Itunes Library cannot find almost a 1/3 of my music

My itunes library cannot find 1/3 of my music because i cleaned up 'my music" on the start menu on the computer. I thought since I had all the music on the itunes library why do i need a duplicate list of the same songs on "my music " on the start menu of the pc, since the two librarys doubbled the space on the computer. I cleaned up the start menu 'my music" and now itunes shows a "!" on about 1/3 of my library. and cannot play those songs. Can any one answer why ? Thanks.

It sounds as though you deleted the actual music files from your PC. The "My Music" choice on your start menu links to the actual directory where your music is stored (they are not duplicates or shortcuts). When you deleted the files from "My Music", you deleted the files your iTunes library was pointing to.
You might be able to recover the music by checking your recycle bin. If you find the files there, highlight them all, right click, then choose to restore the files.

Similar Messages

ITunes Library cannot find my music nor movie.

I have spend long nights now, but cannot figure out what is happening:
I have a brand new iMAC PC and am switching from Windows to MAC so everything is new. Actually I though I could connect my iPod just like that, but no...after different kind of problems I managed to move all music files to iTunes Music (incl folders with PODCASTs and MOVIES), using an external HHD, so far so good. But there is no way I can import the music and movie to the library. Podcasts rolled over without any problems and now I have only some fotos & podcast on my iTouch!
Importing from a CD works fine! And when I click on Music & movies under the library it is filled with 'old' files which cannot be found and I am also unable to delete these.
Another thing which I find strange, when looking up a song in FINDER and clicking on it, it opens and plays, but not in iTunes.
Can anyone help???Much appreciated, because I so dissapointed....THX

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 normally 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.
Would you mind telling me which anti-virus package you use? It may be that it is disturbing iTunes when it tries to write out the fresh database, as it does after almost any activity with your library. I'm noticing more of this type of problem than usual and trying to see if there is any pattern. It may help to prevent a repeat of the problem if you look at the advanced options for your AV package and see if you can find a way to exclude the main iTunes library folder (and subfolders if possible) from any real-time scanning process.
tt2

ITunes library cannot find 'original file'

Good morning. My iTunes (10.4) library has inexplicably unlinked from the files in my iTune music folder. Is there a way to relink these without going song by song? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

have a look at this thread
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3255913

Copied iTunes Library, cannot find files

I recently formatted my hard drive, and before doing so I consolidated my library and copied the whole iTunes folder to an external hard drive. Now I have copied the files back to their place, and the library comes up fine but none of the files can be found
I've checked that the media folder is correct. If I locate the file manually it works fine.
I moved one song to my desktop, added it new to the library, and did Consolidate Library. It went to the exact place where it was before the move, with the exact same name.
Does anyone know how to get it to recognize where the other songs are without manually locating all of them?

Did you use the "Copy Folder" command in iTunes?

How do i overcome "itunes library cannot be saved" message and problems?

Hi fellow itunes users
This is the second time i've had this problem in the past few months. I was working on my itunes for hours getting playlists in order, ripping songs from CDs, etc and all was going well. I burned a whole load of CDs with the new playlists and songs so no major loss other than time if I wanted the CDs replicated.
I had the message come up, "itunes library cannot be saved" when i was closing the program down which worried me as I had no option but to accept this. I switch the machine on the following day and boot up itunes to find all the songs I saved and playlists made disappeared. Clearly they were not saved but and there is no way to get them back as i did not do a time machine back up at that moment but what bothers me is if it happens again.
Can anyone suggest a way to prevent this from happening again?
Your reply and assistance will be greatly appreciated!!
Many Thanks

You can verify your directory by running Disk Utility > first aid verify.
Have a look at how space is being used:
OmniDiskSweeper (free) - http://www.omnigroup.com/applications/omnidisksweeper/download/
OS X Lion: About Time Machine's "local snapshots" on portable Macs - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4878 - “You may notice a difference in available space statistics between Disk Utility, Finder, and Get Info inspectors. This is expected and can be safely ignored. The Finder displays the available space on the disk without accounting for the local snapshots, because local snapshots will surrender their disk space if needed."
Hidden local backups with Mac OS X Lion filling up your MacBook hard disk! - http://blog.valerio.de/post/19238158977/hidden-local-backups-with-mac-os-x-lion- filling-up-your - Time Machine using local drive to store backups when external drive is not available.

ITunes Library cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes. I have a G4 Mac on OS 10.5.8. Help?

I have the message "iTunes Library cannot be read because it was created in a newer version
of iTunes. I have an old G4 Mac and cannot upgrade beyond Leopard. (OS 10.5.8)
What can I do? How and where is help?

Somewhere in your process you ended up with an earlier version of iTunes than was used last with the library. iTunes 10.6.3 is the highest version that will run under OSX 10.5.8
iTunes 10.6.3.25 - http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1575
If you had an earlier version and still want that version I am not sure how to go about this. My iTunes library file does not say it was created with a particular version, although I admit I have not looked at the .xml copy to see if it is buried in the file itself. Apple only has a very limited number of iTunes versions openly posted, though you can still find just about any version if you look in the right places. You would have to kind of start low and work your way up to where you want to be since once you open a library with a version it cannot be reverted to an earlier version (make backups first).

ITunes Library cannot be read after downgrading to an older version

I had iTunes 7.8 and everything worked perfect. I kept getting informed of an updated iTunes 8.2 so i upgraded. then whenever i would plug my iPod in it wouldnt recognize it and asked to erase all the songs off my iPod. Everytime, i clicked No. but one day, i kept my iPod plugged in for a long time and left the computer and when i came back all the songs had been erased from it. Then i plugged it in again and the new iTunes wouldnt even recognize my iPod or show it in on the left sided menu, BUT it was recognized by my laptop when i looked for it in Finder. So i called Apple and they told me to uninstall the new iTunes and download the one i had previously. I did so and now im back with 7.8. However, now when i try to open iTunes it immediately says "The File 'iTunes Library' cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes". I know i have all the music files still on my computer under the iTunes folder. But, when i click on File under iTunes to try to import my library, nothing can be clicked. None of the drop down menus have options that are accessible. Can anybody please help?

I removed 8.1.1 and downloaded 8.0.1. Same problems with the library as the top of this thread. Here's my situation now:
If I install and launch 8.1.1, instant beachball, totally unresponsive to the mouse, nada. In other words, I can't get to preferences or try any of the other fixes suggested here and elsewhere in the ton of 8.1.1 complaints on the board. Only a force quit will get me out of there. So I can't even get the program running.
If I install and launch 8.0.1, after a few seconds I get an alert that iTunes can't read the library because it was created with a newer version. Click OK and it just aborts the launch. In other words, I also can't get into the iTunes window and try things.
So I'm screwed either way. My iPods still work, but iTunes is totally disabled. I could try renaming the most recent library and moving it to the other folder, but that would lose voice memo recordings that were uploaded to iTunes just prior to the corruption and after the 8.1.1 upgrade. It also obviously prevents me from adding to the library.

The file "iTunes Library" cannot be read because it was created by a newer.

Hi experts,
I wonder if someone out there can help me? I had a bit of a problem with my new iMAC and it had to go for a quick fix. Nothing was lost during the fix, no music, no photos, no programs, but when I now open iTunes I get the message
+The file "iTunes Library" cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes.+
Can anyone help me fix it so that I can open iTunes please?
Thanks
Martin

Click on the item in the Finder's sidebar named Music, rename the iTunes folder inside when iTunes isn't running, launch iTunes, and drag it into the open iTunes window. This won't preserve playlists or other metadata.
(40854)

The iTunes Library cannot be saved. An unknown error occurred (-50)

I updated iTunes from 7.2 to 7.3 using Software Update and all went well except for one thing, now when I launch iTunes it rebuilds the iTunes library each time I launch iTunes. The other thing is that once it rebuilds the library it displays a warning; "The iTunes Library cannot be saved. An unknown error occurred (-50).
I downloaded the standalone updater to no avail. I have also repaired permissions using disk utility - no luck.
Background info.
A week ago or so, while I still had iTunes 7.2 I cleaned all my user and system caches, ran all the maintenance scripts and repaired permissions. I used MainMenu, a third party app that lives in the menubar, to perform these functions and faithfully followed all the instructions to restart once or twice depending on the routine and closing all my apps accordingly while doing these maintenance routines etc.
I noticed one thing after this, my iTunes icon had turned into a generic app icon. Knowing iTunes 7.3 was a slated release this Friday I knew the icon issue would resolve itself after the update from 7.2.
What can I do to fix this? Please help.

I somehow got through the -50 error but a few days later podcasts when downloading, would crash iTunes 7.3 altogether.
There was a post here somewhere and I apologise to the poster in advance but I am unable to relocate it.
Here is the solution that was proposed and it seems to have worked for me.
Read the following in its entirety before proceeding:
1 The first thing I did was unsubscribe to all my podcasts by selecting them all and clicking unsubscribe at the bottom of the iTunes window.
2 Quit iTunes
3 Navigate to YourHomeFolder/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music/Podcasts and move the Podcasts folder to your desktop or some other convenient location.
4 Open iTunes and re-subscribe to all your podcasts.**
5 Once all the podcasts finish downloading navigate to the Podcasts folder sitting on your desktop and move its' contents back to the folder you originally moved them out of. If you had setup the iTunes preferences to keep all your podcasts after they download be careful not to overwrite items as you move them back from the desktop/Podcasts folder to the new Podcasts folder.*
**In my case, the list of podcasts in the iTunes window got kind of messy, I mean some podcasts displayed the GET button when even though they had already downloaded or I already had them on my system and other small things like that - this was the result of re-subscribing. You can select those that you don't want to GET and simply delete them.
*You may have to move one podcast folder's contents at a time, again be careful not to overwrite. If you return things carefully you will have no problems.
iTunes 7.3 has behaved perfectly ever since.
I hope this helps. If my instructions are confusing please chime back.
By the way, command (apple key) clicking any of the collapse triangles both in the finder and in iTunes will expand or collapse all items, this will come in handy as you define anything that might have gone funny after re-subscribing.

ITunes Library cannot be read - was crerated by newer version of iTunes?!?

I just tried to open iTunes on my 10.6.6 Macbook pro laptop and it's telling me that "The file iTunes Library" cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes". Apple Update says there are no updates, so how could my version of iTunes possibly be older than what created the library? In case it matters, the library was created by my desktop Mac and copied over when I first got the laptop. Please help!
thanks
Mike

I just got the same error and found a solution that takes about 5 minutes
to fix, most of the time is spent navigating to the right directory
and changing two file names.
Use the finder (or double click the macintosh HD icon on your desktop)
to navigate to your personal iTunes directory
On my system, it's in
Macintosh HD > Users > jeff (me) > Music > iTunes
(if you already have your name in the list of "Places" you can just start
there and see the Music directory, then the iTunes directory).
In that iTunes directory you will see two files that iTunes uses to
keep track of the contents of the iTunes Media folder.
Here's the solution:
Rename iTunes Library to iTunes Library-OLD
and Rename iTunes Music Library.xml to iTunes Music Library-OLD.xml
Now run iTunes (no error message, but no files either)
Here's how to get back all your music, etc:
In iTunes, from the top menu, select "File" then "Add to Library..."
The Add to Library will ask you to find the files you want to add.
Now, navigate back to the same directory as above:
For me it is
Macintosh HD > Users > jeff (me) > Music > iTunes
In that directory, just select the folder named "iTunes Media"
iTunes will then happily index all the contents of iTunes Media, including
all your APPS, all your music, podcasts, basically everything in the
"iTunes Media" folder, which contains several subfolders that are included
as well, all automatically.
This saved me hours of fiddling around.
Hope this helps you (and anyone else with this awful iTunes error message).
Jeff

The Itunes library cannot be saved. An unknown error occured (-50) I received this message when I opened Itines on my new computer. What can I do?

Hi,
I just had a new computer installed with Windows 8. When I downloaded Itunes (latest version) I authorized my computer. Now I get the message- The Itunes library cannot be saved. An unknown error has occured (-50). I don't know what to do? I am computer illiterate Thanks in advance for any and all fixes!

Hi cass1810,
If you are getting a -50 error when using iTunes, you may find the following article helpful:
iTunes Store: "Error (-50)" when downloading purchased content
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1583
Regards,
- Brenden

The iTunes library cannot be saved. An unknown error occurred (-48)

Hi,
This is the message iTunes has been showing me lately.
'The iTunes library cannot be saved. An unknown error occurred (-48)'
It has been getting so frequent i cant have iTunes open for 10 seconds without it popping up, very annoying.
Does anyone know what's going on or how I can fix the problem? Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Tom

Hi, I'm sorry, don't have a solution but have the same problem. I am running iTunes 8.2.1 (6). the only difference is the number in the error message, for me it is -54.
I'm running on a Macmini, with the itunes library on a network disk (Synology).
I've tried exporting the library, deleting the library file and then importing the saved file - no luck.
Googling the problem you'll find it is not unique, there quite a few people with this problem!

IPod Classic 80GB - "iTunes library cannot be saved you do not have enough access privileges for this operation" It says it has synced but it hasn't. Help please I am not very tech minded

iPod Classic 80GB. Message reads ' iTunes library cannot be saved you do not have enough access privileges for this operation'. It says it has synced but it hasn't. Please help, I am not very tech minded.

See this article about troubleshooting the error message regarding access privelages. It may be preventing your iTunes library from being able to save/retain music you have recently imported to it, which may explain why no new content is being added to your device.
Trouble adding music to iTunes library or importing audio CD
B-rock

"iTunes Library" cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes

Hi,
I am using Leopard (OS 10.5.8) with itunes version 10.6.3 (the highest version that Leopard will run). I accessed my Leopard itunes library from another mac in my house that was running Mountain Lion and itunes 10.7. I did this so that I could use some itunes scripts that would only run in OS 10.6 or higher. Using the Mountain Lion mac and the scripts I deleted many titles in my Leopard itunes library, and deleted many duplicate files in from my itunes library.
Now, when I try to open itunes on my Leopard machine, I get this message:
The file “iTunes Library” cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes. Of course, I cannot run a more current version of itunes, since I am using Leopard. I realize that I could revert to a backup of my itunes library, but that would undo all of the changes I made to my itunes library. Is there a way to edit something that would allow me to open itunes with my current library? I am not planning to upgrade the Leopard machine at this point.
Thanks for any advice.
-Joe

I don't know if trying to import the .xml version of the library gets around version specificity but I doubt it.
Opening iTunes with a newer version irreversibly converts the library file to that version. You can, as you say, use the copy put in the "Previous iTunes libraries" folder when you first opened with the newer version.

I keep getting the following message The iTunes library cannot be found or created. The default location for this file is in the iTunes folder in the music folder.

I keep getting the following message The iTunes library cannot be found or created. The default location for this file is in the iTunes folder in the music folder. All of my playlists have disappeared and I am trying to recover them however I now can't even open iTunes!

Hi crazymaiden,
I have two articles for you here that should be able to help you troubleshoot this issue with your ability to launch iTunes:
Troubleshooting iTunes installation on Mac OS X
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2311
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1451
Take care, and thanks for visiting the Apple Support Communities.
-Braden

Itunes Library cannot find almost a 1/3 of my music

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for