ITunes Library Portable Version

I have a Mac Mini running Mavericks and this Mini is my main computer. I am running the latest version of iTunes. I have an external drive which is a WD My Book attached to the Mini which stores my iTunes library and related folders. I like to keep the WD external drive stationary and not carry this external drive around with me. I use a Macbook Air running Mavericks when I am on the road and away from my house. I would like to carry around a portable version of my iTunes library and related folders on another external drive such as a WD My Passport. The purpose of this, is to use it with my MBA and when I am away from my home. Obviously, I want to connect my iPod Touch or my iPhone 5 to sync photos or music.
One problem to this ideal situation. Obviously, I will have 2 different versions of my iTunes library. I will have my home version and portable version. The home version is the master library and is used with the Mini. The portable version is the one that I travel around with making changes as I go along and is connected to my MBA.
The second problem is duplication. I don't want to add music and apps to the portable version and sync it with the home version and I have a huge mess.
The big question, how do I keep both iTunes libraries in check without duplication of songs or Apps? No, I am not going to pay $25 dollars a year for iTunes Match. Putting my library to Apple servers for that much money is not answer. If iTunes Match was cheaper, I would consider it.

Okay, let's try this again.
1) Copy main iTunes library folder to portable drive.
2) Leave home. Computer sits unused at home, no changes. Sitter feeds goldfish and waters plants and that's it.
3) You're on the road. Start iTunes to library on the portable by holding down option/alt key while starting iTunes. You're basically playing your home library from the portable. You'll only need to do the option key thing once as long as you always have the external drive on and plugged in before starting iTunes per normal.
4) Do what you want. Add music, apps, whatever.
5) Arrive home.
6) Start main computer.
6b) Do NOT start iTunes.
7) Plug in portable drive.
8) Copy iTunes folder from the portable drive over the one on the main external drive. The only changes that have been made have all been to the portable drive which is a copy of the main drive library (I get the feeling I said this before...). By copying over the main drive you are simply replacing the old one with the updated one.
9) Start iTunes. It will look for the library on the external drive as normal and start from it, but tricky you, it will be the updated one it is using.
Make step 8 a bit faster by using some sort of sync copy tool so instead of it copying back a library that is only 5% changed it only copies that 5% rather than the 95% that hasn't changed. That's just trimming on the process.
You are only using one library but you have two copies of it. One gets modified slightly during your travels but that doesn't matter because you then update your main external drive to that one upon return home.

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How do I backup my Itune library in Version 11 ,

How do I backup my Itune library in Version 11 ,
The link under File/Devices/ Backup / Restore backup are greyed out!
I want to buck up all of my music and misic videos TO DVD

I presume your songs were on the computer before you updated to the recent version. If so see Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash or
Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device. For backup advice see the user tip Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy.
I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "print" your library, but I have a script called ExportCSV that can be used to export selected data which can then be read with a spreadsheet such as Excel.
tt2

How do I print my itunes library in version 11.1.4

I would like to print my library its' entirety. How? Also, I want to backup my whole library, but many of my songs are apparently in the icloud and I have to click each song to download to my computer. This is a very slow process. Is there an easier way?

I presume your songs were on the computer before you updated to the recent version. If so see Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash or
Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device. For backup advice see the user tip Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy.
I'm not sure exactly what you mean by "print" your library, but I have a script called ExportCSV that can be used to export selected data which can then be read with a spreadsheet such as Excel.
tt2

How can I remove apps from my itunes library in version 11.0.0.163? The checkbox is no longer there in the new version and I do not see a drop down menu.

In the new iTunes version 11.0.0.163 I tried to delete a free app but it still shows after I deleted it from all my Apple devices. The checkbox in the previous version of iTunes does not seem to be present in the new version and I do not see a drop down menu. And there are no Help menu choices either. I guess, I will otherwise wait for the new update to iTunes as of 12.10.2012.

With iTunes 11 on PCs the drop-down menus are hidden by default - control-B should get the menus to show
This screenshot is from a Mac, but it should be similar on a PC :

How to restore iTunes library from TimeMachine external hard drive backup after clean install

I was not able to solve this problem, hence I decided to open this discussion.
1. Recently, I clean installed Yosemite so my new Mac is completely empty.
2. I have my time machine backup on my eternal hard drive and would like to restore only specific things - such as iTunes library.
3. I did not manually copy iTunes library to my drive, I did the TM backup only, but I also do have all the files in my own "music" folder I manually backed-up.
However, I cannot locate the library there, where is it?
How do I move the library to my new Mac and then establish a new source folder that would be on my drive?
PS: Previously, iTunes used my own music folder as a source = it contained all the music files. I had it on an external drive, later moved it to my Mac.
This leads me to the conclusion that my backup copy of iTunes library did not contain the files anyway.
Any advice?
Thank you in advance.

I am confused as to what you had or have where and when. The bottom line is, your library (for the standard user) is everything in the iTunes folder. As far as iTunes' organization and display is concerned, your library is a file called "iTunes Library.itl" which points to all the other host of files and folders normally in the iTunes folder which all work together.
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847 - plus supplemental information about organizing to new structure https://discussions.apple.com/message/26404702#26404702
Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7392 and making an iTunes library portable.
If you kept everything together in one place then you need to put the whole iTunes folder on the drive where you want it, start iTunes while holding down the option key and guide it to that .itl file. If things were split up and you had media on the external and the rest of the library on the internal you need to get them back to exactly where they were before. If you can't find that iTunes folder holding the critical .itl file anywhere then you have a bunch of media tracks and no organization and will need to rebuild the organization from ground level.

Restoring iTunes library after hard drive crash

The hard drive on my Macbook pro (mid-2009) crashed. I took it to the genius bar for a diagnostic. The drive was physically fine so they wiped it and reinstalled Mavericks, which is now running 10.9.4. I am restoring user files from Time Machine individually to keep things clean. Hooray!
I'm now running iTunes 10.3.1. Years ago, I placed the iTunes library in Users>Shared on the hard drive, so my wife could access the files when she logged in. We don't need to do that now, so today I dragged all the music files from Time Machine to the "Music" section on the iTunes window.
They seem to have installed and indexed fine, but I lost some of the original data--like date added and numbers of plays--which would be nice to have. (Then all now read as installed today with zero plays.) My playlists are all gone as well; I'd like to have them back.
Is there any way to restore the music so those things stay intact, by basically making my library the way it was?
I considered dragging the entire set of folders over from the Shared section of Time Machine, but was afraid the music would not index, and the folder structure and nomenclature was different (for example, it had iTunes Music instead of iTunes media and there were a couple other anomalies). I imagine this is because the Shared library was set up under a different version of iTunes.
I hope this doesn't further complicate things but my user name was changed at the genius bar (from what it was prior to crash); they added my last name to my user name. I didn't notice till I got home. So far I have had no trouble accessing the files I have dragged in (Numbers, Word, etc), but don't know if the permissions on the music files might be affected.
All help greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Answers to all your questions are in the links below:
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847 - plus supplemental information about organizing to new structure https://discussions.apple.com/message/26404702#26404702
Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7392 and making an iTunes library portable.
06/2014 ChrisCA post: Restore iTunes library from Time Machine backup - https://discussions.apple.com/message/26104480#26104480

Multiple macs and iTunes library on NAS device

My iTunes library is stored on a Buffalo NAS drive.
I have an older Mac desktop - running OS X 10.6.8; on this machine iTunes 11.4 is set up to use the library on the above noted NAS device. This is working fine; all my burned and purchased music is playing no problem.
I have a new (latest) version Macbook Pro Retina - running OS X Yosemite 10.10.2. I proceeded to set iTunes 12.1.0.50 on this machine to use the exact same shared location as is being used on the desktop noted above for the library location. On this machine, however, I am only able to view my purchased music (with the download cloud displayed).
Anyone know why two Macs pointed to the exact same iTunes library shared folder location would result in one working fine and the other only showing purchased music available for download?
Thanks

How exactly did you set it? You do not do it in preferences (a common mistake). You do it by starting up iTunes while holding down the option/alt key whereupon iTunes will irreversibly convert what it sees as the library, namely the iTunes Library.itl file, to a version which will only work with the newest version of iTunes you run (your 12). Clearly you can't use 12 on your old computer so there is no way to share the same library file. Each version of iTunes will have to run its own library file which will essentially maintain its own independent list of entries, though they can share media. This means changes you make to one library will mostly not appear in the other but if you do something such as delete media in one library the other library will fuss it can no longer find the file, etc.
If you are going to start doing advanced iTunes things you need to learn how iTunes works.
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847 - plus supplemental information about organizing to new structure https://discussions.apple.com/message/26404702#26404702
Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7392 and making an iTunes library portable.
One other tip. Just about every mention I see of people using iTunes with a NAS is something with a problem that results from using iTunes with a NAS. iTunes is likely not written with NAS use in mind. It may work, or it may not. Keep regular backups.

Any suggestions for running an iTunes library from an external hard drive on two computers?

I have two Mac computers: an iMac and a MacBook Air. My iMac has 1TB of storage space (plenty enough for my 200+gigs of music) but my MacBook Air only has 250gigs of storage space. I know I can access all of the music from my iMac on my MBA with HomeSharing. But that doesn't work when I take my MBA out of the house for work. I was going to switch over my iTunes library to an external HD but I don't know if I can access the library on the hard drive from my MBA, when the main library is on my iMac.
Any suggestions as to how to get two different computers to access an iTunes library from an external hard drive?
Thanks.

I am confused as to what you had or have where and when. The bottom line is, your library (for the standard user) is everything in the iTunes folder. As far as iTunes' organization and display is concerned, your library is a file called "iTunes Library.itl" which points to all the other host of files and folders normally in the iTunes folder which all work together.
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847 - plus supplemental information about organizing to new structure https://discussions.apple.com/message/26404702#26404702
Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7392 and making an iTunes library portable.
If you kept everything together in one place then you need to put the whole iTunes folder on the drive where you want it, start iTunes while holding down the option key and guide it to that .itl file. If things were split up and you had media on the external and the rest of the library on the internal you need to get them back to exactly where they were before. If you can't find that iTunes folder holding the critical .itl file anywhere then you have a bunch of media tracks and no organization and will need to rebuild the organization from ground level.

ITunes library creation - .itl file name query

OK, so recent upgrade to Yosemite and of course my iTunes library is screwed up. Well there's a surprise!
So when I recreate the library - the associated files names are all assigned a random date 2014-07-14.
I've trashed the files and gone through the laborious task of creating the library again, but each time it keeps assigning the same 2014-07-14 date to the files.
Any ideas how I get it to create the files with correct date?
Thanks

Upgrading iTunes means iTunes updates the library file and before doing so it makes a copy with a date. It does not use that file and usually it is in a previous iTunes Libraries folder.
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847 - plus supplemental information about organizing to new structure https://discussions.apple.com/message/26404702#26404702
Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7392 and making an iTunes library portable.

How can I share my iTunes library between user accounts in iTunes 11

Since upgrading my iTunes library to Version 11 I can no longer share the library between user accounts on the same Mac.
The 2nd user is asked to create oir use an iTunes library, but when it is pointed to the Media folder it cannot share it.
Previously in iTunes 10 it all worked fine.
How can this be done please?
The library is in a shared areas that we both have Read/Write permissions to.

jc_hering wrote:
that works for anything he purchases after he creates the new account. What about his current music that currently resides in my itunes library? How can I get his current music out of my library into his new account/library?? Thanks..
Copy it to his computer into his iTunes library and authorize his computer with the iTunes account used to purchase them..
You cannot tranfser items from one iTunes account to another. Purchased items remain part of the iTunes account is was purchased with.
iTunes account - used to purchase items
iTunes library - where purchases (and CD RIPs) go on the computer

File "iTunes Library.itl" HELP!!!

OK, so I tried 2 be slick about this iTunes thing, and I did a System Restore on my comp. Reinstalled iTunes 6.0.5, but now I can't open iTunes, and I keep getting this message: The file "i Tunes Library.itl" cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes"
WHAT SHOULD I DO???? I'M ABOUT 2 LOSE MY MIND!!! Do I need to undo the System Restore and go back to iTunes 7 or what???

Recreating the iTunes Library file
Follow these steps:
Quit iTunes.
Locate your iTunes folder.
For Mac OS X the iTunes folder is stored in one of the following locations:
/Users/username/Music
/Users/username/Documents
Note: You may need to check both locations.
For Microsoft Windows the iTunes folder is stored in
\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\
Open your iTunes folder.
Drag the iTunes Music Library.xml to the Desktop
Drag the following file from your iTunes folder to the Trash:
Mac OS X: "iTunes Library" (in versions of iTunes prior to 4.9 this was called "iTunes 4 Music Library").
Microsoft Windows: "iTunes Library.itl" (in versions of iTunes prior to 4.9 this was called "iTunes 4 Music Library.itl")
Open iTunes.
From the File menu, choose Import.
Tip: Do not add any music into iTunes at this point.
Navigate to the iTunes Music Library.xml file on the Desktop.
Click Choose.

What is Best Way to import my old iTunes Library on Data CD-R's ?

Hi,
I backed up my entire music collection on Data CD's (using 10.2.8) before i upgraded to Tiger. My music is all in Data form on this media (about 7 cd's worth). What is the BEST and fastest way to get my old music library back into my Current iTunes Library ( latest version of Tiger's iTunes) ?
iBook 800 mHz - 640 ram Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Drag the music into iTunes.

How best to maintain itunes library on home NAS storage

I would like to set up an external drive for 1) backups, 2) hosting my iTunes library and 3) storing my Lightroom files. Ideally the device would provide RAID reduncancy. I would like to sync my iTunes enabled Apple devices to sync to this iTunes library wirelessly throughout the house. NAS would be nice to allow my iMac to be turned off and still have access to the storage device. Thunderbolt attachment would be acceptable if a disconnected NAS device would not work for these purposes. I'd like to edit photos on my internal flash drive and save them on the external library...
Has anyone solved this configuration issue? What connections did you use and what HD device is working well for you?
Thanks!   Dana

Chris,
Thanks for following up with this. Since these files are being *newly added* to the iTunes library from my collection, which was on DVD-R and is going to be on hard drive in one big folder, I thought that the 'watched' folder would be the best way to get them into iTunes. Is there a better, more efficient way?
As for *moving* the library, here is what I am proposing to do:
Make sure the following are     checked in iTunes Preferences>Advanced:Keep iTunes Media      Folder Organized
Copy files to      itunes folder when adding to library
Create Folders on new 2 TB Drive
iTunes
iTunes Library inside of the itunes folder just created.
Change location of Library in     iTunes to TB Drive
Edit>Preferences>Advanced
2 TB Drive/iTunes/iTunes Library
Move library to new location
'Manage' Library      to create copies in new location of existing files
File>Library>Organize      Library>Consolidate Files
Delete old library (media     files)Music/iTunes      Media (or iTunes Music)
Make iTunes Library Portable
Quit iTunes
Copy iTunes database files into      iTunes Folder on TB Drive
            Library Files
            Album Art Folder
            etc.
Choose NEW Library
Hold down shift      while opening iTunes and choose new Library Location
Choose New Library
Select TB/iTunes/iTunes      Library
Delete iTunes management files     [iTunes Folder] on C: Drive
Add new tracks to iTunes     LibraryClick and drag      files into 'Automatically Add Files to Itunes Library' Folder or Shortcut
I know that this is a lot to read, and I hope you can follow my logic. I really hope it is correct, because in my head, I have it all mapped out!

Problems Downloading iTunes Library From Portable Hard Drive

Why does it take so long to transfer iTunes songs from a portable hard drive?
Here are my stats:
Machine Name: iMac
Machine Model: PowerMac4,2
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (2.1)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 800 MHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 256 KB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 100 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.4.1f1
I'm downloading a 9,000 song library from the portable hard drive to an empty iTunes program. I highlighted all of the song files (Beatles, Rolling Stones, The Who, etc.) It took at least an hour for all of the songs to "process". Then my computer told me there is not enough room to store them all. I understand this because the list of songs I want to import is 34 gig. What I don't understand is why it has taken since midnight last night (it is now 14 1/2 hours later) and song no.6,450 of 6,800 is loading. Does it normally take this long for such a large amount of songs to transfer. Will there be any way that I can transfer the other 2,200 songs after this is done?
I also want to know if anyone knows if it makes sense for me partition the iTunes library somehow so it won't slow the computer down by being such a large file.
iMAC 1500 Mac OS X (10.4.10)
iMAC 1500 Mac OS X (10.4)
iMAC 1500 Mac OS X (10.4)
iMAC 1500 Mac OS X (10.4)

I would think you could access them directly from that drive, but I am not sure if the USB 1.1 bus speed will cause problems or not like stuttering, long pauses, aborts in the middle of songs, etc. You can certain give it a try and let us know if it works ok that way.
Also keep in mind that USB is a shared bus so it may work if the USB bus is doing nothing more than accessing the drive and your keyboard and mouse. If you start scanning in something from a USB scanner, printing to a USB printer, accessing a USB to Wifi device, etc. then you might see more issues with playback as iTunes has to share the USB connection with other things.
Patrick

How can I use a newer itunes library with an older version of itunes on a different computer?

Hi there. We are running iTunes 10 on our (1.5-year-old) iMacs with the entire music library there.
I also have an old iMac G4 (for those of you who remember what that is :-) sitting in the living room that we use for watching DVDs and listening to music. The G4 is running iTunes 9, as it obviously is stuck with OX Tiger. I've last updated the music library on that machine probably about a year ago at which stage it still worked (by copying the library across from the other computer).
Now it doesn't work anymore. If I copy iTunes library over, I get an error message saying 'this library was created with a newer version of iTunes'. So that's no good. So what can I do without having to re-purchase and re-import music and re-set up playlistst etc? Surely that must be possible, they cannot just forbid me to use my own music that I've even purchased through iTunes? Any ideas?
Thanks,
Felicity.

In the iTunes folder on the G5...
Delete the file iTunes library.itl.
Move the iTunes library.xml (or iTunes Music library.xml) to the desktop.
Start iTunes.
iTunes menu File > Library > Import playlist and select the iTunes library.xml you moved to the desktop.
You can then delete the file on the desktop.

ITunes Library Portable Version

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