Share one iTunes library on MAC and Windows

I want to be able to share one iTunes library that will be on a server between a MAC and a WIndows machine. I know you have to rename one of the library files but not sure about how to go about it. It will be a brand new library. Not moving anything. Anyone have any ideas or know how to go about doing this?

The main library should be library.itl
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management

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Can I share one iTunes Library between 2 different Windows Users?

I'm having syncing issues (discussed in a different post) with using my 2nd Gen Shuffle and 30G iPod video from the same instance of iTunes. Previously I tried creating a 2nd user on my Windows PC and using my Shuffle with another instance of iTunes loaded by the 2nd user. This worked fine, but I would like to avoid the necessity to rip my CDs to both user's iTunes instances.
Can I rip my CDs to only one of the iTunes instances and share this iTunes Library between both instances of iTunes?
Thanks for any assistance......
TIC

Can I rip my CDs to only one of the iTunes instances and share this iTunes Library between both instances of iTunes?
Have a look at this article in the Apple Knowledge Base and let us know if it brings you any combination of joy and/or satisfaction.

Share one iTunes library on a SMB share between PC & Mac

Hi,
Is there anyway I can share one iTunes library and the music files on a SMB share between a PC and a Mac? I assume there would be a problem with how the Mac and PC assign network drives differently would be an issue, or is there a way around this?
At the moment I'm only sharing the music files on the SMB share but with separately iTunes library on the PC and Mac.

I have itunes match. its good but its not perfect. it downloads wrong versions of songs. for example it downloads the censored version of many of my songs. plus it doesnt do podcasts, movies, tvshows, books.
plus it doesnt show my smart playlists in the same track order as on my computer. its good but it has bugs and shortcomings.
thanks for the suggestion but i'd like to try the way i initially posted about.

Can I share one iTunes Library with multiple computers on a network?

Can I share one iTunes Library with multiple computers on a network?
note: one library universally shared, not Home Sharing (one library each, shared to each.)
I want to share one library stores on my server and access it through various local computers. When I buy a song from a computer (non-server), I want it to be added to the library (stored on server). I want it to auto copy to my server, for organization. I want to be able to sync my phone from any computer.
Most of this I can do, if i figure out how to use one universal library for all my computers.
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eyeinit,
You can authorize your iTunes account on up to 5 computers at a time.
However, purchased music is downloaded to the first machine to download it, but these articles have more information on moving your music between authorized computers:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93063
This one is for moving all your music using an iPod as a storage drive
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300173
Hope this helps,
Nathan C.

Can two apple TV's in the same house share one itunes library?

Can two apple TV's in the same house share one itunes library and play different movies at the same time?

I have two ATV G2 and one ATV G1 at home with the same iTunes library. I have played two different movies in the ATVs. One interesting thing you get is that you can start one movie and pause it and then you can continue playing it in the other ATV. The iTunes controls where you pause or stop the movie.
Agree that bandwidth is the limit here and probably the server throughput. But, so far I haven't experienced any problem.

How to share one iTunes library with multiple computers AND Apple TV? Help?

It seems like my dilemma may not be easily solved. Hopefully it isn't as complicated as I think it will be. Here's the situation:
My wife hates that, in order to see or do anything with the images she takes, I need to have iPhoto open on my computer (Mac Pro), and she then has to connect to it over sharing.
By the same token, I don't like that she buys iTunes content on her MacBook, which is sometimes a duplicate of content I already have. Now that the App Store is out, that is going to start getting really expensive.
So instead, I want us to be able to:
1) Have ONE iTunes library on the network, and ONE iPhoto library. Both of these would be accessible to any computer on the network. When you launch iTunes, you would get all the media that is in that library.
2) Both be able to access iTunes at the same time to listen to / watch content.
3) Both be able to purchase iTunes content, and when it it purchased, it updates that single library. If I buy a song, the next time my wife fires up iTunes, that song is there for her to listen to.
4) Have our two Apple TV units be able to play content from this library.
So, I know that we need something on the network. I have a Drobo with DroboShare, so that is one option. I also have a spare Mac Pro laying around, along with a copy of OS X Leopard Server.
I just don't know what route we should take with this. All I want is for us to share a library, to be able to both use that library, for us to be able to sync content from that library to our portable devices, and for our Apple TVs to also see that library.
Possible?!

I'm sort of in the same boat. We've got an iMac with separate User Accounts set up and are currently sharing the same iTunes and iPhoto libraries along with streaming them to our Apple TV.
Right now I'm the only one with an iPod, however she'll be getting one in a couple of weeks.
We also just picked up a MacBook yesterday and I'd like to be able to sync certain libraries like iTunes and iPhoto so that no content gets duplicated on either the iMac or MacBook and so that we both have access to the current libraries for each program on our iPods and AppleTV.
I have an external hard drive that I back up the iMac on and I assume I could manually keep things current with that but there's got to be an easier way...that's why these are Macs right?
Bill

Two iPods share one iTunes Library, one ipod won't get music uploaded

I share an iTunes library and one of the iPods won't sync with iTunes and let music get uploaded on it. It used to work, but now it doesn't. Does anyone know how I can get the iPod to sync and get music uploaded on it? Thanks,

ha i just figured it out sorry

Can I share one iTunes library on two Macbooks

I have two Macbooks and would like to have the same iTunes library on both. Is this possible??

Can I rip my CDs to only one of the iTunes instances and share this iTunes Library between both instances of iTunes?
Have a look at this article in the Apple Knowledge Base and let us know if it brings you any combination of joy and/or satisfaction.

Using one iTunes library with Vista and XP on a single PC

Since I have converted my whole CD collection into AAC, my iTunes library
is quite large. I have now installed Vista on a second partition as dual-boot
with my old XP. I would like to access my iTunes library with both OSs - but can (and how) this be done ? I already changed the location in both Itunes to the same path, but the second iTunes running under Vista isnt able to import the songs.
Any hints?
Thanks in advance,
Andy

It's the "itunes library.itl" file in Windows, and the same thing without the itl file extension on Macs.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
You might be able to get it to update both copies in each partition with something like TuneRanger or SuperSync. That would run into some money, esp a Tune Ranger license for both Mac and Windows.
Why not put your ITL file on a USB stick or external hard drive, and run your itunes library from that? You can tell the Mac to use the .itl for iTunes by changing properties on it. That's what I did so I can sync my iPods from either my XP PC or Mac and not get that dratted message about "iPod synced to another library".

One Itunes library for Ipod and touch

I have a 5th generation Ipod and plan on upgrading to the Ipod touch. Can I keep my one itunes library for both devices or does each device have to have its own itunes account/library?

You can't do that.
And before you decide to store any music that you own on a computer at work, talk to your IT department. Many organizations do not permit it for legal reasons. Standard policies are that anything stored on company owned computers is the property of the company. It could not be legally stored on their machines unless you transfer the licenses and all copies, physical and digital, to the company, meaning you no longer own the music. If they were to be audited and could not prove that they own the music, they would be subject to copyright violation penalties. Just use your iPod when you're at the office if you want to listen to music.

How to Share One iTunes Media Folder on a Windows Laptop and Mac Laptop

I have an HP EX490 Home Server setup. I want to use the Music Share volume to act as the home for all of our music. I am using a MacBook Pro and my wife is using a Dell Windows Vista Laptop. I have my iTunes pointing to the iTunes Media Folder on the Music Share. The iTunes Library resides on my laptop in Music/iTunes/Library. I used the consolidate library feature and it moved all the music to the appropriate iTunes folder on the Share. Now I want to do that with the Windows Vista Laptop. I have the Vista laptop pointing to the Share for the iTunes Media folder location. The question is how do I add the files to her library? Do I "consolidate library" again or just "add folder to library"? Also do I keep the boxes checked "Keep iTunes Media folder organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library" under the Advanced Tab in Preferences? Would greatly appreciate the help. Lots of music/videos and only want to do this once.
Thanks in Advance
Tom

Tom DePrenda wrote:
I used the consolidate library feature and it moved all the music to the appropriate iTunes folder on the Share.
Good!
I have the Vista laptop pointing to the Share for the iTunes Media folder location.
Good!
The question is how do I add the files to her library?
Go to your File menu and use the command Add Folder to Library. When the dialog comes up, point it to the Music folder in the Share area. But read on first...
Also do I keep the boxes checked "Keep iTunes Media folder organized"
You must turn off the "Keep..." option. Otherwise, when one of you changes a tag, iTunes will re-"organize" and the other person's iTunes will lose the link.
The "Copy..." option should also be turned off. As you add new music, put it where you want it. Then you must "Add File to Library" from each iTunes.

HT1203 If I have two users on my Mac can I share one iTunes library without doubling my music collection.

I am just trying to figure out the best way to share my mac with my wife and sync her iphone as well. right now i just use my account for everything but want to possibly create here a user account on the mac so that her icloud can be there with her contacts. I then would use itunes under her account but do not want to have all my music on my hard drive twice. I also want to add new music to my itunes and have it also show up in hers. Is there a way to do this?

This is on a Mac? You posted in the iTunes for Windows forum.
iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203 - relocating iTunes' media folder to a shared area but leaving separate library files - extra tip at https://discussions.apple.com/message/17331189
Chris CA's instructions on sharing one iTunes music library between multiple user accounts - https://discussions.apple.com/message/8974074 - Multiple users using a single library file - similar post at: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3753008
- Note that if you have two copies of iTunes running at the same time with any shared content, unexpected thing may happen because a library file cannot be opened by two accounts at the same time. You're also open to any vagaries the other person will have about deleting or adding files, or making playlists, ratings, etc.

Sync library with mac and Windows, iTunes 12

Hi everyone,
I recently got my iPhone 6, running iOS 8.1.2. I have a mac and a Windows computer and I want to sync libraries on both without having to erase them. The fixes I found on the internet are either for those who have two of the same platform, either mac or Windows, or are for the older versions of iTunes. Third party sync apps didn't work. I don't know where in the new iTunes files the library ID is saved so I can make duplicates. I'm pretty hopeless. Any suggestions?

Supposedly there is a hidden library ID that is used when syncing but if you change the ID on a second library to match the first one it won't make it the same library. If you really want the same library on both computers there are a number of ways to do it, but not the brainless Star-Trek computer type solution where you just wish it and it just appears.
The only true way to achieve this is to use exactly the same library with both computers. This might be achieved through using a common external hard drive or network drive. Oh, I guess you could keep on copying it back and forth between the two computers too.
I have never needed to do any of this so I can only make suggestions. You could create a library and then copy it to the other computer. It may establish with the same ID. The only thing is if you then start modifying the library and the two drift apart in content, playlists, ratings, etc. They may still both sync but obviously things won't match any longer and if you add one new song to your library one one computer it may end up doing major syncing with the phone.

How to have three Windows laptops share one iTunes library stored on a networked external drive?

We just replaced our one desktop PC with three laptops. Each laptop wants to access the same iTunes library, which now resides on an external drive connected to the network via our router. How can this be done, and if one laptop adds a file to the library, will the other two see it?

Tom DePrenda wrote:
I used the consolidate library feature and it moved all the music to the appropriate iTunes folder on the Share.
Good!
I have the Vista laptop pointing to the Share for the iTunes Media folder location.
Good!
The question is how do I add the files to her library?
Go to your File menu and use the command Add Folder to Library. When the dialog comes up, point it to the Music folder in the Share area. But read on first...
Also do I keep the boxes checked "Keep iTunes Media folder organized"
You must turn off the "Keep..." option. Otherwise, when one of you changes a tag, iTunes will re-"organize" and the other person's iTunes will lose the link.
The "Copy..." option should also be turned off. As you add new music, put it where you want it. Then you must "Add File to Library" from each iTunes.

Ideal network to share 2TB iTunes library with mac mini and iMacs by wifi?

Greetings,
Just made the move from pc to apple world. First time poster. Please feel free to suggest if this topic is better suited in another area.
I am looking for an ideal means of sharing my music library (+/- 1.5TB size) from my mac mini with my 2 kids iMacs.
The mac mini has an internal 80GB SSD and 4 GB RAM. It connects via ethernet to my Netgear WNDR 3700 wifi a/b/n router which connects to a Docsis 3 modem. Speed and signal strength is great.
My music library is currently backed up on a Seagate USB desktop HDD. My interim plan is to use USB to connect it to the mini. Long term plan is to migrate to a NAS system.
The kids iMacs (1x 2006 model with core duo and 1 x 20008 with core 2 duo) both run snow leopard 10.6.3 and access wifi signals for internet. Wifi signals ~16-20 Mbps strength.
Is there prefered method to share the music library with the kids by wifi? Only one way? do I need to add airport devices, or? It would be extremely difficult to provide ethernet to their rooms.
Thanks
Kenreau

kenreau wrote:
It would be extremely difficult to provide ethernet to their rooms.
have you consider *powerline adapters* _*such as these*_
here's an interesting read on the subject.
JGG

Share one iTunes library on MAC and Windows

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