Organizing itunes library

Just today I tried to add a file to my itunes library, all of a sudden my library decided to re-arrange itself. It had previously been grouped alphabetically by artist, now the songs are listed alphabetically. This is very frusturating because the artists are all over the place, and it is impossible to listen to a list of songs by the same artist without searching through my library forever for each song. Does anyone know how to switch it back?

getting your library back into alphabetical order just go to songs (titles) and click on it...it should put them back the way they were...this is an easy fix, I believe. The same thing will apply when listing by artist; you can put alphabetically from "Z" to "A" if you like, or click on artist and let it re-arrange again....try it a couple times..nothing moves or deletes...

Similar Messages

  • Organizing Itunes Library: Numbers First

    I recently updated my Itunes and afterwards the artists whose names begin with a number (2pac, 311, 50 cent...) are at the bottom of my library after "Z". I know its a little anal, but, I liked those artists in front of the "A" artists. Does anybody know how to change it back to the old way? Thanks, I appreciate the help

    This has been covered many many many many times:
    http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=4818679#4818679

  • Organizing iTunes Library onto two external disks

    I would like to keep my Music files on one external disk and the Podcasts files on another external disk.
    I understand how to designate the media files to an external disk, but am not clear how to split the two different sources between two separate libraries.

    I see. To get a better idea of what is being stored where please download and run the script iTunesInfo which should output something like this:
    I'm interested in the block of 4 results starting ITL location. If your profile name shows up somewhere replace it with <Name>.  It is also worth checking under Edit > Preferences > Advanced to see where iTunes thinks your media is supposed to go. My script estimates the setting based on the location of the first media file it can actually find.
    tt2

  • Restore Mac with time machine, consequences for itunes library

    Ok, here is the problem, if there is one. (Using SnowLeopard)
    (I want to restore my Mac because I want to install Windows 7 as additional OS. However, therefore have to install OS X once more because otherwise partitioning the disc does not work).
    I want to set up the computer completely in a new way, but with the help of time machine, so that the computer looks exactly the same as before with the only difference that I will be able to partition the hard drive afterwards.
    I am in particular concerned about how Itunes will behave in this situation:
    Since I have a very huge Itunes library and it took me a lot of time to create it, I want to be absolutely sure, that it works afterwards in exactly the same way as it does now, that means basically: Not being necessary to import any music into itunes library again, instead the music should appear in exactly the same way as I see it now when I open Itunes with all the artwork etc. This should normally be the case with time machine. But it is getting more complicated now and this challenges me regarding my itunes preferences:
    I did NOT go for "organizing itunes library by itunes" + did NOT go for "copying files to itunes library when importing music". THis basically means I use my own structure of folders, some of the music is located extern, same is located on the mac. Itunes work perfectly fine with this preferences until now. Timemachine does only back up the music located on the mac harddrive of course. However Itunes on the other hand can reach the extern music and play it in the same way as the music located on the mac. Me as a consumer, I do not realize when using itunes where the music comes from.
    So if I restore my computer and using timemachine to set it up, will itunes still work in the way it works now? In particular will itunes still know where all the different media files are located and that some of them are located extern? I do not want to import 200 albums once more. Otherwise I forgo installing Windows.
    I am not exactly sure how Itunes works and how timemachine behaves in connection with itunes (especially with my settings), thus I would rely in your help now. I would appreciate your comments. Thanks for your help.

    christian111113456 wrote:
    Thanks for the hint.
    However, does this safe my problem? When trying to partition my harddrive, it always says that a file has been changed and thus partition is not possible to proceed. So if I clone this harddrive and then reclone it back, woudn't I get the same error?
    not if you have enough space on the drive overall. the most common reason for this error is hard drive fragmentation. cloning to an external, reformatting and cloning back defrags the drive as the cloning is done on file level not block level. I thought that's what you were trying to do. doing a full system restore will achieve the same thing as it also defrags the drive. and the end result will be exactly the same if you do a full system restore or clone. why did you think doing a TM restore would work when cloning wouldn't? of course, you need enough free space overall to do it. how big is your hard drive, how much space is used and how big do you want the bootcamp partition to be?

  • Can I lock the iTunes Library?

    This is a public computer with a well-organized iTunes library.  People keep messing it up--moving files to other playlists and renaming playlists. I would like to make the whole thing read-only, so that the only one who will be able to add, move, or delete anything is the admin.  Is that do-able? 
    David

    turingtest2 wrote:
    iTunes cannot open if the database is locked. Best you can do is back up the current file, then restore if needed.
    Exactly.  I tried that. I also set the permissions of the Music foder (the one inside iTunes Media) to read-only (the admin has r/w), but that does not seem to do anything aside from keeping that folder (and all its contents) from accepting changes.  However, when I planted a couple of test mistakes within iTunes, then quit iTunes, logged out of the user, then got back in, the mistakes were still there in iTunes (although not in the Music folder).  I obviously don't know how iTunes works and where it gets its information.
    How about restoring the library?  Is that easy to do?  Or would parental controls help?  I don't want to set anything up that would hobble users' internet use, though.
    turingtest2 wrote:
    How public is public? If it is your library can you not "train" the other users of the computer to leave it alone?
    tt2
    The iTunes Library is maintained for the use of the users of the computer, and I suspect they are vandalizing it by accident.  As for training, of course.  But these are not techies.  Since they don't need to add or change anything--just listen to the files--I hoped there was a way to bullet-proof iTunes the way I can FileMaker Pro.

  • ITunes Library Analysis: Tips, Tools, Experiences

    I have always had an quirky love for personal statistics, and it has been a mostly private passion of mine to periodically analyze my iTunes library. My inner statistician takes pleasure in trending the data of my own usage habits. I have learned all kinds of interesting things about my preferences*, and the idea has recently struck me that perhaps I am not the only one who does this.
    Who here on Ars runs analyses on their iTunes library XML data? It is a geeky question, but perhaps it's made it all the more suitable for that, considering the audience.
    I have done much experimenting with library exports into Excel, into several php driven XML-compatable music communities, and with a hand full of tiny apps. My favorite tool to-date is a small Mac-only app, now defunct. It was called iTunes Statistician. It rewarded my neatly organized iTunes library with a calculation on the top 100 songs, artists, albums and genres, based on play counts. The program is now dead, but for those who may be curious, I have dug up a link with a nice summary of many other iTunes Analyzing apps.
    http://www.tunequest.org/a-look-at-itunes-statistics-options/20060904/
    It will be interesting to know if anyone here has their own favorite statistics app, or perhaps a home grown tools that is put to use for iTunes statistics, and what interesting data has been gathered out of it.
    *For example, much to my pleasure, I learned that the word "Dune" is the most common word in my iTunes Library. What a great truth I discovered there, at the hand of a little analysis.

    Happy to report that iTunes Match has returned to working like normal on iTunes 10.7 on my computer today. If any iTunes engineers read this thread, I really appreciate the fix.
    Has it returned to normal for you?

  • I'm trying to get organized and I just added a bunch of books and pdfs to my itunes library. They were all added immediately to my ipad and iphone even though, itunes automatically putting books on my idevices

    I'm trying to get organized and I just added a bunch of books and pdfs to my itunes library. They were all added immediately to my ipad and iphone even though I did not want this. I added them to itunes using add to library and I have both devices set to sync only selected books.
    How do I do this in the future so this doesnt happen? Its a lot of work to now manually erase them from each device and it sent my phone over capacity.
    thanks

    I dont see the difference in the posts. I dont think theres anything inaccurate or misleading about what I wrote. The items were immediately added to my ipad and my iphone, even though I have them both set to sync only select items. As soon as I added new titles to my itunes library, they were immediately added to the devices. Not on the next sync. Immediately. Both devices were plugged into the computer at the time. Sorry if I failed to mention they were plugged in but I dont see the signifigance youre making out of it. The problem persists anyway.
    Now that I did a test without the devices plugged in, the new items were still added as soon as I plugged my devices into the computer ( I do not have them set to sync over wifi).
    Since I have both devices set to manually select items to sync, of course I want to manually select new items to sync. For instance, I am not going to read any of these magazines or books on my phone, ever, and I dont want to waste valuable space with them.
    So I'm trying your advice:
    I just tried deselecting sync books. It erased all content from ibooks on my device. I then dragged
    one title onto the device, and it just goes back to syncing select books, with the one title selected.
    It appears that wont work to solve my issue. The next time I add something to itunes it will be put on my phone. Is this really something most people want? To select to manualy control what content is synced, but then have things automatically added. It seems inconsistent to me.

  • My itunes library has organically grown from more than one itunes account but all now on a separate computer.  If I upgrade to iTunes match will I have to pay for each account?

    My itunes library has organically grown from more than one itunes account (all paid for by me) but all now on a separate computer.  If I upgrade to iTunes match will I have to pay for each account or just once, for the computer?

    No.  Provided the computer that you use to upload / match your Songs is authorised to play all of the Songs all works well - once complete you can download Song files that will play on your libraries / other computers without each computer having to be authorised.

  • ITunes organized my library under one artiest.  My library on my PC is correctly listed.  How do I undo this action?

    iTunes organized my library under one artiest.  Now all my music is gone (actually not listed as seperate albums and artiests).  My library on my PC is correctly listed.  How do I undo this action?

    in iTunes, access your purchase history via your account in the iTunes store,   find the file in question, and click on the report a problem button. report the problem. more info in this support article. 
    clicking here  should take you directly to your iTunes store log-in window.

  • I want to remove my itunes library to a thumb make memory space - how can I make sure I keep all playlists and organizing intact?

    I want to remove my itunes library to a thumb make memory space - how can I make sure I keep all playlists and organizing intact?

    Do you mean a flash drive?  I don't know if I would trust one of those entirely.  Make sure you make a backup.
    Copy the entire iTunes folder to the flash drive.  Start iTunes while holding down the option/alt key and guide it to the library on the flash drive.  If you forget to plug in the flash drive before starting iTunes in the future you will have to do the option start thing again.

  • "keep folders organized" feature duplicated my itunes library

    I recently downloaded and installed the latest version of itunes for windows vista. During the installation, I was asked if i wanted itunes to keep my folders organized, or if I wanted to do it myself. I chose to have itunes keep my folders organized. I then closed itunes. The next time I opened itunes my library was duplicated, thus causing my library to double and preventing my ipod to load new songs, saying there is not enough space due to the duplicate songs. I looked at each of the duplicated song's info and noticed that one of the files is located in the folder "itunes library", while its duplicate is located in the folder "itunes music". I then went to both of those folders and noticed the "itunes music" folder holds a folder for each individual artist and their respective albums, while the "itunes library" folder just has every individual song file, listed alphabetically. Should I just delete one of these folders, and then remove the dead files from my library, thus removing the duplicate entries? And if so, which folder do I delete?

    If you want iTunes to keep it organized in artis/album format, then delete the other folder that has +every individual song file, listed alphabetically+.
    I'd try it on just one song first, to make sure you have it straight.

  • ITunes Library is not organized

    My itunes library seems to have suddenly been unorganized. It used to be in alphabetical order, but it seems to have broken up the library. Some are still grouped in order, but most of my songs are all out of order. How could this of happened and how can I fix it?

    Have you accidentally clicked on a different column heading that sorts your Library into a different - apparently haphazard - order? Make sure you've clicked on the Album column heading and see if that organizes things.

  • HT1473 Organizing My iTunes Library

    In my iTunes Library; How do I get all the songs from compilation albums in one folder?  

    Generally setting a common Album title and Album Artist will fix things.
    For deeper problems see Grouping tracks into albums.
    tt2

  • Sharing an iTunes Library across multiple user account and a network.

    Sharing an iTunes Music Library across multiple user accounts.
    Hello Everybody!
    Firstly, this was designed to be run in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. It will not work with earlier versions of Mac OS X! Sorry.
    Here's a handy tip for keeping your hard drive neat and tidy, it also saves space, what in effect will be done is an iTunes music library will be shared amongst multiple users on the same machine. There are advantages and disadvantages to using this method.
    • Firstly I think it might be worthwhile to state the advantages and disadvantages to using this approach.
    The advantages include:
    - Space will be saved, as no duplicate files will occur.
    - The administrator will be able to have complete control over the content of the iTunes library, this may be useful for restricting the content of the Library; particularly for example if computer is being used at and education institution, business or any other sort of institution where things such as explicit content would be less favorable.
    - The machine will not be slowed by the fact that every user has lots of files.
    The disadvantages to this system include.
    - The fact that the account storing the music will have to be logged in, and iTunes will have to be active in that account.
    - If the account housing the music is not active then nobody can use the iTunes library.
    - There is a certain degree of risk present when an administrator account must be continually active.
    - Fast User Switching must be enabled.
    Overview:
    A central account controls all music on the machine/network, this is achieved by storing iTunes files in a public location as opposed to in the user's directory. In effect the system will give all users across the machine/network access to the same music/files without the possibility of files 'doubling up' because two different users like the same types of music. This approach saves valuable disk space in this regard and may therefore prove to be useful in some situations.
    This is a hearty process to undertake, so only follow this tutorial if you're willing to go all the way to the end of it.
    Process:
    Step 1:
    Firstly, we need to organize the host library, I tidied mine up, removing excess playlists, random files, things like that. this will make thing a bit easier in the later stages of this process.
    Once the library is tidied up, move the entire "iTunes" folder from your Home directory to the "//localhost" directory (The Macintosh HD) and ensure that files are on the same level as the "Applications", "Users", "Library" and "System" directories; this will ensure that the files in the library are available to all users on the machine (this also works for networks)
    Optionally you can set the ownership of the folder to the 'administrator' account (the user who will be hosting the library.), you may also like to set the permissions of 'you can' to "Read & Write" (assuming that you are doing this through the user who will host the library); secondly you should set the "Owner" to the administrator who will be hosting the library and set their "access" to "Read & Write" (this will ensure that the administrator has full access to the folder). The final part of this step involves setting access for the "Others" tab to "Read Only" this will ensure that the other users can view but not modify the contents on the folder.
    Overview:
    So far we have done the following steps:
    1. Organized the host library.
    2. Placed the iTunes directory into a 'public' directory so that other users may use it. (this step is essential if you plan on sharing the library across multiple accounts on the same machine. NOTE: this step is only necessary if you are wanting to share you library across multiple accounts on the same machine, if you simply want to share the music across a network, use the iTunes sharing facility.
    3. set ownership and permissions for the iTunes music folder.
    Step 2:
    Currently the administrator is the only user who can use this library, however we will address this soon. In this step we will enable iTunes music sharing in the administrator's account, this will enable other users to access the files in the library.
    If you are not logged in as the administrator, do so; secondly, open iTunes and select "Preferences" from the "iTunes" menu, now click the "Sharing" tab, if "share my library on my local network" is not checked, the radio buttons below this will now become active, you may choose to share the entire libraries contents, or share only selected content.
    Sharing only selected content may be useful if their is explicit content in the library and minors use the network or machine that the library is connected to.
    If you have selected "share entire library" go to Step 3, if you have selected share "share selected playlists" read on.
    After clicking "share selected playlists" you must then select the playlists that you intend to share across your accounts and network. Once you have finished selecting the playlists, click "OK" to save the settings.
    Overview:
    In this step we:
    1. Enabled iTunes sharing in the administrator's account, now, users on the local network may access the iTunes library, however, users on the same machine may not.
    Step 3:
    Now we will enable users on the same machine to access the library on the machine. This is achieved by logging in as each user, opening iTunes, opening iTunes preferences, and clicking "look for shared music". now all users on the machine may also access the library that the administrator controls.
    This in effect will mean that the user will not need to use their user library, it will be provided to them via a pseudo network connection.
    As a secondary measure, I have chosen to write a generic login script that will move any content from the user's "Music/iTunes/iTunes Music" directory to the trash and then empties the user's trash.
    This is done through the use of an Automator Application: this application does the following actions.
    1. Uses the "Finder" action "Get Specified Finder Items"
    1a. The user's "~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music" folder
    2. Uses the "Finder" action "Get Folder Contents"
    3. Uses the "Finder" action "Move to Trash"
    4. Uses the "Automator" action "Run AppleScript"
    4a. with the following:
    on run {input, parameters}
    tell application "Finder"
    empty trash
    end tell
    return input
    end run
    IMPORTANT: Once the script is adapted to the user account it must be set as a login item. in order to keep the script out of the way i have placed it in the user's "Library" directory, in "Application Support" under "iTunes".
    Overview:
    Here we:
    1. Enabled iTunes sharing in the user accounts on the host machine, in effect allowing all users of the machine to view a single iTunes library.
    2. (Optional) I have created a login application that will remove any content that has been added to user iTunes libraries, this in effect stops other users of the machine from adding music and files to iTunes.
    Step 4:
    If it is not already enabled, open system preferences and enable Fast User Switching in Accounts Options.
    Summary:
    We have shared a single iTunes library across multiple user account, while still allowing for network sharing. This method is designed to save space on machines, particularly those with smaller hard drives.
    I hope that this hint proves to be helpful and I hope everybody will give me feedback on my process.
    regards,
    Pete.
    iBook G4; 60GB Hard Drive, 512MB RAM, Airport Extreme   Mac OS X (10.4.6)   iWork & iLife '06, Adobe CS2, Final Cut Pro. Anything and Everything!!!

    how to share music between different accounts on a single computer

  • How can I manage 1 iTunes library with 2 computers (not on same network)?

    I have 1 very large iTunes library in which I am always adding/deleting/editing songs and 2 computers (1 home, 1 laptop). I would like to be able to manage my library with my laptop when I am away from home but also be able to see any changes I made next time I open iTunes on my home computer. I tried home sharing but this seems to be more for computers on the same network. My library is much too big for iCloud. Someone suggested I hold shift when I open iTunes to select a library but even though I can select the library file I want, it doesn't populate iTunes with my changes (or any music for that matter). I'm running XP with the latest version of iTunes (10.7.0.21). Thanks

    This describes a work/home scenario.  For home/away use, edit the library directly on the portable backup when away, then sync libraries on your return.
    Sync iPod/iPad/iPhone with two computers
    Although it isn't possible to sync an Apple device with two different libraries it is possible to sync with the same logical library from multiple computers. Each library has an internal ID and when iTunes connects to your iPod/iPad/iPhone it compares the local ID with the one the device normally syncs with. If they are the same you can go ahead and sync...
    I have my library cloned to a small 1Tb USB drive which I can take between home & work. At either location I use SyncToy 2.1 to update the local copy with the external drive. Mac users should be able to find similar tools. I can open either of the local libraries or the one on the external drive and update the media content of my iPhone. The slight exception is Photos which normally connects to a specific folder on a specific machine, although that can easily be remapped to the current library if you create a "Photos" folder inside the iTunes Media folder so that syncing the iTunes folders keeps this up to date as well. I periodically sweep my library for new files & orphans with iTunes Folder Watch just in case I make changes at one location but then overwrite the library with a newer copy from the other. Again Mac users should be able to find similar tools.
    As long as your media is organized within an iTunes Music or Tunes Media folder, in turn held inside the main iTunes folder that has your library files (whether or not you let iTunes keep the media folder organized) each library can access items at the same relative path from the library folder so the library can be at different drives/paths on different machines. This solution ensures I always have adequate backups of my library and I can update my devices whenever I can connect to the same build of iTunes.
    When working with an iPhone earlier builds of iTunes would remove any file not physically present in the local library, even if there was an entry for it, making manual management practically redundant on the iPhone. This behavior has been changed but it will still only permit manual management with a library that has the correct internal ID. If you don't want to sync your library between machines on a regular basis just copy the iTunes Library.itl file from the current "home" machine to any other you want to use, then clean out the library entries and import the local content you have on that box.
    tt2

Maybe you are looking for