Lost Library/Playlists

Today I went to load iTunes and it took forever to load, when it did load the screen was larger than i normally keep it, and my entire library was GONE!
My songs are still there, but the library itself is history.
I tried to load a saved version of it but iTunes gave me an error message saying its not a valid exported file.
This is the second time in the last year that I have had this happen, and to be honest I'm not too keen on sitting here rebuilding my playlists AGAIN that i spent hours and hours compiling.
Can anyone explain why this is happening, or where my library is going.
Can anyone help me figure out a way to retrieve everything off my iPod that currently has what I want???

If you have any iTMS purchases the transfer of purchased content from the iPod to authorised computers was introduced with iTunes 7. A paragraph on it has been added to this article: Transfer iTunes Store purchases using iPod
The transfer of non iTMS content such as songs imported from CD is designed by default to be one way from iTunes to iPod. However there is a manual method of accessing the iPod's hard drive and copying songs back to iTunes on Windows. The procedure is a bit involved and was written long before iTunes 7 so it requires a little adaptation, also it won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's posted in this thread: MacMuse - iPod to iTunes
If you prefer something more automated then there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. This is just a selection, you'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos and games as well. Have a look at the web pages and documentation, they are generally quite straightforward. You can also read reviews of some of them here: Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
YamiPod Mac and Windows Versions
iGadget Windows Only
iPod Access Mac and Windows Versions
PodUtil Mac and Windows Versions
iPodCopy Mac and Windows Versions
TuneJack Windows Only
CopyPod Windows Only
If your iPod is set to update automatically you can use a keyboard command to prevent it syncing with iTunes. While connecting the iPod to the computer on Windows with iTunes 7 installed hold down the Control and Alt keys (or Shift + Ctrl keys in older versions). This will stop the iPod from auto-syncing with iTunes and the iPod will appear in the source list. Wait until you are sure the iPod has mounted, and that it will not auto sync and then you can let the keys go. This may take between 20 to 30 seconds depending on your computer: iTunes 7 Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows

Similar Messages

Best alternative for locating lost library & playlists?

I keep my iTunes audio files on an external hard drive. I'm not sure if iTunes stores the information (playlists, etc.) on my external or internal hard drive. I accidently disconnected my hard drive while iTunes was open. I quickly quit iTunes, reconnected the hard drive, then opened iTunes again - only to find everything gone. I'm assuming I need to relocate my Library after holding down the OPTION key - but the .xml files are not highlighted - and then I read something about locating the .itl files .... but when I open the .itl file - it gives me a library from a few months ago - not the end of the world - but none of the new music I added to the library since then shows up.
I have also tried dragging the .xml file directly into iTunes, but I'm still getting the library from two months ago.
What would be my best bet? Is there somewhere on either hard drive so I can make a full recovery? I also have a backup of my computer on Time Machine - but that hard drive is in another location. Would restoring my system to two days ago via Time Machine be my best best to get everything back? If so .... maybe I can wait! In the meantime, any help you have would be GREAT.
Thank you!!!!!

Double-clicking on an .itl file opens iTunes, but not necessarily the file that was clicked on. To check the contents of an .itl database you need to connect to it after holding down Option(Mac) or Shift(Win) as you click the icon to start iTunes and are prompted to choose or create a new library.
If you know where the active library file is then this is the easiest way to restore a recent backup.
Empty/corrupt library after upgrade/crash
Hopefully it's not been too long since you last upgraded iTunes, in fact if you get an empty/incomplete library immediately after upgrading then with the following steps you shouldn't lose a thing or need to do any further housekeeping. In the Previous iTunes Libraries folder should be a number of dated iTunes Library files. Take the most recent of these and copy it into the iTunes folder. Rename iTunes Library.itl as iTunes Library (Corrupt).itl and then rename the restored file as iTunes Library.itl. Start iTunes. Should all be good, bar any recent additions to or deletions from your library.
See MusicFolder Files Not Added and Super Remove Dead Tracks for tools to catch up with any changes since the backup file was created.
tt2

ITunes "lost" music library, playlists...

...Did an add folder to library and it appears that everything shows up in iTunes (can never be sure), but lost all playlists, album titles for audio books that were added after downloaded, and any information I manually added to music/audiobooks after they were downloaded... Why would iTunes drop an entire library. Nothing changed in terms of location of library (on ext HD), configuration of pc (winxp)
Big question - any way to reestablish playlists without having to manually recreate?

I have a similar issue. But my "my music" folder was moved from my docs to "c" - because my office server was backing up my library. I can always reload the music (by adding the folder to the library). The music all re-appears in I-Tunes, but all of my playlists are gone. This happens to me at least every two weeks, particularly if I am working away from the office.
Would love to be able to re-establish my playlists w/o manually re-creating as well (which I must have done at least 5 times already)...

Lost my playlists when I tried to share libraries with different accounts on the same MacBook computer

lost my playlists when I tried to share libraries with different accounts on the same MacBook computer

Hi dprette,
When setting up iTunes to share a single music library between multiple user accounts on one computer you should follow the steps in this article -
iTunes: How to share music between different user accounts on a single computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L

"And the beat goes on...." Lost all playlists and 8.0.2 takes away features

Upgrade to 8.0.2 has been a disaster-beware out there. Lost all playlists and have yet to get an answer on how to fix that problem so am just going to create new playlists(could be a good thing).
The latest f...up is that 8.0.2 seems to have taken away the option of creating a "smart shuffle" with songs being played less randomly-used to go to Preferences, Playback, and one of the options was a slider where you could choose how random your shuffle would be. Now there is no slider for that and I keep hearing the same songs constantly in my "random shuffle".
This is one of the reasons people are warned not to ever upgrade your itunes-because Apple ALWAYS takes away features from their customers in their latest upgrades-it's their whole corporate philosophy and mindset. They don't care for their customers-just want to appear "cool" and above everyone else(sometimes called arrogance).
So, is there a way to get the random slider back? Can I "downgrade" my itunes so I can get features that have been stolen from us by Apple?

You might have had a damaged 'iTunes Library' file.
Look in ./Users/Username/Music/iTunes to see if such a file exists.
Unfortunately these damaged files cannot be repaired.
iTunes tries to restore as much information as possible, but some information is lost.
Your missing 2000 tunes probably still are on your HD.
To add these again to the library, drop the 'iTunes Music' folder (in ./Users/Username/Music/iTunes) on the library window in iTunes.
iTunes will now add the missing songs to the library again.
If all goes well, your library will now list the 6200 songs.
Concerning your iPod. I think it's best to start from scratch.
If your iPod is set to automatically update, connect your iPod and immediately press and hold the Command and Option keys. Hold these keys down until the iPod appears in iTunes.
Holding these keys prevents the iPod from auto updating.
Then restore your iPod and set it up the way you want.
Your 'Purchased' playlist will re-appear on your next purchase.
In the meantime you can create a Smart Playlist with the rule:
Kind - contains - protected
This playlist will then list all your purchases.
After the Purchased playlist re-appears, it will only list new purchases. If you want it to contain all purchases, drag the songs from the Smart Playlist to the 'Purchased' playlist.
Or just forget the 'Purchased' playlist and use the 'Smart Playlist' to view your purchases.
Hope this helps.
M
17' iMac 800 MHz, 768 MB RAM, 200 GB HD, DL burner Mac OS X (10.4.8) iTunes 7.0.2

ITunes library/playlists issue

I have recently lost my playlists and part of my iTunes library on windows, however in iCloud my complete collection and playlists appear. Is there any way to sync my itunes from the up to date content currently sitting in iCloud?

Hello Tosh_1968,
It sounds like you have iTunes Match items that you would like to download to your computer.
First go to your Songs view and click Edit in the menu bar, and choose Select All. You may have to enable the menu bar on your PC:
To turn on iTunes menus in Windows 8 or 7, do one of the following:
Press the Alt key.
This will turn the menus on and off temporarily. This will change back to the default, the iTunes menus being turned off, when you next close iTunes.
From: iTunes: Turning on iTunes menus in Windows 8 and 7
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5610
Then Right click any one of the highlighted songs and choose Download.
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
All the very best,
Sterling

Re-formatted laptop - have lost the playlists

I got my laptop re-formatted, cleaned up, etc. I got the tech to copy my itunes library then put it back on the newly re-formatted laptop. I have all of my library of tracks but I seem to have lost my playlists. Can anyone advise if i can get my playlists back ? Other info:
- I have a back up but I'm not sure if i have the playlist file .... i might've just copied the library to the backup. What's the name of the playlist file and which folder will it be in ?
- my itouch has all my playlists on it. So ..... i can re-create them on the laptop one by one but that'll be a pain in the ***. Is there anyway to electronically get the playlists off the itouch and onto the laptop ? I thought it always synched the other way around ..... ie the computer will overwrite the itouch and I'll lose all my playlists the minute I synch it. If that WILL happen, can you let me know ....... then I WON'T synch it but instead will recreate the playlists one by one ?
Sorry for being a moron .....
Vaccav

Read the user manual for possible solutions since you did not provide any system or iPod details - iPod Manuals
and iTunes & iPod Hints & Tips

I lost my playlists. Where did it go? How can I relocate them?

i lost my playlists. where did it go? how can i relocate them?

Canuck,
Make sure you are looking at a playlist in your iTunes library. Not a playlist folder. Not on your connected device. Not your overall Music library.
Make sure all the songs are present on your computer. Not missing. And not in the cloud.

I seemed to have lost my playlists. where could I find them

I downloaded the latest version and have now lost the playlists for two ipods.

If these playlists are no longer in iTunes, on either of the two iPods, or in a backup of iTunes somewhere, then I'm afraid you are out luck. Were you connecting these iPods to a new/empty iTunes library or did you connect it to the same iTunes library they normally sync with?
Have you tried looking for these missing files via Windows Explorer (PC) or the Finder (Mac).
B-rock

Downloaded ios 6.1.3 now lost all playlists on laptop

downloaded ios6.1.3 and now lost all playlists on laptop. this happened on last update as well.

- Are you saying that the songs were in the iTunes library on the laptop and then when you updated via iTunes they are no longer in the iTunes library?
- Was this the computer that you synced with last time?

ITunes lost library. now can't install iTunes at all!!??

I have iTunes on a iMac running the latest of everything. A year or more ago I transferred the iTunes library to an external drive and marked it on my start up drive with an alias. Worked great until today. I turned on iTunes and no music at all! I checked and it is still on the hard drive and the advanced prefernces shows it still pointing to the other hard drive. I tried everything I could find on the Apple support pages and this list and others and nothing works. I finally trashed iTunes and everything connected to it on the start up drive. I downloaded iTunes 6.0.4 and tried installing it. I get to the install button, click on it and it says - "You cannot continue. There is nothing to install". On customize install all options are greyed out and the word 'skip' is in the next column. iTunes shows 0 bytes! Easy install will not work either.
I finally connected the hard drive to my powerbook and confirmed the music is still there but I lost all playlists and folders.
I called Apple support but they want $49 to help isolate the problem with no guarantee they can fix it.
Anyone out there able to help?
Thanks, Mike
iMac Mac OS X (10.4.6) External harddrive not showing on About this Mac though is accesible on desk top

Mike,
The song locations, playlists, ratings and Date Added are all stored in the 'iTunes Library' file. (more info here).
It appears to me, the file got corrupted or missing.
If the file got corrupted, you should have gotten a message about a 'damaged library file' or something like that.
The one you now have is empty and contains no data. You might take a look in the 'Previous iTunes Libraries' folder inside the iTunes folder.
If there are still older versions available, use the most recent one, rename it to 'iTunes Library' and put it in the iTunes folder, replacing the one just created.
That might bring most contents back.
Working with an alias might complicate the restoring process. I'm not enthousiast about those. I prefer creating symlinks. They seem to be more stable with OS X.
To bring back the remainder, drag and drop the 'iTunes Music' alias on the library window in iTunes. I'm not sure if this will work with aliases, but it could add the possible missing contents to the library.
If no other library files are found, I'm afraid you have to start from scratch.
M
17' iMac fp 800 MHz 768 MB RAM Mac OS X (10.4.6) Several ext. HD (backup and data)

How do I transfer my checked songs from one computer to another - tried exporting library playlist etc but no luck! Please help! I have 26,000 songs - 17,000 are selected and I can't run down the list on my new computer and re-check 17,000 songs! Thanks!

How do I transfer my checked songs from one computer to another - tried exporting library playlist etc but no luck! Please help! I have 26,000 songs - 17,000 are selected and I can't run down the list on my new computer and re-check 17,000 songs! Thanks!

Make a smart playlist of your whole library but only checked songs - #4 on http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1801
Highlight all files in that playlist, then drag to the other drive. This isn't preserving any playlists or whatever, just copying files from one drive to another.
You might want to delete the smart playlist this once you are done because it will probably gobble up resources with that many files.

My macbook pro logic board died. I had all my music on an external drive. How do I get my iTunes library, playlists etc. from my dead computer onto my new one?

My logic board died on my old macbook pro. I have a new one, but I want to get my iTunes library off my old hard drive and put it on my new one. I had set up my old MBP to store all my iTunes music on an external drive, so I have the music. The iTunes program was on the old MBP hard drive.How do I essentially recreate my previous iTunes library, playlists, etc on my new laptop?

You will need the iTunes Library.itl file which generally lives in ~/Music/iTunes/. You can recover this from the backups you were making before the HDD died. Otherwise, you cannot recreate the library.

ITunes 8 has deleted my library & playlists..............

......not only has iTunes 8 deleted my entire library and playlists, my iPhone has also died after upgrading to v2.1.
Question now is: how do I get my iTunes library & playlists back?
Any help would be much appreciated.

I have the same problem.
I installed iTunes 8 and it deleted my entire iTunes Library and playlists.
Now...How can I move the library & playlists from my iPod back to iTunes? and not just the purchased content but ALL the content?
iTunes says that my iPod is sync with another iTunes library...non-sense.
Please...help needed!

I sync'ed my iPod and lost my playlists and Genius appears. How do I get my playlists back on my iPod?

I sync'ed my iPod and lost my playlists on the iPod and Genius appears. How do I get the playlists back on my iPod?

All you can do is restore from backup if yu have one. If you backed up to iTunes make sure that autosyncing is turned off. Otherwise when you connect the iPod to the computer the backup with you data might be overwritten. To turn off go to iTunes>Preferences>Devicesand check the box that says "Prevent iPods...".

Lost Library/Playlists

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for