Keeping Two iTunes Libraries in Sync.

When iCloud became available, I was stoked to be able to sync the iTunes library on my work computer with my home computer. I thought that the cloud would keep my work computer up to date, updating new purchases automatically. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. My latest purchases on my home computer are not showing up on my work computer. What do I have to do to keep these two in sync? Is there a way to do it automatically?

Even though this is an old thread, one way to sync your iTunes library is to use rsync and Automator. If you're doing it that way, you can also sync your movies, audiobooks, podcasts, etc. from one computer to another which was an advantage for me. I just bought a MacBook Air and I had the same problem as you. Here's my solution: http://leolabs.org/blog/idevices/keeping-itunes-libraries-in-sync/
Regards,
leolabs

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How do i keep 2 iTunes libraries in sync

Hi
I am sure this must have been asked before BUT, how do I keep 2 iTunes libraries in sync?
Some of the music is is purchased from Applestore but most is ripped from my CD's.
Some of my films are purchased from Applestore but most are ripped from my DVD's or digital downloads.
Most of my books are from audible.co.uk, CD rips and a very few from Applestore.
I need/want to keep my primary iMac (which syncs with my iPad and iPhone) in sync with my home media server which is a Mac Mini.
Andy and all help would be hugely appreciated.
Regards.
Robin
PS I have tried MyTuneSync but this duplicates lots of files and does not handle deletions at all well.
I have also tried SuperSync, this is hugely confusing, does not seem to wrok very well and has ZERO support.

What did you copy over?
I keep my iTunes library on an external hard disk on both machines as it is over 1.5Tb in size.
But you still have the 'management' part of iTunes in the local iTunes folder and this does not get updated when you add sometthing from one machine onto the other?
I do actually owned Synk but am sure I saw somewhere they do not suggest using it for iTunes?
Robin

Keeping my iTunes Libraries in Sync

My wife and I share a single iTunes library from separate accounts on an iMac (actually I have two accounts - one for me and one for work, for a total of 3). The song files are on an external HD, the iTunes Library and iTunes Music Library.xml files are in each individual account's Music folder.
I load most of the music into the shared library via my personal account - CDs, iTunes Music Store purchases, an occasional freebie .mp3 from elsewhere. As far as I know, the only way for those songs to show up in the other two library listings is for them to be added in each instance of iTunes via the "Add to Library..." command, which can be a major pain when I go on a buying binge. Is there another way to update the other two accounts more efficiently?
Also, does anyone know what data beside the actual song is stored with the song file itself and what is stored in the iTunes Library or iTunes Music Library.xml files? It seems that the artist, song title, album artist, album title, any comments, the year and length of the song all transfer with the song, but I'm not sure about other fields. Apple keeps adding view options and I don't know where to find documentation on all of this stuff. Does anyone know or even care about things at this level any more?
Finally, one of my libraries says that it has 15,972 entries in it and the other says it has 15,985 - I believe that they are identical. So I exported a text copy of each library and loaded them to Excel and found that there were exactly the same number of entries in each copy. (I even compared the spreadsheets to make sure that the contents were in fact the same.) It's hard enough keeping track of all this stuff as it is, but when the numbers don't match, it can drive you nuts. Any ideas on how to fix this disparity, short of reloading one or the other of the libraries?
Thanks
Mike "Whatever Happened to Software Manuals?" Strohmeyer

Even though this is an old thread, one way to sync your iTunes library is to use rsync and Automator. If you're doing it that way, you can also sync your movies, audiobooks, podcasts, etc. from one computer to another which was an advantage for me. I just bought a MacBook Air and I had the same problem as you. Here's my solution: http://leolabs.org/blog/idevices/keeping-itunes-libraries-in-sync/
Regards,
leolabs

Can I keep two iPhoto libraries in sync?

I have an iPhoto library on my MacBook Pro, and I have an iPhoto library on my iMac. Both are recent models, and both are running up-to-date Lion upgrades. The libraries used to be the same, but they've diverged over the past several months as I've changed the way my iPhone, my iPad, my wife's iPhone, and my wife's iPad sync (mine now sync to the MBPro, her's to the iMac). Is there a way to make sure that the libraries contain the same photos? How do I make sure I'm subrscibed to her Photo Stream and she to mine?
Is there a way to figure out what photos are in hers that aren't in mine, and what photos are in mine that aren't in hers?
Thanks.

What do you mean by "Sync".
The general term means when two Libraries (A and B) are compared and files in Library A are copied to Library B, while files in Library B are also copied to Library A so that both Libraries are identical.
This is bi-directional copying and you cannot do this automatically with iPhoto. No Syncing software is capable of parsing the iPhoto Library in this manner. One or both of your Libraries will be damaged if you try this.
You can have uni-directional copying - files in Library A are copied to Library B - this is essentially backing up. Obviously you can also copy from Library B to Library A.
The nearest you can get to syncing is to use iPhoto Library Manager to move files/Albums/Events plus associated metadata between Libraries. This process cannot be automated.
AFAIK you can only log into a single Photostream at a time.

Keeping two iTunes Media Folders (and libraries) in sync

Hi all,
Here's my situation... I can't be the only person looking for an answer to this. (Can I?)
At home I have a Mac Mini with my music collection on it managed by iTunes. I have the same at work. I also have Chronosync set up to nightly syncronize my iTunes Media folders. Obviously, this is just step one.
What I'd ultimately like is to be able to change files or add media at either location (through iTunes) and not only have the files moved by Chronosync but also have the iTunes libraries updated. Is there a way to do this via AppleScript or some other solution? I looking to keep two iTunes Media folders mirrored and have iTunes' library be updated at the same time (or on a regular basis).
Thanks in advance!
A

It sounds like a question for whoever wrote Chronosync. I have never heard of it and have no idea what it is or what it does. Generally you ask questions related to third party software on the software's own support forum. What you need it to do is synchronize the whole iTunes folder, not just media files. The library.itl file contains most of the actual playlist and content data but things also get updated in the artwork folder, and some other files (mostly also in the iTunes 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
Apple's solution is to have you buy all your music from Apple and use the automatically download new purchases set on both computers. Of course it isn't a complete solution. For example, if you change the rating on one computer it won't change it on the other since all you're doing is downloading a file from a third place (the store) to both other places (computers).

I have two macs. I have two itunes libraries. How can I sync my iphone with both

Itunes is driving me insane every single day now.
I have two macs so I obviously have two itunes libraries. I have purchased things on both my desktop and my laptop UNDER THE SAME ACCOUNT.
How Can I add/sync media from both without having to erase EVERYTHING. So ridiculous.
Thanks

To share the iTunes content between your computers, just enable Home Sharing from iTunes > File > Home Sharing.
You'll still have to sync the iPhone with just one iTunes library because of the copyright restrictions that iTunes must follow.
More syncing info and options here -> Using iPhone, iPad, or iPod with multiple computers

I've upgraded my pc and now Im getting an error message when Im trying to sync my ipod saying I have two itunes libraries. The library thats there is only showing some songs and it's not uploading songs Ive just bought.

I've upgraded my pc and now Im getting an error message when Im trying to sync my ipod saying I have two itunes libraries. The library thats there is only showing some songs and it's not uploading songs Ive just bought.

You seem to have tried everything, and you say it's syncing fine on your Dad's iMac, so I assume, you have also done a Disk Diagnostic from an earlier post by tt2 and conclude that your iPod Hardisk is good.
You don't have to use it as a heavy paperweight, the problem is only using your Windows 7 machine for syncing.
In your troubleshooting steps, did you try to use another High-Speed USB 2.0 port, USB controller resource are very scarce, so if you use other USB devices, while syncing your iPod, it may just freeze.
Windows have a bad reputation for device conflict, so better don't connect other USB devices, while syncing, better sync it while disconnected from Internet, stop antivirus just before you go to bed.
Have a nice day!

Syncing Playlists across two itune libraries? Can it be done?

ok, i have two itunes libraries on two separate macs, in two difference physical locations. is it possible to have the playlists synced between macs?
i use "xmarks.com' to do this with my bookmarks across macs. its great, i would love to do this with my playlists...
thxs.
dcg

i see these services... any others to consider?
http://supersync.com/
http://echodio.com/

I have two IPad's and tried to create two Itune libraries on my computer. Now I cannot find the original library on my computer and the Ipad will not sync?

I have two Ipad's and tried to create two ITune Libraries on my computer. Now cannot find the original library on my computer and the Ipad will not syc?

You should be able to accept this message, it will cause existing music, photos (not camera roll) and videos (also excluding those in camera roll) to be removed and replaced with those from this computer. All other user data on the iPad will be unaffected.

Can I put two Itunes libraries on one ipod

Wondering if I can put my husband's itunes library onto my ipod, so that we won't need two ipods.

to do this you need one itunes library. I understand you have two iPods are they both syncing with hte same itunes library. If so just sync the all content onto one iPod if you have enough space. Some peope have a lot of music and video.
If you have two itunes libraries that you sync each ipod with then you need to merge them these are your options if itunes are on separate computers
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
If they are on the same computer but different logons then copy the music foler from one account to the other.
Once everything is in the same iTunes you may also need to Authorise the computer with the other persons Apple ID
Then you should be good to go

Two Computers two itunes libraries... 1 Iphone

I have two computers - 1 iphone and 2 itunes libraries... is there an easy way to make the two Itunes libraries sync, so i don't have to constanly make sure both libraries match, so it doesn't delete the stuff i want, and so podcasts etc don't download twice?

I know what you mean. At home, we have 4 iPods, but only one PC. It was very difficult to manage so many ipods from only one itunes library. My Dad look on the internet and found out this. Actually, this is a pretty cool tool because you can create your own library, add or delete the music you want, without affecting the other's libraries. What I like the most is that I don't have my brother's music on my ipod anymore!!!!
Hope it helps

How to keep two HD's in sync?

How to keep two HD's in sync? They both contain my Sample Libraries, one is in my desktop the other in my laptop…essentially they contain the same items, but, the thing is: when I'm working on one I begin to delete, modify and add to the pool, and so the two become out of sync.
It's hard to know what exactly I've changed where. (So, what I usually do is take out things that I edit and re-save them separately, just in case, but this creates vast quantities of unnecessary duplicates).
So, what I'd like, would be if I could just keep both of the in sync somehow?
Here's what I'm thinking:
What if I was to use Carbon Copy Cloner, and just clone one onto the other, back and forth regularly? (Using incremental backup BTW) Would that be a good idea? I'd be worried that things might get corrupted by being overwritten/modified so regularly? Or would that be OK? I mean what if I had changed a small portion of a sample on one HD and then CCC'd onto the other, is it going to detect such a change? And will it always safely copy it across?
Thank you so much for any help.

emirium wrote:
It's hard to know what exactly I've changed where.
Here's what I'm thinking:
What if I was to use Carbon Copy Cloner, and just clone one onto the other, back and forth regularly? (Using incremental backup BTW)
If you are very strict about changing just one drive at a time, you can use CCC or ChronoSync and I think it will be fine.
BUT...if you are talking about making changes to both drives and trying to reconcile them, then you need ChronoSync or something similar. Because they allow you to preview exactly which files will be changed, in which direction, before you commit. I use a different utility (FoldersSynchronizer) for this purpose; it looks like ChronoSync achieves this through their Analyze window. At time I have stopped potential unintentional data loss by always previewing the changes.

Combine two itunes libraries thatare one on computer

I have two iTunes libraries that are on my computer (I use the shift button when opening to choose which one I want to open). So since I have two (one for iPhone and one for iPod) the music in them is mismatched because I use my iPhone more often and downloaded songs get placed into that library. My question is do I have to manually go through and find out which songs aren't in both libraries and import them or can I do this automatically? I don't want to merge them, I just want them to have the same music in them so I can just uncheck which ones I don't want to sync. Any help is appreciated, thanks.

Drag the larger library to the external drive normally, launch iTunes with the Option key held down, choose it, drag the media files from the second library into the open iTunes application window, and then import the playlists.
(118104)

Can you access and store two itunes libraries on one computer?

can you access and store two itunes libraries on one computer?

Welcome to the Apple Community.
Yes but you may run into issues if you want them both to run iTunes Match or automatic downloads.

I need two itunes libraries on one computer

Hi,
I have two iphones, an ipad, and a imac. I have downloaded my music to my iphone, and imac. My girlfriend has an ipad and iphone with songs put on it from another pc. How do we have two itunes libraries on our imac that we can both use.
Thanks
Brad

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Keeping Two iTunes Libraries in Sync.

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