Library with two users

Have had a quick look, but there seem to be so many different issues about libraries, so apologies for posting a new thread.
Basically, we have just bought a new MBP, and have two user accounts - one for me, and one for my wife.
What we'd like to have is that when either of us is logged on, when we open iTunes, we see the same full library, but can each organise that library differently with different playlists etc.
Can this be done?

As a heads up, you will both be able to access the library, but only one at a time. Also, you will also see each other's playlists, though you should be able to put each of your lists in separate folders to keep it tidy.

Similar Messages

  • Sharing one library with two user accounts.

    I want to share one iTunes library with two user accounts on the same iMac.
    I've followed the tutorial where you move the iTunes Music folder to a shared location HD/Shared/iTunes and then pointed both iTunes to that location via the advanced menu, but only the admin account has the music. The other user account iTunes shows nothing.
    Also, I've now moved the music folder back to my area on the HD (not shared any more) and now the iTunes music folder shows all the album folders where before I guess they were hidden. Why and how do I get it back to how it was...?
    All we're trying to do is share one mac. My wife and I have our own log in user accounts, but want to have the same music and iPhotos accessible on our own set-ups.
    Thanks for any help.

    Out of interest I got this to work.
    I made a folder called 'All Music' and put all the album folders in it.
    Moved this folder to User/Shared/ and then clicked on the file, and Get Info.
    In Get Info added my wife to Sharing & Permissions as Read & Write.
    In iTunes / Advanced found the folder on my user account, and then did the same on my wife's account and hit add to library.
    I hope this was the right way to do it..... It seems to have worked.

  • Syncing IPhoto Library with two users

    Im a switcher so if this question is somewhat basic that is the reason why. My wife and I share the same Macbook but we have created two separate accounts on the same machine. As such, we each have our own iPhoto library. Is there a way that we can make sure that each of our iPhoto libraries contain the same pictures as the others. We are finding that when we upload new picture to iPhoto, we haven't found a way to transfer these same pictures from one account to the other.
    Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

    The only way to get two libraries to be the same is to use the paid version of iPhoto Library Manager to merge the two libraries into one and then share that one library.
    The optimal way to share a single library between two users on a Mac is to have that library on an external HD whose ownership is set to be ignored as described in the Apple article: iPhoto: Sharing libraries among multiple users
    As the article indicates an alternative way would be to create a disk image (dmg) large enough to hold the library and leave room for expansion, put your merged library in the disk image and move it to the Shared folder on the Mac. Have each user set their System/Account preference to have that disk image mounted when they log in. That way it will automatically appear on the desktop like an external HD would. You would have to point your iPhoto application to that library by launching iPhoto with the Option key depressed and, when asked, select Choose Library.
    In either case be sure the external HD or the disk image is mounted before you launch iPhoto.
    TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
    I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.
    Note: There now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

  • Sharing the same library with two users

    Hi,
    I want to share my iTunes library with another user on our iMac.
    I followed the steps as discribed in iTunes: How to share music between different user accounts on a single computer but this is not working.
    The folder is made public, and when I browse in finder al movies and music files can be found.
    Does someone have any tips on sorting this one out?
    Many thanks,
    Timo

    Correct, iTunes does not add files automatically.  The point of the Shared folder is so they can be read by another user and get around file permissions issues of a specific user account, but iTunes will not add them to another user's library.
    Things may start to get complicated at this point.  When your wife adds one of those files to her library iTunes will want to make a copy of the file in her media folder.  I think you can get around this by using preferences to set her media folder to be the shared media folder the way you did for your library.  Old material will not be relocated unless she chooses to "organize" her media to this location too.  That's okay for now, but you will be back here with questions when the day comes you decide you want to relocate all your iTunes things to an external drive.
    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

  • Shared iTunes Library with two users

    I am trying to have my system permit me to share one library between two users. My Mac acts as a Music Server for my house audio system through Airport Express and it also plays music locally through the computer speakers. In order to do this, I need to run two users simulatnaneous - one for the music server and one for local use - itunes runs on both user accounts simultaneously playing to the Airport Express and the local speakers. Trouble is that each user needs its own library. If I add a song locally, the server does not get it, and if I put a song on the server, I dont get it locally. Any thoughts?

    Thank you Joe - I tried this but it's only showing a teensy amount of music - the stuff on the second users account as opposed to the giagntic library on the 'main' account. I actually went to a Genius Bar and they said that apple doesn't really want you to share music between accounts - parents don't want to hear their kids music etc. Which seemed strange, but it might be the case sadly   Thanks anyway!

  • Moving iTunes Library with two users on the iMac

    We have our iTunes library on my husband's login for our iMac. I am the most frequent user of this computer. We have home sharing turned on so that I can listen to the library while on my user account.
    What is annoying is that all of our iPods are synced to the library on my husband's user account. So, I have to switch sides of the computer to plug and unplug our iPods.
    Is there a way to move the library (with playlists intact etc) to my user account without creating two copies of the library?
    Message was edited by: mfreckle

    Log into yoru husband's account.
    Drag the \Music\iTunes\ folder to \Shared\ folder.
    Hold the Option and launch iTunes.
    Select *Choose library* and selec the _iTunes library_ file in \Shared\iTunes\ folder.
    Everything should work fine.
    Quit iTunes and log into your user account.
    Hold the Option and launch iTunes.
    Select *Choose library* and selec the _iTunes library_ file in \Shared\iTunes\ folder.
    Everything should work fine.
    That's it.
    You are both using the *same library*. Anytime you add/remove/change something, it will be the same when your husband uses it.
    The iTunes library can only be open one time so make sure each user quits iTunes before leaving the computer.

  • HT1198 Can you share your iphoto library with two users? and can they use there own apple id for photo stream?

    My wife and i have two iphones and one mac mini, we basically want to share our photos and music but also have our individual settings, so I have set up two user accounts, i have managed to share itunes successfully however iphoto'11 will not seem to let us both use it without it needing 'repairing'? any help out there?

    You'll need to put the Library on an external disk or Disk Image set to ignore owner ship and permissions.
    Regards
    TD

  • Sharing iTunes Library with two users on the same computer

    I have all of my music stored on a external hard drive.
    Both users on the same computer have the iTunes music location folder as the external hard drive. How do I see music added in one persons log-in? For example: I just purchased two albums under one log-in. The second log in can not see that music unless I manually add it.
    Both Libraries point to the same file location.
    I have over 40GB of music and I am looking for a way to manage my music files more effectively and I want to make sure that both log-ins have the same music.
    I followed the instructions in article HT1203 from the apple support site.

    lafdengine9 wrote:
    Both users on the same computer have the iTunes music location folder as the external hard drive. How do I see music added in one persons log-in? For example: I just purchased two albums under one log-in. The second log in can not see that music unless I manually add it.
    The reason you are having this issue is because you have a shared library but private databases. What you have on the external drive is the collection of media files (library) that each account is set up to access as the source for media. What you have not done is set up a shared iTunes database, so each user accesses the same library differently.
    When each user opens iTunes, iTunes access the database on their account (~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library). Therefore, their settings, views, playlists, etc., are private. When they add songs to their library only their database file is updated to reflect those additions; simply having files in the music folder does not mean that iTunes will recognize them, hence the reason iTunes asked you if you want to move the file to the trash when you delete it from your library.
    The confusion here is the double use of the term library. The contents of you music folder most definitely constitutes your media library, as it is the collection of your media files. What you see as your library in iTunes is not your library but, for the most part, the content stored in a database table maintained by iTunes in the iTunes Library file in your iTunes folder. iTunes does not access your actual media files unless it is absolutely necessary. The general assumption is that what is shown in your iTunes “library” will actually mirror what is in your music folder.
    So the missing step in your setup would be to switch to the account that has the most current iTunes library—that is the one reflects the actual contents of your music folder as of now—and follow this procedure.
    1. Quit iTunes.
    2. Move the iTunes folder to the Shared folder (./Users/Shared).
    3. Launch iTunes, but immediately hold the option key to invoke the Choose Library window.
    4. Select the database (iTunes Library file) now located in the shared folder.
    5. If you do not see your content, go to iTunes’ preferences and reset the location of the music folder to the external drive.
    6. In the other accounts, re-launch iTunes and change the library according to steps 3 and 4.
    Now all users will have access to the same iTunes database as well as the shared library. The downside of this is that each user will have full access privileges. If you have iTunes 8, then to avoid the disadvantages that come with this type of set up, see [this thread|http://forums.macworld.com/thread/105366?tstart=0] over at Macworld.

  • Best way to share iTunes library with two user accounts?

    I have a single iTunes library on my Macbook Pro.  I would like to share between to user accounts, each with Apple ID's.  What's the best way to do so?  Right now, I've given the second user rights to read/write to the first users "Music" folder.  But when one user adds song files, the other must "Add Folder" in order to see the new purchases.  It's kind of putsy.  Is there a better way?  Thanks!

    Hello again,
    Have the iTunes Library located in the Shared Folder for instance and then launch iTunes in both users while holding option (or alt) on your keyboard. Choose the iTunes library file wherever it may be located. You can keep it in the same spot if you want (i.e. your Music folder). Many people have their's on a local network hard drive and do this.
    The benefit is that when one user updates the iTunes library file, the next user will open an updated version that has all songs that the other user added.
    Since you have one computer shared, this should be fine. I am unsure what happens when multiple computers/users access the library file at the same time.

  • Hello there - how can I share my iTunes library between two users on the same computer? I put the library in a shared folder between both and have selected this library on both as well, but when I update iTunes with music etc it only appears on one?

    Hello there - how can I share my iTunes library between two users on the same computer? I put the library in a shared folder between both and have selected this library on both as well, but when I update iTunes with music etc it only appears on one?

    Thank you Joe - I tried this but it's only showing a teensy amount of music - the stuff on the second users account as opposed to the giagntic library on the 'main' account. I actually went to a Genius Bar and they said that apple doesn't really want you to share music between accounts - parents don't want to hear their kids music etc. Which seemed strange, but it might be the case sadly   Thanks anyway!

  • I need to share my Itunes library on one computer with two user accounts

    I have one computer with two IPODS. I would like to share the music I already have stored on one library with another user library. How do I do this?

    See if this helps: iTunes - How to share music between different accounts on a single computer
    There are a few different ways to use two iPods with one computer, have a look at this help page for suggestions: How to use multiple iPods with one computer

  • Question re. sharing iTunes library with other user accounts

    I have seen this document:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203
    I want to share one library with four users on my account.  I'd like for any music purchased or ripped to this computer to end up in User 1's iTunes library, and for Users 2, 3 and 4 to have access to User 1s library just as User 1 does.
    When I follow the directions for "Listening to another account's music files" in the above referenced document, it tells me to navigate to User 1's library through the dialog box that pops up after User 2 clicks "Add to LIbrary". 
    The problem is, when User 2 is doing that, and User 1 has put the iTunes library in ~user1/public, as the directions suggest, that dialog box won't allow user 2 to access User 1's Public folder.
    Thoughts?
    Thanks in advance...
    Chris

    Another long description in store here...
    iTunes has two main elements. One is the library.itl database file.  When you open iTunes it is this that you see. It contains what music is in a library, playlists, date added, playcount, etc.  It is this that is really the library.  The other element are the media files. When you tell iTunes to play a track it checks in its library file which music file is associated with that track and goes and plays it.
    Now you say, "for Users 2, 3 and 4 to have access to User 1s library just as User 1 does."  Do you really want User 4 to be able to go and delete or rename tracks, or change the playlists? This can be done if you really want it.  Or do you want each person to keep their own library [file] and share media?  Even that has disadvantages as a person might still be able to rename a file or even delete it for all.  At least everybody would have their own playlists, ratings, etc, though a person could delete a file and then it would appear as a broken link for others.  To be honest, iTunes isn't great for sharing.
    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
    Exactly what you want to do will involve different setups so before going into detailed insructions it would help to know which ones to provide.  Here's an sampling:
    iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203 - relocating iTunes' media folder to a shared area but leaving separate library files - extra tip at https://discussions.apple.com/message/17331189
    Chris CA's instructions on sharing one iTunes music library between multiple user accounts - https://discussions.apple.com/message/8974074 - Multiple users using a single library file - similar post at: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3753008
    iTunes Home Sharing now works between users on same computer - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3865597  The problem with HS is I think you then end up with multiple copies of files, one for each user.  At least they cannot damage another's collection though.

  • Home Share on One Computer with Two User Accounts

    We have one computer in our house with two user accounts. I have an iTunes account and my husband has his own. Due to many moved music files and whatnot, it is very annoying and difficult to try to find songs from his library to add to mine using the Add File (or Folder) to Library link in the iTunes file menu. I am unable to access some of the songs currently in my library because he moved some of his files and my iTunes can't locate them any longer. I was hoping Home Share would solve our problem, but can't get it to work. Is it hopeless for me because we technically only have one computer? Is there an easier way for me to add some of his songs to my library without searching through our five or six different iTunes library folders on multiple hard drives?
    We have both enabled Home Share on our individual user accounts, but do not have the Home Share icon appearing in our iTunes side bar.
    Thanks for the help!

    I was able to get the two iTunes home shares to work on the same machine and "see" each others library as long as I have them both open at the same time (for the Mac, using fast user switching made that very easy). Once the home sharing was working, playing music/movies/etc worked but when I tried to import / drag and drop from one account to the other it acts like it's doing it but then doesn't.
    This may be perhaps unique to me because of my unusual setup, I set my "secondary" account to use the iTunes folder of the other, "primary", account to avoid having two copies of the same thing. Doing it this way meant I didn't have two copies of files on my computer, but it did mean I had to "Import to Library..." the media into the "secondary" account every I added something to the primary. I wonder if giving each account it's own library location would resolve this issue (while unfortunately meaning that the two accounts would each have a copy of all of the music/movies/etc, doubling my drive space usage). I'll update this post if I find out anything more.

  • How to share iphoto with two users in the same imac maverick

    I can´t find the way to share iphoto/itunes with two users in the same imac with maverick software

    In conclusion, the new software is worse than the old one, really?  Because in my old mac I could share easily without copy with an external USB
    It's not iPhoto that dropped the ball but the system.  I believe it was Mavericks that broke the Shared folder compatibility for iPhoto, not iPhoto itself.
    Also having the library on an external HD is a good way of freeing up space on the boot drive to assure optional system and application performance.

  • Sharing iPhoto Library between Two User Accounts

    Is there any way to fully share a single iPhoto library between two user accounts on one machine (iMac 2.0GHz dual core Intel, 10.5.1, iPhoto '08), without using an external drive (because I don't have one)? By share, I mean each user has full rights and priveledges to the entire library, regardless of who uploaded the pics. Holding down the option key on iPhoto startup does not work because my wife can't access the pics I loaded even though she's pointing to the shared library in a shared folder.

    If you want the other user to have the same access to the library as you: to be able to add, edit, organise, keyword etc. then:
    Quit iPhoto in both accounts
    Move the iPhoto Library Folder to an external HD set to ignore permissions. *You could also use a dmg*.
    (Some people have had success putting the library in the Users/ Shared folder. If you do this make sure the file permissions are set to allow read/write access to everyone. But that's unlikely to work on 10.5 because of the way that the permissions have changed with the new OS.)
    In each account in turn: Hold down the option (or alt) key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting dialogue, select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new library location. From that point on, this will be the default library location. Both accounts will have full access to the library, in fact, both accounts will 'own' it.
    However, there is a catch with this system and it is a significant one. iPhoto is not a multi-user app., it does not have the code to negotiate two users simultaneously writing to the database, and trying will cause db corruption. So only one user at a time, and back up, back up back up.
    Regards
    TD

Maybe you are looking for