Transfering Library From One Computer to Another

Hello! I recently got a new computer and I installed iTunes on it and uploaded my iPod, but only my purchased songs would transfer. Now, anything I buy on my new computer will not go on my ipod. Also, I would like to get the rest of my music on my new computer. Can you help? Thanks!

Do you not have a back up of your itunes library on an external source?
If not, you should. If so use the back up to transfer the library to the new computer.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1751

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Transferring external iTune library from one computer to another

I am having great difficulty in changing my external iTunes library from my old MBP laptop to my new iMac 5k.
My entire iTunes library is stored on an external drive and can be accessed directly with my MBP. When I started up iTunes on my new iMac, it created a new empty library in the MUSIC folder. What I want to do is connect my new iMac to the external library directly. I can see it when I turn on HOME SHARING but only when iTunes is running on my MBP, which is useless since my MBP will now be seldom used. I have of course on the iMac, changed the library location in the advanced preferences to the external location, to no avail. I do not want to keep any media files on the iMac for capacity reasons.
To compound the problem, I cannot seem to sync my new iPhone 6+ to the original external library, only the new empty one!
Surely this ought to be a simple job, transferring an external iTunes library from one computer to another! Am I missing something obvious here?

Wow, what a quick response! Thanks, Limnos. I guess it was bleeding' obvious, and I should have thought of it before. Such a simple solution!
On a related matter, I also have just realised that the iTunes iOS backups are saved on the internal computer drive in a folder called MOBILESYNC rather than on an external drive, thus chewing up a lot of capacity on my SSD. Others reading this response may be interested to know that it is easy to have iTunes save the iOS backups to any external drive using a symbolic link in this directory. Go to
http://support.digidna.net/hc/en-us/articles/203504123-Storing-your-iPhone-Backu ps-on-an-Alternate-Location
for the details.
However, note that iBooks will NOT let you use this work-around, pathetic app that it is.

HT3819 How do I transfer my entire library from one computer to another?

How do I transfer my entire library from one computer to another?

Refer to this article to move your Music and library:
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

How do i transfer my music library from one computer to another?

I want to transfer my itunes music library from one computer to another, how do I do this?

sam06,
Here are a couple of links that should be of interest:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=93366
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607339&#607339

How do i transfer my entire library from one computer to another?

How do i transfer my entire library from one computer to another?

iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer

How do I move my ipod library from one computer to another?

Help! How do I move my ipod library from one computer to another?

Type "move itunes library" or similar into the google search bar.

Transferring iPod from one computer to another

I just got a new laptop and it will only let me transfer my purchases to it. How do I move my entire iTunes library from one computer to another, easily?

Click here and follow the instructions if possible.
(52033)

I am in the process of trying to transfer my iTunes library from one computer to another. Some of the music/film info has been edited (by me) in my library (using get info). When put onto new computer the info has gone back to before i edited it.. Help!?

I am in the process of trying to transfer my iTunes library from one computer to another. Some of the music/film info has been edited (by me) in my library (using get info). When put onto new computer (following apple's instructions- using an external hard drive) the info has gone back to how it was before i edited it.. Help!?

Hello,
I would recommend taking a look at the article below for more information about migrating your iTunes library.
iTunes for Windows: Moving your iTunes Media folder
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1364
-Griff W.

Moving Library from one computer to another

Hi,
I know I can share my library from one computer to another via a network, which I am doing. My issue is that I cannot do anything with the music on the computer that is sharing. I am wondering if there is a way to get the entire library from one computer to another. I have a Mac and a PC. I would like my library on both systems instead of just one. I need to be able to update ipods, create playlists, burn music etc... from both computers. Is that possible?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I've got the same type question. Is it possible to transfer my purchased songs from a computer at work via a flash drive? The firewall at work will not allow me to share files with my home computer, however, the computers at work download the songs I buy in about 15 seconds, my slow a** dial up at home takes over 15 minutes per song. I think this is still considered stealing, but I'm not sharing the songs with anyone, I just want to download them at work, then transfer them to my main home computer iTunes library.

Transfering itunes library from one computer to another

Can you transfer / copy itunes and all songs in library from one PC to another PC (only one IPOD in use

I am having problems trasferring my itunes library from my PC to my laptop. I transferred all the downloaded music, "MY MUSIC" from one computer to the other, and the laptop's itunes picked those songs up. When I connected my ipod to my lap top, when selecting "transfer purchased music", itunes only imports the music that I have purchased at the itunes store. ** What I can't get imported to my laptop are the 500 CDs (5000 songs) that I downloaded onto my PC's itunes.

Transfering songs from one computer onto another...

My Brother has an ipod mini (as I used to) but our computer is so old that it can only hold one ipod (Therefore, I returned my ipod so he could use his). However, several months after I returned mine we bought two new computers, but still kept the old computer. After this I bought an ipod nano and have been using it on my new computer. Although we are glad that we can both use our ipods efficiently (on seperate computers) he is afraid that the old computer might crash soon. I tried putting his ipod into disk mode and tried transferring it to his [new] computer over a month ago, but it was too confusing and did not work correctly. Is there any possible way to transfer it without the directions being so confusing? Or could someone kind of "Translate" the directions for us?
<center>Thank you so much,
<center>pnkpolo92

How to Copy and Move (Clone) your Music Files from One Computer to Another – or Archive Prior to a PC Re-Image or Reformat
This is the conceptual framework with related and important links. Apply and adapt it to your specific situation and equipment resources.
The safest, quickest, and most optimal method to move your Library to a new computer is to actually clone the entire ‘iTunes’ folder (directory) structure, rather than just copying just the song files. By copying the entire ‘iTunes’ folder and all sub-folders, you capture not only the music files, but the all-important ‘iTunes Library.itl’ database file (usually located in the ‘iTunes’ folder), which contains all the data about your songs (Playlists, Ratings, Play Counts, Last Played, Date Added, etc). See: What are the iTunes Library files?
Install iTunes on the new computer. Then go back to your old computer and move (copy) the "iTunes" folder which usually resides inside your "…\My Documents\My Music" folder from the old computer to the exact same place (both Drive Letter and complete Path) on the new computer. When you open iTunes on the new computer it will look and behave exactly the same way it did on the old, Play Counts, Ratings, Comments and all!
NOTE: It is usually safer moving files between computers with the same version of iTunes!!
iTunes Files to Copy and Move to your New PC
1) All music files in their current folder structure (usually located in and under the ‘iTunes Music’ folder)
2) The Library database file: ‘iTunes Library.itl’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
3) The Library XML file: ‘iTunes Music Library.xml’ located in the ‘iTunes’ folder
4) Any XML playlist files you created for Playlist retention
5) The two iTunes.pref files (optional)
-- C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Application Data\Apple Computer\iTunes\iTunes.pref
-- C:\Documents and Settings\<your username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Apple Computer Inc\iTunes.pref
6) The XML file of Ratings, Play Counts and Last Played attributes saved from the main Library and created by Otto’s SaveRatings script (also optional, but recommended):
“Download this: http://ottodestruct.com/itunes/SaveRatings.zip . It's a program, just run it like any other program. Run it on the machine where you're copying the info from BEFORE you move the files to the new machine. Click the "Save Ratings" button and it'll create a ratings.xml file. Now when you move the files, move the program and this file as well. Then after you make your new iTunes library, run it again and click the "Restore Ratings" button. Voila, all your information is back in the Library. Well, most of it anyway, it's not perfect. It'll tell you what songs it couldn't figure out though, and there's usually not very many.”
Here's a list of methods to copy and move your music files from one computer to another:
1) Use an External Hard Drive (ExHD) to move the complete files and Folder structures from one computer to another (my preferred option). You can clone’ the entire ‘iTunes’ folder structure in one very easy step. Also great to have available for complete backups of your Library. External hard drives now run less than $100 for 200-250GBs of storage. See This Link
2) Directly connect the two computers....
- 2a) Connect them through a Router &/or Network
- 2b) Directly connect using an Ethernet cable: Straight for using at least one Mac; or Crossover for PC/PC Instructions here.
- 2c) Connect them via a USB-to-USB Network Bridge. Example here. There are various types out there (use Google).
....Then copy the files from one computer to the other.
3) Use the iPod as a transfer device, as this extensive Apple link explains. It will be a bit easier if your iPod has a larger capacity than your music collection, otherwise you will need to perform multiple copy/move transfers. This well written process also works fine while using any other data transfer medium (ExHD, Flash Drive, DVD, CD, Zipp, Jazz, etc.).
4) Burn several DVDs (at 4.7GBs each) with your music data files and folder structure, and load them onto the new computer. Re-writable DVDs are more cost effective (if your DVD drive can manage these types).
5) Burn 6x more on CDs (at 700MB each) than in #4 above and load the files and folders on the new computer. Re-writable CDs are more cost effective (if your CD drive can manage these types).
6) Use a larger USB Flash drive (1GB - 4GB) to move the files and folders. Best if the flash drive is larger than your Library, otherwise you will need multiple copy/move transfers.
These are links to various additional instructions on performing the transfer (read them all, but some listed steps may not be required depending on your specific situation):
Switch from PC to Mac Using the iPod
hudgie: Migrating iTunes for Windows to a new PC
How to copy music between authorized computers
Also, remember to Deauthorize your PC before reformatting or disposing of it. Or, if you no longer will use it for iTMS use.

Getting iTunes Library from one computer to another

I recently got s a new computer so my sister was given my old one. I'd like to know teh easiest way to transfer iTunes from one computer to another. I have to do this twice, once from my old to my new, and from her old to my old.
thanks for the help

WHat you need to do, so everything is easy, is first consolidate the library in iTunes. What this does is takes every song currently listed in iTunes and COPY"S it to the My Mucis/iTUnes/iTunes Music folder.
Once this is done you will copy the "iTUnes" folder to an external harddrive. this folder contains the important
"iTunes Library" file with the rating, playcount, playlist and the "iTunes Music" folder with your songs.
This is all covered at this link using an iPod to transfer (You can still use this artical for an external drive) http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=300173

Do I have to be on the internet to import library from one computer to another ?

Do I have to be on the internet to import library from one PC to another ?

What library? Do you mean you iTunes Library? If so, then no, you don't have to be on the Internet. You only have to copy the library to an external disk, then restore it on the other computer.
Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive
Also, see:
These are two possible approaches that will normally work to move an existing library to a new computer.
Method 1
Backup the library with this User Tip.
Deauthorize the old computer if you no longer want to access protected content on it.
Restore the backup to your new computer using the same tool used to back it up.
Keep your backup up-to-date in future.
Method 2
Connect the two computers to the same network. Share your <User's Music> folder from the old computer and copy the entire iTunes library folder into the <User's Music> folder on the new one. Again, deauthorize the old computer if no longer required.
Both methods should give the new computer a working clone of the library that was on the old one. As far as iTunes is concerned this is still the "home" library for your devices so you shouldn't have any issues with iTunes wanting to erase and reload.
I'd recommend method 1 since it establishes an ongoing backup for your library.
Note if you have iOS devices and haven't moved your contacts and calendar items across then you should create one dummy entry of each in your new profile and iTunes should merge the existing data from the device.
If your media folder has been split out from the main iTunes folder you may need to do some preparatory work to make it easier to move. See make a split library portable.
Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library or a backup then then see Recover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device for advice on how to set up your devices with a new library with the maximum preservation of data.

Transferring EVERYTHING from one computer to another w/ same source

I want to transfer all my iTunes files (playlists, music, play counts, everything) from one computer to another, on account of the logic board of my old one is messed up and I want to get everything on my Mac Book Pro.
HOWEVER.
When I was using my old computer, I had my iTunes folder on an external hard drive, which would then be the source of all the music and where the new music would automatically go. So I have the external hard drive, and I can't save the playlists from my old computer because I can't use it.
So how do I transfer all the information? I've tried doing the whole "delete iTunes Data, import XML file" thing and it says it doesn't detect certain music and therefore doesn't place everything where it needs to be.
Any help?

Well the way to work around it I think would be to remove the hard drive from your broken computer, assuming of course that your broken computer is broken because of something else besides the hard drive.
Put that drive into an external enclosure. Hook up to the new computer. Copy the iTunes stuff from the old drive into the new computer overwriting the existing database files on the internal.
Now with the other external hooked up, start iTunes and see if it then sees everything properly.
Patrick

Moving music library from one computer to another

I need to rephrase my question: Is there a way to transfer my itunes library from one computer (that is being discarded) to my new computer that already has an itunes library on it? we have a new computer that my son put his library on, but we want to combine our libraries and use just the one computer to sync our music on each of our ipods. Thanks.

You can copy the music directly from the iPods. If you have any iTMS purchases the transfer of purchased content from the iPod to authorised computers was introduced with iTunes 7. A paragraph on it has been added to this article: Transfer iTunes Store purchases using iPod
The transfer of non iTMS content such as songs imported from CD is designed by default to be one way from iTunes to iPod. However there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from your iPod. You'll find that they have varying degrees of functionality and some will transfer movies, videos, photos, podcasts and games as well. Have a look at the web pages and documentation, this is just a small selection of what's available, they are generally quite straightforward. You can also read reviews of some of them here: Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
TuneJack Windows Only
iPod2PC Windows Only
iGadget Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
YamiPod Mac and Windows Versions
Music Rescue Mac & Windows
iPodCopy Mac and Windows Versions
There is also a manual method of accessing the iPod's hard drive and copying songs back to iTunes on Windows or a Mac. The procedure is a bit involved and won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's available at this link: Two-way Street: Moving Music Off the iPod

Transfering Library From One Computer to Another

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