ITunes in a mess - need to merge libraries, remove DRM and remove duplicates

I don't know how I've got to this state, but I've now got at least three different, but similar, iTunes libraries. Two are on one machine, and one is on another. I know that there are lots of duplicates, but there are some unique songs and films on all of them.
What I want to do is to merge everything into one central place and then share it. At the same time, I'd like to convert all the ACC DRM tracks to mp3 so that I can burn them to a CD to listen to in the car (I've no idea why the ACC format doesn't allow this, but it's very annoying!).
I've seen various tools about, but none of them seem to do this.
Is it possible, somehow, to unload everything onto another disc, then import it all in without duplicates? I surely can't be the first person in the world to want to do this!!!
It's iTunes 10.6.3

I have a similar setup (media folder location points to external drive), and have also had the computer add music to the internal drive instead. I believe this happens when you add music but the external drive isn't plugged in.
In any case, I just used the "Consolidate files" function and it worked like a dream to copy all those files (and their info) to the external drive. Then you can simply delete the originals on :C.
On my system, it's at: File -> Library -> Organize Library -> Consolidate Files. It may be different for you if you have a different version of iTunes.

Similar Messages

I created a 2nd itunes account, not I want to merge the 2 accts and delete the old one - how do i do this?

i created a 2nd itunes account, not I want to merge the 2 accts and delete the old one - how do i do this?

Any reason you created a new account instead of updating the old account with any new info?
You cannot merge accounts. Anything purchased on an account will stay linked to that account and cannot be changed.

Combining iTunes Libraries from laptop and desktop--duplicates?

I have been through an iTunes search, but can't seem to find an answer to this question. I want to combine all of the music on my laptop, with my mac-mini iTunes music file (on an external drive). I know I can hook the two together and do an "add to library," but I am running 30 gigs or so on the laptop, and more than 70 on the main computer. Will doing this add two copies of duplicates (which would create a "clean-up" nightmare), or will iTunes recognize and skip the duplicates? There is simply too much time involved not to know in advance. Any help appreciated.
Also, I wrote a year or so ago that I have ITunes start up immediately every tme I reboot and want to know how to turn it off. Other folks said they had the same problem, but no solution was ever offered. Anything new on this?
Thanks--

I found your post because im doing the exact same thing..sort of. I had a mac pro that was ahem taken from me about a year ago. Since then ive been using my macbook laptop for my itunes and my iphone syncing. Now that I have my Mac Pro back, im in the process of merging both to my mac pro and using the mac pro as my "primary" itunes library.
Here is my solution..
1) Make sure both versions of itunes are the same on each computer! Start Itunes, click Itunes>Check for Updates.
2) In Itunes, click File>Display duplicates. Clean up anything that needs it.
3) In Itunes, click File>Library>Organize Library then check the box that says "Upgrade to Itunes media organization." If you have already done this previously, you will only see a grayed out box and a message stating that your media is already organized as a itunes media folder. DO NOT CHECK THE BOX THAT SAYS CONSOLIDATE FILES.
(step 4 is optional, I've been using Itunes for many years and it seems every version they change their folder structure (eg, Audiobooks is now books, etc. also, in the past, the folder was Itunes Music, now with version 9 its Itunes Media) I decided I would start clean with the latest Itunes 9 folder structure so I did exactly that!)
4) In Itunes, click Itunes>Preferences>Advanced. Under Itunes Media Folder Location, change to your new path. for example, mine originally said /users/Geoff/Music/Itunes/Itunes Music. I created a new folder called Itunes Media in the Itunes folder so now mine says: /users/Geoff/Music/Itunes/Itunes Media. Like I mentioned before , the main advantage to this is to have the latest folder structure in itunes 9 and not have a bunch of old folders from previous itunes versions.
5) In Itunes do a File>Library>Organize Library then click the checkbox next to "Consolidate Files". When you hit ok what this does is copies all your music, etc to your new folder that you made in step 4. If you didnt make a new folder in step 4, it will simply just reorganize to the latest itunes 9 folder structure and leave the older itunes folders on your computer. (Im a neat freak so thats why I went with step 4 and made a whole new folder for my Itunes Music) If you did create a new folder called Itunes Media (or whatever you chose to call it) make sure you DELETE the old folder (itunes music or whatever you had originally) or you will have 2 folders with the same things in them, wasting alot of hard drive space.
6) Now you have to make a decision which library you would like to keep. yes, we will be merging, but we need to use ONE of the libraries in itunes. In my case, 75% of my stuff was on my laptop, so I decided to keep its library and use it on my Mac Pro (also, my Iphone is synced to my laptop as well so that was another reason I used that one. If one of the itunes libraries your merging is also used to sync your iphone I recommend using that library. ((just how I did it, YMMV)) For simplicity, lets call the library your going to KEEP the source, and the other copy the destination. Once you have decided which library is going to be the source, create a folder on the OTHER computer's desktop (the destination) and call it "itunes backup".
7) Start up Itunes one last time on the Destination computer and export any playlists you want with the new library. To do this, click the playlist, then File>Library>Export Playlist. When you export, it will ask you what format you would like. I just picked Plain Text. I exported my playlists to my desktop, but you can export them wherever you like.
Also, you need to check the movies, tv shows, podcasts, books and ringtones on each computer and write down a list of things you will need to merge from the destination computer to the new library. (eg, i had a few audiobooks on my destination machine that I didnt have on my laptop. I also had a few tv shows and podcasts on my destination machine I didnt have on my laptop. Since i will be using the library from my laptop on the destination machine, I wrote them down so that I could import them later and not worry about duplicates. (If you dont care about duplicates then I guess you dont need to write anything down and you can sort the dupes later in itunes when your done.)
8) on the destination computer (the one we created the folder on the desktop in the previous step), make sure itunes is NOT running, then open finder and go to the music folder, and then go to the folder Itunes. In this folder you will see a file called iTunes Library. Drag it to the folder you created on the desktop called Itunes backup. Next you will see a file called iTunes Music Library.xml
Drag this file as well to the folder on the desktop called iTunes Backup.
9) Now while still looking in the iTunes folder, you will see either a folder called iTunes Music or a folder called iTunes Media. (depending if you did step 4 or not above). Whichever folder you have, drag it as well to the folder on the desktop called iTunes Backup.
10) now, on the SOURCE machine (the one your going to use the iTunes library from) open finder and go to the Music folder, and then to the iTunes folder. Copy the iTunes folder and everything in it to the destination computer. In my case, since both my computers are on a network, I just copied it to the public folder on the destination computer. You can do this, or use a external harddrive, etc. Just make sure when you copy it to the destination computer, you DONT copy it to the Music folder.
11) After the copy is done, You should now go to the destination computer and go to the iTunes folder you just copied from the Source computer. We now need to copy 2 things (one file and one folder). Inside the iTunes folder drag the file "iTunes Library" to the /music/iTunes folder on the destination machine.
12) Lastly, now drag the folder "iTunes Media" (or iTunes Music) to the /music/iTunes folder on the destination computer.
13) start up itunes and go to iTunes>Preferences>Advanced and make sure the proper path is displayed in the iTunes Folder Media Location (it should be the path we copied the 2 files to, (eg, /music/iTunes.)
At this point, you should have a working copy of iTunes from your SOURCE machine running on the destination machine. next we need to merge the last few things to finish.
14) In iTunes, click File>Add to Library and browse to the folder on your desktop called "iTunes Backup". Inside the iTunes Music folder (or iTunes Media folder) click the music folder and then click choose to import the music.
15) next, if needed, in Itunes, click File>Add to Library and pick any Movies, Tv Shows, Books, etc that you didnt have and import them into your itunes library. If everything was the same on both machines, you dont have to do anything and you can skip this step. But if your like me, and had some things in your destination iTunes library you didnt have in your source, you will need to import them. This is where the list in step 7 comes in handy.
16) lastly, in iTunes, click File>Library>Import Playlist and import any playlists you exported in step 7
17) re download your album art and then the last thing you have to do is delete your music dupes and then your finished. To see a list of dupes, in iTunes, click File>Display Duplicates. You can either manually delete the duplicates (make sure you pick KEEP FILES when it asks if you would like to keep the file or delete it from the hard drive.) or use a 3rd party program like tidy songs or something.
Hope this tutorial was helpful, I spent way too long making it..lol..
And the answer to your second question... to stop auto start of itunes. Try clicking the apple logo in the top left corner, then click System Preferences, then click Accounts, then you will see a "Login Items" tab that shows whats starting up at login. Hope this helps.
If you have any questions or comments let me know, ill follow this thread for awhile to help if you need it.
Message was edited by: What2be1
Message was edited by: What2be1
Message was edited by: What2be1

Need to merge my Apps, pics, and music from Iphone to Mac Snow Leopard

I merged my Iphone to the computer thinking my music, pics, and Apps would merge like my contacts and calender. How do i get my music, pics, and apps from the phone to my Mac.

You can only move purchased music and apps from the iPhone to the computer. Connect the phone but do not sync. Choose "Transfer Purchases" from the file menu.
Photos in the camera roll can be transferred using iPhoto, but photos in the Photo app cannot be. There are commercial Mac programs that can copy the photos off the iPhone; Google is your friend. But be aware that the photos on the iPhone are lower resolution than the originals.

How do I merge libraries from old and new apple Ids

Several years ago, my ISP required that I change my email address. My iTunes library ended up some being purchased under the old @adelphia.net address and part under the new @comcast.net address. In trying to play certain songs from the library, it says that the computer is not authorized on the @adelphia.net user ID and won't play the song. I no longer recall the old account password and that email no longer exists to get a message to reset it. How can I merge the libraries all to the new apple I'd?

You can't. You will have to purchase your other tracks under your present Apple ID.
You can call Apple to see if they can assist you:
Apple Store Customer Service at 1-800-676-2775 or visit online Help for more information.
To contact product and tech support: Apple - Support - Contact Apple Support.
For Mac App Store: Apple - Support - Mac App Store.
For iTunes: Apple - Support - iTunes.

My iTunes told me I need to uninstall mobile device support and iTunes. I did. The tried to reinstall iTunes and told me my computer cannot get rid of old iTunes. Help!

Plug my iPod into computer and iTunes told to uninstall mobile device support and iTunes, I did and as I try to reinstall iTunes, it told me my computer cannot get rid of old iTunes and to contact technical support. My computer is hp windows and my iPod touch is a 3rd generation I believe.

(1) Download the Windows Installer CleanUp utility installer file (msicuu2.exe) from the following Major Geeks page (use one of the links under the "DOWNLOAD LOCATIONS" thingy on the Major Geeks page):
http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=4459
(2) Doubleclick the msicuu2.exe file and follow the prompts to install the Windows Installer CleanUp utility. (If you're on a Windows Vista or Windows 7 system and you get a Code 800A0046 error message when doubleclicking the msicuu2.exe file, try instead right-clicking on the msicuu2.exe file and selecting "Run as administrator".)
(3) In your Start menu click All Programs and then click Windows Install Clean Up. The Windows Installer CleanUp utility window appears, listing software that is currently installed on your computer.
(4) In the list of programs that appears in CleanUp, select any iTunes entries and click "Remove", as per the following screenshot:
(5) Quit out of CleanUp, restart the PC and try another iTunes install. Does it go through properly this time?

How do I merge aperature2 with iphoto11 and rid duplicates

I just upgraded iphoto9 to iphoto11 and i still have aperature2 on my imac. when i realized i didn't need aperature2 i tried to merge them and now I have duplicates (not to mention picasa). Can someone help me put all my egss in 1 easy to use basket ... like iphoto11?

How did you try to merge them?

My iPhone 5S needs 4.7 gb storage to install iOS 8. After deleting all removable apps and removing photos I only have 4.4 gb. Is there anything else that can be done to be able to install the update?

I have an iPhone 4S running iOS 7.1.2 with 5.0 gb total storage. Need 4.7 gb available storage to update to iOS 8.0.2. After removing all apps that I can and photos I only have 4.4 gb available storage. Have not yet added any music or videos. Is there any other way to reach 4.7gb or any other way to install the update?

You don't have to remove anything if you do the update via your pc with i-tunes.
Then you need only 1,1 GB.

I need to merge my apple id's or remove an email's association with it.

My dad and I have been using the same iTunes account for years as I was too young to have one of my own. Now that I am 18 and old enough to have my own card my dad wants to give me control of our iTunes account because I was the one who purchased all the content on it. But it's not as simple as me taking the password and changing it or something because its his email associated with the account and mine is associated with another apple id--I needed one to FaceTime him-- so my question is this: how can I either get my email off my account and as the only one on his or merge the two accounts and remove the email. How can I do this?

You cannot merge the accounts. Sorry.
Contact itunes support and ask for assistance.

My iPad is disabled and won't connect to iTunes on any computer; I went to my iCloud and removed the iPad so it will erase all data when the iPad is connected to the internet (the original problem was a restrictions passcode we forgot)

Here is the order of what I did to my iPad:
1. A restrictions passcode was put on and we couldn't remember it. Despite numerous attempts at righting this, I couldn't. The iPad would not sync with any iTunes on any computer, Mac or PC.
2. I put a, 'use passcode after one minute' passcode on it and deliberately put in 10 wrong passcodes so it would disable the iPad. Now it still will not connect to any iTunes.
3. I connected to my iCloud account and removed the iPad from the cloud; it says it will erase all iPad data when it connects to the internet. I am fine with that, I need to know what to do now, though. iPad says, 'Connect to iTunes,' but it won't. Please help this amateur of all amateurs!!

See iPhone DFU mode explained, and how to enter DFU mode.

I have two iTunes libraries I need to merge. Both contain over 34,000 songs, so I cannot do this manually. Is there an easy way to do this?

I have two iTunes libraries I need to merge. Both contain over 34,000 songs, so I cannot do it manually. Is there an easy way to do this?

Drag the media folder from one over to an open iTunes window. Go away and have a long lunch. Of course if you have a lot of common content you will be spending your next vacation sorting out the duplicates. Oh, you can search the Internet because I am sure somebody has some wonder tool that purportedly prevents duplicates, not that I would trust any automated method. I always deal with duplicates one by one.
Consolidating Multiple iTunes Libraries - http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/consolidating-multiple-itunes -libraries-api1/ - Basically using consolidate/organize to make sure all your media are in one place, then copying media from a second library to the main one by simply adding the media as new files.
Commercial software that purportedly helps merge libraries (not a complete list, nor have I tried any of them):
http://supersync.com/
PowerTunes - http://www.fatcatsoftware.com/powertunes/ (commercial software)

Merging Itunes Libraries after erase and install of Tiger

Hello all,
If someone can point me in the right direction. i have searched and read a lot of postings about merging libraries. i'm not sure if i fall into any of these categories.
here is what i did:
1. all my itunes music is on an external maxtor 300 gb hard drive.
2. upgraded to tiger - had errors, so needed to do an erase and install.
3. the maxtor external hard drive was disconnected during the upgrade.
4. itunes was installed during the upgrade with none of my current playlists or purchased music since the external drive was not connected (found this out from reading a post).
5. my girlfriend downloaded music that was waiting to be downloaded so now i have music in my new itunes library.
and the questions is:
i would like to combine the new library with the existing library so that all my purchased music is in one folder and i reclaim all my old playlists (the current itunes setup has no playlists yet).
so is there anything i need to do special in this instance?
thanks so much for any and all help.
regards,
ron - nyc

Thanks for your questions. Actually, I did two Archive and Installs and one Erase and Install. In every instance by the time I got the OS up to 10.4.11 (via one combined update) things started acting funky. iPhoto wouldn't work — to get it running required an overwrite install via iLife 05, Appleworks 6 won't open and, as mentioned Mail never worked from the get-go.
I have tried reinstalling only Mail. But as yet no luck getting it to work.
I have been trolling around the forums and have noted a lot of problems regarding Mail in 10.4. When I have time, I will try some of the simpler, albeit arcance, suggested solutions.

I have created an iTunes account on my current computer for my daughters ipod touch and tried connecting my ipod nano and it won't sync and says that it is associated with another iTunes library so how do I merge the two libraries?

I have created an iTunes account on my current computer for my daughters ipod touch and tried connecting my ipod nano and it won't sync and says that it is associated with another iTunes library so how do I merge the two libraries?

You do not merge libraries.
iDevices sync to one and only one computer.
If you want a single library, you manually move the content from one library to another... all content will still be associated with the Apple ID it was acquired with.

HT1918 itunes hooked up to an e-mail no longer good tried to chg and add new email but it show system set me up with new account instead of updating new email need to merge and use the current email with old account

I have had itunes for years, however, old account was setup under [email protected] and I no longer have that e-mail or ATT internet service so everytime I want to update my e-mail account with my new [email protected] it wll not let me because I tried to update from my itues account and just changed the e-mail id field and it allowed me to update however it actually just made me have another seperate account under my current e-mal.
I need to merge the two how can I do that now that this system has me as two different accounts. One is Tracy Rucker the other one has all of my names
Tracy Randle Wlliams Rucker?
Help please no verication e-mails can be verified with the old sbcglobal.net account

In iTunes, do Store->View my AppleID
Click "Deuthorize ALL"
Then, on any computers you still have, do Store->Authorize this computer. If there are less than 5, you will have no problem.
You can only do "deauthorize all" once a year, so in the future, if you ever throw a computer away, remember do to "Store->Deauthorize this computer" first.

2 computers, 2 libraries and I need to merge into one

I have two computers with separate libraries that I need to merge. I've created a home network and attempted to import/export with no luck. How can I merge the two libraries because my laptop is about to crash and it's my primary library. Please help!

Adobe chat support is likely to be the only resource capable of dealing with your account.
Chat support - For the link below click the Still Need Help? option in the blue area at the bottom and choose the chat option...
Adobe ID and registration chat support (non-CC)
http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/service-c1.html ( http://adobe.ly/19r6ZDp )

ITunes in a mess - need to merge libraries, remove DRM and remove duplicates

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for