Missing all my playlists

I seem to be missing all my playlists and a lot of my music when I open iTunes. It seems to be showing only items in icloud. How do I get back to my on-computer library?

See Empty/corrupt library after upgrade/crash...
tt2

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ITunes suddenly missing all music, playlists, etc. HELP!

I turned on my iTunes this morning & when it opened, everything was gone. It was as if it went back to factory (original) setings. No music, no playlists, nothing. My music files are still on my external hard drive, but it's as if I have never imported them into iTunes. I did nothing between yesterday & today (did not update software, etc.). Can anything be done? How do I get all my music & playlists back on iTunes? My playlist system was extensive, so this is quite a trauma. I am lost - please help. Thanks!
IBM Thinkpad T42 Windows XP
IBM Thinkpad T42 Windows XP

First your software (Other programs not iTUnes) could of been updated without you fully knowing. Alot of software, especailly antivirus, have a "Auto update" feature of some kind where it updates itself when your PC is online.
That said, you may have a corrupt library that iTUnes can not read or it just lost its "Link" to the iTUnes Library file. In this case you will have to recreate the library by going to the link below and following the instructions
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93313

Lost all my playlists and some music - how to restore?

I'm running itunes on XP and when I booted iTunes today, all my playlists were missing and lots of music.
I don't know of any major crashes or problems with my maching, but the music is gone from iTunes. I went to "mycomputer" and actually found all the tunes, but iTunes cannot find them, and of course, I lost all the playlists. (I've got multiple playlists for each family member and 2 bands in which I play....)
Any ideas on how to restore the playlists and tunes? Why won't iTunes find the music that is actually in the iTunes music folder? I know i could probably drag all the tunes into iTunes again, and then make new playlists but it would take a lot of organizing......grrr
Also, I have almost everything saved on my iPod. Is there some way i can transfer it all back to iTunes from my iPod?
thank you,
[email protected]

Copying from iPod to Computer threads...
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=5044027&#5044027
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=893334&tstart=0
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=797432&#797432
Also these useful internet articles...
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/copying-music-from-ipod-to-co mputer/
http://www.engadget.com/2004/11/02/how-to-get-music-off-your-ipod/
http://playlistmag.com/secrets/2006/12/twowaystreet20/index.php
http://playlistmag.com/help/2005/01/2waystreet/
Patrick

Missing songs and Playlists: how to restore from Time Machine

Here's my story. I synced my iPod a week ago before vacation (and this was backed up with Time Machine). When I returned and launched iTunes, I found that all my playlists and podcasts had disappeared. I also noticed that on my iPod I had ~4500 songs; iTunes has only 4100, so I'm missing about 400 songs.
If I open up Time Machine and restore my my whole iTunes folder (in User>Music) will that, theoretically, restore all my songs?
If I've added new Music to iTunes (that wasn't in the TM backup), will those songs be over-written by the week-old backup?
It's too tedious (and not at all obvious) which songs are missing, so hoping Time Machine can come to my rescue.
Thanks!
Message was edited by: Argelius

Argelius wrote:
Here's my story. I synced my iPod a week ago before vacation (and this was backed up with Time Machine). When I returned and launched iTunes, I found that all my playlists and podcasts had disappeared. I also noticed that on my iPod I had ~4500 songs; iTunes has only 4100, so I'm missing about 400 songs.
If I open up Time Machine and restore my my whole iTunes folder (in User>Music) will that, theoretically, restore all my songs?
yes.
If I've added new Music to iTunes (that wasn't in the TM backup), will those songs be over-written by the week-old backup?
yes, they will.
It's too tedious (and not at all obvious) which songs are missing, so hoping Time Machine can come to my rescue.
You can do the following. in "view options" in iTunes add a column "date added". sort by that column and back up all the songs added since the time of the last backup. quit itunes and restore the old library and the old itunes preference file. start itunes and import the songs you've backed up.
Thanks!
Message was edited by: Argelius

For some reason all my playlists and most of my songs are no longer on my i-tunes. What happened and how do I get it back?

For some reason all my playlists and most of my songs are no longer on my i-tunes. What happened and how do I get it back?

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. Note that in iTunes 11 an "empty" library may show your past purchases with links to stream or download them.
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.
Alternatively, depending on exactly when and why the library went missing, there may be a more recent .tmp file in the main iTunes folder that can be renamed as iTunes Library.itl to restore the library to a recent state.
See iTunes Folder Watch for a tool to catch up with any changes since the backup file was created.
When you get it all working make a backup!
Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library, or a backup of it, then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
I've noticed more of these missing library posts of late and a common factor since I started asking is AVG Anti-Virus. It seems it might be at least part of the reason why the library file disappears. Try excluding the iTunes folder from any real-time scanning process.
tt2

Podcasts missing from Music Playlists

Front Row playlists used to show the same tracks as iTunes playlists, but in Leopard, Front Row fails to show podcast episodes in playlists. I just installed iTunes 8.0 and Front Row 2.1.6 on OSX 10.5.5, and the problem persists. What is the best workaround to let podcasts show up in Front Row playlists?
This question has been asked in other forums without reply, so I am hoping someone in the Front Row forum can address it:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6182636
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1542877&tstart=0
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1683207&tstart=0
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7709315
Here's my workaround in iTunes 8, but it's kludgy and only works for audio podcasts:
1. Set "Preferences > General > Import Settings..." to something sensible (I like MP3 / 16kbps mono / 11.025 kHz for small files and MP3-CD compatibility, you may prefer higher quality).
2. Change "Podcast / is true" to "Genre / is / Podcast" in all smart playlists (right-click a smart playlist name, select "Edit Smart Playlist").
3. Open a playlist with podcasts you want to work with Front Row. Use shift-click, option-click, or cmd-A to select all podcast episodes in the playlist.
4. In the Advanced menu, select Create MP3 Version or Create AAC Version (as set in prefs). Wait for iTunes to rip copies of each item.
5. To remove doubles from smart playlists, delete the originals from the main Podcast list or add "Podcast / is false" to smart playlists.
6. Select the playlist from Front Row > Music > Playlists. It should now have your podcasts.
7. Tell Apple you need Front Row to show podcasts in playlists again.
http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html
Is there a better way?

I eventually noticed that when I plugged in the iPod, the sync preferences for Podcasts were set to something "odd" - they are now set to include ALL episodes of ALL podcasts.
Even so, they remain missing from any playlist, however, they are available on the iPod from the podcast menu.
The only way I've got the podcasts to appear in a playlist on the iPod was to do Get Info > Options > Media Kind change to Music (instead of Podcast). Then it all works OK.
iTunes 8 showed no such problems.

Missing songs from playlists after moving to a new mac

Bought a new imac 5k. On my old Mac (Pro) I saved the library.xml file in order to save all my playlists (about 70), rather than save each individual playlist file (which would have taken too long.)
Moved the library.xml file to my imac, "added to playlist", and it brought over all my old playlists. Cool, right?
Nope. Many of them are missing songs now. I wrote down how many songs wee in each playlist on the Mac Pro before cleaning it out, and the same new playlist on my imac has a wrong/smaller song count.
Now, I have to try and figure out which ones I'm missing? Ugh. Why didn't ALL of the the sings on each playlist transfer over? Any idea how to fix this? Running Yosemite 10.10.1.

You can't install Adobe applications by copying from a backup.
Start by cleaning out all the CS apps using Adobe Cleaner Tool:
Use the CC Cleaner Tool to solve installation problems | CC, CS3-CS6
Then download a new installer from here:
Other downloads

ITunes has lost all my playlists!

...and Party Shuffle is missing as well (I presume since it has no playlists from which to shuffle as the pre-loaded pl's are also missing) but all the actual music seems to be intact. I think this happened after the second-to-last update- 7.4.3 has given me no problems other than it did not help iTunes restore my lists nor did it help me figure out how to do so. My iPod (5thG Video) is working fine and I can go indefinitely w/out syncing it- don't want to lose all my work on that as well- but if I can't convince iTunes that I have playlists, can it pull all that stuff off my iPod if necessary? I never find what I'm really looking for when I try to use the manual or articles....
TIA anyone with an idea about this!

I don't know if you've tried using the old library file - every time itunes is upgraded it saves the old library file in a separate folder. Maybe the new file got corrupted somehow? Although if you upgraded after you lost your playlists this might not work. The itunes playlists are saved in the library file, unless you exported them or recently made a CD backup of your itunes library. You can try this if you haven't already:
1. Close itunes and go into the itunes folder (usually my music>itunes) and look for the 'itunes library.itl' file. Move this onto your desktop. Leave the 'itunes music library.xml' file where it is.
2. Also in the itunes folder you should see a 'previous itunes libraries' folder - open this. You might only see one file; if you see more than one use the file from the date you noticed the problem. Copy this file into the itunes folder to replace the one you just moved, then change the name to just 'itunes library' or 'itunes library.itl'.
3. Try opening itunes now - you should see everything the way it was at the time of upgrading, but if itunes only saves the most recent library you may have lost the playlists ....:(
If there is another way to restore playlists I haven't found it yet - I lost my playlists about a month ago because I didn't know how the library file worked, and I was going between 7.4.3 and 7.3.2 and I must have overwritten the old library file. After that I found on the apple website how to do it correctly.
If that didn't work and you have a disc backup of your itunes you can try opening the contents of the discs in windows so you can see what files are on there, and look for a copy of your old library file and copy that into the itunes folder in step #2 instead. But don't restore from the backup discs in itunes if your music is still showing up - when I tried that I got duplicates of whatever music files were on the discs.
There is also a program called copytrans that you can use to copy the music and supposedly your playlists off your ipod back onto your computer, but I didn't have any luck with that; again I just got duplicates of my song files and not the playlists themselves. And the free version only does 100 songs at a time.
If I've learned anything from this experience, it's to save a copy of the library file before doing any updates because it's a lot easier than all this copying stuff - you just go under File>Export Library and save the file somewhere. Then if you have any problems you can just import that file and all your playlists will be restored.

What happened to my playlists? I just loaded version 11.0.4.4 and all my playlists and songs uploaded from CDs to iTunes disapeared!!!!

what happened to my playlists? I just loaded version 11.0.4.4 and all my playlists and songs uploaded from CDs to iTunes disapeared!!!!

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. Note that in iTunes 11 an "empty" library may show your past purchases with links to stream or download them.
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 as iTunes Library (Corrupt) 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.
Alternatively, depending on exactly when and why the library went missing, there may be a more recent .tmp file in the main iTunes folder that can be renamed as iTunes Library.itl to restore the library to a recent state.
See iTunes Folder Watch for a tool to catch up with any changes since the backup file was created.
When you get it all working make a backup!
Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library, or a backup of it, then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
tt2

All my playlists have gone inc. the ones that come with itunes - why???

I opened itunes today and for no apparent reason all my playlists have disappeared - even the recently played, recently added etc. The only one it didnt delete was Party shuffle. I don't know how to get them back and I really want them!! It's taken me ages to build up my playlists and I cant understand why they have suddenly disappeared. It didnt go wrong due to a recent upgrade or me fiddling around - they were literally there one day and gone the next. I still have all my music tho. Is there any way to get them back?? I particularly miss my recently played list! Also I dont want to attach my ipod in case it get rid of the playlists that are on there too. Help!

Well, I sure can't answer the why, but I've been there too!
I found software called Senuti that will copy a playlist from an iPod back into iTunes, without copying all the music files back in if they're already there. It sure felt like a lifesaver to me!
Just make sure you have iTunes set to manually manage your music so it won't update the iPod automatically.
Good luck!
~cat

"songs..can't be updated b/c all the playlists for updating no longer exist

My Ipod was "off power" for so long that it "forgot" all its music. Now when I plug it in to my base computer, rather then synching it says "songs on the ipod "name" cannot be updated because all the playlists for updating no longer exist"

Hey.
See if this can help;
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=121728&tstart=150
Cheers!
-Bryan

I have all my music on an external hard drive. I just transferred all my files to a new hard drive . How do I sync all my files with my itunes library without losing all my playlists etc and keep everything intact?

I have all my music on an external hard drive. I just transferred all my files to a new hard drive . How do I sync all my files with my itunes library without losing all my playlists etc and keep everything intact?

Launch iTunes with the Option key held down, click on Choose Library, and specify it. If the external drive doesn't contain the iTunes database files, create a new library there and import that music.
If the library contains any rented movies, they won't play on a different computer.
(109334)

I just updated the new iTunes and now all my playlists are gone!! What the heck?!

All my playlist are gone from itunes with the new update. If I click on "sync" it asks me to erase all my music and videos... Is there a way to avoid doing this? Thanks.

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 iTunes Folder Watch for a tool to catch up with any changes since the backup file was created.
When you get it all working make a backup!
In the unlikely event that your media has been wiped from your computer see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device.
tt2

"all my music is unchecked. I can not check whole playlists by using the top checkmark to select all. I went to all my playlists, same thing. I can only press them ONE at a time, which will take about a day to check all of them." Please help.Windows7

"While in MY MUSIC on itunes, all my music is unchecked. I can not check whole playlists by using the top checkmark to select all. I went to all my playlists, same thing. I can only press them ONE at a time, which will take about a day to check all of them.
any ideas? anyone have same problem? This just happened since last update." I have windows7

Thanks A Lot! I should have clicked: "This solved my question" But Thanks all the same!

Songs on the iPod can't be synced because of all the playlists selected for

when i plug my iPod in a message pops up and says "songs on the iPod can't be synced because of all the playlists selected for syncing no longer exist"
i've read what other people have put on this topic and when i click on the music tab under my iPod nothing happens. please help!
Gateway Windows XP

You get this problem when the option 'Sync Music - Selected playlists' is being used to sync your iPod and then the playlist it has been updating from is deleted. Most people use this setting when the iPod is smaller than the iTunes library. If your library is larger than the capacity of your iPod, iTunes by default makes a new playlist called something along the lines of "Owner's iPod". If you for any reason delete it, you will not be able to sync your iPod.
Open iTunes and create a playlist to update your iPod from, call it -iPod to make it the first playlist in Sources. You can make this a normal playlist and drag whatever you want to it or you can make it a random Smart playlist. If you are making a smart playlist limit it to just less than the size of your iPod (for example 3700MB for a 4G iPod Nano). Now connect your iPod and when it appears in the Source list click on the iPod icon to bring up the preference tabs in the main pane. Go to the Music tab and choose Sync Music and the Selected playlists radio button. Choose the playlist you just made from the selection and click Apply. You can also sync from any existing playlists by choosing the same setting, you just need to make sure that the size of the playlists don't exceed the capacity of your iPod:
iTunes: Creating playlists of your favorite songs
How to create a Smart Playlist with iTunes
To make a random playlist go to File>New Smart Playlist.
Uncheck "Match the following rule"
Check "Limit to" put "3700" in the number box, choose "MB" from the first list box, choose "Random" from the next list box. Check "Live Updating"
When you want to change the selection in the playlist just delete everything in it and it will add a new selection

Missing all my playlists

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