Synchronizing iTunes on Two Machines

Hi,
I have two macs: a portable and a desktop. The desktop stores my music collection. I was able to export my playlist from the desktop and import it into my laptop. Now I can play my songs on the laptop without storing the actual music files in it.
I know the same can be accomplished through bonjour networking over the LAN by sharing my desktop itunes. But what I really want to do is this: when I change song ratings, file names etc., I need a way to reflect that on my desktop itunes Library. Please help!!
Powerbook G4 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

No problem. As long as you have them stored on the other laptop you will be fine. Remember to backup too

Similar Messages

Any way to have two identical versions of iTunes on different machines?

Hello, probably a fairly basic question, but I'm quite a new iPod/iTunes user and need some urgent help.
I have my iTunes and music library set up fine on my PC with Windows XP, and all of the according media is stored on my iPod. But I would like to transfer all of my existing library to my laptop, which runs Vista, so effectively having TWO identical libraries to the same user, but on two different machines. I'm wondering if anyone knows the easiest way to do this? I've tried a direct transfer and then import on my iTunes library (with the 'iTunes music' folder, which for some reason contains about a fifth of the music that is actually in the library itself), but this didn't work, as only about 700 of 5000 or so songs showed up in the new iTunes library (on the laptop)!
Any help? Hope this makes sense. Thanks.

Yes, it can be done, but it's not the standard thing to do. The first thing to note is that iTunes contains full path references to all your media. Windows XP & Windows Vista have different naming conventions for the default documents folders so under XP you'd expect to find the iTunes library at C:\Documents and Settings\<User>\My Documents\My Music\iTunes whereas under Vista it will be at C:\Users\<User>\Documents\Music\iTunes. If you are copying your library from XP to Vista you should put it at exactly the same path that it had on XP and then tweak the options in the Vista version to point to your desired location.
Connect your laptop & desktop together over a network & share the Music folders on both. Grab a free tool called SyncToy 2.0 and use it to create a pair of syncronised folders. This will allow you to make changes to one library, and then connect the two machines and re-sync. As a bonus you will be able to auto-sync your iPod with either library. It only becomes difficult if you make independant changes on each machine between syncing - the most recently updated files should overwrite the older ones, but the library can end up with out of date information. The following tools can help out here.
*Adding new items/removing orphans*
Try iTunes Folder Watch or iTunes Library Updater. Folder Watch is much faster on the adding files front, can be set to run in the background and includes a useful exclusion feature, however it’s really slow at removing orphans. iTLU is better for this although doing it manually after looking at a list of proposed removals generated by Folder Watch is probably faster still. iTLU can also be set to update iTunes when you've used 3rd party tools to change tag info.
Disable Windows Media Player's "Automatically update missing information" feature on both machines as this has a tendacncy to "touch" files without adding useful info. and wipes out the iTunes "No. of Tracks" field.
tt2

How can one share iTunes Library across two machines at the same time?

**I have setup 1 of 2 machines to host all the songs in my iTunes library. I then went to machine 2 of 2 and held down option key on start up of iTUnes, changed the location of the liobrary on machine 2 to a shared folder on machine 1.**
**This works awesome and I can use itunes on each of the machines 1 and 2 with no duplicate library in my home.**
**Problem: I can only run one machine at a time. I can not run itunes on both machines at the same time. The error message from machine 2 is ITUNES library is locked and cant write to the folder. iTunes works correct if I QUIT iTunes on machine 1.**
**Can iTunes run at the same time on 2 machines and access the same library?**
*Thank You Troy*

Troy Yoho wrote:
Can iTunes run at the same time on 2 machines and access the same library?
in a way, yes.
set up _*Home Sharing*_ on both machines.
JGG

How to rip CDs into iTunes from several machines, simultaneously

I have about 300 CDs that I'm re-ripping into my library for two reasons (1) I had a hard drive failure that corrupted / lost some of the files and (2) I'm shifting from MP3 to Apple Lossless format.
Setup: MacMini is linked to entertainment center for iTunes playback but I ahve 2 other Macbooks on network. iTunes library is on an external hardrive connected to mini via firewire --accessible to macbooks via network.
Issue 1: Can I load the iTunes library from the external hard drive on each of the three machines, then have each of the three re-rip CDs simultaneously to overwrite the old files? After the CDs have been re-ripped, I'd just tell iTunes on the MacMini rebuild the library so that it knew the actual file types for the CDs imported by the macbooks.
Issue 2: I want to overwrite existing songs (1) to avoid duplicate files and (2) I've misplaced / stored a couple hundred other CD's, so I can't just erase the old library, rip from three machines, then import into the mini b/c that would be a large loss of CDs.
My plan would as follows, but I'm not certain if it will work or if it's the best way:
1. Erase the iTunes library (not the files) on all three machines for a clean start.
2. On Each machine, Preferences -> Advanced -> General: Set the iTunes music folder to the external drive where the current music files are located. Also set each computer to "Keep Music Folder Organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Music Folder..."
3. on Each machine, select File -> Add to Libary: to add all of the current music files.
4. Start simultaneously shoving my CDs into the three machines and re-importing using lossless / telling it to overwrite existing files when prompted.
5. When done re-importing the CDs, erase the macbook libraries (I don't listen to music on them), tell the mac mini to erase it's library, then re-add all the newly ripped files and the preexisting/not-overwritten files to the library to rebuild it, so that the mini becomes aware of the files that were added / rewritten by the other two machines.
While none of the three machines would be ripping the same CD or trying to overwrite the same music files at the same time, my concern is that all three machines would run into problems if trying to update / write to the same iTunes non-music file, for example the iTunes Libarary Database file of the iTunes Library.xml file on the external drive.
Comments? Suggestions? Experiences?
Thanks,
mjc

I have about 300 CDs that I'm re-ripping into my library for two reasons (1) I had a hard drive failure that corrupted / lost some of the files and (2) I'm shifting from MP3 to Apple Lossless format.
Setup: MacMini is linked to entertainment center for iTunes playback but I ahve 2 other Macbooks on network. iTunes library is on an external hardrive connected to mini via firewire --accessible to macbooks via network.
Issue 1: Can I load the iTunes library from the external hard drive on each of the three machines, then have each of the three re-rip CDs simultaneously to overwrite the old files? After the CDs have been re-ripped, I'd just tell iTunes on the MacMini rebuild the library so that it knew the actual file types for the CDs imported by the macbooks.
Well, yeah, this wold work, in 1/3 the time. If you have changed ANYTHING about a song title, album title or artist, iTunes will not see it as a duplicate.
Issue 2: I want to overwrite existing songs (1) to avoid duplicate files and (2) I've misplaced / stored a couple hundred other CD's, so I can't just erase the old library, rip from three machines, then import into the mini b/c that would be a large loss of CDs.
So, some of the MP3's won't be AAC's in the end?
My plan would as follows, but I'm not certain if it will work or if it's the best way:
1. Erase the iTunes library (not the files) on all three machines for a clean start.
Right Click/Duplicate first, just in case. OR (better method) hold the Option key while opening iTunes and choose create new library.
2. On Each machine, Preferences -> Advanced -> General: Set the iTunes music folder to the external drive where the current music files are located. Also set each computer to "Keep Music Folder Organized" and "Copy files to iTunes Music Folder..."
3. on Each machine, select File -> Add to Libary: to add all of the current music files.
4. Start simultaneously shoving my CDs into the three machines and re-importing using lossless / telling it to overwrite existing files when prompted.
If you have changed ANYTHING about a song title, album title or artist, iTunes will not see it as a duplicate.
5. When done re-importing the CDs, erase the macbook libraries (I don't listen to music on them), tell the mac mini to erase it's library, then re-add all the newly ripped files and the preexisting/not-overwritten files to the library to rebuild it, so that the mini becomes aware of the files that were added / rewritten by the other two machines.
On the three machines, hold the Option Key while opening iTunes and choose the original library, then delete the new library file you created for this adventure. Then do the same to create a new library on the MacMini. If you have created playlists, first export each playlist as a .xml file and import it when finished.
While none of the three machines would be ripping the same CD or trying to overwrite the same music files at the same time, my concern is that all three machines would run into problems if trying to update / write to the same iTunes non-music file, for example the iTunes Libarary Database file of the iTunes Library.xml file on the external drive.
They will each be creating their own unique library database, missing what the other two machines are adding to the iTunes Music Folder. They will not be re-writing the .xml file on the external hard drive. Each computer will have it's own .xml file on it's hard drive.
Tracy

I am using Windows 8 with iTunes. How do I manage iTunes with two different Windows User Accounts?

I have recently bought a laptop running Windows 8 and downloaded iTunes. I subscribe to iTunes Match and have a large amount of purchased music and imported CDs, along with some films purchased from iTunes.
I have downloaded all of the music and the films to the laptop using iTunes Match when logged in under my User Account in Windows 8. However, when we switch to my girlfriend's User Account, she can load up iTunes but all the music and films have the cloud symbol on them indicating that they need to be downloaded
Is is necessary to download everything to the computer twice (I can't really believe this is the answer) or are we missing something in terms of using iTunes with two different User Accounts?
Thank you.

Step 1
Create a new user account on your device. For Mac users, choose “System Preferences” from the Apple Menu and navigate to the “View” menu. Click on “Accounts” and select the “+” button to add a new user account to your machine. Edit the user information and grant any relevant privileges by following the on-screen prompts.
For Windows users, click on the Windows "Start" button, select “Control Panel” and choose “Add or Remove User Accounts.” A new window will open. Click “Create a New Account.” Name the account and set any relevant privileges by following the on-screen prompts.
Step 2
Sign in to the new user account you created.
Step 3
Open iTunes and click “Sign in.” Enter your Apple ID and password and log in.
Step 4
Download purchases through the iTunes store. All files related to these purchases are stored under the separate user account, thus separating both iTunes accounts and their libraries on the same computer.
Step 5
You can share music from both libraries by dragging your music library to a publicly accessible location on your computer. Click “Preferences” from the iTunes menu and deselect “Copy files to iTunes Media Library when adding to library file.” Add the shared folder to your library from the “File” menu.
Tip
Create more than one library from the same user account by deselecting “Copy files to iTunes Media Library when adding to library file” from the “Preferences” menu. Add the files you want to iTunes by dragging and dropping or by opening from the “File” menu and sync your device to that library. Quit iTunes after the sync and reopen iTunes while holding the "Shift" key in Windows or the "Option" key on a Mac.
(tour du lịch nước ngoài)

ITunes combined two podcast subscription lists

We have always maintained two machines (one mac one pc) with iTunes keeping separate podcast subscriptions but linked libraries for music. 11.1 decided to download all subscribed podcasts on both machines to both machines. Our tastes diverge on podcasts so keeping them separate is a good idea.
I'm guessing we are stuck with this but what is the best strategy to deal with separating the two lists? The best option I have so far would be
his and hers playlists If the my stations list actually functions as a play list.... On the up side I can now just put a big harddrive in a NAS on the network and be done with duelling libraries.

Well, I hear your response, and it confirms what I understand about the issue. I'm trying to understand how it's "Not allowed." Usually Not Allowed would preface a rule to prevent some sort of disorder. However it seems that moving something as simple as a url subscription from the ipod to an itunes program would be a simple matter and would not require any code of ethics.
Now it may be that it has yet to be part of the itunes program, but it certainly should be, or perhaps there is some sort of work-around.
You see, on my computer with the latest subscriptions, iTunes does not properly sync the podcasts for which I have subscriptions, but just 'renews' al;l the podcasts I have already listened to, and my older subscriptions iTunes seems to function a little better for whatever reason.

Keeping two machines 100% synced

Here is my setup:
1. MacBook Pro with 128 Gb SSD boot drive and 1 Tb secondary drive (using a caddy in place of SuperDrive)
2. Mac Pro desktop with 128 Gb SSD boot drive and 1 Tb secondary drive (have additional drives in remaining 2 slots, but they aren't relevant to this)
I use the MBP in the field when shooting video and photos to dump files, do quick views and minor edits, even some minor word processing if I am on a client site and need to generate a form, and email/web searches, etc. At home, I will sometimes use the MBP for full editing in a secondary office.
I use the MP for pretty much the same thing apart from the portable aspect.
Here's my question/desire/wish:
Is there a method or application whereby I can keep these two machines 100% synced once the MBP rejoins my home network?
Example 1: I store the video/photo files on the 1 Tb secondary drive of the MBP. When the MBP arrives home, it should immediately start syncing those files over to the MP's 1 Tb secondary drive in the same folder structure.
Example 2: I install a new application on the MP. That application (or files which the installer puts into place on the MP) get automatically installed or copied to their respective locations on the MBP.
Example 3: I begin editing a Premiere project on the MBP. I save it, get up and walk to the other office and sit down at the MP and open the same project and pick up where I left off on the MBP. And vice versa.
Essentially what I am looking for is a "roaming profile" set up but with the redundancy of having two locations for everything, kept in total sync with each other, and reflecting changes as I make them, near simultaneously.
Ideally, and to make matters even more complicated, I would like this same set up to work with an additional machine, my wife's iMac. She shoots alongside me in the field and we could both dump our files into the MBP, do whatever initial work needs to be done, and then pick up at home, she on her iMac looking at her photos, and me on the MP editing video.
I'm suspecting a possible solution involves a series of Automator scripts and folder actions, but I was hoping to find a more elegant, one-click idea. Thoughts? Suggestions? Flame for requesting an entirely unreasonable feature?

Synchronizing data between devices is a complex issue, and there's no really ideal solution. This comment is an oversimplification.
Mail can be synchronized by storing it on a mail server that uses the IMAP protocol, such as iCloud. The mail stays on the server, so it's automatically in sync with all mail clients.
Several other kinds of data can be synced via iCloud, such as calendars, iWork documents, photos, Safari tabs and bookmarks, and keychains. Some third-party applications can also sync with iCloud, but not many. iCloud is easy to use, for the most part. The drawbacks of using it are, first, that it doesn't sync everything; and second, that some of your private information will be in the hands of strangers. Read the iCloud feature list and privacy notice carefully before deciding whether or how to use it. There should be no privacy concerns with iCloud keychain, because the data is encrypted end-to-end and is not accessible to anyone at Apple—but you have to take Apple's word for that.
A more comprehensive solution, and one that doesn't raise any privacy issues, is to set up an OS X Server on your network and create mobile accounts on your other Macs. You will then be able to synchronize all files in the home folder automatically at logout, or at any other time manually. The main drawback here is that OS X Server would be hard for most non-technical users to set up and maintain. Another is that the synchronization only works with Macs, not mobile devices.
Third-party software such as Unison can also be used to synchronize files over a network. Unison is free, but it's not easy to set up in a way that doesn't lead to conflicts when files are modified on different devices between synchronizations. To synchronize more than two Macs in this way, you'll want to use one as the master, and sync between it and the others.

Activate in my mac...and apply updates to Lr & PS... is it needed anything since these two machines

I buy PS CC + lightroom priced at 9.99, well I had all products cloud but gave up, now i run PS CC in win7, how activate in my mac...and apply updates to Lr & PS... is it needed anything since these two machines are the ones i had cloud membership full? other cloud programs no access now that gave up cloud must deleted except PS & Lr?

Not sure why the screen shot won't post......
Any way, I seemed to have solved my issue for the moment. I manually downloaded the updates for iTunes, iPhoto, and the Camera Raw update. I then retried the "updates" from the App Store and it worked.
Go figure.

How do I synchronise my iTunes on two macs?

I want to be able to synchronize my two macs, so that if I load a new song on one of them, I can quickly and easily update my iTunes on the other one.
Any suggestions.
Thanks everyone

Just tidying up my unanswered questions. This answer is of course; I don't have too, I just 'share' iTunes between the two machines!

Migration from MBP to MBA: tips on using two machines at once?

Hi folks,
Seeking wisdome of the community here. I am retirng a long serving MBP-2010, moving over to a new MBA-2013.
For lots of reasons, I'm setting up the new Air manually, rather than use Setup Assistant. I'm planning to continue using the Pro as a media player, at home, for emergency backup. The Air will be my main work device. I'm manually migrating my data, and will reinstall software on the Air selectively, as needed, to minimize some of the messiness that slowed down my old unit.
So here's my question, concen: Are there any concerns, pitfalls, or tricks to using two machines, connected to the same Apple ID, in parallel? Should I uninstall any of the software in the old unit, or disconnect it from my iTunes, or anything else?
Thanks for any reference, advice, or URLs. I searched the boards, but had no luck finding similar queries.
All the best, Adam

adjoas wrote:
Hi folks,
So here's my question, concen: Are there any concerns, pitfalls, or tricks to using two machines, connected to the same Apple ID, in parallel? Should I uninstall any of the software in the old unit, or disconnect it from my iTunes, or anything else?
All the best, Adam
No, you can connect many Macs (and IOS devices) to the same AppleID, in fact for iCloud useage, you have to.

ITunes on multiply machines

I have been thinking about buying a laptop to go with my Mini Mac(OS X 10.4.10). I want to get an external hard drive for the mini mac. If I move my iTunes library onto the external hard drive would I be able to share it to the new laptop. I am not currently running a wireless network. Would I want to go to a wireless system and "network" the external HD and to share iTunes between the two machines. The new ExHD would be used for TimeMachine. Thanks for the info.

You could easily use the wireless system built into your mini to share with your new Macbook. You could either use file sharing or share iTunes in iTunes itself. For the external drive I suggest two partitions. One for Time Machine and the other for iTunes.

Mobile.me AND .mac-account on two machines - sync iphone.

Hi,
i have a .mac account for work (where i purchased music i needed for work) and a private mobile.me account, which i use for buying my private music. Whenever i connect the iphone to one on these two machines it gets the account id from that computer.
The problem now is this. I purchased some apps from the appstore for account A and some apps for account B. So far no problem, i can use all these apps on my iphone. BUT: Occasionally the app store finds some updates for installed apps, which i would like to load. But if the app was bought using account A i cannot update this app, when the iphone thinks it is synced to account B - and vice versa. There is an error message saying, you have to buy the original software first to get the update. Thats what i did, but with the wrong account.
So my question: Can i use the iphone with two accounts? I payed for the apps, so there is no reason i cannot updtae them, when i´m allowed to use them. Or, the option i would NOT like to go: Can i merge these two accounts?
Thanks
Rainer

Authorize both computers for one iTunes account. You should only be syncing with one iTunes account at a time, by using 2 you risk having everything wiped each time you sync with another computer with a different account. You can setup several mobileme accounts, but you should only use one iTunes account for purchases on the iPhone to avoid problems like this.
Message was edited by: Randy Fast

Using Lightroom Cloud to Sync Catalog Between Two Machines

I have use of so many cloud services including the 20gb that Adobe gives me. Is there a way i can sync my catalog on the cloud so that i can have all my metadata on both my laptop and desk top? I also have 300gb of cloud storage though Copy. I would just like some recomendations on how best to go about it. Thanks

Hi Pat,
Using Lightroom Cloud to Sync Catalog Between Two Machines
If you’re running Lightroom on a laptop during your location shoots, you might want to take all the edits, keywords, metadata, and of course the photos themselves, and add them to the Lightroom catalog on your studio computer. It’s easier than it sounds: basically, you choose which catalog to export from your laptop, then you take the folder it creates over to your studio computer and import it.
You need to decide whether you want to export a folder (all the imported photos from your shoot), or a collection (just your Picks from the shoot). In this case, we’ll go with a collection, so go to the Collections panel and click on the collection you want to merge with your main catalog back in your studio. (If you had chosen a folder, the only difference would be you’d go to the Folders panel and click on the folder from that shoot instead. Either way, all the metadata you added, and any edits you made in Lightroom, will still be transferred over to the other machine.)
Please refer to http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1930499 for more details.
Thanks!
Eshant Jindal

This Question is at least 2.5 years old. But still an issue. I have an early 2008 and mid 2010 13 inch macbook pro running iTunes 10.7. Itunes on both machines doesn't recognize blank cds or allow me to import from a music cd when I insert it.

I have an early 2008 and mid 2010 13 inch macbook pro running iTunes 10.7. Itunes on both machines doesn't recognize blank cds or allow me to import from a music cd when I insert it.

iTunes does not use the .xml it uses the .itl
If you are sure your old library file migrated across (does the file size and modification dates suggest it has?) start iTunes while holding down the option/alt key and guide it to the .itl file to get it to use that one.

Hi, when I upload music into itunes from a cd it sometimes appears in itunes as two different albums and split up the music in 2 or even three albums....how can i merge these albums...this is particularly true when one album may have different composers?

Hi, when I upload music into itunes from a cd it sometimes appears in itunes as two different albums and split up the music in 2 or even three albums....how can i merge these albums...this is particularly true when one album may have different composers?

Generally setting a common Album title and Album Artist will fix things.
For compilations that aren't, select all tracks, Get Info, and on the option tab set Part of a Compilation to No. If it already says No tick the box alongside, then click OK.
For deeper problems see Grouping tracks into albums.
tt2

Synchronizing iTunes on Two Machines

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