Songs "could not be found"

It says that my songs "could not be found" and asks me if I want to search for them. I found the back up files, and have restored about 20 songs. Is there any way that I can restore all of them without having to search for each one individually?

Perhaps you may
i still
have the music files on your PC -- but not seen in iTunes.
Check using Windows Explorer in 'My Music\iTunes\iTunes Music\...' for folders containing your music (or wherever you keep your music folders). If it is there, we can get iTunes to recognize it. Try one or both of these:
--- In iTunes choose: Edit==>Preferences==>Advanced tab. Select 'Change' and browse to the music folder in your PC drive (if it isnt already). Click OK to save that setting.
--- In iTunes choose: File==>Add Folder to Library & browse to the music folder in your PC drive. Click OK.
Also check in your Recycle Bin to see if you accidentally deleted it. If so, Restore it back to its original spot.
Then try running a search using Windows Explorer (or similar) for files with the extensions of: m4a, m4p, MP3,
i OR
with the partial names of the songs you are missing.
Do all the above before you decide that they have been completely erased from your hard drive.
If your music files are truly gone, and you have some or all of your music files on your iPod, these links will give you
i several
methods of recovering whatever songs remain on your iPod; some free, some third-party software, some more comprehensive for restoring playlists , ratings, counts, etc. Read them and their associated links before deciding on a strategy that works for you.
Don King Resurrected, "Deleted files from hard drive" #1, 01:49am May 30, 2005
MacMuse, "Computer Crashed" #3, 11:48pm Feb 7, 2005
Copying music from iPod to computer
Copying Songs from Your iPod to a Mac or PC
If all that fails, see: Buegie, "Help! Can you undelete?" #1, 12:56pm Oct 9, 2005
After recovering your song files, consider developing a backup strategy for just this type of situation. Below are some very good threads to read on the subject:
Buegie, "Backing-up iTunes Files" #2, 11:48pm Jul 29, 2005
Buegie, "Can I backup my library?" #2, 05:21pm Aug 7, 2005

Similar Messages

Hello. I have a new Computer and import my mediathek with an externe storage. When opened the new Mediethek in front of every song there is a explanation mark: original song could not been found. I try everything. Whats the Problem??

Hello. I have a new Computer and import my mediathek with an externe storage. When opened the new Mediethek in front of every song there is a explanation mark: original song could not been found. I try everything. Whats the Problem??

But it seems the OP has a setup where the media is on the external drive, and the library files are on the internal. This is what I refer to as a split library, Migrating such from one computer to another is not straightforward. Often iTunes will have some definite idea about where the files should live, and updating the setting of the media folder won't change that. If it requires a drive letter change that is usually not too hard, but sometimes there is another preference file that needs tweaking to indicate which of the old & new layouts for the library is being used. In more extreme cases I have a script for automatically making track by track repairs.
tt2

I purchased a song and it shows up in the song list with an exclamation point on the sie of it. It says the song could not be found. I have done a search and can't find it but iTunes won't let me download or buy it again. Help!!

I purchased a song on iTunes and it shows up in the song list with an exclamation point on the side of it. It says the song could not be found. I have done a search and can't find it but iTunes won't let me download or buy it again. Help!!

Hello levon10
Just delete the song and then go through the process of downloading the purchase again.
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2519
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Regards,
-Norm G.

"original song could not be found" HELP

When I try to drag a song in from the library I get original song could not be found. Please how do I fix this so I will be able to listen to the song?

No the songs that I can seem to play or move I got from a friend and might of put them in my library when mt computer was not hooked up to the internet.

When I try to sync my ipod, itunes tells me certain songs could not be found

I have just tried to sync my ipod on itunes, and a screen comes up to tell me that over 100 songs from my library cannot be synced as they could not be found.......
They all appear in my music library, and in their relevant playlists, only now they all have an exclamation mark just to the left of the title.
Some I have ripped from cd's and some are ones I have purchased thru the itunes store, and it is these I'm most annoyed about, as I paid to have them and now cannot play them.
What can I do to get them to be able to play again?
Neither the ipod or the laptop are new to me, I have been using both successfully for a number of years with no problems.
I have tried de-authorising and then authorising my laptop, and have also restored factory setting on my ipod, but nothing seems to work.......
Any suggestions, please?
Thanks

That exclamation point means the song files cannot be found, for some reason. They are no longer where iTunes expects to find them. They were either moved or deleted. Sometime, a data corruption issue on your hard drive can make files inaccessible. You may want to check that possibility, because other files may be affected.
Since you can still see the name, artist, and album of the missing songs in iTunes, you may want to try using Windows to do a general search of your hard drive volume, searching on the name of one of the songs (or artist or album name). If you are using the default settings for iTunes, iTunes uses the name of song, album, and artist to name the file and directory path of the song file's storage location. If they got moved for some reason, you may find the path to all of the missing songs by finding one song. You can then move them back to the location where iTunes expects to find them.
some are ones I have purchased thru the itunes store, and it is these I'm most annoyed about, as I paid to have them and now cannot play them.
Don't be mad about those songs... Any previous song purchase from the iTunes Store can be re-downloaded at any time at no cost. Go to the main iTunes Store screen. On the right side, find Purchased under QUICK LINKS. On the Purchased screen, click on Music and find those missing songs. There is a Not on This Computer filter there that would be useful in this case. Next to the song name, you should see a button with a cloud symbol. Click it to download that song.

Original song could not be found

I recently started using itunes after purchasing an ipod. On the itunes library screen about half of the songs won't play when they are clicked on. The message "The song__ could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?" is displayed.Also some of the songs have duplicate entries. One of the entries will play when clicked on but the other will diplay the previous message and have a dark circle with an exclamation point inside to the left of the song title. Thanks for any help.

This script will remove all the songs from iTunes that iTunes cannot find:
http://teridon.googlepages.com/itunesremovenotfound.vbs
Download it to, say, your Desktop, then run it in the Command Prompt (Start..All Programs..Accessories..Command Prompt):<pre>cd Desktop
cscript itunesremovenotfound.vbs</pre>HTH,
Rob

The song could not be found because the original file could not be found!

PLEASE HELP!! When I try to play certain songs (most of them), I get a box that says "The song xxxx could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it? When I tell it to locate, it pops open another window with various options, but never takes me to the song itself. I believe one of you helped me a couple of years ago with the same problem and I seem to recall it was a relatively easy fix. Please help! I miss my music!

Hello amit123amit,
Take a look at this aricle, it should help you locate your media.
iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1408
If needed you can also download your purchases again for free from the iTunes Store with this article
Downloading past purchases from the App Store, iBookstore, and iTunes Store
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2519
If you use Time Machine to backup your computer you can use it to restore your iTunes folder back to before the content went missing.
Mac Basics: Time Machine
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1427
All the very best,
Sterling

When I "Get Album Artwork", iTunes always returns a result that artwork for one song could not be found; but the song is not in my library.

When I "Get Album Artwork" in iTunes 10.4.0.80 running under Windows 7, iTunes can find the missing artwork requested. But it also returns the same result, "Artwork for "Aught 7 - Mother Chorizo" could not be found. The problem is I do not have the song or any song from Aught 7 in my music library. I'm guessing this is an issue with a corrupted iTunes database. Can someone tell me how to correct this issue?
Thanks in advance.

1. delete this songs from your liblary
2. go File -> Add File to Liblary... (Ctrl+O) or File -> Add Folder to Liblary

Error message song could not be found

i am running latest version of itunes. I am unable to access tracks from itunes I keep getting error message the song could not be used because the individual file could not be located. I am able to play any track from the itunes music folder but not from itunes!!! i have reloaded itunes but makes no difference. once the track has been played from the itunes libary it can be played in itunes

jadeypup,
See if this article helps, many have had this issue resolved by "recreating the iTune Music Library"
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93313
Also, see this article for information on how to search the computer for the songs:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301749
Hope this helps,
Generik
PowerMac G4/Dell Precision WS 370, XP Pro Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Song could not be found because original file could not be located

Hey gang - I'm new to help and can't seem to stumble my way to an answer. i have a regular and an external hard drive. i have two music libraries and wonder if that is my problem on where i originally loaded music. all my songs are showing up on my ipod and playing but in iTunes i get messages on half of them that have an "!" mark and say that they can't be found. as a result i can't play them or move them in to a new playlist. i'm not sure what i should do - please help...

Probably not every one, but you will have to do it several times. Right click on the name of the song, show in window's explorer and when it can't it should give you a dialogue to find the song.
Once it finds one it'll offer to find more and you can locate stuff that way.

When I try to sync my iPhone 4 with iTunes on my comp it tells me the song could not be found. So I'll manually find and ID it for iTunes. It asks me if it can find the rest but never can. Now it can't even sync playlists because songs can't be found.

Hi guys. When I try to sync my iPhone 4 to my iTunes on my computer it tells me that it can't find the files. So I'll manual dint he song and identify it for iTunes. iTunes will then ask me if it am identify the rest for me but it never can. Playlists on my phone have disappeared because I can no longer sync the songs because iTunes can't find them. This all started when I put ringtones from iTunes onto my phone. Maybe it somehow deleted the music library because I get is exclamation marks by all the songs which no longer play ( which is most of them)
Please help me this is so frustrating!!

Hello Courtney,
Thank you for the details of the issue you are experiencing when syncing your music to your iPhone. It sounds like iTunes is not able to locate the original file for the song to transfer it to your device. I recommend reviewing the following articles to locate you music files on your computer:
iTunes: Finding lost media and downloads
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1408
Where are my iTunes files located?
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391
Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Sheila M.

I've imported several CDs that are "collections", with songs by various artists. Only a PORTION of the song info appears in iTunes, and, when a song is "clicked-on" to play it, a message appears that the "song could not be found". Any ideas ?

The CDs are imported into the "iTunes Media" folder, under "Compilations". Each CD has a folder, with the name of the CD. However, EACH SONG in the folder is assigned a sequential number as a prefix before the song's name. For example "2-1 Sunshine of Your Love." This prefix, I believe, prevents the song from being imported into the iTunes library. The song's name appears in the iTunes library (with the number prefix), BUT no other song info (artist, CD name, time, etc.) shows in the iTunes library. I am NOT designating these CD's as "complilations", but somehow, iTunes is arbitrarily assigning them to this "Compilations" folder, and then assigning sequential numbers to each song. I am confused. (My only remedy is to MANUALLY remove the prefix number from each song in the CD folder, within the COMPILATIONS folder, then "re-import" it into iTunes. Cumbersome.) Thanks in advance for any opinion, tips or guidance.

The numeric prefixes in filenames are probably the optional disc number, followed by the track number. iTunes will pick up the Compilation flag from the Gracenote CDDB database if you ripped the tracks with iTunes, or the flag may have been set earlier if these are existing tracks you have imported into a new library. The iTunes naming convention is <Artist>\<Album>\[<D#>-]<T##> <Name>.<Ext> where Album Artist is used instead of Artist if not blank, and Compliations is used instead of Artist when Part of a compilation is true. Empty Artist or Album values are replaced with Unknown Artist or Unknown Album respectively. With Windows, file and folder names are limited to 40 characters. If more than one file is added with the same details subsequent tracks get suffixes to separate them.
If iTunes can't find a file that usually means that it has been moved after it was added to the library. Select a single broken track and press CTRL+I to Get Info. Look on the summary tab at the location that iTunes expects to find the file. Where is it really? Post back both paths and I might be able to figure out what has happened, and suggest a fix.
tt2

Error message:song could not be found would you like to locate it

The music is already in my folder, as this had =s happened with most of my music is there a quick fix?

You get exclamation marks or dead tracks because iTunes can’t find the file. This can happen for a number of reasons:
The song file or a folder in its path was renamed
The song file or the folder it is in has been moved
The song file has been deleted
The device containing the song files e.g. external drive is not accessible.
So did you change anything? If so can you put it back how it was?
Anyway, if all your tracks have exclamation marks, the quickest fix is to close iTunes, then drag iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music Library.xml out of your iTunes folder to the desk top.
Then open iTunes and an empty library is created. Then use File>>Add folder to library to add your iTunes umisc folder to iTunes. If you have music in other folders add those too.
This fix loses all coutns, ratings and playlists.
If only a few tracks have exclamation marks, you can just add your iTunes music folder, this will not create duplicates, but will add any missing tracks.
The entries with exclamation marks will remain and these can be removed, which I can tell you how to do if you choose this route.

"song could not be found would you like to locate it? "

I get this message alot i guess because i keep all my music on an external harddrive. When i got a new harddrive and put my songs on it alot of the "paths" suddenly did not work. if the computer cannot find the song all i have to did is say i would like to locate it and then type the name of the song in and it finds it every time. The problem comes when i have to do this say a hundred times because i have a ton of music. Can i make itunes or automater do that for me? If that doesn't make sense please leave a comment and i'll get back to you thanks again.

iTUnes isn't like other programs in windows that "Watch" folders and files for changes. What I mean buy this is players like WIndows Media Player (WMP for short) Winamp and others will "Watch" for changes you make. If you go into "My MUsic" folder and chage the name of a song file or move it from one folder to another, these players will catch that change usually and update there library.
Sadly iTUnes for windows does not do this. If you change ANYTHING, like the name of the file or the folder its in, or move it from one folder to another, iTUnes looses track of its location and puts a ! mark beside the songs.
The only way to fix it is either put the files and folders back to the way they were OR manually go thru the library and show iTUnes where each file is.

There are about 8 songs in a playlist on itunes that are listed in the playlist but cannot be transferred to my ipod because it states: "..the original file could not be found." When I try to locate the song I get a list of the different music librar

There are about 8 songs on a playlist that are listed in the playlist library but when I try to transfer them to the playlist, it states that they can't be transferred because the original file could not be found. Then it asks, do you want to locate the file but when I try that I get a few libraries but am not sure how to locate the particular songs. Some of the songs were purchased and some were transferred from a CD. I have seen the same question asked on the help page but haven't found an answer.
Thanks.

Hi dones49,
It sounds like your issue here is that iTunes can not find the files for some of the songs you have brought into it. This happens occasionally even if the songs have not been moved from the location that iTunes places them on import or purchase. When you try to use the song, iTunes prompts you to find the file, as you have seen.
To find the file, use the information in this article to navigate through the iTunes media folders -
Locate and organize your iTunes files
If you are still unable to locate the files, you may need to download them from the iTunes store again, or rip them from your CDs. See this article for assistance with downloading your past purchases -
Download past purchases
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities.
Best,
Brett L

Songs "could not be found"

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