in which case they should know what they are doing and how iTunes works with library files and media structure.)
Both ways work, the advantages of mine would be that should iTunes try looking fo a library, it will always be in the default location.
It makes people think they have to change media location in preferences. They do not unless they want to relocate media only and leave other things on their internal drive (in which case there is no point in copying library files to the external, and you certainly wouldn't want to then delete them from your internal).
Downside is that then should someone move their iTunes library to anther computer they need to remember to get those library files on the external hard drive.
Just copy the whole iTunes folder and it will get the library files to the other drive in one step, along with all the other files.
Your post has good stuff but it makes a move appear intimidating and look like people have to do a lot of organizing to move the collection. It also throws in extra steps (namely altering preference settings) that could cause confusion or even make a mess of things. If people leave iTunes to default preference settings (which most people do) the move summarizes into a short line: Copy a folder and hold an extra button the next time you start iTunes.
Note that the instructions in the link I provided earlier do also include many steps, but those are to ensure that everybody does have it all organized correctly before simply copying the iTunes folder. In the end it is just a simple action.

"iTunes Media" file in "Previous iTunes Library" taking up 50Gb of much-needed hard drive space. Can this be safely deleted?

Hi everyone,
My 3.5 year old 15" Macbook Pro is running out of hard drive space, so I have been trying to clean out some of the dross. I recently found that there is a file called "Previous iTunes Library" in my iTunes folder that is taking up approximately 50Gb of space. I would love to delete this folder and reclaim the space, but I am not sure what it is or where it came from, and I don't want to lose music files accidentally. Can someone tell me (1) what this folder is and (2) if I can safely delete it?
Here is a screenshot of these folders and their sizes:
Thanks for the help!

Hello facetious1212,
Take a look at this part of the article named iTunes: What are the iTunes library files? Found here http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1660.
Tip: New versions of iTunes sometimes include enhancements to the iTunes library. When you open the new version of iTunes, iTunes upgrades your existing library to the new format and places a copy of the old library in the Previous Libraries folder. If everything goes fine during your upgrade to the latest version of iTunes, you can delete the older iTunes Library files.
All the very best,
Sterling

How to open previous itunes library

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