I can't backup my iTunes library.

I recently downloaded the updated version of iTunes, so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it, but when I go to File > Library, the option to backup my iTunes isn't under Library like it's supposed to be. Any suggestions as to what I should do or where I should go?

turingtest2 wrote:
I'd agree with EE, backup to disc is unlikely to return...
Fast backup for iTunes library (Windows)
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.
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 the drive letter or path it appears on.
tt2
I totally agree with this method, if you're using Windows you should have SyncToy.

Similar Messages

Can I backup my iTune music library to an external drive and install on a new computer?

Can I backup my iTune library to an external drive and reinstall on a new computer? To use disks I need 29 to do this.

Hi Niel. Can you be move specific for those of us not tech savy? 1 - Can you provide steps to back up the library? 2 - How do you organize the library? 3 - When you move the entire iTunes folder, does it include iTunes paid for music along with downloaded music from CDs? Thanks

I upgraded to iTunes 10.5 and now I can't back up iTunes library to disc. In previous versions it was in file library backup to disc. In iTunes 10.5 that is gone!

I upgraded to iTunes 10.5 and now I can't back up iTunes library to disc. In previous versions it was in file>library>backup to disc. In iTunes 10.5 that is gone!

Some of us have our enture itunes library backed up on CD/DVD - what a waste of time and effort as now presumably you can't use these discs to restore itunes on a new computer! WHY NOT APPLE?
Very unimpressed with itunes 10.5/ios5 - wifi tracking apps have been removed from the store (and won't function in ios5), it's impossible to sync photos (I have spent a whole day trying to sync my iphone 3GS with itines 10.5) to no avail and now, no CD backup facility.
I have never had problems with apple before - I was thinking of upgrading my whole system from PC to Mac but now I am doubtful - if this is typical of apple software, I will stay with windows!

I'm sorry for repeating this, but i have not found a clear answer. i have a macbook wit iTunes library, an iMac, and a time capsule. how can i transfer my itunes library from TC backup to the iMac? thank you -

i'm sorry for repeating this, but i have not found a clear, step-by-step answer in several hours.
i have a macbook with iTunes library, a new iMac, and a new time capsule. how can i transfer my itunes library from TC backup to the iMac?
(sharing the iTunes library between the macbook & iMack requires both machines and seems silly ...)
thank you -

No.

Is there a way i can backup my itunes library to a zip drive?

i have an iomega zip drive and 250mb zip disc and i didnt know if theres a way to backup my itunes library to my zip drive.since i'v spent a lot of money on songs from itunes music store and dont want to lose them if my computer gets an virus or a glitch and erases my songs.now i know i can put my songs to an cd but i dont know how to that and if an cd can hold 150 songs and 11.1 hours since that how many songs and hours i have on my itunes.so can some one please tell me how to backup my itunes library to a zip drive or if i even can.
thanks in advance.
itunes 6.0.4 and ipod nano 2g Windows XP

If your tracks will fit on a Zip drive, yes, you can use a Zip to back up. A CD holds about 650MB, so a 250MB Zip disk will hold less than half what a CD will. Just locate the tracks in your iTunes Music folder and drag them onto the Zip. You can use multiple disks if you have more tracks than will fit onto one Zip disk.
Zip disks are notoriously unreliable, though - as bad or worse than floppy disks - so it wouldn't be my first choice for a backup medium. Of the couple of dozen Zip disks I used to own, over 75% of them eventually failed.

What is the name of the folders which are your backup of Itunes library? I am recovering from a virus, have no workable desktop in Win XP, but can search and find files and folders. I would like to move these backup files to a new computer

what is the name of the folders which are the backup of Itunes library? I am recovering from a virus, have no workable desktop in Win XP, but can search and find files and folders. I would like to move these backup files to a new computer, authorize it and sync with Iphone 3Gs and Ipod 5th gen.
I

I second the whole iTunes folder approach.
If for some reason you have split the media folder from the library files then the media folder needs to restored to the same path it used to have while the library files can be copied into the music folder of your new profile.
If in dobut, backup up the entire Documents and Settings folder before wiping the infected drive, but be selective about what you restore as many viruses drop active components capable of reinfecting the compuer in the temp folders and internet caches. It is much easier to backup more than you need than to discover after the fact that you no longer have access to some vital project you'd been storing in a folder on the desktop.
tt2

Can I no longer backup my Itunes library to a dvdr since I have Itunes 10.5? If not can I somehow revert back to a previous version of Itunes to do this?

Can I no longer backup my Itunes library to a dvd+r? If not, is there a way to revert back to a previous version of Itunes like 10.3?

Will this work?
Yes, but it can't be done from within iTunes. Choose to consolidate it from the Library section of the File menu, and then move the iTunes folder to the drive.
I could try to backup to CD-R, but one of my albums is 708.6 MB big, which is too big to fit on one CD-R.
That will work. Unless a single song or video is too large to fit on a CD, iTunes can back it up to a CD.
(42842)

"Backup" of iTunes library didn't load everything.

I’m new to iTunes, so please bear with me.
I’m now running iTunes 11.3 under Windows 7 Home Premium SP1.
My son-in-law bought a used PC from a friend some years ago and “inherited” an iTunes installation with hundreds of songs along with it. He occasionally synched his ipod with the PC, and I created what I thought were backups a few times by simply copying the primary folder to an external drive.
I recently decided to do some much-needed housecleaning, and among other things, I completely removed all parts of the current iTunes environment. I installed iTunes 11.3 and added the latest backup files from the external drive with the copy option. I was surprised to find that iTunes skipped a lot of files on the way in without any explanation. I need help in determining why this happened and what I can do about it, if anything.
I’m sure that you need more information in order to analyze this problem, but I don’t know what you need; therefore, I ask that you tell me what you need, and how and where to retrieve it, and then we can get down to business.
Thanks.

Technically your son-in-law should have wiped media that came with the computer and put on his own content, unless the original owner of the computer was giving up their ownership of the content at the same time and not keeping copies.
With that out of the way iTunes normally stores all media content inside the iTunes Media folder unless you change some options. By default the preference "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to the library" is enabled. If this is turned off and you drag in files stored somewhere else, like an external hard drive, memory stick, desktop, downloads folder etc, iTunes will refer to those files at their original locations.
This might explain why there were fewer files imported than expected. That said if you restored the library correctly there should have been no need to import anything.
Alternatively there could be a permissions issue. See Repair security permissions for iTunes for Windows for details.
Or if the files were in .wav format they don't carry a tag, in which case you might find the missing content is all in the unknown artist, unknown album area of the library. Should this be the problem then if the files are in the correct artist & album folders in the backup, or you have access to older .itl files stored in the Previous iTunes Libraries folder, I have techniques for reconstructing the lost data.
To backup an iTunes library effectively see Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy.
tt2

HT1751 I am trying to backup my iTunes library onto an external hard drive but it won't complete due to 'insufficient privileges for some of the items'. Am I doing something wrong and is there a solution to this problem?

Hi All,
I am currently trying to backup my iTunes library onto an external hard drive so that I can copy it onto my new Macbook Pro. I have been following the steps posted on the Apple website however each time I get a dialogue box stating:
'The operation cannot be completed because you do not have sufficient privileges for some of the items'.
Is this because I have items that were bought under another persons iTunes account? If so, is there a solution to this problem? Or am I doing something completely wrong?
Thanks in advance,
Sbrooks19

Go through the below forum with similar issue and follow the process mentioned by "Macjack" in the beginning.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4499820

How can I "refresh" my iTunes Library?

How can I "refresh" my iTunes Library? I recently moved my library to an external and made the source folder change in preferences. My library now shows all exclamations asking me to locate the files. What is the quick fix to locate or "refresh" all?

Michael,
Your response here seems exaclty like the answer that I need. My logic board broke and I had to get a new one. Sent to Apple and all is working again. I didn't have an super recent time machine back up....my last one was 2 months old. I was able to salvage my music from the computer before sending in for repair and when I got it back, I reloaded my music file onto my machine. I use iTunes match so maybe that kept many of my files/playlists etc in order. But my iTunes is asking me to download many songs that are showing in iTunes and are in a folder in iTunes. These are songs I downloaded during that 2 month break between time machine backups. I think a refresh will fix this issue. But when I follow your steps above, I not certain what file to choose. I tried to go to my itunes ---> itunes media ---> music but that doesn't work. Do I need to choose the "iTuens Library.itl" file? I use my playlists for my job so I don't want to just guess here and lose everything. I did do a backup of my playlists so hopefully I'm protected if something happens but just want a bit more guidance on this. Thank you for your help and your time and let me know if you have any questions.
Best,
Kirk

How can I synchronise my iTunes Library on my iMac with the one on my MacBook?

How can I synchronise my iTunes Library on my iMac with the one on my MacBook?

Carolyn:
I have almost 10,000 songs/cuts in my music collection and, because of the poor quality of iTunes music, very few of those songs/cuts come from iTunes. My music came from me ripping it disc by disc over hundreds of hours. I would like to be able to add a disc and have both the iMac AND the MacBook music files (plus an external backup) be updated. Surely there is an intelligent, relatively easy to implement procedure for doing this. Perhaps I am missing something but your response doesn't seem to address the sync issue with all its implications...

How can I store my iTunes library on an NAS (Fritz Box)?

How can I store my iTunes library on an NAS (Fritz Box)?

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 can i sync my iTunes library from my iPhone with my new mac mini

Recently my hard drive failed on my mac mini. I had burned a bunch of CDs on the old mac mini and then sync'd it with my iphone. Now the CDs are on my iphone but not on the new mac mini. How can I sync my itunes library from my iphone to my new mac mini?

The iphone is not a backup device.
You need to copy everything from the backup copy of your computer computer to your new one.

How do I backup my itunes library to cd?

Hi.
Can anyone please post the link to support or is able to give me instructions on how to backup my itunes library to a cd?
Many thanks.

iTunes won't do it any more. You can use whatever 3rd party CD/DVD burning tools came with your machine, but I'd recommend you use an external hard drive and backup the library with this User Tip.
tt2

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

I can't backup my iTunes library.

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for