Sharing iTunes Between 2 Users On 1 Mac - Unique

Hi,
I've only recently gotten round to trying to figure this out, but I remember some of the stuff I tried to fix this issue previously:
I currently share my iTunes music between my user account (admin) and my girlfriend's account on the same iMac by having the iTunes Music folder located in the Users>Shared folder, and aliases in each of our Home Folders (in the Music>iTunes folders) pointing to that single location. iTunes is set pointing to the aliases in both accounts. We both have individual iTunes Library files (for our own playlists, ratings etc.) So far, so good.
The problem: increasingly, we have both noticed less & less songs would play via the Media Browser palette in iLife & iWork apps. Most of the time, the play button would not go blue when clicking it after choosing a song to play in the palette (e.g. in iPhoto when choosing music to play on a slideshow).
After chatting with an Apple Support agent via Apple's Web Chat Support, i tried a troubleshooting step of letting iTunes copy music to a new location.
This solved the problem in my account - all songs would play in the media browsers, but after moving the folder back to the Users>Shared location and updating aliases again, the music would still not work in the media browser for my girlfriends' account.
I've tried changing permissions on the folder and applying them to all subfolders…
I really want to be able to continue sharing the music itself, but also for both of us to have full usage of the music in iLife & iWork apps.
Can anyone help?
iMac G5 (iSight)   Mac OS X (10.4.4)  

Sorry to bump this, but I've searched all over the place (on other sites too) and I just can't seem to solve this issue…
Can anyone suggest somewhere else I could try posting / asking the question?
Thanks.

Similar Messages

  • Sharing photos between multiple users on one Mac

    I'm trying to figure out how to easily share photos imported in by one user to other users in my family on my mac. I'm assuming we don't have to import them multiple times. It seems cumbersome to this new mac user to share them. I find the issue with iTunes. Any help?

    HI Darien,
    Here are all the links I have for the different kinds of sharing:
    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.

  • Problem sharing media between multiple users on same Mac

    My wife and I have an eMac, running Mac OS 10.4.11, with iTunes 9.2.1(4).  We each have separate user accounts.  Previously, I had imported several albums into my iTunes library.  Now, my goal is to be able to share the albums that I had imported with my wife.  Simultaneously, our available hard drive capacity is getting limited, so I decided to put my iTunes media on an external fire wire drive by Iomega.  I followed article HT1449, transferring my media (and, not the other associated library files) and that part, at least, seems to be working fine.  The folder "iTunes media" is now located on a partition of the external drive.  As far as I can tell, both my wife and I have "read and write" permissions for this partition.  Ownership of the partition volume is "ignored".
    Now, as for setting up my wife's iTunes library and linking it up to the iTunes media folder on the external drive, I have followed HT1203 as a guide, changing the path of the media folder to the partition on the external drive.  But, it simply doesn't seem to have any effect.  There are no songs available within iTunes from her user account.
    I would appreciate any guidance on how to resolve this.  Thank you.

    AndyMcKay wrote:
    Chris, won't this copy the music contained in the external media folder, to the media folder under his wife's account?
    They are both using the same media folder so iTunes won't copy it anywhere.

  • Sharing iTunes between accounts on a single Mac

    Hi
    I had this working a while back... but (I can only think it's since I upgraded to iTunes 8) this has now stopped working...
    1. I have moved my iTunes Music folder to /users/shared...
    2. I go into iTunes preferences and change the location of the Music Library...
    3. Restart iTunes...
    4. Then I go into iTunes and it works - it's reading songs and movies from the shared location fine...
    When I login as a different user (any admin user), repeat steps 2 and 3 and nothing - the library is empty when it's restarted
    I also tried this hack from another site around 18 months ago...
    http://www.macworld.com/article/5857...eslibrary.html
    The instructions are pretty much the same, although this involves creating aliases of the iTunes music library.xml file - but didn't seem to make any difference to the outcome
    Anyone got any ideas please?
    thanks!

    did you check
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203
    (see the last part, about accessing files)
    Telly

  • Sharing itunes between users on one computer

    Hi,
    How do you share one itunes library between multiple users on one mac? At the moment each user on our computer has their own library which has lead to a lot of music being duplicated. Is there any way to have this all in one library?!
    Many thanks

    Hi Simon,
    Any clues in this link?
    iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer
    Regards
    Colin R.

  • Sharing files between different users on same computer

    how do I go about sharing files between two users on the same computer?
    also, what about iTunes, can I transfer songs between users, or do I have to pay for it everytime, even though it's on the same computer?

    You can control sharing of a user's itune library in the sharing preference. It is good for users on the same computer and the same local network (usually your house of small office).
    As for files on another users folder, they have to either change the permissions of the parent folder (get info) or put the file to be shared into the public folder.

  • Do I need to download itunes for each user on my mac pro?

    do I need to download itunes for each usere on my mac pro?

    Airplay Mirroring of the Mac screen requires Mountain Lion or later and a compatible Mac, see:
    About AirPlay Mirroring in OS X

  • Sharing iTunes between users on same MacBookPro

    Hi,
    I have a a MacBookPro working on Mountain Lion. I have just moved my iTunes library and media to the 'shared' folder in finder and repointed iTunes on my user id at the new location. Everything opened up as it should and looked as it did when it was in my personal music folder. Step 1 acheived!
    Step 2 was to create a new user where I would have no password for entry. Step 2 acheived!
    Step 3 I tried to open the 'shared' iTunes library on this new user account, so that I could leave the mac on when friends are around, and anyone can play with my iTunes library without worrying about personal data files being accessed. This is where I am having trouble. It tells me the iTunes library is locked so I cant access it. I have tried to set all folders in the 'shared' heirachy as read and write for both users ('main' and the new 'shared music' user) and I have exited out of iTunes in the main user. I dont understand why my second user cant open the library. Can anyone advise what to do or where to look?
    Thanks
    Rich.

    Hi Simon,
    Any clues in this link?
    iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer
    Regards
    Colin R.

  • Sharing one music library between two users on a mac

    I want to set my wife up as a separate user on my mac and share my music file with her so we no longer mix up our iPhone apps. I don't want a second copy on my hard drive. I've tried one method on here HT1203 but it makes a second copy and fills up my hard drive. I do not want to share the whole media library just the music. There must be an easy way to use two iPhones with separate user ids on one Mac so we don't mix up our apps. I would have though that the great Apple would have just sorted this out when you plug in a different device.

    First, back up your computer in case it does things you don't like.  I'm not testing this on my computer.
    You'll have to deactivate iTunes managing your music (deselect in preferences having iTunes organize your music and copying it to your media folder when adding to iTunes).  Do the same for iTunes in her account.
    Go to your iTunes folder and drag the music folder in Media to the Shared Users folder at the top level of the drive.  You may also need to get info on the music folder and change permissions on it and all enclosing items so she has permission to use it too.
    It is just possible your copies of iTunes may track all the moves. It would be good if it does.  I know I have manage music disabled on my computer and iTunes is good at tracking when I move things around in Finder, unlike when iTunes is totally terrible at tracking when you let it manage music.  If it doesn't track then you may have to face rebuilding your libraries using the music in the new location.
    You will have to come to an agreement in deleting music.  Fortunately in the manually manage mode you are using if you delete a track in your iTunes it will not delete the actual file.  You have to manually delete it in Finder which is good because she may still be using the file.
    If one of you renames the file, it will affect both. Haven't tried this but in theory you would each retain your individual ratings and last played.
    Let us know if it works.
    Edit: Found this; compare with my concept piece above:
    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

  • Sharing iTunes between users - problem

    When sharing iTunes (6.0.4) between users on the same mac some of the mp3 files I have show up in the remote iTunes within Get Info as QuickTime movie files (remote). They will not play. In my home folder they are mp3 files. They are inaccessible to the remote user to change. Any ideas anyone?

    The files probably have the wrong creator.
    Discussions member Charlie Minow wrote a script to fix it and explains what could be the cause on this page
    Hope this helps.
    M
    17' iMac fp 800 MHz 768 MB RAM   Mac OS X (10.3.9)   Several ext. HD (backup and data)

  • Sharing iTunes between user accounts no longer works in iTunes 10.4

    I recently upgraded to iTunes 10.4 (80). Still running Snow Leopard 10.6.8.
    I have two user accounts on my MacBook Pro and my iTunes Media folder is shared i.e. /Users/Shared/ITunes/iTunes Media
    This has always worked with no problems but since upgrading to iTunes 10.4 I can no longer see my iTunes content from both accounts.
    First time I opened it after the upgrade it just presented me with an empty library. I eventually managed to see my iTunes content by deleting the iTunes library and xml files and relaunching iTunes. However when I quit and switch to the other user account I can't open iTunes - it keeps telling me that the library is locked or I don't have access to the files.
    I have to keep manually resetting permissions on the iTunes folder & subfolders in order to be able to launch it but even when I manage to open it from the second user account I just see an empty library again.
    I always used to be able to just quit iTunes in one user account and then launch it from the other; no permissions changes required. Now it just doesn't work.
    Please can someone offer advice or is this a known issue with the 10.4 release?
    Many thanks in advance.

    I've been trying to do this same thing. My wife and I share one computer and she has her own login account to check email etc. I moved all the music, movies, videos to the shared folder. We can now "share" that music without having two iTunes media libraries. However, I want to remedy the situation of adding music from different accounts, adding and deleting playlists. How do I have that type of library data automatically get updated from account to account? I've asked this question in it's own thread about a week ago and it got buried with no responses or solutions.

  • IPhoto is currently a shared file with another user on my Mac and I am the Admin and no longer want to share it. How do i undo this completely?

    Iphoto is currently a shared file on my Mac and I no longer want to share it. How do I completely remove access to it if i am the Admin to the computer? Thanks in advance...

    I found the answer on the Quicken Support site. Unbelievable!!!!
    Article ID: GEN82981      Updated: 8/11/2011 |
    Unable to Share a Data File Between Multiple Users on the Same System
    Cause The Quicken Essentials data is a data package that contains multiple files.  Each item in the package has permission set based on the current users profile.  When the Package is moved to a shared folder, the permission in the data package are not changed, therefore cannot be accessed by another user.
    You can change the permissions for each individual file within the data package to be accessed by other users.  However, the first user who opens the file after the permissions have been changed, will take ownership of the data package, and it will no longer be accessible by the other party again.
    SolutionThis issue is currently a product limitation and is expected to be resolved in a future version of Quicken Essentials for Mac.

  • ITunes for two users on one Mac. Will iTunes 7 compute?

    iTunes experts!
    I am at it again with iTunes on the same topic I had back in June of 2006 (see thread link below). It would appear that upgrading to iTunes 7 snuffed my neat little set up, though everything still works with iPhoto.
    I've had iTunes 7 for a while now, but am just now trying to get the problem fixed. I reset the permissions to my iTunes library which I have in a shared folder (harddisk/users/shared/iTunes/iTunes Library). I toggled back and forth on my two accounts (mine and my girlfriends) to see that it was working again and it was! ... for about a minute, then it cut and read me the same message on her log on:
    "The iTunes library file is locked, on a locked disk, or you do not have write permission for this file."
    http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=2538271#2538271
    Isn't there a way that two users on a Mac can have access to the same iTunes library on iTunes 7. Please help!
    Gryphen

    ... okay, this was weird, but I half figured it out, and it half corrected itself... I think.
    I went back into the second user account and accessed the iTunes library alias I had put in the account (linked to the main library in the shared folder). It came up just fine. ... now everthing works fine.
    Before, I was just openning iTunes from the dock icon.
    I don't know if my verbage helped anyone understand anything, but hey, I have the same music, shopping cart, and playlists on both user accounts accessible without a need for syncing. I am happy.
    Adios!

  • Sharing iCal between two users

    Problem: Need to know how to share calendar (and address book) between two users. We both have iphones that we'd like to sync to so we'll have 'home' calendar. It seems like it should be an easy process but so far, no luck.

    Right, seems the answer is 'Not really'. You can publish an ical calendar - but that is read only.
    Which is really quite terrible. Not what we expect from an apple solution.
    2 adults with 2 iphones can share one life and one mac - why can't we build a shared calendar?
    BUT.........
    There is an alternative that isn't TOOOO hard to set up.
    Google calendars will sync with ical, so if you both have gmail addresses you can create a calendar you can share in iCal.
    It's a bit faffy but not too taxing
    1 open your gmail and set up a calendar
    2. look under My calendars/settings
    /share this calendar
    and add the gmail address of your sharee
    select "make changes"
    this means they can add to it when they accept the invitation.
    3. go to the first tab and select
    /calendar details
    look for
    /Calendar Address: ICAL
    copy this address and mail it to the new user.
    when they log in they can then use that ical url to add to their calendar list.
    Phew...
    This may not be the exact way to do it, and some steps may be superflous - but i now have a shared calendar between 2 people's ical diaries on one mac and visible on two separate iphones as a google calendar (the iphone ical however will only update when you sync)
    Boo:
    1. having to use googlecal to set up or edit events - iCal will treat the shared calendar as 'read only'
    2. iphone ical not updating automatically - you need to use the calendar in google to see if any new dates have been added since your last sync
    Yay:
    1. as its google - it will ACTIVELY share any new events on your iphone - at least in the google calendar (see 2)
    So - all in all, a flawed 'pc-style' workaround sticking out conspicuously in an otherwise 'apple standard' experience.
    At the moment it seems google calendars are a better bet than ical - this will not do.
    Apple! Deal with it please - shared calendars between users first - then you can worry about 'push' updating later.

  • How do I share itunes between 2 user profiles on imac

    how do I share 1 itunes account/ library between 2 users on the same imac?

    iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203

Maybe you are looking for