Syncing iPad to a new iTunes library - impossible ?

I have reinstalled my MacBook Pro (changed HDD). I have iPad2 full of items (books, music, photos), settings, applications etc. But now I get only the message "iPad can be connected only to one iTunes library - syncing will erase your ipad etc."  But this is something I definitely don't want to do, but whatever I tried, came back to this. I cannot believe that. It is quite normal that one sometimes gets new computer, reinstalls or changes the HDD, does it mean that one has to erase iPad and start doing everything again there ?? What is the way to simply copy (backup) the whole iPad content to the new iTunes library and to continue using it ?

The iPad syncs to one specific library, there is a way to get around this though. With the following steps the only things you will lose is media you DID NOT purchase from the iTunes Store or App Store. This is because the Transfer Purchases section only transfers your purchases and the back up does not store synced media.
Please do the following in order:
1. Disable auto-sync in iTunes (iTunes menu > Preferences > Devices > tick the "Prevent iPhones, iPads, and iPods from syncing automatically" check box)
2. Plug in the iPad (if it prompts for a sync - which it shouldn't now - just cancel the sync but leave it plugged in)
3. Control-click the name of your iPad under the heading "Devices" on the left hand side of iTunes
4. From the drop down menu select "Back up"
5. When the back up is completed, control-click the name of your iPad again and select "Transfer purchases" (it may ask you to authorise the computer for the purchased content, you will need to do this before proceeding)
6. Once all your purchased content is in the iTunes Library, control-click on the name of the iPad once more and select "Restore from back up" and chose the back up you just created
7. After the restore is complete you will be able to use your iPad as normal.

Similar Messages

  • Can't sync iPad or iPhone - new iTunes library wants to erase contents!

    Hi,
    I have an iPhone, iPad & iPod touch & all are synced using my iMac. I have the latest version of iTunes and for some reason, I am unable to sync my devices because I'm getting a pop up window that says that the devices are synced with another iTunes library. I can sync with the current library but the contents of the device will be erased.
    I looked in my iTunes folder: User ->music -> iTunes and found the following folders: Album Artwork, iTunes Music, Previous iTunes Libraries (imported to this iMac from my other 20" iMac but both library folders indicate they were created on Dec 8 2010 ... bought the iMac in Sept) & iTunes Media.
    There are also a couple of icons in the iTunes folder: iTunes Library, iTunes Library Extras.itdb, iTunes Library Genius.itdb and iTunes Music Library.xml.
    Everything synced just fine until recently. I added a couple of mv4 format movies to iTunes and can watch them in iTunes. I'd like to transfer them to my iPad so my kids can watch the movies while travelling. The syncing issues started AFTER the movies were added to iTunes so I don't know if this did anything to the original library. In the summary panel in iTunes (when looking at the info of the device connected) I have generally had the box checked off to manually manage music & videos. The box is no longer checked. Any attempt to check it and apply the change also results in the prompt that I'm dealing with a new library.
    I don't have a lot of photos, music, apps on my devices so if I have to start over using the new library fine ... just can't figure out where things went wrong.
    Is there a way to let me revert back to my old settings/library without messing things up????
    Thanks for your help.
    Brent

    Thanks for the suggestion on the Time Machine ... it's on my list of items to get.
    I've noticed under my iTunes preferences -> advanced that the iTunes Media Folder Location window has both boxes checked (Keep iTunes Media folder organized & Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library) and the file path is users/name/music/iTunes/iTunes Media. Also, in the preferences -> general window the library name is the default name ... there's no other iTunes library that I can see so I have no idea as to where this "new" library is located.
    I really don't want to lose any music, apps or photos by going with a new library. All my other settings in my iPad have been preserved & my music in iTunes on my iMac is fine and I can even watch the blasted movies that I added to iTunes ... just can't seem to get anything to sync without having to use this new iTunes Library ... getting frustrated here.
    Take care,
    Brent

  • How do I sync my iPad with a new iTunes library without erasing all the previously purchased apps & data on my iPad?

    I'm sure this is a common issue, and I've google-searched for solutions but I cannot find a straight forward answer anywhere. I really hope an expert here can help me out.
    I purchased an iPad last year and synced it with my iTunes library on my old PC laptop. Well, my PC laptop harddrive crashed last week and I cannot access anything on my laptop anymore. I did not make a back-up for my PC harddrive either. I know, next time I should make a back-up and I will. But that's irrelevant. The PC is gone now.
    I replaced my PC this week with a brand new Mac Book Pro. Excited about my new purchase, I quickly hooked up my iPad with the hopes of easily transferring and accessing my iPages, iNumbers, and other productivity iPad apps seamlessly to my new beautiful Mac Book Pro. But now I've run into the nightmarish dilemma of not being able to sync my beloved Ipad with my new MAC without getting the warning that basically says "your iPad is already synced with another iTunes Library. You may only sync to one iTunes Library at a time. You will lose all your data if you sync to this new computer."
    Can someone give me a straightfoward answer as to how I can sync my iPad with my new iTunes Library on my new Mac Book Pro without losing any of the apps that I previously purchased? I want to be able to access the apps I downloaded on my iPad on my Mac Book Pro.
    Thanks so much!!!!!!

    how to use iTunes to sync is in the
    http://www.apple.com/support/itunes
    For MacBook Pro community and OS X
    MacBook Pro
    https://discussions.apple.com/community/notebooks/macbook_pro 
    https://discussions.apple.com/community/mac_os?view=discussions
    http://www.apple.com/support/macbookpro
    While it isn't as easy to just use a Mac iDevice as media storage as Android and Windows, you can add documents and such like Word, PDF and others manually in iTunes to have them sync as well.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1386
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1351
    They are all there searchable from Bing, Google or every Mac product has a support page.
    http://www.apple.com/support/

  • HT1351 Can you take the music off the existing library on the ipod and sync it to a new itunes library?? and if so how do you do this???

    Can you take the music off the existing library on the ipod and sync it to a new itunes library?? and if so how do you do this???

    See this excellent User Tip from another forum member turingtest2 on how to recover content from your iPod back into iTunes.
    https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
    B-rock

  • Got a new PC and transferred everything to the new library.  HOwever, my podcasts don't show up.  Any idea how to get my podcasts from my iPad to my new iTunes library?  Thank you!

    I got a new PC and set up my iTunes library.  Everything transferred from my iPad--music, apps, books.  HOwever, my podcasts did not.  Any idea how to transfer all of my podcasts from my Ipad to my new iTunes library?  Thank you very much. :-)

    If the entire iTunes folder was copied from the old computer to the new computer, then it simply works.
    You can also try unsubscribing from the podcast and then re-subscribing.
    There is no option to transfer media from an iDevice to a computer. 

  • READ THIS : WHY IN GODS NAME CAN I NOT TRANSFER MY MUSIC FROM IPAD TO MY NEW ITUNES LIBRARY? .

    My old laptop got a virus which im still annoyed enough about. So i obviously got a new laptop, which also meens a new itunes library with nothing on it. I now have 3000 songs on my ipad and as i have lost my old itunes library my new one has nothing on. ive been trying for some time now to transfer my music from my ipad to my itunes library with out loosing anything. i do not want to loose all my music as it will take absoloutly ages to put them all on my ipad again. IF YOU HAD A HEART YOU WOULD HELP

    It has always been very basic to always maintain a backup copy of your computer for just this reason.
    Use your backup copy to put everything back.
    The music sync is one way - computer to ipad.  The only exception is itunes purchases:  File>Transfer Purchases

  • Syncing iPod to a new iTunes library - back up question

    The PC I used to sync my Daughter's iPod touch to is broken so I need to re sync the iPod to another iTunes library. I have backed it up to iTunes on another PC following instructions on this site but think i now need to restore it so that it syncs with this itunes library, is that correct? If so, I wonder if anyone can tell me if backed up games/apps will retain high scores etc or will she need to start them all over again? Thanks.

    If you backed up the original library properly then a restored copy of the library will be treated as the "home" library for the device and everything will work just as it did before. If you only backed up the media then it will be a "new" library and iTunes will propose wiping the device and loading fresh content onto it. This would wipe out all game progress etc.
    You should be able to:
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    Transfer purchases into a newly authorized library
    Recover any other media using third party tools as suggested in this post (if required)
    Restore the device from the backup
    This process should switch the association of the device to the new library, preserving the data and settings in the apps.
    May also be prudent to attempt a backup to iCloud directly from the device before you start... Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > iCloud Backup > On. It won't save any media but it should preserve the general account settings, documents, game progress etc. in case anything goes wrong while you are trying to extract the other data.
    When you get it all fixed, make a backup!
    tt2

  • Syncing phone to a new iTunes library

    my iPhone 5s is currently synced with my home computer (family computer) iTunes. i now have my own macbook pro and want to connect it to that library. i've made my new apple ID which is connected with iTunes on my laptop. I don't care if the music gets deleted, because im downloading new music on my laptop, but i need to keep the photos and apps and ringtones and contacts and everything else! i plugged it in and pressed sync but it said it will erase it and put on everything from my iTunes, i've backed it up to my laptop so i think my apps are on my laptop but im unsure whether everything else is too?

    Hi keale.26,
    Welcome to the Support Communities!  First of all, congratulations on acquiring your new MacBook Pro!  It sounds like you are really asking about two different questions here ...
    1) How to move your iTunes library from your family computer to your new MacBook Pro so that you can sync to it.
    2) How to retain all of the information that was in iCloud (contacts, calendars, photos, etc.) on your new computer.
    Did you have your own Apple ID when you were using your family computer?  If so, you don't need to create a new one just because you got a new computer.  You can just sign into iCloud on your MacBook Pro with your old Apple ID.
    Did you have your own User Account on your family computer?  If so, you could copy your home folder (contains your documents, photos, music, etc.) to your new computer.
    I'm going to include some basic information to get started here.  Hopefully one of these scenarios will work for you.
    How to move your iTunes library to a new computer - Apple Support
    http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT4527
    When you get a new computer, you can move your iTunes library so that you can play your media on and sync with your new computer.
    Before you begin
    Make a new backup of your iTunes library or update your existing backup before you move it. Even if you already have a backup of your iTunes library, this step makes sure you capture any changes and makes the process easier.
    Use an external drive
    If you're using this method on a Mac:
    From the Finder menu, choose Preferences.
    Make sure that the boxes next to "External disks" and "Hard disks" are enabled.
    Part 1: Install iTunes
    Download and install the latest version of iTunes.
    Part 2: Move any new content
    If you’ve used iTunes on your new computer, move your media to a new folder. This will keep anything you added to your new computer separate from your old library. These files can be added back to your library in Part 4.
    Move your iTunes Media folder (Mac)
    Part 3: Copy the iTunes backup from your old computer
    To copy all of your media files, including the library file that holds all your playlists and other settings, to your new computer:
    Locate the following folder on your new computer.Mac: Choose Go > Home from the Finder menu bar. Double click the Music folder.
    Drag the iTunes folder in this location onto the desktop.
    Mac: From the Music folder to the Desktop:
    Part 4 (optional): Add back new content
    Copy the iTunes Media folder you created in Part 2 into the "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder inside the iTunes Media folder you copied in Part 3. iTunes will automatically import the content.
    Use iTunes in the Cloud
    If you don’t have a backup of your iTunes library and your old computer is unavailable, you can download past purchases made with your Apple ID through iTunes in the Cloud.
    If you have multiple Apple IDs, you might find it easier to transfer purchases from a device after authorizing your new computer with your Apple ID.
    If you previously subscribed to iTunes Match, you can turn on iTunes Match once your new computer is authorized.
    After you transfer your library
    If you plan to stop using your old computer, deauthorize it by choosing Store > Deauthorize This Computer from the iTunes menu bar.
    If you used iTunes on your old computer to back up your iOS device, back up your devices on your new computer or manually transfer the backups from your old computer. Learn more about creating and deleting iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch backups in iTunes.
    If you used iCloud with your old computer for syncing, set up iCloud on your new computer.
    If you will continue to use your old computer, recreate your iTunes library. This prevents an iOS device from seeing the old computer as the new one because of the old library files.
    Last Modified: Nov 10, 2014
    Set up your Apple ID for iCloud and iTunes - Apple Support
    http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204053
    Can I merge multiple Apple IDs into one?
    No. You can't merge two or more Apple IDs into a single one. You can, however, use one Apple ID for iCloud services and another Apple ID for Store purchases (including iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match). See “Using one Apple ID for iCloud and a different Apple ID for Store Purchases” for details.
    I have purchased music, apps, or books with multiple Apple IDs. How can I get all of this content onto my iOS device?
    First, copy all of your purchased content so that it's on the same Mac or PC with iTunes. This computer should be the one you sync your device with.
    iTunes for Mac: How to copy purchases between computers
    Next, authorize your computer to play content with each Apple ID in iTunes. After your computer is authorized for all of your content, it can be synced to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
    Apple - iCloud - Learn how to set up iCloud on all your devices.
    http://www.apple.com/icloud/setup/mac.html
    To update to the latest version, go to the Apple menu and choose Software Update to see if there’s an update available.
    Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu on your Mac. Click iCloud, enter your Apple ID, and select the services you’d like to enable.
    Want to use a different Apple ID for iTunes?
    Learn more
    With iCloud, you can get an @icloud.com email account that’s ad-free, is up to date everywhere you check it, and includes webmail at iCloud.com. Just select Mail in iCloud preferences and follow the onscreen instructions.
    Open iPhoto and click the Use iCloud button.
    To enable automatic downloads for your music and apps, open iTunes and choose Preferences. Then click Store and select Music, Apps, and Books.*
    To get the most out of iCloud, set it up everywhere.
    Set up iCloud on your iPhone,
    iPad, or iPod touch
    I hope this information helps ....
    - Judy

  • I cannot sync my iphone to new itunes library.

    I have the latest update of itunes on both computers and the latest software update on my iPhone 5s.
    I have recently gotten a new laptop. I have downloaded itunes and transferred my itunes library from my old computer to my new laptop via home sharing. However, I could not sync any of the music to my iphone. I have also downloaded the transferred music from iCloud and backed up my iphone to the new laptop in the hope this would help. However it has not made a difference and I still cannot sync my iphone.
    How am I able to solve this problem?
    Many Thanks

    Only iTunes media will necessarily be erased.  There's no way around this. 

  • Will I lose my ipod playlists from former itunes library (included purchased songs and personal cd's I burned) if I sync up to my new itunes library that DOES NOT have any of my personal song cd's?

    Afraid if I sync my ipod to itunes library, I'll loose my existing playlists that have my personal cd's burned into it.  Thanks.

    Change your user ID to something less likely to annoy regulars on this forum who try and help those who want to be helped.
    (I bookmarked this question when you first posted it, simply because I suspected that no one would offer help. I guess I was right.)

  • Syncing iphone to a new itunes library on new computer.

    Does anyone know how to sync my iphone to another computer without having to erase everything and start over?  My old computer crashed, and I recently got a new one with windows 8 installed.  Anyone who can help, it is REALLY appreciated.

    Hi samfergs,
    I'm not sure how the Purchased Playlist decides what to put into it, but if you want to see all of your purchased items, then you need to go to the iTunes Store, and on the right side, under Quick Links, click on Purchased.
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    Cheers,
    GB

  • When I plug in my iPad 2 to my laptop to sync, it says "the file iTunes library itl" cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes. Can someone please tell me what this means? How do I correct it? Thanks!

    When I plug in my iPad 2 to my laptop to sync, it says "the file iTunes library itl" cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes. Can someone please tell me what this means? How do I correct it? Thanks!

    The file "iTunes Library.itl" cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes".
    Try the following user tip:
    Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash

  • HT1473 How can I transfer my music (not purchased from Itunes) from my Ipad/Iphone to my new Itunes library on a Macbook Pro?

    I've recently bought a new Macbook Pro and in my Itunes Library everything I have purchased from Itunes is in my new Itunes Library.
    However I want to transfer all my music (not purchased from itunes) from my Ipad/Iphone to my new Itunes Library.... and I have absoutely no idea how to do this? Also I'm scared to press sync when my ipad is plugged into my Mac incase will loose all this music!
    Help Please!

    The iphone/ipad/ipod is not a backup/storage device.  The sync is one way - computer to iphone/ipad/ipod.
    Copy everything from your old computer or your backup copy of your old computer.

  • Can I sync my device (iPhone/iPad) to a new iTunes without losing my old apps?

    My family and I have been sharing the same iTunes account for a while now. We have three iPhones and my iPad all using the same iTunes on our home desktop. I recently got my own Pro and want to creat my own itunes and sync my iPad and iPhone to it. I want to keep my three devices together and use iCloud only with my devices. Most of my apps are free so I know I can just download them again but I do have a few paid for apps like Pages that I do not want to lose and pay for again. Is there a way I can bring over my paid for apps to my new iTunes library???

    If you are using the same account again, disable autosync in iTunes, set up your account, set up at least one contact and event on your Mac, to be able to merge data during the first sync.
    Connect your device, right click on it in the device list and choose "backup". This will back up your device without syncing. Transfer your purchases the same way, to copy all bought media and apps to your new library.
    The first sync will erase your device, but you can use the manual created backup to restore your settings and data again.

  • How do I sync my iPad to a new itunes on a computer

    My sons pc installed a new iTunes, overwriting iTunes. Now his iTunes is empty. His iPad still has all his songs and apps on it. We backed up his iPad to iCloud. How do I get his iPad info onto his iTunes? If I go to sync his iPad to his nw iTunes, it wants to wipe his iPad clean.
    Help?

    You need to transfer purchases into iTunes. If you follow the instructions in this discussion - you should be able to transfer all of the purchased content into the new iTunes library on the computer.
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3305461

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