How to transfer/enable my entire itunes library on new iMac? Purchased also

Songs from cds, songs i have downloaded from other suppliers & all my purchases from itunes store.
Now i have searched for the answers already but havents found clear answers which make me think i can manage it or do it myself.
I do not want to lose everything or even part of it. I have tried authorising my itunes library on other computers but in the case of my pc laptop, only 1 episode of a tv series came up when there where at least 2 or 3 entire seasons of other tv series purchased.
So whats the most straightfoward way. Also will be looking to transfer pics & video clips from my camera etc. Should i buy a firewire & can it be used for transfering my itunes purchases also???

OK. First you need to de-authorize the old computer: About iTunes Store authorization and deauthorization.
Next you need to copy your Music folder and some preference files to an external drive:
/Home/Music/ folder
/Home/Library/Preferences/ folder: transfer these preference files:
com.apple.iTunes.app.plist
com.apple.iTunes.eq.plist
com.apple.iTunes.plist
com.apple.iTunesHelper.plist
Once you transfer all this to the new computer you will need to authorize the new computer per instructions in the above link.
If you don't have an external drive, then you can perform the transfers via Target Disk Mode:
Boot your old computer into TDM. After the TDM logo appears boot the new computer normally. Your old computer's hard drive should appear on the new computer's Desktop. You can then transfer the files by drag and drop.

Similar Messages

Sync issues after moving entire iTunes library to new iMac

I have a question regarding moving an itunes library to a new computer and what happens to the devices that were synced with it.
I moved a clients entire iTunes folder from the user-music folder on one iMac to another iMac, replacing it's itunes folder.
I then opened iTunes and it read the library just fine, all content intact.
The issue was with syncing the ipods that were originally connected to the previous computer.
I thought that I could just hook up their iPod to the new iMac, since it is essentially the same iTunes folder/content/data and all should continue syncing just fine. Nope.
The ipod (touch) would show 'syncing' yet no data would move between it and the new iMac.
Same thing with their Apple TV - it was originally being synced with the older iMac.
I had hoped, once moving the entire itunes folder to the new imac, that itunes would just go on talking with the Apple TV. Not the case.
So far, the only thing I can do is to do a 'restore' on the ipod touch, then treat it like a new ipod and sync it with the new computer.
I haven't dealt with the Apple TV issue yet - it would not be fun to erase the entire contents of the apple tv, then resync with the new imac. Lots of data to move around - but perhaps this is the only way?
Kind of a bummer. Is this correct?
It never gave me the 'this ipod is being synced with another computer/library' message either. It 'seemed' like it was going to work as I had hoped.
I looked all over the computer, preferences folders, etc. to see if I could find something that associated the ipod with a particular library. I did locate the ipod backups folder in the application support folder and moved it over to the new computer too.
I've always moved client's itunes library from their old computer to new computer without issues - I don't remember their being an issue with previously synced devices like iPods/iphones/Apple TV's.

You didn't mention whether or not you authorized the new computer in iTunes. If not, do that and then sync the iPod. The iPod will recognize that this is a new computer and will ask you if you want to proceed - in this case, you want to do exactly that.

HT4914 How do I download my entire iTunes library back to my computer and iPhone ?

The things I love about iTunes Match are:
upgraded audio quality
entire music library backed up to cloud to prevent loss
available on multiple devices anywhere*
The thing I hate about iTunes Match is that if I don't have access to WiFi or Cellular then I have NO ACCESS to my music. Since I travel often and am frequently in situations where there is no Wifi/Cellular (or it's to expensive when in another country) I'm left with no options.
My question is - How do I download my ENTIRE ITunes Library to both my computers, iphone and ipads?
I can't image clicking the "download icon" on 50,000 songs... is there a workaround for this?
thank you!
Michael

Archived - How to back up your media in iTunes
If you use a regular CD, then you will need a lot (depending on how many songs, videos, or apps) I recommend using DVDs so that way, you can store a lot. (CDs hold up to 800MB or 80min.; DVDs hold up to 4.7GB or 120 min.)

Does anyone know how to transfer songs from my ipod to my new imac?

Does anyone know how to transfer songs from my ipod to my new imac computer?
My library on the new imac is quite small and all the songs on my ipod were purchased and
I want them on my computer.
Thanks for any help!!!
Cheers!

Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device: Apple Support Communities

How do i restory my entire itunes library from the hard drive of a new laptop to itunes?

I recently got a new laptop and would like to transfer my itunes from the old to the new. I backed up the itunes library to an external hard drive, and have transferred it to the hard drive of the new laptop (I haven't deleted the library from the old laptop). I am operating on windows. I am now stuck and can't seem to restore my entire itunes library to itunes. The items purchased from the itunes store are in the library on the new laptop, but the rest of my music is not. How do I restore it to my itunes library? I have tried opening itunes while holding down shift and selecting "choose library" option, but when I select the itunes folder, it doesn't appear in the library.
help?!

Hello ggjsa,
Congratulations on your new laptop! I understand that you have copied your old iTunes Library to your new computer, but you are still not seeing the music. I recommend reviewing Part 5 in the section titled "External drive" in the following article:
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4527
If you are still having trouble transferring the library using this method, you may want to try using the Home Sharing method in the article.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Sheila M.

HT203167 How to transfer music from my iTunes Library to my new iPhone

How do I transfer music from my iTunes Library to my iPhone 5 please

See Here > Syncing with iTunes
More Info...
Syncing with iTunes on a Mac or PC requires:
Mac: OS X v10.6.8 or later
PC: Windows 7; Windows Vista; or Windows XP Home or Professional with Service Pack 3 or later
iTunes 10.7 or later (free download from www.itunes.com/download)
From Here > http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html

How do I back up my itunes library from my iMac to iCloud?

I want to be able to access my iTunes library on my iMac from my iPhone while away from my home network. I don't want to fill my iPhone with the file as it is so big. Can I move my whole iTunes library to iCloud and then access it from both my iMac and my iPhone through the internet? If I do this, can I delete the library from my iMac as it is slowing it down because of its size?

I use the iTunes Match feature which you subscribe $24.99 / year. Works flawlessly! I can upload up to 25.000 songs there to be streamed or downloaded to all of your devices. Mac/iPhone/iPod or iPad. This way you can free storage on the devices. Great quality on the matched songs too. If you sometime in the future should buy a new Apple device, just log in with your account and your music collection is there for you to enjoy! Home or away, the only thing needed is an decent WiFi connection to use all the above.
Look at https://www.apple.com/itunes/itunes-match/
Lasse

Problems with transferring iTunes Library to new iMac

I am having a problem with transferring my iTunes library to my new iMac. I have read many of the suggestions posted in this forum along with numerous articles on other sites. I have not seen anyone describe my exact problem.
When I got my new iMac, I used Migration Assistant to transfer everything (files, applications, settings, etc.) from my old iMac to the new iMac. On my old iMac, the iTunes music folder (i.e., the actual mp3s) are on an external HD, while the iTunes Library file (the database and xml files) were in the /user/Music/ folder on the old iMac.
After the Migration Assistant was done, the /user/music/ folder and the library files were copied to the new iMac, but the iTunes music folder was not. It is still on the external HD.
If I open iTunes on the new iMac, iTunes shows me all of my songs, but if I play one, I get the "song can't be found; do you want to find it" error. In iTunes preferences on the new iMac, the "iTunes music folder location" is the new iMac.
I have the 2 iMacs connected by a firewire cable, but neither iMac recognizes the other computer as being on the same network. That is, in Finder on the new iMac, I cannot see the external HD of the old iMac.
I can't change the library location on the old iMac, because the new iMac does not appear in Finder or in the "Change Music Folder Location" dialog box.
I want to move the music folder (the actual mp3s) from the external HD of the old iMac to the INTERNAL HD of the new iMac. I don't need to keep them on the old IMac, as I will be selling that computer. Of course, I want to keep all my playlists, artwork, etc from the old library.
Does anyone have a suggestion?
Thanks.

Never mind. Figured it out. I attached external HD to new iMac and consolidated. Duh.

How do I transfer my entire iTunes library to new laptop?

I have just recently purchased a new notebook/laptop. (Not a Mac). I would like to transfer everything from old laptop to the new without loosing anything. Are there programs that assist in this? If so can you point me in the right direction please?
Thanks :)

If you're moving from PC to PC then perhaps Windows Easy Transfer is the tool for you, although I'd still recommend you look at method 1 from my earlier link. If you don't have a backup strategy now then it is time you got one. Hard drives can and do fail without warning. All your personal data should be on at least two if not three separate disks to avoid disappointment.
tt2

How can I move my entire iTunes library from old laptop to new one?

I got a new iPad for Xmas to replace an old laptop not realising I would still have to have a laptop or PC for my main iTunes library. I have got round ths by creating my own area on my partner's laptop & have installed my iTunes library on there. However, it has only installed my purchased music & not my wider collection such as all my CD's that I burned then got rid of to go digital. I have my complete library on my iPad & iPhone but need it on my laptop too in case I lose or break a device & need to install my iTunes library to a new device.
I have followed the support detailing how to move your iTunes to a new computer but am not getting very far. I don't have an iPod to use as an external hard drive. I read that you can drag your iTunes library to a CD or DVD but my library is 16GB & I don't have any disc big enough!
Does anyone have an idea of a simple way I can do this? Is it not possible to do it directly from my iPad or iPhone seeing as my complete library is on both of these devices?

Before you connect any device to a new library go to the Devices tab of the the preferences panel via Edit > Preferences (Windows) or iTunes > Preferences (Mac) and ensure the box next to Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically is ticked. You can now safely connect the device to your computer without the danger of media being automatically deleted or overwritten.
To get all your content off your connect your iPad to your new computer.
Then use a 3rd party piece of software to transfer your content
I have found Senuti useful but there are others listed in the article I linked to in a previous post.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
That will let you transfer your non purchased content
For Purchased content log in to iTunes on the new computer
In Itunes Store click on Purchased under the Quick Links section on the right.
Download any music by clicking on the cloud button

How do I copy my entire iTunes library to a flash drive

I am attempting to copy my itunes music to a flash drive by dragging and dropping the entire itunes folder to the flash drive, but it will not transfer.

A few options...
You could format that HDD as Fat32/MS-DOS, but you'd be limited to 4 GB Filesizes.
NTFS-3G Stable Read/Write Driver...
http://www.ntfs-3g.org/
MacFUSE: Full Read-Write NTFS for Mac OS X, Among Others...
http://www.osnews.com/story/16930
You could also format it Mac OS Extended/HFS+.
How to format your disks...
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/partitioning_tiger.html

How can i fix my entire itunes library?

so my computer crashed and i didnt have my music backed up anywhere except for on my iphone.
i got a new computer and that itunes only had downloaded my previously purchased itunes songs, which is about 600 songs; but on my phone i have over 2,000 songs.
i wanted to put one single song on my phone that i couldnt buy on itunes because itunes doesnt have this song.
i read on a different discussion that if i chose "manually manage music" and clicked apply that i would be able to do so without it affecting my library on my phone.
however when i did that, it erased my entire library on my phone and i dont even know if restoring it will restore the music.
i just want my music back; and then a way to transfer it all onto my computer so this wont happen again would be great.
HELP???

There should have been a warning that switching to manually managed mode would wipe current media from the device. The tips in Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device would have worked at that point however I fear it is now too late for that approach.
If you are lucky it may be possible to extract the hard drive from the "dead" computer and recover your personal data from it.
tt2

How to transfer only part of iTunes library?

I have over 80GB of music (mainly classical) in my iTunes library and I am using it with my iPod classic. I am planning to buy now a new 16GB iPod nano and my question is how I can transfer only selected pieces of music (all library will not fit anyway)and how to maintain transfer process in future when I want to change the music on my nano.
Thanks for any suggestions.

Hello,
in fact, it's boring defining playlists, so I use a trick : in itunes, just use a new field (like "comments") to tag specific songs (type "nn" for newnano). Then create for exemple a smart playlist "nano 80's" with the caracteristics : year is between 1980 and 1990, comments contains "nn". and another playlist "new added songs" = songs added during the last 3 months, and comments contains "nn"...!
This looks boring but it is very efficient to manage multiple playlists, multiples ipods, with only one new tag on itunes.
you just have to sync your smart playlists.
Olivier

How to transfer music from pc itunes library to itouch

Hi, just getting back to using my itouch and can not figure out how to transfer music from my pc itunes library to my itouch. In the past I use to use the sync button. Help?
thx

Same
iTunes: Syncing media content to iOS devices and iPod
If iTunes does not see the iPod:
iOS: Device not recognized in iTunes for Mac OS X
Or
See
iOS: Device not recognized in iTunes for Windows
- I would start with
Removing and Reinstalling iTunes, QuickTime, and other software components for Windows XP
or
Removing and reinstalling iTunes and other software components for Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows 8
However, after your remove the Apple software components also remove the iCloud Control Panel via Windows Programs and Features app in the Window Control Panel. Then reinstall all the Apple software components
- Then do the other actions of:
iOS: Device not recognized in iTunes for Windows
paying special attention to item #5
- New cable and different USB port
- Run this and see if the results help with determine the cause
iTunes for Windows: Device Sync Tests
Also see:
iPod not recognised by windows iTunes
Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates
- Try on another computer to help determine if computer or iPod problem
Was the iPod previously synced to another computer? If so:
Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive: Apple Support Communities

How can I move my entire iTunes library to a networked HD so that the entire family has access?

My entire music library is on my Macbook Pro but I would like to make iTunes available to entire family to stream when the laptop is not there. I can dedicate a large HD on the network for this an other shared files (photos & movies).

The second Article guides you to copy the whole iTunes Folder which will include linbrary and all media type:
Here is the iTunes folder structure

How to transfer/enable my entire itunes library on new iMac? Purchased also

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for