ITune Library duplicates
I have noticed many "postings" about duplicates being created in the iTune library with many suggestions about how to remove them (without any good permanent solutions). What I don't understand why does iTunes allow duplicates in the first place?
My second question is "why are the duplicates being created?". Is there a setting that can be selected to keep this from happening in the future?
Do the duplicates have a little cloud next to them?
Open iTunes
Preferences
Store
Uncheck Show iTunes in the Cloud Purchases.
Similar Messages
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My iTunes Library is displaying two versions of every song. How do I delete 1 leaving a single copy of each song in the Library.
Thanks
revdsI've written a script called DeDuper which can help remove unwanted duplicates. See this thread for background.
tt2 -
ITunes library duplicates caused by iMatch
Why does turning on iMatch completely mess up my iTunes library? It creates duplicates & also causes the original songs in my music library to suddenly fail to locate their files. And if I use the song version that's in iCloud, I lose the ratings, play counts, etc, from the original song files.
I purchased iMatch so I could have a backup of my entire iTunes library. However, every time I turn it on creates a huge mess that takes me hours to clean up--part of which involves turning off iMatch! Argh!These are the system requirements of iWOW:
Mac OS X 10.2 or later
OS X 10.2 and iTunes 6 or better
Will not run on specific combination of iTunes 7 with OS X 10.3.9
Will not run as intended on OS X 10.4.8
Because of the last line, I haven't installed and tried it.
I've read and replied to some posts of people who had difficulties after the evaluation period of iWOW expired and wanted to get rid of it.
Did you use the accompanied Uninstall application to get rid of it?
It may otherwise have left pieces that interfere with iTunes and cause it to crash.
That 'Uninstall' app. is a run-only script, so I can't look into it to see what it exactly does.
If you didn't run that Uninstall app., it might be a good idea to run it now.
I don't expect re-installing iTunes to solve the problem, but you never know.
Remove the 'iTunesX.pkg' file before doing that and also trash the iTunes application, so the Installer will install a complete 'fresh' app. and not just update components.
Re-installing iTunes will not affect your library or library files.
If you still experience crashes, click 'Report' and save the report. I'm not good in reading crash reports, but it contains information about the thread that crashed and the components involved. Someone might be able to detect the culprit.
As a last resort, perform an 'Archive and Install' of OS X. This will install a complete fresh system folder, but retain most of your personal settings.
I's a good idea to have a backup of at least your Home folder before doing that.
M
17' iMac 800 MHz, 768 MB RAM, 200 GB HD, DL burner Mac OS X (10.4.8) iTunes 7.0.1 -
Using External Hard Drive as storage for iTunes Library - Problems
I currently use an external hard drive to store my iTunes music, does anyone know why when I copy folders to iTunes library, duplicates appear - sometimes 2 or 3 copies of same song, same artist, album everything. A trud copy. Also, when you are setting up your music folder on the External Hard drive, would you copy from C: the entire iTunes tree - ie. iTunes/iTunes music/iTunes library or just have one folder called iTunes library? Also, when specifying location for finding music in preferences, again would you use entire tree of just iTunes music library.
See Dave Sawyer's post here - it's the easiest way
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1866272&tstart=0
Also, make sure Windows assigns a drive letter that won't change
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307844 -
Greetings all, I am a brand new iPhone owner (my first smartphone in fact) and am very sad that I don't love my new device as much as I was beginning to. I've come into the Apple family with open eyes and heart, but I am heartbroken and mortified and what I've been learning this morning. I just spent five hours (no exaggeration) reading forums, downloading iTunes (which I don't really think I want, I am used to WMP and much more accustomed to it), downloading and installing an update, learning that certain options which were recommended are now gone unless you use secret commands (want to Add Folder to Library? Well, too bad! Unless you know the secret Ctrl-B handshake. Hope you didn't just spend tons of time adding items file by file before you learned that (by scouring the obscure forums for that information, since it's not common knowledge or readily accessible in iTunes now)!). Apologies for the sarcastic tone, still very frustrated with the whole process. I've seen support messages directing people to support pages with QuickTime videos; QuickTime doesn't install easily or quickly or work properly on my PC (perhaps I need to work with it more, buuuut...), it's all just seeming so....proprietary.
Is it really the way this works that I have to duplicate all of the music that is currently on my hard drive not just once but twice, such that I need to have it 1) on my hard drive in my music folder where it has always been (so that I can play it how I am used to, using WMP), 2) copied to my iTunes Library and then 3) "Synced" (whatever this really means...still learning obviously) / copied onto my iPhone? Thus taking up twice the space on my hard drive that it needs to?
There's really no way to simply have the phone take it from my hard drive? Apple seriously needs it to not only be existent on my pc, but duplicated into the iTunes Library (which is really just another folder, right?) in order to allow it to be put onto my iPhone?
Please please please tell me I am misunderstanding how this works. I really genuinely do want to love my iPhone and get accustomed to how it and the software it needs works, but this has been frankly a nightmare and has had me wishing for brief moments that I had gone with something more PC friendly. Please just tell me that it gets better, that you can have a PC that you use, and have an iPhone that you use and marry the two happily once you get used to the way to do that.HydroThunder wrote:
Greetings all, I am a brand new iPhone owner (my first smartphone in fact) and am very sad that I don't love my new device as much as I was beginning to. I've come into the Apple family with open eyes and heart, but I am heartbroken and mortified and what I've been learning this morning. I just spent five hours (no exaggeration) reading forums, downloading iTunes (which I don't really think I want, I am used to WMP and much more accustomed to it), downloading and installing an update, learning that certain options which were recommended are now gone unless you use secret commands (want to Add Folder to Library? Well, too bad! Unless you know the secret Ctrl-B handshake. Hope you didn't just spend tons of time adding items file by file before you learned that (by scouring the obscure forums for that information, since it's not common knowledge or readily accessible in iTunes now)!). Apologies for the sarcastic tone, still very frustrated with the whole process. I've seen support messages directing people to support pages with QuickTime videos; QuickTime doesn't install easily or quickly or work properly on my PC (perhaps I need to work with it more, buuuut...), it's all just seeming so....proprietary.
Is it really the way this works that I have to duplicate all of the music that is currently on my hard drive not just once but twice, such that I need to have it 1) on my hard drive in my music folder where it has always been (so that I can play it how I am used to, using WMP), 2) copied to my iTunes Library and then 3) "Synced" (whatever this really means...still learning obviously) / copied onto my iPhone? Thus taking up twice the space on my hard drive that it needs to?
There's really no way to simply have the phone take it from my hard drive? Apple seriously needs it to not only be existent on my pc, but duplicated into the iTunes Library (which is really just another folder, right?) in order to allow it to be put onto my iPhone?
Please please please tell me I am misunderstanding how this works.
Okay.
You are misunderstanding how this works.
When you add songs to your iTunes Library, all you are in fact doing is telling iTunes where (on your computer) to find the music. iTunes does not create additional versions of your music (see * below). iTunes is a database (or catalogue) - it simply lists your music and knows where it is so that it can copy it to your iPod.
Synced - synchronise... to make as one, to make the same as each other. Well, that's what my dictionary tells me anyway. To make iTunes and the iPhone the same, to have the same music etc. on or in each. (Subject to your preferences.)
HydroThunder wrote:
I really genuinely do want to love my iPhone and get accustomed to how it and the software it needs works, but this has been frankly a nightmare and has had me wishing for brief moments that I had gone with something more PC friendly. Please just tell me that it gets better, that you can have a PC that you use, and have an iPhone that you use and marry the two happily once you get used to the way to do that.
Okay, I'l tell you that too.
It gets better. You can have a PC that you use, and have an iPhone that you use - and marry the two together blah blah blah.
Now that you have iTunes installed, at least you've got that far, although I can't quite imagine how it managed to take five hours. (You would have all these same issues if you were moving from iPhone to any non-Apple product.)
Secret menus, (CTRL+B etc.) - yes, there have been some very odd moves with all this "hiding menus" nonsense. But with the help of useful contibutors to these discussions, you will find iTunes easy. There are however, so many ways to configure iTunes, that everyone will tell you that everyone else's method is wrong.
So let's start with basics:
Once iTunes is set the way you want to view it, all you will need to do is add music to your iTunes Library, either by;
putting a CD into your computer's CD drive, and telling iTunes to import the CD. iTunes will make a digital copy, put it in a folder (in the iTunes Media folder) and list the album in your iTunes
buying music from the iTunes Store. The store will download the music to your Library.
Buying music from other sources. For example Amazon. Here in the UK, Amazon have a downloader which will download any purchases, place them in an Amazon folder and add them to your iTunes Library
Add other digital files by using the Add Folder to Library. (I can make sure you can easily find that, if you wish.)
Then - you can add songs to Playlists - if you wish. You do not have to add music to Playlists. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!
Then - connect your iPhone to the computer, and let iTunes perform a Sync.
Your first ever Sync will need a little bit of configuration. A Sync will copy the new songs to your iPhone. It will also transfer back to your iTunes Library:
any songs purchased, on the iPhone, directly from the iTunes Store.
any apps purchased, on the iPhone, from the iTunes Store.
Play Counts. The number of times a song has been played, on the iPhone, since the last Sync.
Last Played date and time. You won't believe how useful this feature can be.
HydroThunder wrote:
There's really no way to simply have the phone take it from my hard drive?
That is precisely what iTunes is for - it's exactly what it does and how is does it. By the way, also don't let anyone tell you that you should use Manual Management to anage your iPhone. No one with any sense would use Manual Management. Why do housework, when iTunes can do it for you?
* There is one tiny issue in all this. If you leave your music where it is now, it may make it slightly harder for you to transfer all your music to another computer anytime in the future because it will be in various different palces on your current computer. There is a setting in iTunes to "copy files to the iTunes Media folder when adding to library", which will duplicate songs, but that's so that you can store all your music in one parent folder for easy transfer to another computer. Your choice. If you take it, once it's done, you could then delete the older copies in the other storage locations.
Of course, if you transfer all your media, files, documents to the new compurer, it shouldn't be any hassle really.
As for WMP. While you are used to it, now that you have an iPhone, why not try playing music in iTunes? It's really not that bad.
So - you tell me what point you have reached and what other information you need to help you with iTunes, what views you want in your iTunes Library. There are lots of ways to vieww your Library! You only need to tell us how you like to look at things, by albums with artwork, by a sonsg list but with the option of looking at albums, or Last played. On and On it goes!
I may be a bit biased in my choice of views, but I can still help you get the best out of iTunes. It really is a fantastic piece of software, despite the little annoying things Apple put into it. -
Will using an external hard drive cause me to have duplicate files on my itunes library?
I put all my ITUNES MEDIA folder on my external hard drive from my older computer.. I recently bought a new computer and installed Itunes. I synced some of my Itunes purchased songs back on by using my Ipod.. however the songs I ripped from my cds are still not reinstalled in my library.. I will have to use my external hard drive or re rip those.. and there are a lot of them.. since I have already replaced some of the ones I purchased back on using my Ipod will it duplicate them if I use the prefrences method and return them all from my external hard drive? If i delete my files that I have already returned on my new computer before using my external will Itunes remember which are Itunes purchased music and which arent as well>??? also how exactly do you move music from an external? just plug it in and click the prefrences box about syncing files and keeping Itunes library organized?? any other thing to click?
An iTunes library consists of both the media and the database that knows which files are in the library and hold details of ratings, playcounts, playlist membership and other details not stored in each file's metadata.
Depending on how you have moved content to your external drive you may find you are only moved the media, but not the database. If you import this media into a new library it will work, but your library will be seen as "new" with respect to any devices that you have and iTunes will want to erase and reload them, losing you current selections, settings and data on the device.
These are two possible approaches that will normally work to move an existing library to a new computer.
Method 1
Backup the library with this User Tip.
Deauthorize the old computer if you no longer want to access protected content on it.
Restore the backup to your new computer using the same tool used to back it up.
Keep your backup up-to-date in future.
Method 2
Connect the two computers to the same network. Share your <User's Music> folder from the old computer and copy the entire iTunes library folder into the <User's Music> folder on the new one. Again, deauthorize the old computer if no longer required.
Both methods should give the new computer a working clone of the library that was on the old one. As far as iTunes is concerned this is still the "home" library for your devices so you shouldn't have any issues with iTunes wanting to erase and reload.
I'd recommend method 1 since it establishes an ongoing backup for your library.
If you have an iOS device that syncs with contact & calendar data on your computer you should migrate this information too. If that isn't possible create a dummy entry of each type in your new profile and iTunes should offer to merge the existing data from the device into the computer, otherwise the danger is that it will wipe the information from the device.
If your media folder has been split out from the main iTunes folder you may need to do some preparatory work to make it easier to move. See make a split library portable. Alternatively you could copy over the iTunes folder and make sure your external drive has the same drive letter on the new system as the old, however moving the library into a portable form will make every subsequent move that much easier.
Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library, or a backup of it, then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device for advice on how to set up your devices with a new library with the maximum preservation of data.
tt2 -
I consolidated my iTunes library and now I have duplicates of everything, podcasts, songs, play lists...everything. How can I delete the whole set of duplicates at once. It is thousands of items I can not do them indiviually.
ThanksI consolidated my iTunes library and now I have duplicates of everything, podcasts, songs, play lists...everything. How can I delete the whole set of duplicates at once. It is thousands of items I can not do them indiviually.
Thanks -
Please help. I have transferred my iTunes library from one external hard drive to another plus added additional music now I have duplicates of the same music in many albums. How do I delete the duplicates without going through them one by one which would take forever? I understand how to get the "show exact duplicate" feature up on iTunes but, because they were added to the library on the exact day I can't seperate them I'm that manner. So each duplicate is right next to eachother in the exact duplicate screen.
My DeDuper script is designed to help clean up. See this thread for background.
tt2 -
I have a macbook pro from fall 2010. I have been using my external HD as my primary itunes folder for the past 7 yrs ( i.e it is organized by itunes default categorization, etc). However, there is some overlap between my external HD itunes folder and my comps original itunes folder (probably 20-30% of my current library's media files were already duplicated there from when i first bought the HD and transferred files to the external, however they are mostly referenced from the external now). Also there are files in the comp's itunes folder that are not on my external (probably due to organizational mishaps and podcast downloads when not connected to the external, etc). I do not know how many files this is the case for.
Recently, i decided that i wanted to consolidate all of my itunes music into one concise folder on my macbook's HD to avoid these issues going forward. I also just bought a new external which i will use to back up my comp's itunes folder once i consolidate everything to the comp. But i plan on using the itunes folder on the comp going forward or at least using the consolidate fcn to avoid these issues.
Here is my dilemma. Prior to learning of the consolidate feature today, I changed the default itunes folder in settings to the original itunes folder on the macbook and then manually dragged all of the media files from my external itunes folder to the macbook's itunes folder. There were a ton of duplicates or overlapping folders with similar artist names, so i opted to have them merge all folders where possible. After doing this, i realized the itunes library still references these files that i dragged and dropped from the external since that is where my default itunes folder used to be. At that point i then read and learned of the consolidate itunes feature which seems like the best way to do this. But i am afraid that if i consolidate my library to my macbook's itunes folder now, will it create duplicates of the 4000 + media files i just dragged to the macbook's itunes folder which are already in the itunes library but being referenced from the old external??
Question: Is there a way that i can make these files i just dragged to the macbook's itunes folder become the ones referenced by the itunes library through the consolidate feature without creating duplicates of these 4000+ files? I want to avoid having three copies of these files (two duplicates in the itunes and the originals on the external). Furthermore, is there a best way to find out which files in the macbook's itunes folder are not being included in the library after consolidating everything to the computer's HD? Then after that, what is the best way to start backing this all up to my new external, so that this overlapping issue doesnt happen again? Im assuming i just need to make sure to consolidate first when changing itunes folders going forward. Thank you. I know that was a lot to read but hopefully someone can help with this issue.In general:
- The best way to check if files are in a library is to drag the whole media folder to the library. If something was missed it will be added. If it is in the library is won't be added a second time.
- If you have a second copy of a file and iTunes does not currently list that specific file in its database then even if it is identical to one already in the database it will add it a second time. So if you have file xyz on the internal drive and the external drive and add them to iTunes you will end up with two entries for the same thing in iTunes because you really do have to copies of the files. While this can happen with two copies on a single drive, it will almost definitely be the case when you have a copy of a file on two drives because iTunes really sees them as two different things.
-Unless you know how iTunes works, avoid moving files yourself. Let the consolidate feature do all the file moving. Manually moving files can really mess up iTunes unless you know what you are doing and have iTunes set to not try to do it itself.
- There's no clean and easy way to delete duplicates. The best thing is to change practice so you don't create them. Here are references:
How to find and remove duplicate items in your iTunes library - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2905
http://dougscripts.com/itunes/itinfo/dupin.php (commercial)
Posts by turingtest2 about different types of duplicates and techniques- https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3555601 and https://discussions.apple.com/message/16042406 (Note: The DeDuper script is for Windows)
http://www.hardcoded.net/dupeguru_me/ -
on my itunes library my albums are all sorted but when i put onto my ipod touch (4th Gen) it seems to duplicate i have checked everything and there are no spaces in the information my question is how do isort it because these things drive me mad i would be most gratefully if you could find a way to help
thatnksNever mind, got it to work. I stumbled around on Google for a while and somehow ended up reading things from the 'jailbroken' community. They had easy instructions to get out of Recovery mode. Thanks anyway though!
P.S. For anyone who experiences this, here is the fix: Hold Power and Home in unison for 6 seconds, then power on as normal. -
If I've downloaded my music to an itunes library from an external hard drive and I have several duplicate songs, is there an easy way to delete the duplicate songs? Or, do I have to go through my entire library song by song to delete duplicates?
In iTunes, File>Display Duplicates
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I seem to have several thousand duplicates in my iTunes library. Is there a quick efficient method of getting rid of them?
Thanks JohnYou could take a look at Robert Jacobson's scripts at:
http://home.comcast.net/~teridon73/itunesscripts/
There is a script for removing duplicates and also one for removing dead tracks i.e. the "not found" tracks.
It is best to download the EXE version which has all the scripts in it and you choose the one you want when you run it. -
How can I remove duplicate songs from the iPhone4. The duplicates are not listed in the computer iTunes library.
The simplest thing may be to back-up and then restore the iPhone. If you don't fancy that then remove all media that is currently synced to it, then double check and manually remove any media that remains on the device, before reselecting your sync options.
If you've been manually managing the device and your library doesn't contain copies of all your media then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
tt2 -
How do I rid my iTunes library of duplicates and broken links?
How do I rid my iTunes library of duplicates and broken links?
Well nevermind! It appears that if I just add my entire music library and run a Match update, it ends up making the associations and showing the tracks as being stored in my local music library.
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I can find duplicates in my itunes library but can't figure out how to delete them all at once
I can select all my duplicates in my itunes library but then can't figure out how to delete them all en masse?
Hi, Abril_Perez17.
This may be related to a new feature embedded in iOS7 that shows all purchased music by default. Go to Settings > Music, then turn off Show All Music. See if the issue ceases once the feature has been disabled. This information is located on page 63 of the user guide below.
iPhone User Guide
Regards,
Jason H.
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