How to Move Your iTunes Library to a New Location

Move Your iTunes Library The iTunes library would not have a practical size limit; as long as there is area on your pressure, you may hold including tunes or different media documents.

That’s not completely a good thing. If you’re not paying interest, your iTunes library can quickly absorb greater than its truthful percentage of pressure space. Moving your iTunes library from your startup pressure to another inner or outside power can not handiest loose up some area in your startup force, however it could additionally provide you with extra room to grow your iTunes library.

01 of 02 Move Your iTunes Library to a New Location

Move Your iTunes Library This manual will paintings for iTunes version 7 and later, but, a few names will range slightly, depending at the version of iTunes you are the usage of. For instance, in iTunes eight and in advance, the library folder where the media files are located is called iTunes Music. In iTunes version 9 and later, the identical folder is referred to as iTunes Media. To in addition muddy the waters, if the iTunes Music folder turned into created by way of iTunes eight or in advance, then it’s going to keep the older call (iTunes Music), even in case you replace to a more recent model of iTunes.The instructions outlined right here will use the vernacular discovered in iTunes version 12.X

Before you start, you should have a contemporary backup of your Mac, or at least, a current backup of iTunes. The system of transferring your iTunes library includes deleting the authentic source library. If something ought to cross incorrect and also you don’t have a backup, you can lose all of your music documents.

Move Your iTunes Library ,Playlists, Ratings, and Media Files

The procedure outlined here will hold all your iTunes settings, consisting of playlists and scores, and all media files; not just track and video, but audiobooks, podcasts, and so on. However, so as for iTunes to preserve all this right stuff, you ought to permit or not it’s in charge of maintaining the Music or Media folder prepared. If you do not need iTunes to be in charge, the process of moving your media folder will still work, but you can discover that metadata objects, which includes playlists and rankings, may be worn out.

Have iTunes Manage Your Media Folder

Before you honestly pass whatever, start through verifying or putting in place iTunes to control your Music or Media folder.

  1. Launch iTunes, placed at /Applications.
  2. From the iTunes menu, choose iTunes, Preferences.
  3. In the Preferences window that opens, pick the Advanced icon.
  4. Make positive there may be a checkmark subsequent to the Keep iTunes Media folder organized object. (Early versions of iTunes may say “Keep iTunes Music folder organized.”)
  5. Click OK.

02 of 02 Creating a New iTunes Library Location

Now that we have installation iTunes to manipulate the iTunes Media folder, it is time to create a new place for the library, after which move the existing library to its new home.

Create a New iTunes Library Location

If your new iTunes library could be on an external drive, make certain the force is plugged into your Mac and became on.

  1. Launch iTunes, if it is not already open.
  2. From the iTunes menu, pick iTunes > Preferences.
  3. In the Preferences window that opens, pick out the Advanced icon.
  4. In the iTunes Media folder area phase of the Advanced options window, click the Change button.
  5. In the Finder window that opens, navigate to the region where you would love to create the new iTunes Media folder.
  6. In the Finder window, click the New Folder button.
  7. Enter a call for the new folder. While you can call this folder some thing you want, we endorse the usage of iTunes Media. Click the Create button, and then click on the Open button.
  8. In the Advanced options window, click OK.
  9. ITunes will ask you in case you want to move and rename the files on your new iTunes Media folder to fit the Keep iTunes Media folder prepared preference. Click Yes.

Moving Your iTunes Library to Its New Location

ITunes can circulate the original library media documents for you. Letting iTunes perform this task will keep all of the playlists and ratings intact.

  1. In iTunes, choose File > Library > Organize Library. (Older variations of iTunes will say File > Library > Consolidate Library.)
  2. In the Organize Library window that opens, area a take a look at mark next to Consolidate Files, and click on OK (In older variations of iTunes the checkbox became categorised Consolidate library).
  3. ITunes will replica all your media files from the old library region to the new one you created in advance. This can take a while, so be affected person.

Confirm the iTunes Library Move

  1. Open a Finder window and navigate to the brand new iTunes Media folder. Inside the folder, you should see the identical folders and media files you noticed inside the authentic media folder. Since we have not deleted the originals yet, you may do a evaluation via opening Finder windows, one showing the antique place and one displaying the new area.
  2.  
  3. To further affirm that all is nicely, launch iTunes, if it’s no longer already open, and pick the Library category within the iTunes toolbar.
  4. Select Music within the drop-down menu above the sidebar. You should see all of your song files listed. Use the iTunes sidebar to verify that every one of your movies, TV indicates, iTunes U files, podcasts, and so on., are gift. Check the Playlist vicinity of the sidebar to verify that it includes all of your playlists.
  5. Open iTunes Preferences and pick the Advanced icon.The iTunes Media folder region need to listing your new iTunes Media folder and no longer your vintage one.
  6. If everything seems OK, try playing a few tune or films the usage of iTunes.

Deleting the Old iTunes Library

If the whole thing checks out OK, you can delete the authentic iTunes Media folder (or Music folder). Do no longer delete the unique iTunes folder or any documents or folders it carries, aside from the iTunes Media or iTunes Music folder. If you delete some thing else in the iTunes folder, your playlists, album artwork, scores, etc., should grow to be records, requiring you to recreate them or down load them (album artwork).