Sharing iTunes Library between Mac and PC

Hello
I have a Windows PC at home and had a Dell laptop. I have my itunes library on an external hard drive. This worked perfectly since which ever machine I was on I had access to the same library. Recently my work upgraded my laptop to a Mac Book Pro with Snow Leopard. Is there a way to share this same library on my Mac? I am new to the Mac world and am a bit lost. Thanks in advance

I have a similar setup. You need to move your itunes library to your network storage device. You need to do this within itunes (you will have to google moving your itunes library because I don't remember all the steps). After you moved the itunes library to a network share, you need to go into advanced preferences on each computer that will access the library and set the location of the itune library to point to the network share folder where the file itunes library.itl is located - the exit from Itunes. Restart Itunes on each computer (pressing shift on the Windows computers and option on the Macs). You will then have to choose the Itunes library. Browse to the network share and click on the itunes library.itl folder.
Three notes. Only one computer at a time can access the library. Second, each time you switch back and forth between mac and pc, the library folder needs to be updated. Third, for some reason, with iTunes 9.0.2, the updating process has slowed down. It is especially slow taking 15 minutes or so for a 13GB library. Hope apple fixes this.

Similar Messages

Sharing my library between Mac and PC.

Problem: iTunes (Mac) will not find shared music on iTunes (PC).
I have recently allowed my iTunes library on my PC to share my music over the local network. My PC is connected to the network by Ethernet cable attached to a wireless router.
My mac, however, is connected to the wireless network also coming from the router, but it has not found any shared music at all.
After I enabled the sharing on my PC, I almost immediately logged out of it, but it was still on and connected to the network.
I have not created any advanced settings on my PC (maybe I should have?), but it remains connected to the network (and the internet) through the Ethernet cable.
Any ideas?

check out these links:
Troubleshooting security software issues
Troubleshooting Home Sharing
and, last but not least, see this discussion concerning bonjour being the culprit.

Is it possible to share iTunes Library between Mac and PC?

My wife has a HUGE collection of audio and videos, mainly recordings of workshops she's involved with. Total size is many hundreds of MB, too much for her laptop.
If we create a new library on a large external HD (formatted for PC), should she be able to access the same library with either her Mac or her office PC? Or are they different file structures?
Thanks,
Mark

wrong info removed.
edited by the Jolly Green Giant (where Green stands for environmentally friendly)

My home sharing continually fails between mac and apple tv 2.

my home sharing continually fails between mac and apple tv 2, even during watching a movie. I go to the mac to re-turn on home sharing but it is still on. Any tips? I also have to turn off and back on at the mac every time i switch on my apple tv.

Sharing Stopped working again over night.
I went to Apple Support Artical TS2972
As soon as I did this Home Sharing started working
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2972
Firewall Section
5. Check Firewall Settings
If you have a firewall enabled in your router or computer, make sure that the firewall is not blocking communication between your computers. Home Sharing uses TCP port 3689 and UDP port 5353 to communicate with shared iTunes libraries.
In addition, Apple TV and Mac computers will use port 123 to set the time automatically. Incorrect date and time on either the computer or Apple TV can cause errors for Home Sharing and connections in general.
If you are unsure whether your router has a firewall or the required ports open, test additional devices or another network to help isolate the issue. If the devices tested work on another home network, it is your router or network configuration.
For Mac OS X, you don't have to edit the port addresses, but make sure the firewall in Apple () menu > System Preferences > Security > Firewall are not set to:
Block all incoming connections
Allow only essential services
If you use another security/firewall software on your computer or router, follow this article or contact the manufacturer or check the documentation on how to open TCP ports 123 and 3689 as well as UDP ports 123 and 5353.
It made sense to me, but its still puzzling me after restarting a router would (in my first attempt) resolve the issue for a day. This this time I applied the port forwarding TCP and UDP ports and saved the settings in the DLink DIR-655 and both my iPad2 and iPhone 3GS were now again finding the share. My ATV2 is also now accepting the Share.
Tommorrow will be the true test.

Sharing iTunes library between two Macs on Time Capsule

Hi there
I've just about persuaded my fiancee to get a MacBook, which would give us a mac-only household. If I got a Time Capsule, could we share an iTunes library? We each have an iPod and it would seem like a pain to have to recreate two entire libraries on the Time Capsule, much of which would be the same music.
I'm also assuming we could both use the TC as wireless Time Machine backup for our Macs - is this correct?
Finally, does anyone have a view on the likely range of TC relative to a standard Linksys 802.11g wireless router? The Linksys doesn't quite reach to the other end of my apartment and I'm wondering if the TC is likely to be better.
Very many thanks in advance.

Hello
You will run into pain. I just tried every found solution on Internet. Whatever you will do, it ends up in a hack. Fact is: iTunes administer your library only local. You CAN share your iTunes library on one Mac by menu settings in a network, BUT the Mac sharing its iTunes library MUST run all the time you want to listen to music from shared iTunes library even if the shared library (music files) is on the Time Capsule. It even wont work turn on "Wake up on LAN activity". The shared library will only be available as long as the Mac sharing its iTunes library is up and iTunes opened. That way it makes no big sense to have the music files in library physically on your Time Capsule. Another problem might come up when you stop listening shared iTunes library: As soon as the sharing Mac goes into StandBy mode (time depending) you can't access its library again. Standby must be stopped.
The other "solution" is also to have the whole library on a shared drive (Time Capsule) and to import it on both Macs. You will run quickly into Sync problems, beside its a pain to administer the song library that way: You have to import further songs twice, on both Macs to hear them on every one.
And of course, there are third pary hacks around nobody really wants to use.
After implementing Time Machine into Lepoard Apple wanted to make money out of it and offered Time Capsule mainly for storing data and backups (what both works great, also WLAN works fine).
I hope Apple will find a way in iTunes not to handle the music libraries so restrictive, so it can be accessed f.e. on Time Capsule while the Mac sharing its library must not run all the time.
Hope I could help.
Message was edited by: Tayger

Question/Problem Sharing iTunes Library between multiple users

Hello all,
I have a question (potential problem) regarding sharing an iTunes Library between multiple users.
In the past, I had placed the iTunes folder in /Users/Shared, and created an alias to it in the "Music" folder of each user, and it worked fine. However, with a recent upgrade to Mac OS 10.5, only the Home user account can access the library.
I read the Apple Support Document http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1203 uner Mac OS X which specifically states *not* to move the iTunes folder, just the iTunes Media folder (which I don't have, would that be iTunes Music?).
Any recommendations? Should I delete the different alias, move the iTunes folder back to the home user, and then follow the instructions in the support document?
We're also looking to sync music purchsed on our iPod touches, as well as apps (which weren't supported in our privous Mac OS X version.
Any advice is appreiciated.

David Guay wrote:
... iTunes Media folder (which I don't have, would that be iTunes Music?).
yes.
specifically states *not* to move the iTunes folder
*do* keep the entire iTunes folder in /users/shared, however, instead of creating aliases, launch iTunes while holding the option (⌥) key, click choose library when prompted, and select the iTunes folder in /users/shared.
obviously, only one iTunes at a time can access the library !

Share iTunes library between Tiger and XP Pro?

I just recently got windows XP running on my macbook. I have already imported all my music (as unprotected MP3's) in iTunes for Mac. Since hard drive space will be slim for Windows, I would like to have iTunes for windows use the same library as iTunes for Mac. I'm running MacDrive 7 and iTunes-Windows sees everything just fine, but I have MacDrive set to make my Mac partition read only so as not to corrupt it. This makes iTunes-Windows unhappy. Is there any way to make this work?

Just for your info, Vista ***** whatever you try to do. I'm stuck with Vista on a pre-installed laptop. All experience I have from Vista is bad, don't buy Vista or a computer with preinstalled Vista if you can avoid it.
We have three computers in a home network, one Macbook Pro, one PC with Windows XP, and the Vista laptop. All are using iTunes-8, downloaded and installed last week.
Sharing iTunes libraries using the option to share libraries on a local network works fine between Mac and Windows-XP. The sharing also works fine between the XP and the Vista PC.
But the Vista PC can't access the Mac iTunes library. When trying to open the Mac library, iTunes on the Vista computer says something like "Fetching library info from...". It's the same problem when trying to access the Vista library from the Mac.
We had a similar problem when trying to access shared folders on the local network. Thanks to a tip on this forum how to tweak the Vista registry, the shared folder problem was solved.
I'm think some registry setting in Vista might solve iTunes shared library problems. Maybe some Windows freak knows how to patch the registry to solve this issue.
Otherwise the solution is to trash Vista, and install Windows-XP.

Share iTunes library between Leopard and Vista, over LAN

Hi,
I would like to share my iTunes library on my Mac, so that our other Vista computer can access it.
I have ticked 'Look for shared libraries' on both the Mac and PC. We use a LAN setup with a firewalled router. I am able to access the Mac's public folder from the Vista PC and vice versa.
Except, the Mac library is not present in iTunes on PC. I used the latest iTunes on both computers.
Is there something that I am missing, maybe a port that I have to forward or anything else? Also, do I have to enable another kind of sharing on the Mac, except Sharing in iTunes?
Can someone please give me some advice?
Regards

Just for your info, Vista ***** whatever you try to do. I'm stuck with Vista on a pre-installed laptop. All experience I have from Vista is bad, don't buy Vista or a computer with preinstalled Vista if you can avoid it.
We have three computers in a home network, one Macbook Pro, one PC with Windows XP, and the Vista laptop. All are using iTunes-8, downloaded and installed last week.
Sharing iTunes libraries using the option to share libraries on a local network works fine between Mac and Windows-XP. The sharing also works fine between the XP and the Vista PC.
But the Vista PC can't access the Mac iTunes library. When trying to open the Mac library, iTunes on the Vista computer says something like "Fetching library info from...". It's the same problem when trying to access the Vista library from the Mac.
We had a similar problem when trying to access shared folders on the local network. Thanks to a tip on this forum how to tweak the Vista registry, the shared folder problem was solved.
I'm think some registry setting in Vista might solve iTunes shared library problems. Maybe some Windows freak knows how to patch the registry to solve this issue.
Otherwise the solution is to trash Vista, and install Windows-XP.

Share iTunes Library between OSX and Win7 Bootcamp

I've done quite a bit of research on this but I still haven't found a solution that does what I require.
Basically my setup is a SSD & HDD in my MBP. I have OSX and Win7 (Bootcamp) on the SSD and the NTFS HDD is a shared file storage drive for both Windows and OS. I have my iTunes library located on this drive and I want to be able to share the library between the OSs. I also want changes e.g. additions deletions made in windows to be reflected in OSX and vice versa.
Technically this is possible and does in fact work if I point iTunes to the .itl file but the problem is that when I open iTunes after switching OSs it must go through a very lengthy library update which can take 30-60mins in some cases before I can use it. Obviously this is not a good solution so I'm wondering if there are any workarounds to accomplishing this?
For example can I duplicate the .itl file and have one for win and one for OSX and still have the libraries stay in sync?

Just for your info, Vista ***** whatever you try to do. I'm stuck with Vista on a pre-installed laptop. All experience I have from Vista is bad, don't buy Vista or a computer with preinstalled Vista if you can avoid it.
We have three computers in a home network, one Macbook Pro, one PC with Windows XP, and the Vista laptop. All are using iTunes-8, downloaded and installed last week.
Sharing iTunes libraries using the option to share libraries on a local network works fine between Mac and Windows-XP. The sharing also works fine between the XP and the Vista PC.
But the Vista PC can't access the Mac iTunes library. When trying to open the Mac library, iTunes on the Vista computer says something like "Fetching library info from...". It's the same problem when trying to access the Vista library from the Mac.
We had a similar problem when trying to access shared folders on the local network. Thanks to a tip on this forum how to tweak the Vista registry, the shared folder problem was solved.
I'm think some registry setting in Vista might solve iTunes shared library problems. Maybe some Windows freak knows how to patch the registry to solve this issue.
Otherwise the solution is to trash Vista, and install Windows-XP.

Sharing linked files between mac and pc

Dear Community and AI Support,
My team is trying to share AI files between Macs and PCs. That works fine until we have Linked assets. Once we have linked assets, AI either forgets to, or is unable to, let us relink more than one of the linked files. We can't edit the links or even delete them. The linked files are just ignored, leaving the file half empty.
We've tried hacking the paths directly in the .AI file, hoping to eventually write a perl script to help us switch back and forth. but no luck. We assume there is a checksum or crc code or hash, etc..., as AI won't even try to open the file after that.
But to clarify the issue. here is an example of the Mac and PC links we need to switch between using an excerpt from the AI file. These are valid, working directories on both platforms.
Mac flavor:
               <rdf:li rdf:parseType="Resource">
                  <stMfs:linkForm>EmbedByReference</stMfs:linkForm>
                  <stMfs:reference rdf:parseType="Resource">
                     <stRef:filePath>/T/source/stories/00002/characters/puppy.ai</stRef:filePath>
                     <stRef:documentID>xmp.did:5bbaeed4-f8e3-f54b-b302-0b9d14f5a0eb</stRef:documentID>
                     <stRef:instanceID>uuid:1f66816c-99cb-4d62-ab88-aa6f9c92adad</stRef:instanceID>
                  </stMfs:reference>
               </rdf:li>
Win flavor:
               <rdf:li rdf:parseType="Resource">
                  <stMfs:linkForm>EmbedByReference</stMfs:linkForm>
                  <stMfs:reference rdf:parseType="Resource">
                     <stRef:filePath>T:\source\stories\00002\characters\puppy.ai</stRef:filePath>
                     <stRef:documentID>xmp.did:5bbaeed4-f8e3-f54b-b302-0b9d14f5a0eb</stRef:documentID>
                     <stRef:instanceID>uuid:1f66816c-99cb-4d62-ab88-aa6f9c92adad</stRef:instanceID>
                  </stMfs:reference>
               </rdf:li>
Thanks! :]
Chris

ooohhhhh very interesting. I did a find and replace on all the strings, but no dice. I didn't think to look at those types of data. But now that you have mentioned it, perhaps I'll do a diff on the same file saved on both platforms to see what has been changed. Should have already thought of it, but your note has made me check my assumptions.

Itunes Shared Library between Mac and Windows isn't sharing videos properly

Hi, I'm a bit new to the mac world, but I'm the proud owner of a new macmini. I also own a Windows 7 machine.
My problem is with the Itunes Shared library. Itunes 10 on my mac is set up to share everything, including podcasts. I can see these from Itunes 10 on Windows, and I can play music (and audio podcasts), but video is hit or miss.
Videos downloaded from Itunes U tend to work, lectures and stuff.
Video podcasts (also downloaded from Itunes Store) and other videos don't work at all. Itunes just doesn't play the video, and doesn't even launch the "black screen". The timer remains at 0.00.
On the other hand, sharing videos from the PC to Mac works well, i.e. my mac can see the contents of the itunes shared library on Windows and play videos. It just doesn't work the other way around.
Thanks for reading and I hope this problem can be fixed.

Woops!
Here you go:
http://discussions.info.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=10923818

Sharing itunes Library between 2 acccounts on the same Mac

Hi,
My wife and I have created two separate user accounts on our mac due to different desktop preferences. However, when she uses itunes under her account, it does not acknowledge the itunes library that is under my account. I tried to import the library but it says the folder is locked. Is there any way for the 1 library to be shared by both accounts since the library is our joint collection.
Thanks,
-Keith

Have a look at this page: iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer

Sharing iTunes library on PC and Mac

I have a 2011 model MacBook Air setup to dual-boot OSX Lion and Windows 7. I have a 3rd partition on my drive, formatted as FAT32, so that both Windows and OSX can access shared data files, like music, pictures, documents, etc.
I'd like to setup my iTunes library on this shared partition such that the library is shared between both PC and Mac modes, so that when I add a song while in iTunes in OSX, it shows up in Windows and vice versa. Ideally, iTunes on both operating systems would read from the same data files and save hard drive space in the process.
Is this possible, and if so, how can it be done?
Thanks in advance.

Hi,
See if these Links for Home Sharing add any light to the problem
Understanding
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3819
Troubleshooting
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2972
How to
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2688

Resolved: Issues connecting iTunes Library between Macs, PC's and Apple TV (1

I was having trouble connecting my wireless Macbook Pro to my wired MacPro on the same network. It turns out that they can see each other fine and even communicate on the ports required: UDP 5353 and TCP 3689. If I took the Macbook Pro and wired it into the ethernet, it worked fine and the iTunes Library showed up. I was even able to connect to another wireless iTunes Library to the Macbook Pro. My Apple TV could not see the library from my MacPro either, so I knew it had to do something with the Wireless Router settings.
Resolution:
If you're using a wireless router, make sure to disable IGMP Proxy. This will allow your connection to go through and easily share your content with your Apple TV.
Good luck and I hope that helps many of you fix the problem with a lot less frustration.
-Kamilo

veddar79 wrote:
I am wanting to see if I can (it sounds like you at least have that working Steffen) have the iTunes library on my Ex HDD on the Airport and have both iTunes (Macbook and iMac) point to it for use. Not physically have the data on either computer but each conmputer's iTunes use that data located on the NAS to listen to music/movies etc.
Yes, you can do that. It's not a problem as long as you don't have concurrent access, i.e. iMac and MacBook trying to WRITE to the library at the same time. And you will have to store not only the media files on the NAS, but the iTunes library ("iTunes" folder you usually find under "Music" on your Mac) as well.
I also want to know if I can rip a CD or movie on either computer and will it update that one library (NAS)...so both computers have total up to date info?
Yes, sure. If you tell iTunes to manage the files and to copy them to the iTunes library as soon as you add them to iTunes, it will work seamlessly. It doesn't matter if you rip and add them on the iMac or the MacBook because both computers are using the same library.
Hopefully that wasn't too confusing and again it sounds like Steffen is where I want to be minus the ATV issue.....sharing one library on a NAS between Macbook and iMac...AND any changes made only affects the NAS but both computers would get the latest and greatest.
As I said, it works as long as you are not trying to sync an Apple TV with that configuration.

Sharing Itunes library between an admin and user account on one imac G5

Hello,
Please forgive the repetitive question. i have set up an admin and a user account on my iMac. I set the itunes library to users/shared/music/itunes/itunes library on both accounts. The music shows up on the admin account but not the user account.
Can anyone give a quick step by step including obscure settings that may need to be altered so that I can finally get this pesky stress monkey off my shoulder!
Thanks!
iMac G5 Mac OS X (10.4.3) Ipod video 30Gb

Hi,
Someone recently poasted a similar problem as yours.
Here's the discussion and solution:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=1192454

Sharing iTunes Library between Mac and PC

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