Same library on 2 computers?

i have an extensive library on my desktop computer that i'd like tto transfer to my notebook. is there an easy way to do this?

There are a number of things you could do. One would be to network the to computers and transfer your iTunes folder from one to another. Here are a few links that may help you out:
New PC & moving itunes library
iTunes: Copying music between authorised computers with iTunes for Windows
Moving your iTunes Music Folder
If you have an iPod it is possible to use it as a removable hard drive and move the folder with it, though it would be a slower process than networking the computers.
How to use your iPod to move your music to a new computer

Similar Messages

Using the same library with multiple computers over a network Use Aperture

Hi Everyone. I am researching some cataloguing/editing programs to recommend one to my boss, and I was wondering if it was possible to use the same library between multiple computers on a network. Does anyone know if this is possible? This may be what makes or breaks the decision on whether or not to go with Aperture as we need a program that can access a large database of photos on multiple computers.
Thank you.

Welcome to the forum.
You can do it, but...
It's not supported by Apple.
Performance won't be great unless you're running a really fast network.
If more than one person tries to access the Library at one time you're likely to end up with a corrupted database, and there's no code in Aperture to limit access to one person at a time.
The Library must be stored on an HFS+ volume - don't even try putting it on a FAT32-formatted drive.
If you want 'proper' multi-concurrent-user network-enabled cataloguing software you're looking into a whole different level of investment than the low price of Aperture - think more in terms of thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars.
Ian

Can I have the same library on two computers?

I would like to run iTunes off two computers..work and home with my same library. Can I? How?
Thank you much

I have seen the same info in a few different threads, but I'm still confused. My daughter has ITunes on an older computer, and wants to back up all the info for a new computer. I have ITunes on my computer, and tried to save her files on a flash drive (1 GB) and here's what happened: When I save either or both the .xml or .itl files, and tried to import them to my itunes, I got folders but no songs. When I saved the ITunes Music folder, that gave me the songs, but its more than 1 GB, so I guess I need more flash drives. [However, I was able to import a song that had been downloaded from a CD onto my daughter's computer while the drive was in place on my computer, but when the drive was gone, so was the song......is that always the case?] Do I need to copy the entire ITunes folder (including the .xml, .itl and Music) to the flash drive, and then copy that to the hard drive on the new computer? Help!

How do I sync the same library between two computers?

I have an iMac and a Macbook Air, and I am constantly buying music betwen the two computers, and my iPhone. I want to be able to sync up my iPhone on both computers, but it keeps telling me I have to resync my entire phone, which is just crazy. How can I sync up itunes? I have .mac to sync my contacts, mail, etc.

I have an iMac and a Macbook Air, and I am constantly buying music betwen the two computers
Constantly? The MacBook Air is brand new.
Even if you sync iTunes between two computers With something like this -> syncOtunes, you will still get this message if you sync to the other computer. The libraries may be have the same music but they are not the same library.

Share and Sync same library from 2 computers wirelessly

Hello,
I am trying to have the same library between my laptop and desktop wirelessly. I want to be able to update my ipod w/ other song on the go, on the desktop at home, and share the same library. Is there another way besides just sharing the music and then not being able to have it in the actual library? Thanks for all the help!

If your photos and catalog file are on an external HD, then you would have to bring the external HD wherever you want and PSE will work, provided that the drive letters are the same on both computers. (Example, if the external HD is E:\ on your home computer, it would have to be E:\ on the other computer).
You can move the catalog file and everything else in that folder via Windows. If you need to move the photos, this must be done in PSE (Folder Location View).

Can I access the same library from 2 computers?

I just purchased and installed Photoshop Elements 10 on my main computer at home. Awesome tool!
I just loaded up over 25,000 pictures taken over the last 12 years and am slowly going through the task of tagging them. My question is as follows:
If install on a second computer, how do I access the library from the main computer? I am thinking that I can tag come pics during my lunch hour and get through this faster at the office but how do I move the library from one computer to the next?
I don't think the library is actually "moveable". Does it not just sort what is already on my main computer?
All suggestions welcome!

If your photos and catalog file are on an external HD, then you would have to bring the external HD wherever you want and PSE will work, provided that the drive letters are the same on both computers. (Example, if the external HD is E:\ on your home computer, it would have to be E:\ on the other computer).
You can move the catalog file and everything else in that folder via Windows. If you need to move the photos, this must be done in PSE (Folder Location View).

Syncing the same library from two computers

If I have both computers with the same music for each library, can I somehow sync from both of them?

As Katrina says the iPod family is designed to sync with a single library. I clone my library to a portable drive using SyncToy 2.0, a free tool from MS. I run this both at home & work so that I essentially have three identical copies of my library for backup redundacy, any of which I can use to update my iPods. I use iTunes Folder Watch occasionaly in case I've managed to download, for example, a podcast at one location but overwrite the library with a newer copy updated at the other. It can be done but you need to take considerable care...
tt2

Can I have the same iTunes library on two computers?

I have an iMac and a Macbook Pro with two different iTunes libraries. I want to have the same library on both computers with playlist and all, so that if I do anything on the iMac, the macbook will sync. Anybody who can tell me if this is possible and how to do it? I also have a timecapsule if that matters?

Hello henrik100,
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Home Sharing in iTunes is designed to let you easily share your iTunes media libraries between up to five computers in your household.
For more information, take a look at:
iTunes: Setting up Home Sharing on your computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4620
Understanding Home Sharing
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3819
Have a nice day,
Mario

Syncing the same iTunes library among multiple computers

I have two computers, a Windows 7 laptop and a new iMac. iTunes on both computers are signed into the same Apple ID. I currently have my iTunes library on my laptop, but I would like to also have the exact same library on my iMac. For instance, if I download a new podcast to my laptop, it should be placed on my iMac as well. When I delete the podcast, it should be deleted on the iMac too. When song metadata is updated on my laptop (play count, lyrics, etc), I want it updated on the iMac automatically.
I have not had much experience with Home Sharing, but would that do all of this automatically? I know I could manually transfer songs from one computer to the other using Home Sharing, but what about updated metadata or deleting files?
iCloud has made this situation more interesting. I know iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match will keep music files in sync among various devices (including metadata?), but what about podcasts or movies or files not purchased via iTunes? I know there are plenty of details that are yet to be released concerning iCloud, but do you think it will solve this problem entirely, or will manual labor be required to obtain the exact same library among multiple computers?
I have considered only using my iMac to maintain my library, since it is always on and I could use Home Sharing to listen to music on my laptop since they are on the same Wifi network. However, I feel it would be best to keep the same library on two computers for when I take my laptop on vacation away from my home network.
What would you suggest for this situation?
Thanks!

sorry about the slight irrelevence of this post on this thread....i saw this much older post you had in my explorations and it is almost to a "T" my issue currently and i was wondering if you ever came to a conclusion or had any tips or resolution paths i could explore. your original message:
     I have 2 computers I'd like to set up Home Sharing on. One is Windows XP and the other is Windows 7.
     I set it all up but then the libraries never show up. Nothing happens.
     The computers are on the same network and I can successfully share files and a printer. Both computers are      authorized using the same account. Both are signed into that account.
     I don't know why it's not working. Can you please help?
          Thanks!!
is EXACTLY my problem with the only variable being that both of my computers run 7. furthermore, you went on to say you were experiencing issues with the "remote" app. that was the initial objective for me in my system that got me here with a deeper problem with home share. i want to home share my itunes library and control it from my iPod touch 4g. is that such an unreasonable request?!?!? lol. i'm incredibly frustrated and was hoping that since you had such specifically similar circumstances....have you found a solution? PLEASE HELP!!! thank you so much for your time.

Can I have same Itunes library in two computers?

I would like to have the same library in two computers.
If I use home share to import the whole library, Does that mean the library will disappear from the "old" computer? or
Will I be able to keep the same library in both computers?
What will happens when I add music to one of the libraries? Will they update? or Do I have to do it manually? Can playlist be imported from home share too? and can I have same playlists in the two computers?
Thanks!

Again without firsthand experience my understanding is iTunes copies (not moves) just the media from the Home Shared drive and adds it to your other library as a new item. It will not affect the original library.
As for syncing idevices, they are intended to sync with just the original library and only one library at a time. Apple deliberately designed it this way, and not so you could plug them into a new computer and transfer the contents from the device to the computer (see exception below). More information:
Some of the information below has subsequently appeared in a document by turingtest2: Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
Your i-device was not designed for unique storage of your media. It is not a backup device and media transfer was planned with you maintaining a master copy of your media on a computer which is itself properly backed up against loss. Syncing is one way, computer to device, updating the device content to the content on the computer, not updating or restoring content on a computer. The exception is iTunes Store purchased content.
iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848 - only purchases from iTunes Store
For transferring other items from an i-device to a computer you will have to use third party commercial software. Examples (check the web for others; this is not an exhaustive listing, nor do I have any idea if they are any good):
- Senuti - http://www.fadingred.com/senuti/
- Phoneview - http://www.ecamm.com/mac/phoneview/
- MusicRescue - http://www.kennettnet.co.uk/products/musicrescue/
- Sharepod (free) - http://download.cnet.com/SharePod/3000-2141_4-10794489.html?tag=mncol;2 - Windows
- Snowfox/iMedia - http://www.mac-videoconverter.com/imedia-transfer-mac.html - Mac & PC
- iexplorer (free) - http://www.macroplant.com/iexplorer/ - Mac&PC
- Yamipod (free) - http://www.yamipod.com/main/modules/downloads/ - PC, Linux, Mac [Still updated for use on newer devices? No edits to site since 2010.]
- 2010 Post by Zevoneer: iPod media recovery options - https://discussions.apple.com/message/11624224 - this is an older post and many of the links are also for old posts, so bear this in mind when reading them.
Syncing to a "New" Computer or replacing a "crashed" Hard Drive - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3141 - dates from 2008 and some outdated information now.
Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide - http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/copying-music-from-ipod-to-co mputer/ - Information about use in disk mode pertains only to older model iPods.
Get Your Music Off of Your iPod - http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Get_Your_Music_Off_of_Your_iPod - I am not sure but this may only work with some models and not newer Touch, iPhone, or iPad.
Additional information here https://discussions.apple.com/message/18324797

Sharing aperture library between two computers in same house

How do I go about sharing the same library between two computers in the same house? I would like to take some or all photos around with me on my laptop and be able to have them also at home for use by my family. Will I have trouble with changes and keeping things in sync? Would I locate the library on a portable drive on our home network? Thanks,
Todd

cut and dry ???
are you wanting to constantly move the external around from machine to machine ??? or are you looking for simultaneous access ???
if you had a library on an external and moved it between computers, it could work ... just be careful to always have the external connected before starting aperture, else it will create a new null library for you ...
you could have db issues if you tried to have two people access it at once ... i dont believe that the aperture db could handle multi access at once ... not robust enough ... no locking of records, etc ...

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

HT1364 I used these instructions to move my i-tunes library to the external hard drive that two different home pc's access. My playlists do not show on both Is it possible to have one i-pod synch amid two different computers that use the same library?

I have a sole i-pod and two pc's, used the instructions for "iTunes for Windows: Moving your iTunes Media folder" in the hope that I could synch my one i-pod between two different computers that are sharing the same library. Is it possible to have two seperate computers that only share an external hard drive (one wireless, one not) ? When I am looking at a shared library should it appear the same on both machines (ie: playlists/ purchased list etc)?

If it is moved correctly, playlists will display on both computers and it should be possible.
Close iTunes.
Hold <SHIFT> and launch iTunes.
When prompted to create a new or open an existing iTunes library point iTunes to the iTunesLibrary.itl file on the external drive.
The entire library should now show up with all playlists and playcounts.
Do this on both computers.
Keep in mind that only one computer can access iTunes at a time, otherwise errors will occur when each computer attempts to write to or update the iTunesLibrary.itl file.
Syncing may work seemlessly with both computers, but honestly syncing is designed to work with one and only one computer.

Can i have my itunes library on 2 computers at the same?

i have a burning question thats needs a very thorough explination. i want my itunes library on my desktop and laptop so when i'm on my desktop i can listen to it on there and when i'm out and about i can listen to it on my laptop. if this possible can someone explain to me how it's done as i don't want to acidently wipe my library if you know what i mean.
thanks for all your comments in advance.

I hope you don't mind me throwing a curve ball into this discussion... It should be a fairly simple matter to copy your library from one computer to the other. The tricky bit is keeping the two copies up to date with each other. I've written about this before, primarily with a view to being able to update devices from each computer, so perhaps this will be useful to you too.
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 organised within an 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 organised) 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.
In your case you could use a shared folder on one computer in place of the external drive, but you could use the SyncToy tool to keep the two folders in sync with each other rather than trying to do that part by hand which is almost impossible...
tt2

Use same Aperture 3 Library on two computers

Hi folks, haven't found a solid answer on this searching so thought I'd give it a post.
I'm using Aperture 3 as my main workflow/management tool on my 15" MBP. My library is getting large enough that I'm going to be in danger of running out of space soon, and could use the performance boost that a desktop would provide.
My question is: Can I use the same Aperture Library on my MBP on a second Mac? Something along the lines of sharing my Pictures folder from one and pointing Aperture to the library on the second.
That way I keep everything in the same library but still usable on two computers (notebook / desktop).

What you describe is technically possible, and I haven't tried it myself, but I'm almost certain that you'll notice a performance hit working with your library over a network. I could be wrong, though. What I had been doing was to save my Aperture library on an external drive (I have a LaCie Rugged 500GB) that I could plug in to either my MacBook Pro or my iMac and work on it from either machine. Of course, if you're like me, and carry that drive and laptop everywhere, you'll want to make sure you have a current backup of your library that you can fall back on in case the worst happens.
The workflow I'm moving to now, because of Aperture 3's new syncing/merging features, is to have my main library on my iMac at home (on 1TB external drive), and smaller, more manageable libraries that I can use with the laptop, and sync back to the mothership when I get home.

Same library on 2 computers?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for