Using iTunes from an external harddrive?

I would like to know if it is possible to download and run itunes from an external harddrive.
I have a lot of music and would not like it to be on my macbook's harddrive.

The iTunes application needs to be on the boot drive, but you can put your media anywhere you wish. The easiest way is to just drag the entire iTunes folder (the entire folder, not just the iTunes Music folder) to your desired location. Then hold down the Option key while launching iTunes. You'll be given a dialog box where you can select the iTunes library you want to use. Navigate to and select the iTunes folder in it's new location.
Note that this procedure assumes that all of your tracks are contained in the iTunes Music folder. If they're scattered around your drive, moving them becomes much more complex. And don't launch iTunes with the external drive not mounted or iTunes will default back to the internal drive. If it does, though, just mount the external drive and launch iTunes with the Option key again.
Don't delete the tracks from the old location until you've confirmed that they're working correctly from the external drive.
Regards.

Similar Messages

I can't access my itunes from my external harddrive anymore

I hope someone can provide some guidance and insight regarding the following problem: I have an imac g5 osx 10.3.9 and I used to access my itunes library from my external harddrive (maxtor). While living overseas last year I bought a Mac Book osx 10.6.8 and initally was successful in accessing my itunes library from my maxtor external harddrive. After two weeks my Mac Book started ejecting the harddrive and I wasn't able to use it again (maybe something to do with it needing too much power. I have found many similar discussions on this). Now I am back home and using my imac g5 again but am having problems accessing my itunes library on the external harddrive. The imac recognises the external harddrive but if I try and play a song on itunes it says it cannot be found and I have to manually direct it to the song on the external harddrive. It may play or it may freeze. I have tried to reset everything through itunes preferences but nothing changes or else everything freezes.
when I got the Mac Book I tried to set up the Time Machine and I think that is when things started going wrong with my external harddrive. I am not too computer savvy so I'm not too sure.
Thanks in advance for any help.

I hope someone can provide some guidance and insight regarding the following problem: I have an imac g5 osx 10.3.9 and I used to access my itunes library from my external harddrive (maxtor). While living overseas last year I bought a Mac Book osx 10.6.8 and initally was successful in accessing my itunes library from my maxtor external harddrive. After two weeks my Mac Book started ejecting the harddrive and I wasn't able to use it again (maybe something to do with it needing too much power. I have found many similar discussions on this). Now I am back home and using my imac g5 again but am having problems accessing my itunes library on the external harddrive. The imac recognises the external harddrive but if I try and play a song on itunes it says it cannot be found and I have to manually direct it to the song on the external harddrive. It may play or it may freeze. I have tried to reset everything through itunes preferences but nothing changes or else everything freezes.
when I got the Mac Book I tried to set up the Time Machine and I think that is when things started going wrong with my external harddrive. I am not too computer savvy so I'm not too sure.
Thanks in advance for any help.

Using iTunes with an EXTERNAL HARDDRIVE

In order for iTunes to work properly (no skipping, seemless playback, quick loading to the ipod) with a external harddrive, what specifications does the HD need to have? For example, is a 7200rpm harddrive necessary, or will a 5400rpm harddrive work sufficiently?
What about transfer rates? What connection must be present between the harddrive and iTunes, usb 2.0 or firewire 800?
thanks -
Chris

5400rpm should work. That is a common laptop hard drive speed. USB2 very helpful, much faster than USB1. Firewire 400 will work, 800 not needed.
My setup is currently a 7200rpm PATA 250GB drive in an external enclosure using Ethernet to my network. Most often I sync using wireless 802.11g but plug in to wire when downloading from store.

How do I use itunes from an external HDD on a new laptop?

This really does seem to be an unanswerable question but you guys have helped so many times in the past without me ever having to post.
Here is my set up when I first got iTunes way back I had it on my first laptop, we'll call this PC A, but the Hard Drive was so small I moved the library to my external HDD. I say I moved it, a friend did it for me.
For years this set up worked fine, iTunes was on the HDD and I would access it via PC A as long as the two were connected. If the HDD wasnt connected then I couldnt access iTunes, of course, as all of the library was stored on the HDD.
I dont want to sound like I am talking to you all like idiots but Ive explained this so many times and people never know what I mean.
So now I get another laptop. (PC B) but obviously I cant get to iTunes from it even when the HDD is attached.
For years I used to crank up old PC A and get to iTunes that way but now the old girl is on her last legs so I need to be able to access iTunes from PC B (this has been going on so long Im now looking for PC C).
I do have iTunes on PC B that my iPhone is synced to and they seem to understand that each other exists but if I plug my iPod that is synced with iTunes from PC A with PC B it wipes it
Please. Please. I just need to know what to do

Make a split library portable
Here are the typical layouts for the iTunes folders:
In the layout above, with the media folder (everything in the red box) inside the library folder, the library is considered to be portable. A portable library can be moved from one path to another without breaking the links between the library and the media and being self-contained is much easier to backup.
You can rearrange things to make a split library portable by taking a number of small steps which don't break the library.
Before you start any media files that are outside of the media folder will need to be consolidated. If the library is in the old style layout then it should ideally be be upgraded to iTunes Media Organisation (Library > Organise Library > Rearrange files in the folder <Media Folder>) to ensure that iPod Games, Mobile Applications etc. are brought inside the media folder.
The basic non-fatal manipulations are:
You can connect to an alternate set of library files by holding down Shift (Win) or Option (Mac) when starting iTunes.
You can move the library files to a new location as long as the media stays put.
You can move the library files and the media together if the media folder is a direct subfolder of the library folder. (I.e. in this form the libary is portable).
If you have already moved/copied the media content from a subfolder of the library folder to a different location then you only need to copy the library files for it to appear as if you have moved the entire library in the way allowed above. I.e. just copy the library files into the parent folder of the media folder.
You can rename the media folder to iTunes Media (if it isn't already) if the media folder is inside the library folder.
iTunes uses the name of the folder holding the library files as the window title. Having made a library "portable" you may need to take a final step of renaming the library folder to iTunes or, if the library files have ended up at the root of a drive, moving all of the library files and content folders into a new folder called iTunes.
After each change you need to open, test and close the relevant library before attempting another change. If a change broke the library, undo it or revert to using the previous set of library files.
In essence all you need to do to make your library portable is copy the library files into the parent folder of the media folder on the external/secondary drive and use the hold-down-shift/option-when-starting-iTunes method to connect to it. Other manipulations may be required to normalize the library so that the library and media folders have standard names.
If you are making the library portable in advance of migrating it from one system to another, don't forget to deauthorise the old computer if you're not planning to use iTunes on it again.

Can i run itunes from an external harddrive and if so how?

LIke i'm not a complete pleb and i know full well that this should work in theory i am just worried about moving the "itunes" folder to my external harddrive because i feel itunes will then say 'can't find library' or something. I have a G4 emac you see with only 40GB internal harddrive, about 25GB is just my itunes songs and i can't get rid of any as i need them for djing.
can i just copy the itunes app and the itunes folder to my external harddrive and then create a itunes link in my dock? I feel that i'm missing something though.
Could someone tell me a surefire way to do it so i don't mess up. I'm not 100%
cheers
rhys

Yes you can run programs from a differnt drive. All you have to do is download that prgram to that drve same as you would to the c:drive by defualt we will have to reload everything as if you never had itunes.
1 make a folder on your drive called itunes.
2 go to the website and get the itune ( click on the download link and when it ask to run or save click save and tell it where to save.
3. After save is complete click on the install app. it will default to install to you c drive. Change this to your desired drive and folder. (this will install it on that drive and folder.) then you will have to make a shortcut to open Itunes.
4 If you more than one pc configure in the same order and # of drive you will be able to run this drve from any pc.
I do this with alot of programs at work from a 4gb penn drive to get around the firewall and admin rites. (I.T. department)

How can i use Itunes from an external drive

How can I install iTunes on to an external drive an use as my master librarian for music and movies, it must pretty simple, thanks guys!

Hi,
Read this http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1449
Jim

Migrating my Itunes Library from An External Harddrive to a NAS

I have a 20" IMAC and currently store my 350 GB Itunes library with roughly 6400 tracks on a 1 TB external Harddrive. I just purchased a 5 TB Network Attached Server that is attached to my wireless network. What is the best and fastest way to migrate my Itunes library from my external harddrive to my NAS? I am concerned that if I do it over my wireless connection it will take forever. I am also concerned that Itunes will get confused in trying to locate the files on the NAS. I have successfully used the consolidate library function in the past but am worried that it will not work with a NAS over a wireless connection. Should I try using a direct ethernet connection with the NAS hooked directly into my IMAC and then re-connect the NAS to my router? I would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

Please don't repost the same thread
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=7786712#7786712

My songs I add from my external harddrive do not play in itunes. They appear when I search them in the search bar but if I click on the album it does not come up. HELP!

My songs I add from my external harddrive do not play in itunes. They appear when I search them in the search bar in Itunes but if I click on the album it does not come up instead an album from icloud plays.HELP!

ErinGillaim wrote:
The audio format or the codec may not be recognized by the iTunes
It is else it would not have been able to be selected to import.
The simple fact that it shows up in iTunes Search means it is in the iTune library.
It is a bug where some imports do not show up in the iTunes library (but they usually show up in Recently Imported playlist) until a restart of iTunes, which usually fixes it.

How do i use itunes through an external hard drive?

i have about 10G left on my laptop's harddrive. i've been told placing itunes on an external harddrive would free up space.
i put everything on the harddrive, did the whole advanced stuff by changing the location, etc. etc. but ater all that there's still no difference on my hard drive....
what the heck?

Hi... Looks like things have got a little confused over there. Can we get a few facts straight before suggesting things that might make matters worse?
Where exactly is your active library file? If you hold down shift as you start iTunes and click the option to Choose a library, then drop down the list box at the top of the search box it should reveal the current path. E.g. mine here is at D:\iTunes and the library file is called iTunes Library.itl so my active library is D:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl
BTW if you didn't get asked to choose or create a library you didn't do it right.
What is the current setting under Edit > Preferences > Advanced tab for the location of the iTunes Media folder? Mine is D:\iTunes\iTunes Media.
Where is the media that you've moved around? Are there copies on the internal drive and the external drive? Select a file in your library that currently plays, press CTRL-I to get info, and copy down the location of the file from the Summary tab. Repeat the process for a file with a broken link. Its path should begin file://localhost...
With all these bits of information we should have a better picture of where things currently stand. I have scripts that can be used to repair broken links, and iTunes has got better at doing it by itself, but things need to be in a sensible layout before that is worth trying.
tt2

ITunes 10 how can I have iTunes recognise an external harddrive

iTunes 10 how can I have iTunes recognise an external harddrive, where all my music is already. I did the option, selecting extenal HD but some reason the iTunes does not alow me to select the .xml file (grayed out)

Use Migration Assistant in the Utitiies folder to return the deleted user account back to the machine, I don't know exactly how to go about this as I don't use TimeMachine as it's so limiting, but Pondini can help
http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html
You might have to create the account with the same name, but I don't know if it will access the user files on the TM drive or not.
Once the account is back onto the machine you can log into it and transfer files between accounts on the same machine using the Finder > Go to Computer > Macintosh HD > Users > other account > Public > DropBox and drop files/folders in there, the permissions will change to the other user and the files/folders will be there when you log into the other user account.
Next time consider bootable clones, you can access them directly and even boot directly from them, update them when your ready and make as many as you need, create clones from clones even.
Most commonly used backup methods

HT1727 how do I transfer my iTunes from an external hard drive to a different computer?

How do I transfer my iTunes from an external hard drive to a pc?

If you don't have all of your music files within the iTunes Music folder structure, simply moving all of your music to a new location will not result in your iTunes library automatically updating the file paths to all of your songs appropriately. If you have a few other locations in which you store your music, you can take the ExportImport script turingtest2 wrote, make the modifications below, export the results, paste them into Microsoft Word or Excel, do a Find and Replace with the correct file location, and then import the new locations. To use the script, follow turingtest2's instructions on this thread as posted on Dec 19, 2012 6:28 AM.
Note that the modifications, while they worked for me, show my lack of experience with VB as the progress bar will no longer work. Definitely be sure to back up your iTunes library file before executing the script with the below modifications, but doing this for 3500 items didn't even take 2 minutes for the script to run.
Line 89 was:        Prog=True
Line 89 is now:     Prog=False
* I had to do this because otherwise the progress bar was erroring out. So, i just turned it off.
Lines 164-165 were:
'File.WriteLine "<#>" & .Location           ' Not so useful if working with missing tracks
'File.WriteLine "<Album>" & .Album
Lines 164-165 are now three lines (the middle one is the only uncommented line):
'File.WriteLine "<#>" & .Location           ' Not so useful if working with missing tracks
File.WriteLine "<Location>" & .Location
'File.WriteLine "<Album>" & .Album
Finally, insert this whole block around line 270 so that it looks similar to the others:
        Case "<location>"
          If T.Location<>Value Then                ' Don't update if value won't change
            T.Location=Value
            U=U+1
            Trace T,"Updated Location"
          Else
            V=V+1
          End If
          'If Trace Then MsgBox "Updated Location"
Note that I had to comment the very last line as well or else the program errored out. You won't be able to trace the results either.
Just thought I'd share this in case anyone else needed something like this.

How to Play iTunes from a external Hard Drive?

Is it possible to run iTunes from an external hard drive so that I dont use up the space on my labtop? For example, store all my music files on the External and run it through iTunes.

Assuming you use the iTunes default settings where iTunes copied added items to your iTunes folder and organizes your library (meaning - everything is all self contained in the iTunes folder), then all you have to do is drag & drop your iTunes folder (not just the iTunes Music folder you find inside the iTunes folder) to the external drive and copy the entire thing.
If you want to test that it worked or would like to actually start using it from that location instead, use these instructions when you start iTunes to point it to the new location...
How to open an alternate iTunes Library file or create a new one
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=304447
If you are just testing, then close iTunes after you verify it works, and restart iTunes again with the same instructions and point it back to your internal drive (original) location.
Back up your iTunes library by copying to an external hard drive
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=307074
Patrick

Why can't I move my iTunes library and run iTunes from an external hard drive?

I've been having issues with space on my Macbook pro, so I wish to move my music in order to free up more space. I have been following the instructions on how to run iTunes from an external drive, but each time I attempt it only the 'Automatically Add to iTunes' folder copies to my drive - which has nothing in it.
What is going on?

Which exact set of instructions? Just about all of them are wrong, even the ones that specifically say how to move your library.
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

I'm trying to download iTunes to an external harddrive but it wont let me change to this drive. WHY?

I'm trying to download iTunes to an external harddrive but it wont let me change to this drive. WHY?
There isn't enough room on my laptop and I have deleted all traces of previous iTunes

I think you've misunderstood.
iTunes ONLY works on the C drive. There is no moving it. End of discussion.
The MEDIA can be house on any other drive (internal or external).
Install iTunes correctly using the default options.
Once it is installed and working correctly with everything on the C drive, close iTunes.
Follow the instructions here: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1364 to move the iTunes media folder.

Kopi my itunes from one extern harddisk to another

When I copi my itunes from one extern harddisk to another extern harddisk and then open it in on my macbook pro in Itunes, Itunes then makes double of each songs in the itunes! What shal I do?
I'm coping it because, I have bought a My Passport Studio for Mac, and I want to use this because of the firewire to my music and then use the old one My Passport Essential to backup.

Settings / store / change login info there.

Using iTunes from an external harddrive?

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