Transferring iTunes library from PC to Mac

Hey guys,
i bought me this new MacBook Pro and i am amazed! Before that i was using Windows 7 and synced my iPhone with all the music and movies, etc. i have. Now im trying to find a way to sync my iPhone to the new mac (i already got all the music and movies on there) without loosing anything from my iPhone.
Thanks for your help, sincerely Niels Carstensen

click here for information.
however,
Niel posted in this thead http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=11029216#11029216
Niel wrote:
How come it's not the same with music purchasing?
Because Apple pays the music copyright holders a royalty each time a song, including a free single, is downloaded from the iTunes Store. You can sometimes get one free redownload request granted by using this form, but never more than one.

Similar Messages

Transferring iTunes Library from PC to Mac (while keeping files on External Hard Drive)

Hi,
I've been using iTunes on my old PC (HP 2000 Notebook) and accessing all of my music from a 1 TB Toshiba external hard drive. I recently switched to a MacBook Pro and I'm trying to get my iTunes Library (145 GB worth of stuff) on to the Mac while 1) retaining my playlists, checked songs, etc. from the old computer and 2) without having to transfer the files from the external hard drive on to the Mac in order to save space.
I've tried the Hold Options + clicking iTunes and choosing the folder (my iTunes media folder on the old computer is saved to I:\1 NTFS\Music), and when I choose that folder on the Mac, it instead brings up a really out-of-date iTunes library instead of my current one.
Does anyone have a solution that might help me get my current library on to the Mac?
Thanks in advance!
Processor: 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5
Memory: 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Capacity: 251 GB Flash Storage

Hi,
I've been using iTunes on my old PC (HP 2000 Notebook) and accessing all of my music from a 1 TB Toshiba external hard drive. I recently switched to a MacBook Pro and I'm trying to get my iTunes Library (145 GB worth of stuff) on to the Mac while 1) retaining my playlists, checked songs, etc. from the old computer and 2) without having to transfer the files from the external hard drive on to the Mac in order to save space.
I've tried the Hold Options + clicking iTunes and choosing the folder (my iTunes media folder on the old computer is saved to I:\1 NTFS\Music), and when I choose that folder on the Mac, it instead brings up a really out-of-date iTunes library instead of my current one.
Does anyone have a solution that might help me get my current library on to the Mac?
Thanks in advance!
Processor: 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5
Memory: 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3
Capacity: 251 GB Flash Storage

Transfering iTunes library from my old mac to the new

I am trying to move my library from one computer to the other one.
All I found so far is the Import function which in fact takes for ever.
My music library is located on an external HD, so I figured it'd easy to simply direct iTunes on my new computer to the HD and say "there is the library, no need to import".
Can I do something like that?

If the songs are on your iPod there are a number of third party utilities that you can use to retrieve the music files and playlists from it. 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 read reviews and comparisons of some of them here:
Wired News - Rescue Your Stranded Tunes
Comparison of iPod managers
TuneJack Windows Only
iPod2PC Windows Only
iGadget Windows Only
iDump Windows Only
SharePod Windows Only
iPodRip Mac & Windows
YamiPod Mac and Windows
Music Rescue Mac & Windows
iPodCopy Mac and Windows
iRepo Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
iPod Access Mac & Windows (iPhone and iPod Touch compatible)
If you have any iTunes Music Store purchases the transfer of purchased content from the iPod to authorised computers was introduced with iTunes 7. You'll find details in this article: Copying iTunes Store purchases from your iPod or iPhone to a computer
There's also a manual method of copying songs from your iPod to a Mac or PC. The procedure is a bit involved and won't recover playlists but if you're interested it's available on page 2 at this link: Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide

Best Method for transfering iTunes library from Windows 7 to Mac OSX

I just bought a MacBook Air and am in the process of preparing my file transfer. The only data on my computer I really care about is my school/work files, (which are very easy to transfer), and my iTunes library. What is the best method for transfering music?
I was going to use an external drive and simply drag and drop everything. Last time I did this I needed a special file in order to keep my playlists, top rated, and playcount. Is there an easier and faster method now? I have about fifty gigabites of music so I think it might take longer over wifi.
I also have an iPhone and have already transfered all of the recent purchases. If I export my library, will all my iPhone backup data stay there as well?
If anybody has some insight or a link that outlines all of this that'd be great. Thanks in advance.

Here's a pretty comprehensive "how to"
http://myfirstmac.com/how-do-i-move-my-itunes-library-from-pc-to-mac-and-keep-my -settings-intact.html
Make sure the external drive is foratted so both the pc and the mac can read and write to it.
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57401784-285/the-best-ways-to-format-an-exte rnal-drive-for-windows-and-mac/
good luck.

Transferred iTunes library from pc to new mac, iTunes ; however, when opening iTunes on mac it reports the library was created with a newer version of iTunes and won't open.

Transferred Itunes library from pc to new mac; however, when opening itunes on the new mac it reported that the library was created with a newer version of itunes and could not be opened. It asked if I wanted to download updates and I did. However, the new mac is up to date. Itunes won't open. What to do now? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Jim

Hello, Stephen.
Thank you for the question. You will need to rebuild your iTunes library file in order to open an older version of iTunes. Below, I have included the article that walks you through this process. Start with the section labeled Re-creating the iTunes Library file.
iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451
Cheers,
Jason H.

I am trying to transfer my itunes library from my old Mac to my new Mac; however, all that transfers is the music I downloaded from itunes. It does not transfer the music I downloaded from my cd's.

How do I transfer my itunes library from my old Mac to my new Mac? When I try all that transfers is what I downloaded from Itunes. It does not transfer the music I downloaded from my cd's/.

iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music [library] to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527 - a somewhat bewildering and not always easily understandable set of options.
Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the iTunes Library.itl file in the moved iTunes folder.
For the record there's this reference for iTunes 11 but it really doesn't strike me as having the specifics you need. iTunes 11 for Mac: Move your library to another computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12168
Windows users see tip at: https://discussions.apple.com/message/18879381
2011 Transferring your iTunes library - http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to -a-new-hard-drive/ - An article with good background information, particularly if you are not sure your media files are all grouped for quick solution above. Unfortunately it uses the single term "transferring library" for two very different moves; relocating just your media (not recommended unless you really need this configuration) and relocating media+database (really your whole "library"). Make sure you understand the difference before electing to move only media.
If you put it in the default location of Macintosh HD > Users > *User Name* > Music then you don't even need to start with the option key held down, iTunes will automatically look for it there. (Make sure there isn't anything already in the iTunes folder there that you want to keep since you will be replacing it with the one you are moving.)

I transferred itunes library from old PC to new PC. The content all shows when I launch iTunes on the new PC now. The previous content does not show in iTunes but folder still looks like it is on hard drive on new PC. Suggestions on how to properly merge?

I transferred itunes library from old PC to new PC. The content all shows when I launch iTunes on the new PC now. The previous content does not show in iTunes but folder still looks like it is on hard drive on new PC. Suggestions on how to properly merge?

Before you connect any device to a new library go to the Devices tab of the the preferences panel via Edit > Preferences (Windows) or iTunes > Preferences (Mac) and ensure the box next to Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically is ticked. You can now safely connect the device to your computer without the danger of media being automatically deleted or overwritten.
To get all your content off your connect your iPad to your new computer.
Then use a 3rd party piece of software to transfer your content
I have found Senuti useful but there are others listed in the article I linked to in a previous post.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
That will let you transfer your non purchased content
For Purchased content log in to iTunes on the new computer
In Itunes Store click on Purchased under the Quick Links section on the right.
Download any music by clicking on the cloud button

Transferred itunes library from Windows XP PC to new Windows 7 PC. plugged in 3rd gen Ipod. Ipod icon appears along with playlists, music etc. Songs are grayed out and won't play. Please help!

I recently transferred itunes library from windows XP PC to new Windows 7 PC. The transfer was successful, however when I plug my 3rd gen Ipod Nano into the new PC, the Ipod icon appears along with the music, playlists, etc. The songs are shown but are 'grayed out' and wont play or sync.The 'Devices & Printers' window in new PC shows icon for Ipod driver & is OK. The icon for the Ipod appears but depicts a delta shaped warning icon that states that the Ipod is'not operating properly'. Tried troubleshooting. The troubleshooting message states the the Ipod is 'disconnecting'. Can you help me with this problem?

Then, I dropped the entire itunes file from the old PC (XP) into an empty external drive.
That "itunes file from the old PC"? Is that the iTunes folder, from the old PC, that was in the user home folder's Music folder?
All of the library, playlists, etc. from the ipod as they always have been are shown, by they are 'grayed out' and will not open or play.
That's on the iPod, correct? Are all of your old playlists in iTunes, from the old PC, still there in iTunes on the new PC? Are the songs in iTunes still playable?
This document provides the steps to transfer a complete iTunes library between two computers. See the section called External drive.
iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer - Apple Support
There are many steps, but this is a summary. (1) On the old PC, consolidate all of your iTunes data into the iTunes folder. (2) Copy this iTunes folder to the external drive. (3) On the new PC (that has iTunes installed but NOT running), replace its existing iTunes folder with the one from the old PC (on the external drive). When you run iTunes, it uses the iTunes folder from the old PC, and it should look like iTunes on the old PC (with all the playlists, ratings, play count, etc.), and your iPod will see the iTunes library as the same iTunes library (because it is the same library).
If you did something different, and the old PC is still accessible, you may want to try it using the method from the linked document.

How can i put my itunes library from an old mac g4 10.4.11 to an ipod2?

How can i put my itunes library from an old mac g4 10.4.11 to an ipod2?

Install iTunes 9.2.1 on your computer. If the device's requirements specify iTunes 10 or newer, you need to purchase Mac OS X 10.5 on DVD.
(63879)

After getting a new dell laptop, I was able to easily move my itunes library from my old mac to my new laptop,however now when I try to sync my music to my iphone,my songs have an exclimation point next to it and cant sync most of my music. HELP!

I recently was given a new dells windows 7 laptop. I then was able to successfully move my itunes library from my old mac to my new dell. Now I am trying to sync my whole library of music back onto my iphone 4, but when I try it says most of my music can not be located. I have exclimation points next to the majority of my music (I have 368 songs in my itunes acount). Please help me be able to sync my songs to my iphone. I am only able to sync about 31 of my songs.

Copy them from your old computer, or your backuo copy of your old computer. to your new one.
The music sync is one way - computer to ipod. the exception is itunes purchases.

Moving an iTunes library from PC to Mac

Hi
I'm trying to move an iTunes library from a PC to a Mac and failing miserably. Have tried various methods from the internet, but none seem to work. I've consolidated the PC library, copied the files to an external hard drive, but it's the last part that doesn't seem to work. The Mac has had an iTunes library on it before, and all the files have been transferred to another Mac and deleted, but I can't get the new files from the PC to appear.
Any help would be much appreciated

If your media files on the PC are inside the iTunes Media folder, which, in turn, is inside the iTunes folder that contains your library files then it should be easy.
1. Copy entire iTunes folder (and all subfolders) from PC to Mac, either directly over a network or via an external harddrive.
2. On the Mac rename *...\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl* as *...\iTunes\iTunes Library*
3. On the Mac delete *...\iTunes\iTunes Library Genius.itdb*
4. Launch iTunes and immediately press & hold down the Option key until a dialog opens asking you to *Create or Choose a library*. Navigate to the folder/drive you've copied from the PC and open *...\iTunes\iTunes Library*.
5. Job done.
If your PC has tracks that are outside your iTunes Media folder then you'll need to Consolidate the library before you start the move.
tt2

Transferring iTunes Library from another PC

My wife and I have an iPhone each with our individual music collection on each. My music library is on my Macbook Air but my wife's is on an Acer laptop that has now broken so she is unable to add any new CD's she purchased to her library, I've tried logging into my Mac as a new user and using a different iTunes but it gives a message that all existing content will be wiped off the phone as it is a new library.
Please can someone help me with a solution as want to avoid having the Acer repaired?

Your i-device was not designed for unique storage of your media. It is not a backup device and media transfer was planned with you maintaining a master copy of your media on a computer which is itself independently backed up against loss. To use a device with a new computer you transfer the content from the old computer (or its backup) directly to the new computer, not the device to the new computer. Media syncing is one way, computer to device, updating the device content to the content on the computer, not updating or restoring content on a computer. The exception is iTunes Store purchases which can be transferred to a computer. Media ripped from a CD cannot be transferred this way.
iTunes Store: Transferring purchases from your iOS device or iPod to a computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848 - only purchases from iTunes Store
For transferring other items from an i-device to a computer you will have to use third party commercial software. See this document by turingtest2: Recovering your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3991
Make sure you buy a backup drive. Some day it will be your Mac with both your accounts that will not start and then both of you will be unhappy.

Best way to move/copy iTunes library from PC to Mac

Hi,
What's the best way to get my iTunes library from my PC to my new Mac?
The two computers are both networked.
Thanks.

Greetings David:
I have just completed this task... It took many attempts to get the two computers talking (windows xp pro, and new Imac g5). When I finally got them to talk to each other, the file transfer was brutallly slow. I used the ether-net cable to connect the two machines directly. The system was not very stable and crashed continuously. I would get one or two songs transferred and then the mac would lock up and require a restart (command option esc), via force quit of finder. Relaunch would not work, and I had to shut the machine off with the on off switch each time.
Today I finally burned the tunes on 2 CDs and simply dumped them into the music file. The PC burns a full ( ~ 800 megs) in about 10 minutes. Mac can down load the CD in ~ 6 minutes. This adds up to less than 20 minutes. Using the direct connection (indicated 100 Mbts/sec on the PC) the process was pathetically slow (hours restarting and horsing around).
One of my goals was to get the machines talking to each other, having accomplished this, it think it is not a worthwhile effort.
Best of luck to you,
Mike

Move itunes library from PC to MAC

Hello!
I'm switching from my PC to my shiny new iMac. Now I want to move my itunes library from the PC to the imac. I also want to keep my covers, playcounts, playlists etc. So reimport everything is no option. But on my PC, all my songs are saved under G:/Music. Inside Music I have my own structure with sub folders for different kinds of music and also the itunes folder (with my library file and all the itunes subfolders). I want to keep this structure also on the imac so I don't like to consolidate my library before I move it to the imac. How can I obtain this structure? If I only move the whole Music folder with it's subfolders (itunes, trance, electronic, ambient,...) to the new location on my iMac I think the paths will be broken when I point itunes on the iMac to my library file on startup!
Is there an easy way to do this? I searched a lot for this but I only found solutions with editing the library.xml file and changing the paths in there with search and replace. I think this is very risky and much work. Furthermore in most cases you will loose the "added" tags.
I also sync my iphone with itunes. So it's important to me that I also can sync my iphone with my imac without having first to erease it, loose all my settings and then refill it.
Any help would be great! Thank you very much!

One solution I could think of without having to transfer directly would be if all your music is purchased from itunes, you can plug your iphone into the mac and select 'transfer purchases', which will automatically put any songs you've bought on the new mac.
as for going through the process of transferring the iTunes, if you purchased your computer from an Apple Store they do offer a service called the One to One program for 99 dollars which does include a professional data transfer which can take itunes (not to mention photos or documents you need) on to the new mac in the right way. If you did buy it there, that option would probably be the safest bet for a seamless transfer.
Hope it works out for you!

Moving iTunes library from PC to Mac using iPod as external disk drive

O.K. I read the tutorial on this website on this topic and found it helpful though I haven't tried it yet. My question is - the tutorial examples assumed I would be using 2 macs. But, I am moving the iTunes library from a PC to a Mac (using the iPod as an external disk drive). Is that possible?

Thanks Erik. O.K....one more question... My PB obviously came w/ iTunes installed, and I have already added to it's library. So, is it possible to move my old iTunes library (on the PC) onto my new PB and keep the all of the songs from the PC's library and the Mac's (basically consolidate both libraries into one)? Or will it replace the Mac's library with the imported library from my PC? Thanks for your help.

Transferring iTunes library from PC to Mac

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