Sharing files and library between user accounts

I know this question was asked many times before, but I never read a clear answer. Is it possible to share the library (and files) from one user account to another user account on same computer (same apple ID in iTunes) so that when user 1 downloads music, user 2 will see the music (without any additional steps) when they log into iTunes.
The problem I ran into was user 2 had to manually add the new purchased music to their library in order to see the music. If user 2 was unaware of any purchases, user 2 unaware could potentially repurchase the same music.
My issue is my other users (family members) are not diligent when it comes to checking.
Is there an easy way to sync the two music libraries (or 1 real library) across multiple user accounts on the same PC.

Move the library to the /Users/Shared/ folder, go into each user account, launch iTunes with the Option key held down, and choose that library.
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How can I share my iTunes library between user accounts in iTunes 11

Since upgrading my iTunes library to Version 11 I can no longer share the library between user accounts on the same Mac.
The 2nd user is asked to create oir use an iTunes library, but when it is pointed to the Media folder it cannot share it.
Previously in iTunes 10 it all worked fine.
How can this be done please?
The library is in a shared areas that we both have Read/Write permissions to.

jc_hering wrote:
that works for anything he purchases after he creates the new account. What about his current music that currently resides in my itunes library? How can I get his current music out of my library into his new account/library?? Thanks..
Copy it to his computer into his iTunes library and authorize his computer with the iTunes account used to purchase them..
You cannot tranfser items from one iTunes account to another. Purchased items remain part of the iTunes account is was purchased with.
iTunes account - used to purchase items
iTunes library - where purchases (and CD RIPs) go on the computer

Copy and paste between user accounts

is there a way to copy and paste between user accounts?

You can drag files to the Drop Box folder in another user's Public folder.

Sharing an iTunes library between 2 accounts

I am setting up iTunes on a new iMac with OS 10.5.6 There is no obvious way to share one library between two accounts. I have tried the official apple method listed here:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203
but it does not seem to work. I have also tried copying the complete iTunes folder to /users/shared, but that did not work. Any suggestions?
You would think this could all be done with the press of a button.

It's a misunderstanding that setting the 'iTunes Music folder location' tells iTunes to look at that location.
The iTunes Music folder location is the location where your next imported CD is stored. The song locations however are stored inside the 'iTunes Library' file which is in ./Users/YourUsername/Music/iTunes.
Moving the music folder to another location without 'telling' iTunes normally will lead to loss of links. You will see exclamation marks before the song name, telling that iTunes can't find the files.
Recent versions of iTunes can track a moved folder, when it's moved on the same disk.
The other users will not see this music. You have to copy the 'iTunes Library' file and put it in the iTunes folder of the other user(s).
--edit
Instead of copying the 'iTunes Library' file, you can add the entire music folder to each users library.
This will enable every user to apply their own rating (which is not stored in the song file, but in the 'iTunes Library' file).
--end of edit
They will then have full access to the library, which means, every user can add and delete music from the shared library.
The methods of sharing music are described here:
iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer
Hope this helps.
M
Message was edited by: macmenno

Sharing iTunes Library between user accounts...possible?

Hello all,
I'm an experienced Mac user but am currently setting up a new iMac for my family. I've never had more than one user account because I'm the only one who uses my macbook but now my family wants 3 different user accounts for the new iMac in their home.
Because I only use my one user account at home, I never thought about the fact that different user accounts would also split up iTunes music libraries. If I import music from a CD, I would like that to be accessible and available when using any 1 of the 3 user accounts. Is this possible?
For example, my mother and father purchase CDs together...so they both own the same albums. They want to share music on the iMac, but if I import discs twice it takes up twice the amount of time and much more importantly twice the amount of space. How can I get around this??? Can one user access another users iTunes library and make that the default folder?
Thanks for your help as always!!

What you need to do is locate the iTunes Music Folder that contains the actual music in a location that is read/writable by all users. By definition, the security on each user's home folder keeps others out.
A common suggestion is to locate the music in the /Users/Shared/ folder and make sure that everyone has read/write privileges. Bear in mind that means that anyone will be able to delete all the shared music.

Sharing an iTunes library between multiple accounts on one machine

I have tried to set up a shared library so that all users on my computer can access the same music. I have tried moving my iTunes folder to the HD under Users, Shared and setting the filepath in the Preferences, Advanced, General to point to that location. It works fine with the main admin account but other users have an empty library despite their paths being altered also.
Any advice would be much appreciated.

It's a misunderstanding that setting the 'iTunes Music folder location' tells iTunes to look at that location.
The iTunes Music folder location is the location where your next imported CD is stored. The song locations however are stored inside the 'iTunes Library' file which is in ./Users/YourUsername/Music/iTunes.
Moving the music folder to another location without 'telling' iTunes normally will lead to loss of links. You will see exclamation marks before the song name, telling that iTunes can't find the files.
Recent versions of iTunes can track a moved folder, when it's moved on the same disk.
The other users will not see this music. You have to copy the 'iTunes Library' file and put it in the iTunes folder of the other user(s).
--edit
Instead of copying the 'iTunes Library' file, you can add the entire music folder to each users library.
This will enable every user to apply their own rating (which is not stored in the song file, but in the 'iTunes Library' file).
--end of edit
They will then have full access to the library, which means, every user can add and delete music from the shared library.
The methods of sharing music are described here:
iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer
Hope this helps.
M
Message was edited by: macmenno

Sharing photos (in Iphoto) between user accounts

Hi, I am a new Mac user, so nothing is obvious to me at the moment and I therefore apologise for the simplicity of this question.
I have a new black MacBook OS X I have set up two accounts on it, one for myself and one for my wife. However there are some applications which we would like to share (IPhoto and ITunes). I can see that there is a shared drive and I have tried to move these applications into there, however my wife's account still can't get access to these files/applications.
I KNOW there is an obvious solution to this, but can't find it!
What am I doing wrong??
Thanks for any help

LoIM
Welcome to the Apple Discussions.
There are two ways to share, depending on what you mean by 'share'.
If you want your wife to be able to see the pics, but not add to, change or alter your library, then enable Sharing in your iPhoto (Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open her account. In her account, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. Your Library will appear in her source pane.
Remember iPhoto must be running in both accounts for this to work.
This will work with iTunes too.
If you want your nearest and dearest to have the same access to the library as you: to be able to add, edit, organise, keyword etc. then:
Quit iPhoto in both accounts
Move the iPhoto Library Folder to the Users/Shared (or an external HD)
Make sure the file permissions are set to allow read/write access to everyone
In each account in turn: Hold down the option (or alt) key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting dialogue, select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new library location. From that point on, this will be the default library location. Both accounts will have full access to the library, in fact, both accounts will 'own' it.
However, there is a catch with this system and it is a significant one. iPhoto is not a multi-user app., it does not have the code to negotiate two users simultaneously writing to the database, and trying will cause db corruption. So only one user at a time, and back up, back up back up.
Regards
TD

I-Tunes Library Between User Accounts

Hi - I am brand new to the MAC world and am loving all of it!!! I recently transfered my I-tunes library from my PC to my new MacBook Pro with no problems - BUT - when my girlfriend logs into her user account on the same computer she does not have access to the library. My questions are: is there a way to have community access to the library like we had on our PC? OR will the library be split w/ each persons downloads, etc. inaccessible to the other? Any ideas and help greatly appreciated! Thanks.

Actually, if the files are already in your account, I would recommend you give her copies of the files she wants on a USB flash drive.
But if you do wish to move the existing files, the only way to do it is reset your iTunes Music folder location in preferences, pointing it to a shared folder, and then run the command Library > Consolidate Library. (If you move them manually in Finder iTunes will lose track of them and you'll have a mess.)

Sharing folders and settings between users

Greetings,
I've decided to set up a new user account on my macbook pro running Leopard and I want to know if and how I can have the same settings i.e dock items and other preferences etc for both user names. I also want to access nearly all of the folders between both. The only difference between the two is one will have admin access and one won't. I would like to be able to access uni work folders etc on both.
I've tried setting the folders to read and write for both users but I can't seem to find them when I log into the new account.
Any ideas folks?
Cheers

If you are planning on setting up several accounts to be the same, you can use the *Workgroup Manager* of the *Server Admin Tools* to set up the account details (you don't need to be running OS X Server to use some of the tools).
Users normally do not have access to other user's accounts (admin users don't either). Your best bet is to set up the shared folder(s) in the /Users/Shared folder, since that is what it is for. ACL entries can also be added to the shared folder(s) to provide additional access so files that are owned by others can be changed, etc.

Downloading into shared file to update mutlple user account libraries

Following the directions in Article 93195, I successfully created a shared file between multiple user accounts on my IMAC. The problem is updating the Libraries on each account when I download new music into one account. I understand I can update each account manually using the "Add to Library" command, is there an automatic way to download ITunes into the shared library so that the Libraries on each user account are automatically updated with the new music?

is there an automatic way to download ITunes into the shared library so that the Libraries on each user account are automatically updated with the new music?
Sorry, but iTunes has no "folder watching" feature. It might be possible to write an AppleScript as a folder action that would do this, but otherwise, you have to use the Add to Library funtion to get the new tracks into iTunes, or drag them manually into the iTunes window.

How to share files and folders between users of a same mac

Hello,
I would like to share a folder among users of the same Mac. I have a folder called toto, containing files and folders and i would like to share toto with other users of my mac. I would like the other users to be able to read and write every file contained in the shared folder toto.
Is it possible ?
Thanks a lot,
Franck

Yes, that works for items that are already there, but would have to keep being repeated for newly-created items.
Actually, using chmod -R 777 <folder> raises a Unix question for me that perhaps a more knowledgeable person here can answer for both of us.
Setting the "x" bit on an enclosed folder would make it "searchable", which is what you want here, while setting the "x" bit on an enclosed file would make it "executable", which would not be intended. It's my understanding that if you use chmod -R 777 you will set the "x" bit on all enclosed items, including the files, while using, say, chmod -R a+rwX would only set the x bit on enclosed folders, not the enclosed files. My question for someone here is, should you therefore never use chmod -R 777 on an enclosing folder and instead always use something like chmod -R a+rwX? Does it make any difference in practice whether or not your datafiles are inadvertently made "executable?"

Sharing single iPhoto library between 2 users on a single computer

Hello,
I am currently using iPhoto 5 on a Mac Mini with 2 total users on the computer.
I know that it is easy to share iPhoto pictures over a server with other computers, but does anyone know how to share a single library between 2 users on the same computer?
I would like my wife and I to share a single library of pictures so that we can each upload pics from our digital camera of our family and friends and both have access to them. Currently, we each have to have separate libraries and it is difficult to share photos even between us. If this is not possible on iPhoto 5 or 6, this would be a great upgrade for the next version.
By the way, I was able to work a similar problem out with music out so that all users share a single iTunes library of songs by placing the library in the "shared" folder, but this is not possible with the iPhoto library.
Thanks for your help!
Mac Mini - G4 Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Hi mconnor,
Here are all the links I have for sharing an iPhoto Library.
I think you would be interested in the ACL link for your situation. Hope it works for you.
SHARING IPHOTO LIBRARIES
Sharing libraries between users on the same local network
You can also share a library on the same machine between users the same way.
Sharing libraries between users on the same machine...
-both users must have sharing enabled in their iPhoto Preferences
-both users must be logged in and have iPhoto running
-Remember that you can only view the other library. You can't edit the photos or play the saved slideshows or view the made books or burn them to CD or DVD. The books and slideshows will show up as an album. You can play that album as an "on the fly" slideshow. You can drag images from the sharing library to your library in the source column to import them to your library. You can then edit, add to albums, books, slideshow, etc.
Sharing links from Apple....
Sharing your photos between computers
About shared photos
Turning off photo sharing
Looking for shared photos
SHARING ONE IPHOTO LIBRARY BETWEEN USERS ON SAME MACHINE
You can try one of these three methods:
1- Use iPhoto Library Manager-the paid version
The documentation page will give instructions on how it is done.
2- Sharing one iPhoto library between several users on one machine
3- Share an iPhoto Library in tiger Using ACL's
4- I have also read about ShareAlike
There is no other info on the site about how it works.
I strongly urge anyone wanting to try any of the methods for sharing one iPhoto Library folder among more than one user to backup all iPhoto Library folders before attemptin anything.

I have one imac. my wife and i each have our own user accounts and itunes library. How do we share selected music between user accounts?

i have one imac. my wife and i each have our own user accounts and itunes library. How do we share selected music between user accounts?

To give other users read-only access to your library, use the Sharing features of iTunes. Sharing works over the local network as well as on the same computer. See the built-in help for details.
If you want to give full read/write access to more than one user, see the support article linked below.
iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer

Basic File Sharing question between user accounts on my iMac

I don't understand how to be able to share and download to one common folder among User Accounts on my iMac. I am trying to use a Clean Account as a test, and wanted to copy a file I downloaded from the web in one account into this clean account folder, and install the file.
I went to Sharing and thought I turn File Sharing on. Logged into the Clean account and Apple+I the folder, changing access priviledges to the folder. Then copy the file into the Clean User Account.
But it doesn't work that way. Can anyone help me understand sharing between accounts?

File Sharing is for sharing files between two different machines, not between different accounts on the same machine. If you want to share files on one machine, you just need to put them in a folder everyone has access to, like the /Users/shared folder. Also, don't go fooling around with folder permissions... that's a good way to mess things up. If I had a nickel for every time someone messed up their system using the "Apply to enclosed items" option when changing permissions, I'd be a rich man!

Sharing Library Between Users

new to iPhoto...is there a way to share and/or use the same library between two users of the same computer?
i don't want to have to duplicate our photo collection...and my wife and i both have seperate user accounts on our macbook. is there a way to be "tied" to the same library?
MacBook Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Skimout:
Welcome to the Apple Discussions. There are a number of ways to share a conventional library between users on the same Mac. I'm not versed in them but there are some, like Lori, who have compiled a lot of links covering that subject.
However, I am familiar with a way to share a single set of source files on a Mac with multiple user using iPhoto's alias system. This way each user does not have to copy the files into their library, taking up drive space. Each user will have their own edits, albums, slideshows, etc. They will be able to delete photos from their library but not from the source files.
I've creates some Tutorials on how users can convert over to an alias based system and use it for sharing with others. If you don't find what works for you this method might be of some use.
Do you Twango?

Sharing files and library between user accounts

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