ITunes sync with multiple computers

Help for a newbie please!
I have a Windows 7 laptop running iTunes and syncing up with my iPhone beautifully. My goal is to sync that library with another computer (Windows XP desktop) so that they're independent of one another. However, I do need it ot keep track of play count, ratings, and playlists for my iPhone. The other issue that complicates the matter is that my laptop has all my music local on C:\Users\%username%\Music (which I keep organized), but I want the library on the XP machine to be on a USB portable hard drive (so E:\%username%\Music)
So here's my summary:
keep music library synced between 2 PCs (in my own folder structure)
allow my iPhone to sync up with them
preserve play count, ratings, and playlists
Any ideas? Thank you all in advance!

check this post
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1312351&tstart=0

Similar Messages

Can I share one iTunes Library with multiple computers on a network?

Can I share one iTunes Library with multiple computers on a network?
note: one library universally shared, not Home Sharing (one library each, shared to each.)
I want to share one library stores on my server and access it through various local computers. When I buy a song from a computer (non-server), I want it to be added to the library (stored on server). I want it to auto copy to my server, for organization. I want to be able to sync my phone from any computer.
Most of this I can do, if i figure out how to use one universal library for all my computers.
Any ideas how I can do this?

eyeinit,
You can authorize your iTunes account on up to 5 computers at a time.
However, purchased music is downloaded to the first machine to download it, but these articles have more information on moving your music between authorized computers:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93063
This one is for moving all your music using an iPod as a storage drive
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300173
Hope this helps,
Nathan C.

How to sync with multiple computers?

I have my iTunes library on my MacBook and all of my Apple devices synced accordingly. My family also has an iMac, and I would like other family members to be able to sync from the iMac. I know I can use Home Sharing to allow the iMac to view/play the music when my Macbook is active on the network. I also know I can purchase iTunes Match so I can access the music when my MacBook is offline and edit the playlists. Yet, I would love to be able to set up the iMac so the iDevices could actually by synced with that computer as opposed to mine. How can I go about this?

Yes, you can sync your device with multiple computers. Only that one is set to AUTO SYNC whilst the rest is set to "MANUALLY MANAGE MUSIC".
Refer to this article:
Using iPhone, iPad, or iPod with multiple computers
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1202
However, issues may occur leading to data corruption or data loss if you regularly sync Contacts, Calendars, Notes, or bookmarks between multiple computers using iTunes and your iOS device. Syncing once to move your data to a new computer should not cause these issues.
Refer to this article:
iOS: Issues syncing content with multiple computers using iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1474

Share a large iTunes library with multiple computers

I have a very big itunes library that I share with several computers at my home from a mac mini and lion server. This solution works well in that all my home computers can access the itunes library on the server and play music through the "Shared" feature. The downside of this solution is that if I (or my wife, or my daughter, or my son) want to put some music on our iphones, we have to sync the iphone with the mac mini so that the itunes library is local.
I would like to figure out a way, where all of our music would be availble on all of our macbooks so we could create our own playlists, and sync our iphones.
I have considered iCloud, but I'm not sure how well (or how expensive) it might be to share 250 GB of music on iCloud. Does anyone have suggestions?
Thanks in advance.

I'm sort of in the same boat. We've got an iMac with separate User Accounts set up and are currently sharing the same iTunes and iPhoto libraries along with streaming them to our Apple TV.
Right now I'm the only one with an iPod, however she'll be getting one in a couple of weeks.
We also just picked up a MacBook yesterday and I'd like to be able to sync certain libraries like iTunes and iPhoto so that no content gets duplicated on either the iMac or MacBook and so that we both have access to the current libraries for each program on our iPods and AppleTV.
I have an external hard drive that I back up the iMac on and I assume I could manually keep things current with that but there's got to be an easier way...that's why these are Macs right?
Bill

How can I get my iTunes synced between multiple computers?

I always have the most current version of iTunes and I also subscribe to iTunes Match. Is there anyway to get my computers (both Mac) to have the same iTunes library without deleting all of one library and importing the other to it? As a professional musician, I have way too many songs to constantly do this, and I refuse to believe that Apple hasn't came up with a better solution such as syncing. If anyoe can help me out, it would greatly appreciated! Thanks!

No.
Iphone will sync with one and only one computer a a time. Syncing to another will erase the current content from the iphone and replace with content from the new computer.

How do I manually sync with multiple computers

Hey All,
So I have a laptop with iTunes with some music and a desktop with iTunes and different music. Is there a way to be able to drag music from both onto my iPhone? I tried setting them both for manual (Which wipes my libraries, thanks Apple ) But it says I'm only allowed to sync with one computer even though I'm not syncing but trying to do it manually. Is this the result of stupid programmers or apple trying to limit music transfers??
Thanks,
Pete

Unlike iPods, iPhones can sync with only one authorized computer at a time. To sync with another computer, you have to deauthorize the one you usually use, and authorize the other. Both have to have your iTunes account.
Message was edited by: modular747

How to share one iTunes library with multiple computers AND Apple TV? Help?

It seems like my dilemma may not be easily solved. Hopefully it isn't as complicated as I think it will be. Here's the situation:
My wife hates that, in order to see or do anything with the images she takes, I need to have iPhoto open on my computer (Mac Pro), and she then has to connect to it over sharing.
By the same token, I don't like that she buys iTunes content on her MacBook, which is sometimes a duplicate of content I already have. Now that the App Store is out, that is going to start getting really expensive.
So instead, I want us to be able to:
1) Have ONE iTunes library on the network, and ONE iPhoto library. Both of these would be accessible to any computer on the network. When you launch iTunes, you would get all the media that is in that library.
2) Both be able to access iTunes at the same time to listen to / watch content.
3) Both be able to purchase iTunes content, and when it it purchased, it updates that single library. If I buy a song, the next time my wife fires up iTunes, that song is there for her to listen to.
4) Have our two Apple TV units be able to play content from this library.
So, I know that we need something on the network. I have a Drobo with DroboShare, so that is one option. I also have a spare Mac Pro laying around, along with a copy of OS X Leopard Server.
I just don't know what route we should take with this. All I want is for us to share a library, to be able to both use that library, for us to be able to sync content from that library to our portable devices, and for our Apple TVs to also see that library.
Possible?!

I'm sort of in the same boat. We've got an iMac with separate User Accounts set up and are currently sharing the same iTunes and iPhoto libraries along with streaming them to our Apple TV.
Right now I'm the only one with an iPod, however she'll be getting one in a couple of weeks.
We also just picked up a MacBook yesterday and I'd like to be able to sync certain libraries like iTunes and iPhoto so that no content gets duplicated on either the iMac or MacBook and so that we both have access to the current libraries for each program on our iPods and AppleTV.
I have an external hard drive that I back up the iMac on and I assume I could manually keep things current with that but there's got to be an easier way...that's why these are Macs right?
Bill

ITunes Match with multiple computers

I bit the bullet and subscribed to iTunes Match. Only I did it from my work computer (registered to my iTunes account) which contauns a mere 1.5k songs. But what happens when I go home? My home computer has 40k+ songs on it. How do I choose what goes to the cloud?

I have 2 relevant AppleIDs authorized for the music on my iTunes (ONE old long-time Apple ID for iTunes purchases, bound to pre-mac.com email; ANOTHER newer mac/me.com ID which had mostly been used only for App store stuff until iCloud -- but which I figure has to be the one under which I try to consolidate in the future).
I've taken the plunge (sprang for Match when I was signed in with the newer account) and find that most music from BOTH accounts is getting matched. Turn on the "iCloud status" column in iTunes -- and sort with that column header -- to see what's "Matched" and what's "Uploaded" and what's "Ineligible" (or "Error"). [You can also make "smart playlists" based on iCloud status, which helps troubleshoot.]
I found two albums worth of "ineligible" Music files -- turns out I had forgotten about a third ID at one point about 8 years ago, those two albums were attached to that one. HYPOTHESIS: it won't upload stuff for an account that's not "authorized" for the iTunes incarnation that's hosting the process. I no longer have access to the email, so I assume I can't authorize those.
WORKAROUND: if you have lots of music from old accounts, look for TuneClone (3rd-party app that "burns" virtual CDs from m4a and m4p files, so you can re-import them as if they'd come from CDs.
I'm still nervous, by the way, about Match's warning that it will "replace" the existing library on my iPhone (despite assurances online that nothing is actually removed), and I've enabled Match only on my (small-capacity) iPad for now. Playback requires a few seconds' patience, but I'm pleased to have access to all my files.
Now with a big hard drive on the new iMac I'm finally motivated to import many of those old CDs of music that I knew wouldn't all fit on my iDevices (nor, for that matter, on the hard drive of my older machines).

Sync with two computers doesn't work anymore?

Hi there
I used to sync with my iPOD with both computers that I use. Work and Home. that's because I mostly buy music with this work computer cause it has MUCH faster connection than I have @ home.
About a week ago I purchased John Lennon songs. Before that I had to update to iTunes plus (7.0.3) so I did so. Then I though that I just sync with iPod so I can get those songs to home computer as well. This has worked to this day without any problems. It syncs only purchased music, videos and games but nothing else and that is fine for me.
This time it was different. When I connected my iPOD to my work computer it sayd that if I want to sync this iPOD with my work computer, it must be fully erased first. Well that's not a bad idea so I did it. Then I got home and updated my iTunes and tried to sync it with that too to get Lennon inside it but no... It said that I now how to erase my iPod in order to use it with my home computer. and transfer john Lennon songs into it. I was like what the ****... this was working fine before this new iTunes.
So. Am I now totally slaved to use only one computer with iPOD?
If this is a standard way to do it today, then I just have to use 3rd party software to do it or just burn them to CD... But this is not why I get this device... I wanted this to be easy as ****.. Not a prison.

You cannot "sync" with multiple computers, you need to use the iPod manually.
See this.
How to use an iPod with more than one computer.
Or are you trying to transfer iTunes purchases from iPod to iTunes?
You do this by using the file/transfer purchases menu in iTunes, but I think you'll still need the iPod set to manual.

Syncing with multiple computer on iOS 5

Ok am I doing something wrong here or did I expect something amazing from Apple for no reason? You know how if you try to upload something to your iPhone on a different computer you would have to erase your phone and set the other computer as a new library or whatever. So with iOS5 I was under the assumption that they changed it so now you can backup to the cloud storage and sync with multiple computers, meaning you can upload music to your iPhone (mp3's on the computer itself, not iTunes purchases) without having to erase your phone. So what's the deal here? I just re-installed Windows 7, it's going to be a pain having to erase everything and re-upload everything all over again.

The "deal" is the same as always. You can't expect something "amazing" from Microsoft as in not having to reinstall Windows on a regular basis. Why do you accept having to do that?
When having to reinstall Windows which is a regular occurance with that swiss cheese for secuirty OS, you need to update your computer's backup which should include your iTunes library along with all other important data such as documents, photos, etc. You need to de-authorize your computer with your iTunes account with iTunes before doing so followed by re-authorizing your computer and restoring your iTunes library from your computer's backup along with all other important data after doing so.

Can I sync my ipod with multiple computers using home share?

Once I homeshare all my computers, can I sync my ipod with any of them? Or do I always have to sync using the same computer.

What kind of iPod do you have?
For most iPods you can click Manually manage music on the summary page in iTunes. Check out Apple's document -> Using iPad or iPod with multiple computers.
WTH.

I got a new computer and now iTunes is telling me it can't sync with two computers

I got a new computer and now iTunes is telling me it can't sync with two computers, it's telling me it will erase what's on my iPad and re-sync. Will I lose my iPad data that's on it?

No - not at all. Look at that one app that I gave you the link for. That is supposed to transfer all of the iPad content to the new computer. I have no idea how much it costs, but it's worth a look. There are other out there as well. Google "apps to transfer iPad content to computer" or something to that effect. These apps claim to transfer everything.
Several things to remember - you can still transfer all of the iTunesicon tent that you purchased by using the Transfer Purchases option in iTunes. Just remember to turn off auto syncing before you do it. You will also have to authorize your new computer to transfer the purchase if you haven't done so already. From the iTunes menu on your computer go to Store> Authorize this computer.
Plus any apps or music that you have bought can be downloaded again at no charge with the cloud feature in the latest iPad iOS.
EDIT - I see that you did transfer the purchases. Look at one of those apps that I described and they should be able to get you set up. You should also invest in an external hardrive for backing up all of your computer content ... don't want this to happen again!
Message was edited by: Demo

Syncing to multiple computers

when syncing my ipod touch to my computer at work, it deletes everything stored from my home computer. what am i doing wrong?

If you want to connect and use an iPod on more than one computer you need to change the update preference in the iPod Summary tab to "Manually manage music and videos" and click Apply. In this mode you can directly access the content of the iPod and play it through iTunes and you can drag and drop whatever you want to the iPod from either library:
Using iPod with Multiple computers
Managing content manually on iPod
iPod 101: Fill 'er Up

I have an Iphone 4S and two computers, can I sync with both computers? When I click on manual manage it says I have to delete songs from phone

I have two computers, my desktop has much more music on it, but my laptop is 10 times faster. I originally sync'd my iphone 4s with the desktop to try and keep the hard drive on the laptop from bogging down. My desktop is on it's way out and I'm trying to sync with the laptop but itunes won't let me. When I go into my iphone on the computer I check off to manual manage music and when I hit apply it tells me that the iphone can only be sync'd to one computer and requires the contents of the phone being deleted. Is there anyway around this or am I going to have to delete everything and go through my laptop?

This is from article on device with multiple computers:
iPod shuffle and iPhone are intended for use with a single computer. You cannot load music from multiple computers or iTunes libraries onto iPod shuffle and iPhone like you can with other devices.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1202

Using my ipod with multiple computers: not the usual problem I think

I've searched the forum and various help documents but I couldn't find the answer to this.
I have a laptop at the office (work-related, so I don't have any of my music on it, just itunes) and my computer at home. Ideally I'd like to:
= keep my ipod automatically synced to my home computer
= be able to connect my ipod to my work laptop and play the music stored on it through itunes there, and also keep it charged and ready for the trip home.
It seems that the 'manually manage music and videos' setting travels with the ipod, rather than being stored on the computer's itunes installation. If I set it at work, so I can play music there, when I connect the ipod at home I have to reset it (and a few times when I did so the ipod started deleting everything because 'sync my music' was not checked, grrr).
I just want to set things up in a way so that when I connect my ipod at work it will let me play whatever songs I have there (without wanting to sync anything), and when I connect it at home it will automatically update it. It's simple enough, but I can't seem to figure out how to do it.
If I connect the ipod at work and press 'cancel' when the 'do you want to erase things' pops up, it doesn't try to change the settings, but at the same time it doesn't let me play music at all, everything is greyed out
does anybody have any idea? I don't want to resort to have to buy a usb power adapter just so that I can play my ipod at work without draining the battery...

B_Ram wrote:
Could it be because its an iPhone and not a true iPod???
i doubt it.
actually, syncing an iPod Touch (or iPhone) with multiple computers is not recommended @ all. click here to find out what Apple has to say about it.
all i can think of, i you really must do that, is this:
to prevent a sync when plugging in the iPod - hold down the option and the command ( on a PC that would be the shift and ctrl ) keys when plugging in the ipod - keep pressing the keys until the iPod is listed under the devices list in iTunes. now you should be able to do what you want.
however, you do so @ your own peril, as the article above outlined.
alternatively, consider a setup such as this.
good luck !
JGG

ITunes sync with multiple computers

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for