Trying to share iTunes libraries between two users on one iMac

Ok, so I have two users on my iMac, but I want to share iTunes libraries between the two (so that both have the same music, movies, apps...), but for some reason I can't! So first I tried turning on iTunes while holding option key so that I can open my Library from my user that i'm trying to grab the music and everything else from. But for some reason it said that I didn't have the permissions to (which both ARE admin). So then I went to the Preferences on iTunes and tried to change the directories from where to grab the media from, but it wouldn't let me access my other users music folder, it siad again that I didn't have permissions for this. I'm really fed up, please help me.

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!

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Share iTunes purchases between two user accounts on the same Mac?

I have a Macbook Pro, for my bride and I, and a Macbook, for our kids. Both Macs are authorized on my iTunes account.
So, how can I share an iTunes Store purchased song on my account with my wife's? I understand how to turn on sharing and she can see my songs in iTunes on her account, but she cannot synch them to her iPod.
Now, I'm allowed to authorize an iTunes account on up to five Macs. I have two. But I have four accounts. Either way, I won't be exceeding five copies, but can't find a way to get a song I bought in my iTunes to my wife's iPod.
We use the same iTunes account but don't want to have to buy things twice to get them on her iPod. Just seems weird that I could put it on five machines but not two user accounts on the same one.
Message was edited by: Sky Guy

On my Mac Pro I moved the entire library to "Macintosh HD/Shared/iTunes". Changed the Folder location in iTunes Preferences->Advanced->General to point to that location. Then in each user change the Music/iTunes folder to be an alias or link pointing to the Shared/iTunes folder. You will likely need to change the permissions on that folder to give everyone the ability to read and write. Do that via "Get Info" on the iTunes folder using Finder. I'd suggest backing everything up before you do this.

How to share iTunes library between two users on the same Mac

We have recently bought a Macbook Pro and have successfully transferred the old PC information onto the Mac. But, the iTunes library from the PC has now just gone into the old user acct. I am now confused as to which iTunes user name I connect my devices? Is there a way to merge these two iTunes through the user accts?
Thanks,
I feel like I learning about computers all over again!

It's doable. As it's been pointed out Aperture has no provisions for file locking so you can't have two users accessing the library at the same time. This includes having one user having the library open only for browsing. Aperture doesn't have a +Read Only+ mode, when it opens the library, even if you make no changes to any images, the library will be written to.
This also means you can't have one user open the library and then stop using Aperture but still have the library open and then have another copy of Aperture open on the library.
Of course if you have two copies of Aperture running even they are on different libraries you'll be in violation of the license and you'll have bigger problems to worry about then a toasted library.

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!

How can I share my itunes libraries between two users on different log ins on the same PC?

Ive recently bought my wife and iPhone 4, and we have a shared library. But she clearly downloads her own apps and music choices direct from the store to her phone, so wants to maintain her own log in etc. How can I share the library in my iTunes on my log in on the same PC to her iTunes on her log I'm on the same PC. its windows Xp machine with latest itunes version.
Ive followed the online instructions for sharing thus far, and the share library does not appear in either iTunes. ie It aint working!
Thanks in advance

When you say you have a shared library... you mean you have a networked external hard drive that you are sharing?
In iTunes, generally...when the term Shared Library is used, it's speaking to sharing a specific computer's library over the network with different computer.
I would think it would be better to do what ya'll have been doing (one log in acct/one computer) and have her create her own Apple acct and each of you log in and out whenever purchasing music apps etc. and then setup individual playlists and pick specific playlists to sync with each individual iPhone.
If you don't want each other to know what you're buying then...disregard what I just said

How do I share iTunes music between two user accounts?

We have two (admin) user accounts on our iMac. My husband has downloaded tons of music from CDs to his iTunes library. How can I get some of his music to my iTunes library without having to re-download from CDs? If anyone can give me simple instructions it would be appreciated.
Thanks Jeanette.

Look at this article: iTunes: How to share music between different accounts on a single computer, http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203

Can I share iTunes libraries between two accounts on the same Mac?

Hello,
I have an iMac on which I began making iTunes purchases. I failed, initially, to set up a separate account for my kids, who are still to young to operate the computer by themselves, but old enough to watch "Arthur" - anyway, now that I have set up a separate account to manage for them, I don't have access to the library in our "big person" account. I've tried putting files in the shared folder and the drop box, but neither of these works.
Please help!
Thanks.

Jim, sorry, I should have mentioned that permissions issue.
I have a similar setup on a Mac mini. I have the entire iTunes library in the shared folder and on each user account, I point it to that iTunes library file. That way there isn't a permissions problem when multiple accounts are connected to it.
The only problem with that is that each user account connected to that iTunes library can make changes to the library file (ratings, playlists, etc.)

How to share catalog between two users on one iMac?

Using Photoshop elements 11:
I built op my catalog, creating events, tagging people etc.
Now I would like my girlfriend to also use this catalog. (I can build up a new catalog but then I lose all the events, tags etc).
I put the pictures and catalog in a shared directory but I can't find a way to make Photoshop use my catalog when I go to my girlsfriend's account.
How can I do this?
Any help is very much appreciated
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The only way to do this would be to move the catalog and photos to a removable drive. PSE is just not designed for multi-user situations.

Hello there - how can I share my iTunes library between two users on the same computer? I put the library in a shared folder between both and have selected this library on both as well, but when I update iTunes with music etc it only appears on one?

Hello there - how can I share my iTunes library between two users on the same computer? I put the library in a shared folder between both and have selected this library on both as well, but when I update iTunes with music etc it only appears on one?

Thank you Joe - I tried this but it's only showing a teensy amount of music - the stuff on the second users account as opposed to the giagntic library on the 'main' account. I actually went to a Genius Bar and they said that apple doesn't really want you to share music between accounts - parents don't want to hear their kids music etc. Which seemed strange, but it might be the case sadly Thanks anyway!

How do I share one itunes account between two users on the same computer

How do I share one itunes account between two users on the same computer without taking up twice as much space on my hard drive?

You would need to move the itunes folder to a location that both users have permissions to access such as the Shared folder or any folder on the root level of the macintosh HD.
You can find instructions here http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1203 This method allows you to share the content without sharing the same library.

Share a library between two users on the same mac?

It is possible to share a library between two users on the same mac?

It's doable. As it's been pointed out Aperture has no provisions for file locking so you can't have two users accessing the library at the same time. This includes having one user having the library open only for browsing. Aperture doesn't have a +Read Only+ mode, when it opens the library, even if you make no changes to any images, the library will be written to.
This also means you can't have one user open the library and then stop using Aperture but still have the library open and then have another copy of Aperture open on the library.
Of course if you have two copies of Aperture running even they are on different libraries you'll be in violation of the license and you'll have bigger problems to worry about then a toasted library.

Share iTunes libraries between Windows and MAC

Hi all i've an wifi via "Base AirPort" i've an HD shared between MAC and Windows sistem via the BASE, the iTunes library that i've stored in the HD is non redable for iTunes on Windows because it need an *.itl file...
How can i share an iTunes library between Windows and MAC???

I would like to report back that after struggling for months to get Tune Ranger to work that it is complete rubbish. The first time I tried to sync my libraries (between an empty iTunes library and my existing one) it created duplicates all over the place in my library and generally made a huge mess of everything. The support person (who I suspect is the only person over there) gave me some guff about my id3 tags being corrupt but it was clear that every song that appeared in a playlist was getting duped. Once I fixed this (many weeks later) I tried a one way sync after fiddling with the preferences of Tune Ranger to try to make it work, but it simply wouldn't.
I don't know if anyway has had success using TR where they are also trying to sync playlists, but if you have, I would certainly like to know what you settings are.

Can you share iTunes libraries between iPad and iPhone?

I know how to share libraries between my MacBook or iMac and my iPad and/or my iPhone. My question is, can you share your iTunes libraries between your iPad and iPhone only, without using a computer? I wanted to share movies between my iPhone and iPad in Europe over wi fi so I could take more on two devices. Does iCloud support videos?

There are no iTunes libraries on the iPad or iPhone. You have iTunes content on the devices but not libraries. The content is stored in the respective apps as you well know. AFAIK there is no way to share the content from one device to the other using any iOS feature in the current sysetm.
This something that may appeal to you. The GoFlex Satellite Wireless Hard Drvie.
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/external/external-hard-drive/goflex-sa tellite/?cmpid=ppc-_-satellite-_-g-_-us-_-goflex_for_ipad-_-b&gclid=CL6K8-fkiasC FeZ05Qod6VLm3g
You don't need a computer (other than to set this hard drive and and transfer the content), but it is one more device that you have to lug around with you.

How can I share a folder between two users on the same mac?

Hi all,
I would like to share a folder between multiple users on the same macbook without having to transfer the folder to the Public/Shared folder.
Is there not a way, using the the folders shared permissions, to allow shared folders from one user to be visible and usable by another user on the same mac without having to move the folder to a designated shared location?
Regards,
Caleb

jrwood116 wrote:
Thanks, but do you have to do that every time you share a folder?
No, you just need to do it once and that's it. Anything that is in the Shared folder is accessible by all user accounts within the same Mac.
jrwood116 wrote:
I've read numerous 'how to share a folder' blogs and they just say it's as simple as clicking 'share' and allowing specific users to access it...none have mentioned this (not saying your advice is wrong at all, just don't get why no-one else has mentioned what appears to be a key step!)
Can you give me an example of such a blog. I suspect you may have mis-understood what they were saying but if you can provide a link, I'll look at it.

How do i share iPhoto library between two user accounts

I need to share my iphoto pictures between two accounts on the same computer

For iPhoto 09 (version 8.0.2) and later:
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.
Quit iPhoto in both accounts. Move the Library to the Users / Shared Folder
(You can also use an external HD set to ignore permissions, a Disk Image or even partition your Hard Disk.)
In each account in turn: Double click on the Library to open it. (You may be asked to repair the Library Permissions.) 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.

Trying to share iTunes libraries between two users on one iMac

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