Syncing iTunes Library between multiple user accounts

Is it possible for iTunes to automatically sync music libraries between two user accounts on Windows XP?

If I understand your question correctly , you can have identical libraries (contents, playlists and all) if you set each user's account to reference the same .itl file.
Have a look at this article in the Apple Knowledge Base for details on how to do so.
By using the Choose Library option and linking the accounts to the same .itl file, the libraries will be the same and changes made to one will be reflected in the others.
Post back if you need any further details.

Similar Messages

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 !

Sharing an iTunes Library across multiple user account and a network.

Sharing an iTunes Music Library across multiple user accounts.
Hello Everybody!
Firstly, this was designed to be run in Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. It will not work with earlier versions of Mac OS X! Sorry.
Here's a handy tip for keeping your hard drive neat and tidy, it also saves space, what in effect will be done is an iTunes music library will be shared amongst multiple users on the same machine. There are advantages and disadvantages to using this method.
• Firstly I think it might be worthwhile to state the advantages and disadvantages to using this approach.
The advantages include:
- Space will be saved, as no duplicate files will occur.
- The administrator will be able to have complete control over the content of the iTunes library, this may be useful for restricting the content of the Library; particularly for example if computer is being used at and education institution, business or any other sort of institution where things such as explicit content would be less favorable.
- The machine will not be slowed by the fact that every user has lots of files.
The disadvantages to this system include.
- The fact that the account storing the music will have to be logged in, and iTunes will have to be active in that account.
- If the account housing the music is not active then nobody can use the iTunes library.
- There is a certain degree of risk present when an administrator account must be continually active.
- Fast User Switching must be enabled.
Overview:
A central account controls all music on the machine/network, this is achieved by storing iTunes files in a public location as opposed to in the user's directory. In effect the system will give all users across the machine/network access to the same music/files without the possibility of files 'doubling up' because two different users like the same types of music. This approach saves valuable disk space in this regard and may therefore prove to be useful in some situations.
This is a hearty process to undertake, so only follow this tutorial if you're willing to go all the way to the end of it.
Process:
Step 1:
Firstly, we need to organize the host library, I tidied mine up, removing excess playlists, random files, things like that. this will make thing a bit easier in the later stages of this process.
Once the library is tidied up, move the entire "iTunes" folder from your Home directory to the "//localhost" directory (The Macintosh HD) and ensure that files are on the same level as the "Applications", "Users", "Library" and "System" directories; this will ensure that the files in the library are available to all users on the machine (this also works for networks)
Optionally you can set the ownership of the folder to the 'administrator' account (the user who will be hosting the library.), you may also like to set the permissions of 'you can' to "Read & Write" (assuming that you are doing this through the user who will host the library); secondly you should set the "Owner" to the administrator who will be hosting the library and set their "access" to "Read & Write" (this will ensure that the administrator has full access to the folder). The final part of this step involves setting access for the "Others" tab to "Read Only" this will ensure that the other users can view but not modify the contents on the folder.
Overview:
So far we have done the following steps:
1. Organized the host library.
2. Placed the iTunes directory into a 'public' directory so that other users may use it. (this step is essential if you plan on sharing the library across multiple accounts on the same machine. NOTE: this step is only necessary if you are wanting to share you library across multiple accounts on the same machine, if you simply want to share the music across a network, use the iTunes sharing facility.
3. set ownership and permissions for the iTunes music folder.
Step 2:
Currently the administrator is the only user who can use this library, however we will address this soon. In this step we will enable iTunes music sharing in the administrator's account, this will enable other users to access the files in the library.
If you are not logged in as the administrator, do so; secondly, open iTunes and select "Preferences" from the "iTunes" menu, now click the "Sharing" tab, if "share my library on my local network" is not checked, the radio buttons below this will now become active, you may choose to share the entire libraries contents, or share only selected content.
Sharing only selected content may be useful if their is explicit content in the library and minors use the network or machine that the library is connected to.
If you have selected "share entire library" go to Step 3, if you have selected share "share selected playlists" read on.
After clicking "share selected playlists" you must then select the playlists that you intend to share across your accounts and network. Once you have finished selecting the playlists, click "OK" to save the settings.
Overview:
In this step we:
1. Enabled iTunes sharing in the administrator's account, now, users on the local network may access the iTunes library, however, users on the same machine may not.
Step 3:
Now we will enable users on the same machine to access the library on the machine. This is achieved by logging in as each user, opening iTunes, opening iTunes preferences, and clicking "look for shared music". now all users on the machine may also access the library that the administrator controls.
This in effect will mean that the user will not need to use their user library, it will be provided to them via a pseudo network connection.
As a secondary measure, I have chosen to write a generic login script that will move any content from the user's "Music/iTunes/iTunes Music" directory to the trash and then empties the user's trash.
This is done through the use of an Automator Application: this application does the following actions.
1. Uses the "Finder" action "Get Specified Finder Items"
1a. The user's "~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music" folder
2. Uses the "Finder" action "Get Folder Contents"
3. Uses the "Finder" action "Move to Trash"
4. Uses the "Automator" action "Run AppleScript"
4a. with the following:
on run {input, parameters}
tell application "Finder"
empty trash
end tell
return input
end run
IMPORTANT: Once the script is adapted to the user account it must be set as a login item. in order to keep the script out of the way i have placed it in the user's "Library" directory, in "Application Support" under "iTunes".
Overview:
Here we:
1. Enabled iTunes sharing in the user accounts on the host machine, in effect allowing all users of the machine to view a single iTunes library.
2. (Optional) I have created a login application that will remove any content that has been added to user iTunes libraries, this in effect stops other users of the machine from adding music and files to iTunes.
Step 4:
If it is not already enabled, open system preferences and enable Fast User Switching in Accounts Options.
Summary:
We have shared a single iTunes library across multiple user account, while still allowing for network sharing. This method is designed to save space on machines, particularly those with smaller hard drives.
I hope that this hint proves to be helpful and I hope everybody will give me feedback on my process.
regards,
Pete.
iBook G4; 60GB Hard Drive, 512MB RAM, Airport Extreme Mac OS X (10.4.6) iWork & iLife '06, Adobe CS2, Final Cut Pro. Anything and Everything!!!

how to share music between different accounts on a single computer

Can i share itunes library between separate user accounts?

i bought a new imac and i am in the process of migrating from my pc. I have transferred my itunes library into my user account on my imac from my old windows computer. I have 3 other user accounts on my imac that i would like to be able to access the same library. I have selected the option to share libraries, but i cannot seem to access the itunes library on any of the other user accounts. Since the music files are on the hard drive, it seems like i should be able to access those files on all accounts. any suggestions?

Have a look at this page it might be of some help: iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer

How do you sync iTunes library for two user accounts?

Hello
I have a MacBook with two user accounts - myself and my wife.
I have to do this because we both have iPhones and we need to keep our sync-ing separate or we would just keep overwriting each others preferences.
I have an iTunes library and so does my wife.
Problem...
I recently imported some songs using my account that my wife wants on her iTunes. When I logged out of my account and went into hers the songs I imported were not there!!
Question...
How do you marry and update the libraries of both accounts so no matter which iTunes library you access (my account or hers) you have all the available songs in both?
I have tried trawling through some of the zillion posts here, but the prospect of spending hours and hours was just too much to contemplate!!!!
So if i've asked a question that has already been asked and dealt with please forgive me - or better still if you know where the needle would be in this haystack a link would be very much appreciated!
Many Thanks in Anticipation.
Mr Totsy

Hi ffiti
I have done a bit of cleaning up on my Mac (OCD!) and made a bit of an ar*e of things - can you help?
I went into my wife's account and wiped all iTunes files and stored songs.
This was done because some songs were on my iTunes library and some were not on hers - so I just wiped the lot off and started again...I know it gets even better...
I then went into my user account and wiped off everything there too...
I went on the Apple website and downloaded the latest iTunes 11.0.4 I think and reinstalled an empty library from scratch - that way I will be only filling one library full of songs - I also took the media file out of the shared folder and reset it back to its default position
I went to sync my iPhone and now it tells me I can only sync one device with one library - so how do I sync my phone without it deleting everything and replacing it with nothing?!!!!
I doesn't matter how great Apple products are they just can't account for human idiocy !!!
Regards,
Mr Totsy

Use 1 itunes library for multiple user accounts

Is there a way to use 1 library for multi-user accounts on mac osx? I have 4 iphones and was previously using the main account only. I'm getting tired of having everyones contact lists downloaded into my main phone. I can't seem to figure out how to sync the music to the same library.

Hi There,
I sync 2 iphones with the same library, and to stop the other iphones contacts adding to mine I have two groups in the address book, one has my contacts in and the other my friends. I then just sync the appropriate address book in the info pane when the iphone is plugged in.
Hope this helps.

Unable to share iTunes library between multiple users on one Mac

I've got an iMac (running Snow Leopard) and I'm trying to share a single iTunes library among three users (Admin, and two others), but I simply cannot get it to work. I have followed the instructions in this Apple KB article "to a tee", checked and doublechecked permissions (read/write for everyone) on the iTunes Music folder (moved to /Users/Shared), and it just won't take. The original library owner (Admin) can still access all music as normal, but no other user can. I've tried deleting everything from each users' ~/Music/iTunes folder and the iTunes plists, so I could start each user fresh, but NOTHING has worked. iTunes for the other users simply does not recognize any media. Like I said, I've followed all of the instructions in the KB article linked above.
Since that seems to be the "official" method that every other thread on this subject references, I'm looking for some troubleshooting tips to help me discover what exactly is wrong here.
Thanks in advance!

Chris, thanks for the reply. Are you telling me that I should move the iTunes folder itself, and not merely the iTunes Media folder, as instructed by the KB article? At this point, I'd be willing to try just about anything, but the KB article specifically states:
Important: Do not move the iTunes folder, the iTunes Library file or the iTunes Library.xml file.
As I stated above, I did exactly what the KB article said to, which is to move the iTunes Media folder (called iTunes Music on my iMac, since the library has been around since pre-iTunes 8 or so) to /Users/Shared, and then go into iTunes Prefs for each user, and under the advanced tab, choose the location of the library for each user. I know that this method does NOT share iTunes library (.itl or .xml, or the other associated files), and doing what you suggest would, but I'm curious if that would cause any problems.
And yes, like I said in the OP, I did check/change all file permissions on that folder appropriately.
Thanks again for the help! Please let me know if I'm reading your suggestion right!

Sharing iTunes library between different user accounts

I recently purchased my imac and made the leap from the PC world. I set up another user account aside from the general administrator and followed the steps of having itunes folder go to the users/shared folder in an effort to be able to share files between users. I am able to now share the library between users but find that when I load new songs onto one user I then need to go into the other user's account and manually copy the new songs from the shared folder into itunes.
Anyone know how I can have it so when I load songs into one users itunes they will automatically appear in library of the other user's itunes without having to take the step of copying/importing?
Also when I was downloading and importing over 4000 songs my imac had the transparent black box which informed me I needed to shut down my computer at least twice. Should I be concerned? I'm assuming this notice is very similar to the "blue screen of death" known in the PC world so that can't be good especially when I paid the extra $ for fully loaded imac.
Thanks for the help!

DANMAC808, Welcome to the discussion area!
See KB 93195, iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer.
Also when I was downloading and importing over 4000 songs my imac had the transparent black box which informed me I needed to shut down my computer at least twice. Should I be concerned?
That is not normal at all.

Sharing one iphoto library between multiple user accounts

I hav an extensive photo library and would like to share this across multiple users on the one computer. Am I able to do this without having to move the library to an external hard drive?

What you mean by 'share'.
If you want the other user to be able to see the pics, but not add to, change or alter your library, then enable Sharing in your iPhoto (Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other account. In that account, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. Your Library will appear in the other source pane.
Any user can drag a pic from the Shared Library to their own in the iPhoto Window.
Remember iPhoto must be running in both accounts for this to work.
If you want the other user to have the same access to the library as you: to be able to add, edit, organise, keyword etc. The problem here is that OS X works very hard to keep your data safe and secure from the other users. You're trying to beat what's built in to the system. So, to beat the system
Quit iPhoto in both accounts
Move the iPhoto Library Folder to an external HD set to ignore permissions. You could also use a Disk Image or even partition your Hard Disk.
In each account in turn: Hold down the option (or alt) key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting dialogue, select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new library location. From that point on, this will be the default library location. Both accounts will have full access to the library, in fact, both accounts will 'own' it.
However, there is a catch with this system and it is a significant one. iPhoto is not a multi-user app., it does not have the code to negotiate two users simultaneously writing to the database, and trying will cause db corruption. So only one user at a time, and back up, back up back up.
Lastly: This method seems a little clunky at first, but works very well. Most importantly, it uses the System to do the job for you.
Create a new Account on your Mac, call it Media. Create an iPhoto Library there. (BTW: This will work for iTunes too.)
Enable Sharing on the Library:(Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other accounts. In those accounts, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. The Library will appear in the other source pane.
This means that both users will be able to see the pics. If you want to use a pic then simply drag it from the shared Library to your own in the iPhoto Window. This means that each user can have their own edits.
If you want to add photos to the Library: Log into the Media account for that purpose.
To make it all seamless: Set your Mac to log into the Media Account automatically. Set iPhoto to launch on log-in. Then switch to your own account using Fast User Switching.
Net result: a Library that's permanently available to all users but also protected. Each user can have their own versions of the pics if they want.
No partitioning, no permissions issues. Uses no extra disk space. What's not to like?
Regards
TD

Sharing an iTunes library with multiple user accounts

I have a large music library (>200GB) and I want to have the library accesssable to myself and my 2 sons. We each have our own Windows account and I set there iTunes instances up to not copy files to their iTunes music folder. Music is working ok, but podcasts are a problem. When I log into iTunes, there are exclamation marks next to all moyt podcasts now.
Is there a way to do this that will allow us to share all the music, and have our own podcasts? If not, how can I at least have a common podcast directory for all 3 of us.
TIA

how to share music between different accounts on a single computer

Can't sync Aperture library with multiple user accounts

I have created the aperture library on my main computer account and have synced photos to my iPhone with no problem. I created an account for my wife on the computer and she has admin rights. When I try to sync photos from Aperture onto her iPad I get the error message: You do not have enough rights for this operation. I checked the permissions on the Aperture library and she has Read+Write rights. Is there a solution so that we both can use Aperture for the management of our photo library but still have separate accounts?

yes, as best as I could tell.
This is a library I use for my desktop wallpaper (rotating 5 seconds apiece, random pics) so the images are kept in a folder separate from the library, which is one of the few that I permit to copy images and manage their location.
So I deleted those four images from the library, deleted their album, and reimported them from the main folder, and recreated their album, and all was well.
I presume one of them got corrupted, but the odd thing was that iTunes complained the phone couldn't be synced, and in no way indicated a fault with a file being synced.

Sharing a library between multiple user accounts on the same PC

I have an XP pc setup for the kids and each has their own login so they can have their own bookmarks, shortcuts, desktop, etc. They each have an iPod and use iTunes. I want them to share the same music library so that when one downloads or rips a song, It's available to each of them. Using the default installation, it is currently not working the way I want it to. Is what I'm describing possible? If so, how do I configure it?

You need to have all the music stored in a shared folder.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203
If you move all the files around with Win Explorer, itunes will lose the paths to the files. It might be best to move everything to the shared folder and have them start over with a blank library (new ratings, playcounts)
The last lines in that article state
+When another user of the computer has imported new music from CD, repeat steps 6 through 8 to add the music to your library.+
You might want to use a little program like "itunes folder watch" to do it automatically for you.

Question re. sharing iTunes library with other user accounts

I have seen this document:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203
I want to share one library with four users on my account. I'd like for any music purchased or ripped to this computer to end up in User 1's iTunes library, and for Users 2, 3 and 4 to have access to User 1s library just as User 1 does.
When I follow the directions for "Listening to another account's music files" in the above referenced document, it tells me to navigate to User 1's library through the dialog box that pops up after User 2 clicks "Add to LIbrary".
The problem is, when User 2 is doing that, and User 1 has put the iTunes library in ~user1/public, as the directions suggest, that dialog box won't allow user 2 to access User 1's Public folder.
Thoughts?
Thanks in advance...
Chris

Another long description in store here...
iTunes has two main elements. One is the library.itl database file. When you open iTunes it is this that you see. It contains what music is in a library, playlists, date added, playcount, etc. It is this that is really the library. The other element are the media files. When you tell iTunes to play a track it checks in its library file which music file is associated with that track and goes and plays it.
Now you say, "for Users 2, 3 and 4 to have access to User 1s library just as User 1 does." Do you really want User 4 to be able to go and delete or rename tracks, or change the playlists? This can be done if you really want it. Or do you want each person to keep their own library [file] and share media? Even that has disadvantages as a person might still be able to rename a file or even delete it for all. At least everybody would have their own playlists, ratings, etc, though a person could delete a file and then it would appear as a broken link for others. To be honest, iTunes isn't great for sharing.
What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660
More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management
What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html
Exactly what you want to do will involve different setups so before going into detailed insructions it would help to know which ones to provide. Here's an sampling:
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
Chris CA's instructions on sharing one iTunes music library between multiple user accounts - https://discussions.apple.com/message/8974074 - Multiple users using a single library file - similar post at: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3753008
iTunes Home Sharing now works between users on same computer - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3865597 The problem with HS is I think you then end up with multiple copies of files, one for each user. At least they cannot damage another's collection though.

Any improvements in sharing an iPhoto Library between multiple users?

It is possible and Apple Approved to share an iPhoto Library between multiple users, but the Library must be stored on a drive or disk image that ignores permissions:
http://tech.kateva.org/2008/10/apple-supports-multi-user-iphoto.html
This doesn't work for me. Has Apple changed anything with iLife '09 to make it easier to share a Library? For example, have they changed from the prior Package format?
Message was edited by: jfaughnan

Alternatives to a trip to the Terminal:
If you want the other user to be able to see the pics, but not add to, change or alter your library, then enable Sharing in your iPhoto (Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other account. In that account, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. Your Library will appear in the other source pane.
Any user can drag a pic from the Shared Library to their own in the iPhoto Window.
Remember iPhoto must be running in both accounts for this to work.
If you want the other user to have the same access to the library as you: to be able to add, edit, organise, keyword etc. The problem here is that OS X works very hard to keep your data safe and secure from the other users. You're trying to beat what's built in to the system. So, to beat the system
Quit iPhoto in both accounts
Move the iPhoto Library Folder to an external HD set to ignore permissions. You could also use a Disk Image or even partition your Hard Disk.
In each account in turn: Hold down the option (or alt) key and launch iPhoto. From the resulting dialogue, select 'Choose Library' and navigate to the new library location. From that point on, this will be the default library location. Both accounts will have full access to the library, in fact, both accounts will 'own' it.
However, there is a catch with this system and it is a significant one. iPhoto is not a multi-user app., it does not have the code to negotiate two users simultaneously writing to the database, and trying will cause db corruption. So only one user at a time, and back up, back up back up.
Lastly: This method seems a little clunky at first, but works very well. Most importantly, it uses the System to do the job for you.
Create a new Account on your Mac, call it Media. Create an iPhoto Library there. (BTW: This will work for iTunes too.)
Enable Sharing on the Library:(Preferences -> Sharing), leave iPhoto running and use Fast User Switching to open the other accounts. In those accounts, enable 'Look For Shared Libraries'. The Library will appear in the other source pane.
This means that both users will be able to see the pics. If you want to use a pic then simply drag it from the shared Library to your own in the iPhoto Window. This means that each user can have their own edits.
If you want to add photos to the Library: Log into the Media account for that purpose.
To make it all seamless: Set your Mac to log into the Media Account automatically. Set iPhoto to launch on log-in. Then switch to your own account using Fast User Switching.
Net result: a Library that's permanently available to all users but also protected. Each user can have their own versions of the pics if they want.
No partitioning, no permissions issues. Uses no extra disk space. What's not to like?
Regards
TD

What is the best way to share a iTunes library between 5 users on the same computer?

What is the best way to share a iTunes library between 5 users on the same computer?
Currently I have a common itunes library in a shared folder that each user is linked to. The problem is that when one user adds music to the shared file, it does not automaticaly appear to other users when they open their iTunes. They have to go to the shared library and select the new music in order to make it visable in their iTunes.
Would iTunes file shareing fix this problem?
Thanks

aapl.up wrote:
Rick, are you saying that if you try to share a folder outside of home and use sharepoints, then the other mac wont prompt you to log in? Have you tried that? It is hard to believe that is the case
I am sort of saying that. Have you tried it? I know it's hard to believe, but you really need to help us out by trying some steps that you don't believe.
We can't see what your exact situation is. We sort of know what's worked for us out here. Just trying to help you get this going in less than 24 hours!
Sharepoints manages the samba configuration file. It's free software that puts a pretty face on an otherwise cumbersome config file.
Give it a shot.
windows will not prompt for passwords, I have tried this with multiple computer at home for both vista and xp
As I stated. You will not get prompted on windows, if you have set up sharing in an insecure fashion. You are not using a secured sharing situation.
No argument with your statement.

Syncing iTunes Library between multiple user accounts

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for