Itunes Library from old computer to new computer

I have just purchased a new laptop and therfore downloaded Itunes. My old computer has all my music on the itunes it, can I get the old itunes library to sync with new itunes download on the new laptop so that I don't have to start all over again on my new computer?

Yes. Copy itunes to an external drive and put it on the new machine. You could also follow the back up instructions and use the back up to populate the new computer.
The help feature in itunes will help. I searched Apple web site and found this for backing up to external disk. I'm sure that if you searched you could find this and more to help you.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751

Similar Messages

I transferred itunes library from old PC to new PC. The content all shows when I launch iTunes on the new PC now. The previous content does not show in iTunes but folder still looks like it is on hard drive on new PC. Suggestions on how to properly merge?

I transferred itunes library from old PC to new PC. The content all shows when I launch iTunes on the new PC now. The previous content does not show in iTunes but folder still looks like it is on hard drive on new PC. Suggestions on how to properly merge?

Before you connect any device to a new library go to the Devices tab of the the preferences panel via Edit > Preferences (Windows) or iTunes > Preferences (Mac) and ensure the box next to Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically is ticked. You can now safely connect the device to your computer without the danger of media being automatically deleted or overwritten.
To get all your content off your connect your iPad to your new computer.
Then use a 3rd party piece of software to transfer your content
I have found Senuti useful but there are others listed in the article I linked to in a previous post.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
That will let you transfer your non purchased content
For Purchased content log in to iTunes on the new computer
In Itunes Store click on Purchased under the Quick Links section on the right.
Download any music by clicking on the cloud button

Tried to use home sharing to transfer itunes library from old pc to new -- however it only brings over the music, did not bring audiobooks- My question is do I need to delete itunes from my new pc when I redo using external hard drive

Trying to transfer iTunes library from old windows 7 pc to new windows 8.1. Used home sharing, but not what I wanted, I want everything on the new so I can discard the old pc - so now all I have is my music library on new pc thru the cloud none of my Audible audiobooks came over - My question is do I need to delete iTunes off my new pc before I load it in from a external hard drive?

You might need to make sure neither is going to sleep (System Prefs > Energy Saver)
Also check your settings under System Prefs > Security. My sisters new laptop kept logging off due to some setting there.
HTH

How can I transfer itunes library from old pc to new imac?

I just got a new iMac and am trying to transfer iTunes library from old PC (barely running) to new iMac. I tried through Home Sharing but couldn't find how to sync. Is it necessary to get Firewire? Or should I sync it from my iPad? I'd like to avoid the middleman. Thanks!

Try this article too - http://www.myfirstmac.com/index.php/mac/articles/how-do-i-move-my-itunes-library -from-pc-to-mac-and-keep-my-settings-intact
MJ

Moving iTunes Library from iPod mini to new computer (old hard drive dead)

Hi all, I own a 2nd gen (I believe) iPod mini with all of my music from my iTunes library on it. Last weekend, my computer began freezing/crashing while loading my desktop, and a diagnostic confirmed that the read/write head on my hard drive was bad. I don't currently have the spare cash to send it away to a recovery lab, so I am starting from scratch with a new computer I will be ordering today.
My question is this--is it going to be possible to transfer the music from my iPod to my new computer? Many of the songs on my iPod are from other sources, during the years that I was not using iTunes, and from what I have read I will only be able to transfer my purchased music. I know there is a way to make my iPod into a hard drive in order to transfer the music to my new computer, but as I said, I cannot even boot up my old machine, and thus cannot access my iTunes library on my HD.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice you may have.

I've had to do this in the past (4 years ago). Try this page for a list of programs that can help you:
http://www.metaphoriclabs.com/articles/5-ways-to-copy-music-off-your-ipod-window s-mac-os-x/
Cheers,
Awfers

Import iTunes Library from External Drive to New Computer with Vista

I can't seem to "import" my entire iTunes library from my external hard drive to my new computer. However, I can import songs one-by-one. There must be a way to transfer the whole file at once but it is beyond me. Anyone have a solution?

Hi I am new and have found a way to import Files & Folders over my home network and or other drives.
Start in File, click "Add File to Library", or "Add Folder to Library". In the “look in” dropdown window, locate the File or folder and double click on it. It should begin to transfer. I have never transferred an enter library though.
On a personal note,
I have come to realize that I can only transfer iTunes music. I can not transfer or even find the music that I have installed from a CD into my iTunes library. iTunes dose recognize even the folder that such music is in. If any of you have an answer to this problem let me know.
Thanks

How to Recover Playlists when Transferring iTunes Library from External Drive to New Computer

iTunes library copied to external drive and then loaded to new computer. All songs are there but all of the playlists that I had set up do not appear. I cannot figure out how to retrieve/recover them. The back-up was not done by me so I'm not sure of the steps that were followed. Is there something special that needs to be done when backing up to external drive in terms of saving playlists? Help!

Hello TNCGRCT,
It sounds like the library was successfully transferred to the new computer, but the songs were imported into a new iTunes library. If you still have access to the external drive, or better yet the previous computer, we will want to transfer the iTunesLibrary.itl file and open it with iTunes:
iTunes: How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1589
More helpful information...
Where are my iTunes files located?
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1391
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Thanks,
Matt M.

Moving iTunes library from old imac to new iMac

Hi all
don't know if this the right forum - looked the iTunes forum and there was a similar question unanswered. It's a weird one and I can't work out what's going on.
My wife has just bought a G5 iMac (intel) and I'm helping her move her iTunes music over from her old G4. I've backed up her Music folder on to a portable hard drive using Personal Backup. The full Music folder is on the drive (checked before ejecting).
When I connect the hard drive to the new iMac and open the iTunes library half her songs are missing. I eject the the hard drive and she transfers a few more songs on to her new computer from her iPod. When I reconnect the hard drive and run iTunes - the additional songs are there. We try a few more using the iPod and - hey presto - her library is growing. It's still not complete though.
Each time we connect the hard drive and run iTunes we see the additional songs. But not her full library - even though I know it's on the hard drive. (went back and plugged into the old iMac to make sure. Hope all this making sense).
What seems to be happening is that opening the iTunes library from the portable hard drive only ever shows what's on the computer hard drive. (The new computer is authorised).
There must be something simple that I'm missing. Any help would be really appreciated.
Ian

Hi Ian,
If you wanted the library on the external HD I would have directly copied the iTunes folder from the old computer to the HD, then replaced the iTunes folder in the Music folder of the new machine with a shortcut to the folder on the HD. Should have worked fine. The other option would have been to simply copy from the external HD to the Music folder on the new machine.
Backup software isn't always all that helpful in some of these situations.
Karn.

How do I get my itunes library from old macbook to new macbook pro?

Can I transfer my itunes library from my old macbook to my new macbook pro?

1: 2xClick in MacintoshHD.
2: Click the keys: cmd+3 to view in Columns-Modus
3: Navigate trough the Columns to:
User/your name/Music/iTunes
4:Select the folder "iTunes" (one click) and click "cmd+C" (Copy)
5:Go to the same folder at the new computer,delete the folder iTunes and
click "cmd+V" (Paste)
6:Go to Trash in the Dock and with right mouse-click empty the Trash.
7: Read "MacOS-X for dummies" ,it´s very userful for new users.
Greets and merry christmas!

Importing iTunes library from old powerbook to new macbook pro

What is the best way to import my old itunes library (from my 10.4.7 powerbook) to my new macbook pro?
Thanks!

I'm still having some trouble, can someone give me guidance? Here is what I did:
1. Connected old mac (PowerBook G4) to new mac (MacBook Pro) via firewire 800 and target mode.
2. Located "iTunes Music" folder on old Mac and pulled the entire folder into "iTunes Music" on the new Mac.
3. I restarted.
4. iTunes didn't find the new music, it does find the one song I've purchased using the new Mac. I think this makes sense, because now the folder structure has an embedded "iTunes Music" folder (from the old Mac) in my new mac's "iTunes Music" folder. The structure looks like:
-iTunes Music
----[folder for the one song I've purchased on the new mac]
----iTunes Music (this is the folder from the old mac)
---------[folders of music from the old mac]
5. So I went into the iTunes Music folder I just imported, selected all the music, and copied it one level up.
6. The result is on my new mac, my "iTunes Music" folder now contains all the music from the old mac, plus the one song I've puchased using the new mac.
7. I restarted my new mac. Restarted iTunes, but still the only song that's recognized is the one I've already purchased. The others aren't showing.
8. I've gone into preferences/advanced and confirmed I'm pointing at the right target folder.
Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong here?

Moved iTunes library from old PC to new one...may have lost songs!

I successfully moved my iTunes Library from ly old Pc to my new one..Hooray! The problem I've found is that before I moved the library, I had purchased some music on my new PC..at least 75+ songs. When I moved everything over..it copied over my new library losing these files (I believe). Is there any way I can retrieve them again..without having to but them again?

If you didn't make a back-up of your purchases to restore from then I'm sorry to say that the policy on lost purchases is that you have to pay to download them again:
"Once a Product is purchased and you receive the Product, it is your responsibility not to lose, destroy, or damage the Product, and Apple shall be without liability to you in the event of any loss, destruction, or damage." iTunes Store: Purchased content can be downloaded only once
You could try contacting the iTunes Music Store Customer Service and you might be able to persuade them to sanction a second free download. There have been occasional reports in the iTunes forum of this happening, however just be aware that they are not under any obligation to do so. If you click on any of the links on this page you'll find a space at the bottom to email your query: iTMS Customer Service
You might also want to check out this page for future reference: How to back up your media in iTunes

How to get itunes library from external drive to new computer

i recently purchased a new computer w/the windows vista platform. there were posts regarding how to transfer the library w/playlists on this board, which i followed to the point of hitting shift while opening itunes, and choosing a library. however, when selecting such from my external drive, which has the itl and xml on it as well as the itunes music folder, it gives me an error noting it is locked or that i dont have write permission to use it. my external drive on my old computer was the G drive, now it is the F drive on new one. can anyone please advise what to do other than copy all music over and have to completely recreate all playlists?

polydorus, this was the response/post that i found and it was posted by sweepea on 9/4/2007. and all my music is now from the external drive to the itunes music folder on my laptop and it let me keep all my playlists. thank you again for your help!
I had that problem too. I tried to remove iTunes from my computer and then download it again, but that did not make any difference. Then I tried polydorus' answer ("starting iTunes with the shift key held down, when asked to choose a library, navigate to your iTunes folder and choose iTunes Library.itl"), but that did not work either and that same message about the library being locked appeared again.
Then I had a brainwave. I deleted that iTunes library.itl file. (To find it, go to My documents, then My Music, then iTunes, and there is the itunes library file). I now tried to open iTunes by clicking on the iTunes icon on my desktop, nothing happened, as if I had not clicked on it at all. I restored the file from the recycling bin to where it was before. But that also returned me to where I had been before, i.e. I got that locked-library message again. So I deleted that file again. Then I tried right-clicking on the iTunes icon. On the little menu that appeared, I clicked 'Open' and hey presto, suddenly the iTunes set-up assistant appeared and everything went smooth from then on. When I checked, there was a file called iTunes library.itl again and this one worked OK.
By the way, I did not lose any of my music downloads or podcasts when I deleted that file, so it's definitely worth a try.
custom built Windows 2000

Best method to assign old itunes library on old hdd to new computer with new itunes software on ssd.

Hi everyone,
I put an old windows xp desktop to rest that had all my itunes software and files on it. I pulled the 3.5 internall hdd with the xp os and all the itunes program software and itunes music files from this old computer. I just added into my new computer via sata cables and its showing and i have access to it. I have an ssd as my main drive on my main new computer. This is where windows 7 pro is sitting. Ive never had itunes on this computer. Im wondering if it is as easy as the below;
1. install itunes on the ssd c: drive
2. hold down shift while opening itunes for the first time
3. point to the library.itl file on the old 3.5 internall hdd
Will itunes then always see and link to this itl file on my old hdd and work fine? My concerns are;
1. does it matter that this old hdd has a windows os on it along with the itunes program and all its associated files/ folder
2. i dont want itunes to start copying all those music files from the old hdd to my ssd. this would crash my ssd, as its not very large.
3. if the above works fine will my ipod when first mounted sync up fine?
4. are i do the hold down shift thing, what settings should i change in itunes? i know ill have to auth the computer. but how about organization settings?
And final question. I plan on using this old hdd just to store itunes music. I plan on deleting all the other folders, program files etc. Everything but the itunes folder. Is this safe? Should i leave certain windows os files on the hdd as to not disturb necessary processes?
Thanks!

Still no luck on this. Would it be easier to migrate the iTunes across using migration assistant? Is it possible to migrate it across while making it save the migrated library to the second eHDD (I would erase the copy of the library on that drive before doing so)
The PB is a G4 867 with firewire 400 (but only UBS1) and running 10.3.9 (not sure what version iTunes) - I can daisy chain it to the mini's FW800 with couple of external drives I have.
I have held off using migration assistant as all the files and stuff I want is on the eHDD and I don't want any unnecessary legacy items from the PB getting onto the mini.

How can I move my entire iTunes library from old laptop to new one?

I got a new iPad for Xmas to replace an old laptop not realising I would still have to have a laptop or PC for my main iTunes library. I have got round ths by creating my own area on my partner's laptop & have installed my iTunes library on there. However, it has only installed my purchased music & not my wider collection such as all my CD's that I burned then got rid of to go digital. I have my complete library on my iPad & iPhone but need it on my laptop too in case I lose or break a device & need to install my iTunes library to a new device.
I have followed the support detailing how to move your iTunes to a new computer but am not getting very far. I don't have an iPod to use as an external hard drive. I read that you can drag your iTunes library to a CD or DVD but my library is 16GB & I don't have any disc big enough!
Does anyone have an idea of a simple way I can do this? Is it not possible to do it directly from my iPad or iPhone seeing as my complete library is on both of these devices?

Before you connect any device to a new library go to the Devices tab of the the preferences panel via Edit > Preferences (Windows) or iTunes > Preferences (Mac) and ensure the box next to Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically is ticked. You can now safely connect the device to your computer without the danger of media being automatically deleted or overwritten.
To get all your content off your connect your iPad to your new computer.
Then use a 3rd party piece of software to transfer your content
I have found Senuti useful but there are others listed in the article I linked to in a previous post.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
That will let you transfer your non purchased content
For Purchased content log in to iTunes on the new computer
In Itunes Store click on Purchased under the Quick Links section on the right.
Download any music by clicking on the cloud button

Migrating iTunes library from old mac to new, and library is on external HD

Hi, I'm trying to figure out how to point my newly set up iTunes to my old iTunes library file located on my external HD. It wants to build a new one.
I have a new iMac 5K I just got Friday. I have an old Mac Pro 2007 running 10.7.5 (the latest software I could update to due to hardware restrictions.)
Unfortunately, I can't do a straight up Migrate from the old one to the new one, due to the difference in OS. I got most of the iMac set up, but am having some issues with iTunes. My entire iTunes library is on an external HD, and it has been for quite some time. In preferences under advanced, I had my iTunes Media folder location set to the folder that was on the HD.
So when setting up my new iMac, I set the same preference in the new iTunes, so it has access to all of my music, but I don't remember how to point the new iTunes to that "iTunes Library" file so that all of my playlists and settings are in there. Intead iTunes keeps building a folder and library file on my Music folder that's on my iMac.

A library is everything in an iTunes folder, not just media. In particular, iTunes is looking for a file called iTunes Library.itl.
You do not tell iTunes to use media by pointing to it in preferences. You tell iTunes to use a library file which itself knows where the media are kept. You tell iTunes which library file to use by holding down the option/alt key while starting iTunes and pointing it to the correct library file. If this file was on the external drive in a complete iTunes folder there then all you have to do is point it to that folder on the external. If you didn't really have your entire library on the external drive but only had the media files there then you need to copy the iTunes folder on the old internal drive to the exact same location on the new computer and start iTunes.

Need help transferring itunes library from old laptop to new laptop

Can someone help me?? I have a new laptop and have installed itunes on it. How do I get my old library from my old laptop onto my new one? What about all my playlists?
Thank you in anticipation!
Lisa

There should be one iTunes Folder that contains many iTunes folders underneath it. Copy that one to a memory stick (if it will fit), not the location you copied it from. Copy it to the same place on the new computer. iTunes should find and recognize it if it was in the default location. You just need to start iTunes on the new computer.
Be sure on the old computer to start iTunes, go to the Store menu on top, and Deauthorise the old computer. On the new computer do the opposite, go to the Store menu and Authorise that computer. You will have to enter your Apple ID and password.

Itunes Library from old computer to new computer

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for