Transferring iTunes Library to an external hard drive - help needed

I recently moved my iTunes library (aka all of my 32 GB of music) onto an external hard drive so as to save space on my laptop, but I messed up somehow and now I can't add songs to my iPhone. The chain of events went something like this:
1. I copied my iTunes library onto my external hard drive.
2. I changed my iTunes library location (in the itunes settings) to it's new spot on the external.
3. I deleted the songs off my laptop.
This worked fine at first, but then I think I opened iTunes with my external NOT connected and I got a blank library. I plugged in my external but my itunes was still blank. Then I decided I'll just add everything back to my itunes library. I did that, but I lost all my playlists and whatnot, but I didn't really care - all my music was there.
Now I just tried to add new music to my iPhone and it won't let me. When I try to turn manual music management it gives me an error saying "this iPhone is synced with another itunes library".
Is there some way I can retrieve my original itunes library from before I did all this stuff? Help much appreciated.

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) so you get a prompt to choose a library, then select the copied iTunes folder.
If this is to a new computer and you put the copied iTunes folder 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.)

Similar Messages

  • Having trouble transferring itunes library to an external hard drive.  All of my music is in the main ITUNES library and every site and answer I get says tranfer my library/user name/ da da da da da.... I am not familiar with this-need a simple way-thx

    HELP!   I have looked at video sites, looked on here, to no avail.   Please dont talk negatively about my question (as I have seen some pretty mean responses to topics )   I am trying to copy my itunes music to an external hard drive.  Here is my situation:  All of my music is in the main ITUNES location.  I  have been told to save the "user library".  I really need an elementary step by step way.  I plan to visit the library in town tomorrow to get a book but worried because my computer is having issues  TONIGHT.  Thanks for any help....  This is so helpful to know there may be help out there.

    iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
    Quick answer if you let iTunes manage your music:  Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive.  Start iTunes with the option (shift on Windows) key held down and guide it to the new location of the library.
    To see your iTunes folder click on the Music folder icon in your Finder sidebar.

  • Transferring iTunes library & playlist to external hard drive.

    Hi, I'm a big music person with major OCD about my iTunes collection and playlists. Over the years I've started to use up a lot of space on my internal Mac hard drive. I currently have about 90GB of music on iTunes and want to move it all over to an external hard drive. I want to move it, but ensure I don't lose my playlists when I'm doing it. I've had a nose on the Apple support bit and a few other discussions on here and Google but can't find an answer that tells me exactly how to do it. Can anyone help?
    Thanks. :-)

    iTunes: How to move your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527
    do not confuse moving your whole folder and library with moving just media files as in
    iTunes for Mac: Moving your iTunes Media folder - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449
    Quick answer if you let iTunes manage your music:  Copy the whole iTunes folder and all its subfolders and files intact to the other drive.  Start iTunes with the option key held down and guide it to the new location of the library.  The URL provided by AnaMusic outlines this process but omits the final stage of starting iTunes with the option key held down so you actually start using the iTunes files on the external drive.

  • I transferred my iTunes library from one external hard drive to another and added more music on the same day. How do I get rid of my duplicate files without going through them one by one which would take forever?

    Please help. I have transferred my iTunes library from one external hard drive to another plus added additional music now I have duplicates of the same music in many albums. How do I delete the duplicates without going through them one by one which would take forever? I understand how to get the "show exact duplicate" feature up on iTunes but, because they were added to the library on the exact day I can't seperate them I'm that manner. So each duplicate is right next to eachother in the exact duplicate screen.

    My DeDuper script is designed to help clean up. See this thread for background.
    tt2

  • I recently transferred my ITunes library to an external hard drive.  I made sure to copy all the data from the saved location.  After the transfer I noticed that a lot of albums are missing the first song and some recently purchased albums are missing.

    I recently transferred my ITunes library to an external hard drive.  I made sure to copy all the data from the saved location.  After the transfer I noticed that a lot of albums are missing the first song and some recently purchased albums are missing.  Is there any way to recover the data?  Thanks for any help.

    I may have found an answer here:
    http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to -a-new-hard-drive
    They only thing I can assume is that my external hard drive was slow to start and iTunes defaulted to its old directory (see the last paragraph at the link above). However, once my external was recognized shouldn't everything have fixed itself?
    Message was edited by: williamson42
    Message was edited by: williamson42

  • I recently transferred my itunes library to an external hard drive. Now I get the error message 'the original file could not be found. Could you like to locate it' when i try to open songs. My iPod syncs ok.

    I recently tranferred my iTunes library to an external hard drive. Now I cannot open songs and get the error message ' The song "***" could not not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it'. This applies to all 9742 songs!!. My iPod still syncs ok, but I can't play songs on the PC. Can anyone please help.

    It would help to have more background about your iTunes collection such as if you keep it on an external drive, or if you have moved or renamed anything recently.  iTunes is very sensitive to you renaming or moving files or folders involved with your media.  iTunes only keeps a reference to where a media file is located  and then goes to look for it when you try to play it. If you have changed things since it was added to itunes then it's like me sending you to look for a friend in my addressbook but that friend has moved.
    The other possibility is your computer is starting to lose files.  Again, the computer uses a reference database to tell it where on the drive to look for a file. If that database gets corrupt then it starts losing files.  Use Dsk Utility's first aid to verify your hard drive.

  • I got a new computer and backed up my iTunes library to an external hard drive.  The external hard drive is not allowing me to access the drive.  Is there a way to transfer the songs from my iPod touch to my new computer?

    I got a new computer and backed up my iTunes library to an external hard drive.  The external hard drive is not allowing me to access the drive.  I no longer have access to the old computer.  Is there a way to transfer the songs from my iPod touch to my new computer?

    That's a bummer, didn't realize the exHD files were corrupt, esp if you have tried from another PC and not just this new computer.
    You can get purchases from the itunes store transferred from an iPod using these directions:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1848?viewlocale=en_US
    If you want everything (meaning non-itunes songs, app data, photos, etc) you need to buy a 3rd-party ipod manager that support iTouch. Here is an iLounge article to start your research:
    http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/copying-music-from-ipod-to-co mputer/P2/

  • Itunes library both on external hard drive and mac.

    Hello.
    I wish you could help me. I transfered my itunes library to an external hard drive. However, there are times that I would forget to put it back on. Now, there are some files that itunes can't locate.
    How do I back up the new files i have on my itunes to the external hard drive.
    Thank you very much.
    Patty

    update to the question above -- I went into Time Machine and restored my iTunes library, so it is showing what music I have again in there. FYI in advanced settings, I kept the setting that the music is stored in the Seagate HD.
    BUT when I click on any music, it still cannot locate the file (all the music media files are still stored on the Seagate ext. HD)
    So -- how can I get the iTunes library to re-connect with what is in the Seagate HD?
    Thank you!

  • How do you transfer your itunes library from an external hard drive?

    I've just bought a new internal hard drive for my macbook because I've run out of space. I'm planning on putting my itunes library on an external hard drive then putting it on the new internal hard drive... but i have no idea what the best way to do that is, since it isn't just the files that are important, my playlists and all the changes to song names need to stay intact. and also i'm gonna put snow leopard on the new hard drive if that makes any difference?
    Hope some one can help me find the best way!
    peacexx

    I have much the same problem. I have my iTunes files on an 80GB external drive along with my iPhoto files. Currently, my MacBook Air sees and operates from the iTunes setup on the 80GB drive. To provide more space to handle these files I got a 500GB portable external drive. Now I want to bring the iTunes files back into my MBA and, when complete,put them out on the 500GB drive from which I'll operate my iTunes. This might be simpler if the MBA had two USB2 ports instead of one. I've tried the method noted in "Transferring Your iTunes Library" (http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to -a-new-hard-drive/), but couldn't seem to get the 80GB files back to the MBA such that iTunes would see them there. (I copied the files over, but the link's broken.) Ideas?
    Thanks in advance

  • ITunes library transfer to external hard drive

    i transferred my iTunes library to an external hard drive, how do i sync my iPod?

    As long as iTunes recognizes the new location and can play the library's contents without problems., you sync just as you always have.
    Regards.

  • HT1751 I am trying to backup my iTunes library onto an external hard drive but it won't complete due to 'insufficient privileges for some of the items'. Am I doing something wrong and is there a solution to this problem?

    Hi All,
    I am currently trying to backup my iTunes library onto an external hard drive so that I can copy it onto my new Macbook Pro. I have been following the steps posted on the Apple website however each time I get a dialogue box stating:
    'The operation cannot be completed because you do not have sufficient privileges for some of the items'.
    Is this because I have items that were bought under another persons iTunes account? If so, is there a solution to this problem? Or am I doing something completely wrong?
    Thanks in advance,
    Sbrooks19

    Go through the below forum with similar issue and follow the process mentioned by "Macjack" in the beginning.
    https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4499820

  • How can i back up my itunes library onto an external hard drive?

    I can seem to figure out how to back up my Itunes library onto my external hard drive. Any advise?

    A quick search provides the answer, see the following:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1751 for backing up to an external drive.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1382 for backing up to optical media.

  • Can i store unused iTunes Library on an external Hard-drive?

    Hi There,
    I have 3 account on my Macbook each have an itunes library on them, the on is use all the time, but the other 2 never change and are never listed to becausethe only used of the laptop!
    is there any way I can move the library on to my hard-drive so i can free up space on my laptop, but still have accesses to them if i need to update the 2 of them to put new music on there iphone and ipods?
    Thanks and help would be greatly appreciated??
    Tom Green

    See this Apple note about moving an itunes library to an external hard drive.

  • How can I export my iTunes Library to an external hard drive?

    How can I export my iTunes Library to an external hard drive? and once i do that how can i play the library through the external drive? I basically want to be able to delete all my music on itunes once it is on my external hard drive so i can have more internal hard drive space.

    Follow this guide very carefully: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364?viewlocale=en_US
    It's very easy to do....

  • Help! I need to open my iTunes library from my external hard drive

    Hey everybody
    I recently moved my iTunes library to an external hard drive. It worked great for a while; whenever I opened iTunes I made sure my hard drive was plugged in. Since then, I've used iTunes without plugging the hard drive in to sync my iPhone contacts, so there is also a local iTunes library without any files. My question: how do I tell iTunes to open the library on my external hard drive again? The hard drive is plugged in but iTunes won't open the library on the hard drive. I think there is some key I have to hold down while opening iTunes (?) it's not ctrl or option. Help! Thanks
    Ryan

    Yep. You're right. My problem was that I wasn't holding the option key down long enough... wow, epic fail... but thanks! I now have my music back!

Maybe you are looking for