Migrating iTunes library to new Mac

I recently used Migration assistant to transfer just my iTunes library file from an iMac to my MacBook Pro (both running snow leopard with latest versions etc). However after completing the process I cannot find the files on my new Mac anywhere. I know they are there because my available hard disk space is about 125GB lower but ITunes does not have any music content and I cannot find any files on the system that large. Please help!

Migration Assistant copies the files into the same accounts on the new computer.
If your username is not the same, it will create the old username account on the new computer.
Likely you are logged into a different user account on your MacBook.
Go to System prefs -> Accounts and see if there's another account.
If so, log into that account (should be same username and password as on the iMac) and drag the \Music\iTunes\ folder to the Shared directory.
You can leave iot there if you wish.
Log back into the account your are using now, hold Option and launch iTunes.
Select *Choose library* then select the iTunes library file in the \Shared\iTunes\ folder.
Or simply drag the \iTunes\ folder from the Shared folder to your current \Music\ folder, replacing what's there.

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Migrating iTunes library from old mac to new, and library is on external HD

Hi, I'm trying to figure out how to point my newly set up iTunes to my old iTunes library file located on my external HD. It wants to build a new one.
I have a new iMac 5K I just got Friday. I have an old Mac Pro 2007 running 10.7.5 (the latest software I could update to due to hardware restrictions.)
Unfortunately, I can't do a straight up Migrate from the old one to the new one, due to the difference in OS. I got most of the iMac set up, but am having some issues with iTunes. My entire iTunes library is on an external HD, and it has been for quite some time. In preferences under advanced, I had my iTunes Media folder location set to the folder that was on the HD.
So when setting up my new iMac, I set the same preference in the new iTunes, so it has access to all of my music, but I don't remember how to point the new iTunes to that "iTunes Library" file so that all of my playlists and settings are in there. Intead iTunes keeps building a folder and library file on my Music folder that's on my iMac.

A library is everything in an iTunes folder, not just media. In particular, iTunes is looking for a file called iTunes Library.itl.
You do not tell iTunes to use media by pointing to it in preferences. You tell iTunes to use a library file which itself knows where the media are kept. You tell iTunes which library file to use by holding down the option/alt key while starting iTunes and pointing it to the correct library file. If this file was on the external drive in a complete iTunes folder there then all you have to do is point it to that folder on the external. If you didn't really have your entire library on the external drive but only had the media files there then you need to copy the iTunes folder on the old internal drive to the exact same location on the new computer and start iTunes.

Manually Copied iTunes Library to new Mac -- Will iPhone sync be messed up?

Hi. Apologies in advance if this has been addressed elsewhere in the forums. I have found no clear answers though in my relatively thorough search.
I just bought a new Mac to replace my old one. I decided to start as cleanly as I can by only migrating documents.
After reading a thousand different ways to copy my library from my old Mac to the new one (and maintaining playlists, ratings, etc.) I ended up copying the full contents of my music folder from old to new via Firewire and then I option-clicked to tell iTunes to use the Library I just copied over.
A few questions for all of you:
1. Is this a decent method for recreating my prior iTunes experience on my new computer? Any pitfalls of which I should be aware? I'm going from 8.2 to 8.2 by the way.
2. What will happen when I try to sync my iPhone with the new computer? I want to make sure I'm not about to wipe it clean or otherwise mess it up. Again, I copied the full contents of the Music folder in my user account, so assuming my iPhone settings, backups, etc are in there, they hopefully will still work?
iTunes looks like it did before, but I'm nervous I might be deluding myself.
Thanks for the help and suggestions!

You got most of it, but you missed your backups which are in ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup. If you don't copy them, iTunes will make a new backup.
Also the software update files are elsewhere, but iTunes will download them again if needed for a restore. If you really want to move them, they are in ~/Library/iTunes/iPhone Carrier Support and iPhone Software Updates (but you don't need them unless your internet connection is dial-up and you don't want to wait for iTunes to redownload them).
BTW, the ~ symbol indicates your home account.

Permissions Issues after Transferring iTunes Library to new Mac.

My intention is to move the library off my old iMac, and keep the iTunes library on the new one, while still keeping the old iMac around. After the transfer i intend to delete the library off the old one, and use HomeSharing to utlize iTunes on both Macs. Also, the old iMac is where our family has synced ever iPod, iPhone, & iPad we've owned... I've been on the support community for almost two days now, and thought I had it figured out, but... i obviously don't. So i apologize if there is a thread that already answers this question, if so, please be kind
in the process of moving my iTunes from my old iMac (iMac7,1 - OS X 10.6.8) to my new iMac (iMac Late 2012 - OS X 10.8.5) i used the instructions on: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527. It identified how to move the library found in (on my old iMac) VolumeA/music/iTunes. I used the External Hard Drive method, only I linked up the two iMacs with an Ethernet cable (direct connect, no router) and copied the iTunes folder (as described in the instructions) to the desktop of the new iMac. Then I pasted the iTunes folder over the existing folder on the new iMac.
Now I'm having trouble with permissions on the new iMac now. At first iTunes wouldn't even open. It said I didn't have permission, or the library was in a locked file. I thought I had it figured out by going into "get info" in the iTunes folder (on the new iMac) and adjusting the permissions. which worked as far as allowing iTunes to open now (Both computers are running iTunes 11.1 (126)).
Now that i've synced my iphone 5 with the iTunes (on the new iMac) i noticed that some of the songs wouldn't sync because I don't have permission...?
Beginning to think I've screwed this whole thing up...
Also, I noticed that there is another iTunes folder, that wasn't discussed in this article: VolumeA/Library/iTunes - Do i need to copy this one over as well?
I'm such a noob at this that i'm almost embarrased to ask for some help, but PLEASE HELP!! I haven't touched my old iMac's library, and won't until
Thanks in advance for anything you can do!

It helps to know which instructions you are following. Some people follow the wrong instructions and just move media, not the whole library which consists of many files and folders. You do not do it with changing preferences.
iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the new location of the library.

How to set up iTunes library on new mac

I have a new mac and I'm wanting to set up my current Itunes library on it. I went from a PC...that is now dead. I do use an Ipad and Iphone that has my music on it...any help as to how to do this?

Copy everything from your backup copy of your old computer to the new computer.
The iphone/ipad is not a backup device. The sync is one way - computer to iphone/ipad. The exception is itunes purchases:File>Transfer Purchases

Switching library from PC itunes library to new MAC itunes library via ipod

I have a pc and itunes and a nano with an extensive library and many playlists. I just decided to switch to mac and got a new imac and plugged my nano in. I can't transfer my music and or my playlists. It gives me a dialogue box saying the nano can only have a music library on one machine and that it can sync the nano to the new machine but will only sync purchased music and will erase the rest!!!! ACCHHH - How do you transfer your music and hopefully the playlists to the new imac itunes library?
Help.

1). Connect your iPod to your computer. When you get the message that it is linked to a different library and asking if you want to link to this one and replace all your songs etc, press "Cancel". Pressing "Erase and Sync" will irretrievably remove all the songs from your iPod.
2). When your iPod appears in the iTunes source list change the update setting to manual, that will let you continue to use your iPod without the risk of accidentally erasing it. Check the "manually manage music and videos" box in Summary then press the Apply button. Also when using most of the utilities listed below your iPod needs to be enabled for disc use, changing to manual update will do this by default: Managing content manually on iPod and iPhone
3). Once you are connected and your iPod is safely in manual mode there are a few things you can do to restore your iTunes from the iPod. iTunes will only let you copy your iTunes Store purchases directly from an iPod to the computer, you'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
For everything else (music from CDs, other downloads and including iTunes purchased songs and in some cases, videos and games) there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. I use Senuti but have a look at the web pages and documentation for the others too. You can read reviews and comparisons of some of them here (you'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos and games as well):
Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers
A selection of iPod to iTunes utilities:
Senuti Mac Only (iPod Touch & iPhone compatible)
expod Mac Only (iPod Touch & iPhone compatible)
PodView Mac Only
PodWorks Mac Only
TuneAid Mac only (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
YamiPod Mac & Windows
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPodRip Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Music Liberator Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iGadget Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
Floola Mac & Windows
Music Rescue Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
TouchCopy Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
There's also a manual method of copying songs from your iPod to a Mac or PC. The procedure is a bit involved and won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's available on page 2 at this link: Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide
4). Keep your iPod in manual mode until you have reloaded your iTunes and you are happy with your playlists etc then it will be safe to return it auto-sync.
5). I would also advise that you get yourself an external hard drive and back your stuff up, relying on an iPod as your sole backup is not a good idea and external drives are comparatively inexpensive these days, you can get loads of storage for a reasonable outlay: Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive

Import iTunes Library to new Mac

My old Mac died. I have a new iMac running Mac OS 10.8.6 with iTunes 10.
I copied my iTunes library from the boot drive of my old Mac to the secondary drive in my iMac.
I then went into iTunes preference to designate the iTunes folder I copied as the "iTunes Media folder location."
Two questions,,,
1. A dialoge box popped up asking me "Would you like iTunes to move and rename the existing files in your iTunes music folder to match the "keep iTunes Music folder organized" preference?". I assume that should be a yes, correct?
2. I thought when I told iTunes where my existing iTunes library is located the library would show up in iTunes. How do I get it to show up?

You should not have needed to change any preferences. Because you did the steps in the second link (I think) it only moved where your media are stored but not everything iTunes uses to produce the window you see when you start iTunes. It left some critical files on your main drive which is why the two folder structures are not identical. You should have just copied via Finder's drag and drop the whole iTunes folder from the first drive to the second, making (as you suggest) an identical copy on the second drive with the same structure. Then start iTunes with the option key held down and guide it to the new library location.
I am not sure of the best way to correct this other than to reverse what you did the first time and then do it using a method outlined in my first link above. You were not very specific as to what exactly you did when you "copied" the iTunes library. Did you do this via the preference settings and consolidate or did you really copy the whole iTunes folder via Finder. Do you have preferences set for iTunes to manage your media for you?

What is the best way to migrate photo library to new Mac ?

Hi .... I just bought off ebay an Mac Mini 2.53Mhz running Mountain Lion . This was a great and cost effective purchase to upgrade my very tired Mac Mini 1.6 duo running Snow Leopard (still going as a second computer) .
However , I am not sure best way to transfer over my photos ?
I have a Time Capsule and I can use migration assistant
- but when doing this and choosing just photos nothing else , the process creates a new user and is a real mess on the desktop. Thus I am left with two users on the computer : and I can't access the photos from the 2.53 Mac mini user that I created for the computer , I have to log in to this restored profile. Annoying !
- I believe migration assistant linking the two macs through an ethernet cabe will give the same results
I have now purchased a firewire cable 400 to 800 , so the two macs are now linked . Would this be a cleaner way to transfer photos ? How should I set about it. I don't want to drag over any mess from the old computer ... I just want to get the photos onto the new computer and then link that to time capsule.
Thanks

Hey there cosmiconion,
It sounds like you are needing to copy over a folder containing images from your Snow Leopard computer to your newer Mountain Lion machine. You can do this by enabling File Sharing for that folder or directory, then accessing that from Finder on your newer computer, and this article will help you do that:
Mac Basics: File Sharing - Apple Support
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Regards,
Sterling

Best way to migrate iTunes Windows to new Mac?

Finally getting back to the Mac for my main computer.
Been on Windows for a zillion years (it seems) so I have a good setup on my iTunes libary and how it syncs with my iPod Touch and Classic. Many purchases as well.
What is the best way to migrate from win to mac so that I don't have to klobber settings and album artwork and re-set up my iPods from scratch? Would like to keep podcasts settings, the whole works.
Any way to do it? The file x-fer is of course trivial...but I could spend a week re-jiggering all my settings for sync and whatnot and I can't afford the time and aggravation.
Help!

Have the Apple Store do this for you or call Apple support and they will help you do it.

Restoring itunes library to new mac

I used Time Machine to back up everything from my 2008 MacBook to an external drive (via USB). When I restored the info to my New MAcBook Pro, all files are restored, except for the music library in iTunes and photos in iPhoto. I can't find an explicit restore function under Time Machine that navigates one to selectively restore specific items. I am stuck and not sure how to proceed. can anyone help?

Hey JPXMAC,
The following document is a step-by-step guide on how to restore specific items back up with Time Machine. I'd give it a read and see if following those instructions help you restore your songs and pictures:
OS X Mountain Lion: Restore items backed up with Time Machine
http://support.apple.com/kb/PH11103
Cheers,
David

I accidentally synced my mum's brand new iPad to my mac book air. A few days later I realised that my iTune library on my mac is completely gone. So is my iPhone 4s after I synced it with my mac. How do I get my old iTunes library back? Please help!

I accidentally synced my mum's brand new iPad to my mac book air. A few days later I realised that my iTune library on my mac is completely gone. So is my iPhone 4s after I synced it with my mac. How do I get my old iTunes library back? I tried using icloud on my iphone but it stated that I have never back up my phone before. So I guess my iCloud data is gone too? But I have back up my mac in my harddrive using time machine. So how do I get my old itune library back? Please help! Thanks!

1) ensure iTunes is authorized for your iTunes store account(s)
2) connect your device and right-click or control-click it in the iTunes Source list, then choose transfer purchases from the shortcut menu that appears.
3) sync the device
iTunes will wipe the iPhone but, since you transferred your purchases in the previous step, your content will be in your library and you can re-populate the iPhone with it.
above works for purchases from the iTunes store. for everything else, check out this post by Zevoneer.

How do I point iTunes on a New Mac Mini to an External iTunes Library

I have a 90 Gb (7000 tracks) iTunes Library sitting on a network drive that I want to "relocate" from my Powerbook to my new Intel Mac Mini. Or rather I want to point iTunes on the new Mac Mini to the existing Library.
How can I achive this and still retain all my ratings and other track info (ie count)?
Graham J
Melbourne, Australia

To move your songs from the network drive to the Mac Mini, add them to the iTunes on the Mac Mini, make sure that in Edit > Preferences > Advanced the default location is on the Mac Mini. Finally click Advanced > Consolidate Library. This will move the files to your Mac Mini.
On the other hand, if you want to point iTunes on the Mac Mini to the network drive, change the setting in the above preference location.

Migrate Apple Mail and iTunes to a new Mac

A friend df mine has a macBook Pro 2009 and now has bought a MacBook Por Retina.
As the old AMcBook pro is full of problems on system level I offered to help him with th emigration of some of his old data to the new machine. iPhoto data is no problems as I know which files to copy but hesitate on Apple Mail and iTunes.
I read this extensive manual http://macs.about.com/od/usingyourmac/ss/moving-apple-mail_4.htm#step-heading but it tells me also to copy the old keychain data, which is corrupt and even Key Chain First iAd can't solve.
Is it possible yo only copy Username/Library/Mail and the com.apple.mail.plist file in Username/LibraryPreferences ?
On iTunes I have want to follow theses steps to have his iPad and iPhone sync on the new Mac
1) Make sure that iTunes is not running on both Macs.
2) Disconnect your iPhone/iPod from both Macs.
3) Copy your iTunes folder: /Users/username/Music/iTunes
4) Copy your iPhone/iPod backups: /Users/username/Library/Application Support/MobileSync
5) Copy your iTunes configuration files: /Users/username/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iTunes*
6) Open iTunes on your new Mac and verify that Applications and Ringtones appear.
7) Connect your iPhone/iPod to the new Mac and accept any new authorizations.
8) Use iTunes on your old Mac to de-authorize the computer.
Your help and advice is appreciated

Is it possible yo only copy Username/Library/Mail and the com.apple.mail.plist file in Username/LibraryPreferences ?
Yes. You'll need to reenter the passwords for the mail accounts.
Your iTunes plan looks good.

Why is apple this stubborn about not creating a new iTunes library in my Mac without telling or asking me? Does it think i'm that ignorant?

Why is apple this stubborn about not creating a new iTunes library in my Mac without telling or asking me? Does it think i'm that ignorant?
After consulting all the forums, I see that Apple is not answering this simple question: so disrespectful!
Please do something about it! All it takes is to write a little code: in the "Advanced Preferences (advanced????) give us an option that just asks you IF you want to create a replacement iTunes library before doing it! is this hard for you Mac guys????? To me, and to others, many, this arrogant attitude is just disrespect. Do you know the difference between making love and rape?

OK, OK,
I read a little. I just tried the "Music alias" thing. It seems to work!!!
Thanks to whoomever wrote this.

Migrating iTunes library from Mac to Windows

Please bear with me if this is an obvious question. My brain is scrambled trying to wrap it around the problem...
Is there a way to migrate an iTunes library from a Mac to iTunes on a Windows PC, still using the same iPod, with a mix of iTunes Store files and CD burns?

Assuming you have the newest version of iTunes, using home sharing is a really easy way. Just set it up on both your Mac and PC itunes.

Migrating iTunes library to new Mac

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