Itunes has deleted my library :-(

I just downloaded the latest update to itunes and now half my library has been deleted (the ! shows and says the file cannot be located). I have searched everywhere and can't find the files, even the songs I have purchased from itunes will not play.
I recently got rid of all my old CDs, there is no way I can re import them.
I tried going to the itunes store to re download my purchases but it wouldn't let me do it.
Can anyone help?
Thanks

I've had similar problems with the latest download - it now crashes everytime I try to sync my library - which like your has been depleated.
Fortunately for me I stop my librry on a separate HHD and so I do still have them all safely on the other drive.
As for the iTunes purchase re-download, thats something that needs adding to the stor as I;ve lost a couple of purchases that way as well!
Sorry, I havent actually helped you there have I! lol

Similar Messages

ITunes has deleted my library file twice in one week

A week ago, I opened iTunes to find that my entire library file had been deleted. The files were still on my hard drive but all were missing from itunes. In addition, all of my iPhone apps were gone and all of my podcast subscriptions were deleted. I spent hours restoring everything and now they are gone again. I opened iTunes just now and everything is gone again. I am given a welcome screen as if starting iTunes for the first time. What is going on here?!? Again, all of my files are safe on my hard drive. It is just the library file that seems to be getting deleted.

Once does seem to happen occasionally. Twice suggests active interference. Sony VAIO computers used to ship with their own media managment software that would delete the iTunes library file. It is also possible that AV software might interupt the process by which iTunes updates the database file. Look at your advanced settings to see if you can't exclude the iTunes folder from real-time scanning.
As for restoring things, this method should sort you out...
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 and copy 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!
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.
tt2

ITunes has deleted all my music except for the genre I was listening to yesterday. It has also deleted my purchased movies and all my podcasts and playlists. Grrr

iTunes has deleted all my music except for the genre I was listening to yesterday. It has also deleted my purchased movies and all my podcasts and playlists. Grrr. Is there a way to find it all again???

Hey there MotherMarthaMayhem,
Welcome to Apple Support Communities.
This article provides information and troubleshooting tips that may help you find the media that recently went missing from iTunes on your MacBook Pro.
iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads - Apple Support
Cheers,
-Jason

When I update itunes it deletes the library file, and when I restore that file from the previous libraries or my backup, itunes will run but tell me "the iTunes library file cannot be saved. A folder was specified instead of a file" How do I fix this?

When I update itunes it deletes the library file, and when I restore that file from the previous libraries or my backup, itunes will run but tell me "the iTunes library file cannot be saved. A folder was specified instead of a file" How do I fix this?

Hi there Br0x,
You may want to try rebuilding the iTunes library as an initial troubleshooting step. Take a look at the article below for more information.
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451
-Griff W.

ITunes 8 has deleted my library & playlists..............

......not only has iTunes 8 deleted my entire library and playlists, my iPhone has also died after upgrading to v2.1.
Question now is: how do I get my iTunes library & playlists back?
Any help would be much appreciated.

I have the same problem.
I installed iTunes 8 and it deleted my entire iTunes Library and playlists.
Now...How can I move the library & playlists from my iPod back to iTunes? and not just the purchased content but ALL the content?
iTunes says that my iPod is sync with another iTunes library...non-sense.
Please...help needed!

My iTunes has deleted my music library- how do you fix?

I tried importing a disk into my iTunes library, and it asked me to name the file. So I did, but now my iTunes has that name displayed on the top and all my music and playlists are gone. I tried uninstalling and re-installing, but it didn't fix the issue. How do I revert back so I can have access to all my songs, videos, books, etc? HELP!!

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 and copy it into the iTunes folder. Rename iTunes Library.itl as iTunes Library (Corrupt).itl and then rename the restored file as iTunes Library.itl.
Given your iTunes windows is currently showing up with the wong name you will need to hold down shift as you start iTunes, then click the option to Choose a library and navigate to the correct file. Should all be good now, 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!
tt2

ITunes has deleted random selection of library and refuses to import

A week after installing iTunes 9.1, it has deleted a large random proportion of my tirelessly preened library. Upon attempting to re-import my files, iTunes runs a loading bar as if it's accepting them, but imports only some randomly selected, if any.
Has anybody else encountered this problem upon installing iTunes 9.1?
I'm considering reinstalling an older version and importing my last saved library?
Any help would be o so very appreciated and rewarded handsomely
Thanks,
Diaz

check if you have read & write permissions for your iTunes music folder. in finder, right-click on it and +get info+. unlock the little padlock (you may have to enter your admin password) and change the permission settings. next, click on the little gear-shaped icon and +apply to enclosed items+ like so
you may also give everyone read & write access. if this doesn't help, try the same on your iTunes folder (not just the iTunes music folder).
any help ?
if not, try reinstalling iTunes the proper way. click here and follow the instructions.
if you want to install a previous version after all, here are the steps:
to downgrade to a previous iTunes version, you could try this user tip that seemed to have worked for some:
+1) Quit iTunes.+
+2) Delete iTunes from your Applications folder.+
+3) Go to your ~/Music/iTunes folder. Delete or rename the "iTunes Library" file.+
+4) Open the "Previous iTunes Libraries" folder and look for the backup of your old pre-9 library; it should be dated at about the time you first ran iTunes 9. Copy it back out to the ~/Music/iTunes folder, and rename it to "iTunes Library".+
+6) click here to download iTunes 8.2.1. The page says it's for G3, but the Read Me file says it'll run on G4, G5, and Intel too. Open the disk image and run the installer.+
+You should now be able to run iTunes 8.2.1 again.+
+And your iTunes will restore to before you upgraded and you won't lose anything+.
JGG
edited by the Jolly Green Giant (where Green stands for environmentally friendly)

Itunes has deleted my downloaded music. I still have my purchased songs in my library and I still have my downloaded music on my computer but the downloaded songs don't show up in my library. How do I fix this?

itunes has removed my downloaded music from my library. I still have all of my purchased songs and videos but the downloaded songs are missing. I still have the downloaded songs on my cpu just not in my itunes library anymore. How do I get these songs back in my itunes library?

Copy them from the other user account you were logged in with to your own account. Or if you are using iTunes 10.3 or later and live in the use, redownload them via iCloud beta. See this article for more information.
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519
B-rock

Itunes has deleted everything i can't get it back :-(

Hi,
I-Tunes keeps deleting all my music, apps, tv, ringtones. This has been going on since the recent I-Tunes update. It actually deletes the library and genius files and I find them in the trash try to restore them back but it won't have it. I've read a few posts on here and none of that works. I've noticed the music is kept in the music folder so I guess I'm going to have to drag it over and do it that way. I have 100,000 songs. I've even gone so far as to do a full restore on my laptop to clear everything off and start again. I don't even get time to back up all my new stuff I got yesterday. Its like there's a little person in my laptop wiping it all.
Is it actually a glitch with the new i tune update, if that's the case I won't fully add all my music as its a lot of music to have to add every other day.
Any help would be most grateful.
Oh also when I go into performance to make the new changes the box is un-ticked where it keeps music copied in the library and I always have this ticked.
thanks again,
caz
windows 7 user

See Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash.
tt2

Itunes has deleted all my songs from ipod

Hi, I recently tried to update my ipod which had 1,780 tunes on it. My itunes has a library of 2,500 tunes. When I tried to listen to my ipod later it transpired that I had only one tune on it. Itunes had deleted all my songs, my itrip entries, playlists, everything. I have Windows XP and a 4G 40GB ipod.

Sorry I've been offline for a while. I updated iTunes and the new songs were added in the new one. There was a dialogue box that came up saying something like "songs not saved to library you don't have authorization". I clicked on the box. Checked library and all songs are there but not on ipod. Have updated all ipod software too.
Just noticed that I have some songs in C drive and some on D. My main itunes is in D.

How do I stop itunes from deleting my library. I have a custom built pc. Running xp pro

How can I stop I-Tunes from deleting my library everytime I turn off my pc. I have a custom built PC running windows XP Pro SP 3. I have uninstalled Sony software as this has been suggested as being a sauce of conflict. but it still keeps deleting all my music.

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. Note that in iTunes 11 an "empty" library may show your past purchases with links to stream or download them.
In the Previous iTunes Libraries folder should be a number of dated iTunes Library files. Take the most recent of these and copy 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.
Alternatively, depending on exactly when and why the library went missing, there may be a more recent .tmp file in the main iTunes folder that can be renamed as iTunes Library.itl to restore the library to a recent state.
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!
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.
I've noticed more of these missing library posts of late and a common factor to most since I started asking is AVG Anti-Virus. It seems in some cases it might be at least part of the reason why the library file disappears. Try excluding the iTunes folder from any AV scanning process.
tt2

ITunes keeps deleting my library

When I launch iTunes i get an error stating that my iTunes library is damaged and then deletes all my movies, music and podcasts from the library. If I plug my ipod in iTunes then deletes everything from it. This is driving me to insanity!!! Can anyone help?

I've just reloaded everything onto the library and imported a couple of new CD's without a problem so it's certainly not every time I try.
Have called a mate who's a system's man so he's going to have a look at the PC itself tomorrow or Tuesay. If it's a problem with the PC he should be able to sort it, if not we'll have to look at iTunes again. Either way I'll post here in a couple of days and let you know mate.
Cheers

Itunes has deleted half of my music files, help!

hello -
i had a rather large collection of existing mp3's, and recently purchased a ipod 30gb 5th gen for my fiance, and in the process of loading music onto it, seemingly half of my collection has gone missing, and itunes has decided to re-arrange my folders at random, which i had previously spent hours arranging.
suggestions?

ITunes rearranges the files and folders only when the option to do so is checked under Edit•Preferences•Advanced•General. I think by default the option is unchecked and iTunes asks about it during install. After rearranging, it may look like lots of files are missing but they're probably just tucked into the Unknown Artist folder, where iTunes stashes any poorly tagged MP3.
Rest assured, iTunes always asks before deleting files, and actually it asks if the user wants to keep the file or "move to Recycle Bin," so the user can always retrieve from the Recycle Bin if he changes his mind.

Can I delete iTunes without deleting the library?

I want to delete iTunes and install a previous version without deleting my library.
Is there a way?

Some of this will depend upon how far back you want to revert. Some iTunes upgrades irrevocably change your library file so it will no longer work with earlier versions. I don't know how this goes in the recent versions of iTunes. The media files will work, of course, but you then have to start with a blank library and repopulate it, losing some things like date added, play count, etc.

My itunes is deleting my library extras and genius.

Ever since I downloaded the new version of itunes, I keep loosing all my music. I download it again and as soon as I close itunes it throws my library extras an library genius in the trash and I have to start all over. I have an ipad and iphones and am affraid to sync them. No idea what went wrong, I don't know how to fix it. I've never had problems with an apple product so this is frustrating.
Thanks, Emily

Check out this Apple article -> iTunes creates an empty library file in Windows
Do you have the Sony VAIO Entertainment Platform installed and running on your computer? If you do, it might be conflicting with iTunes.

Itunes has deleted my library :-(

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for