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How to Move Your iTunes Library![Library Library](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125697302/401672057.jpg)
![Move Itunes Music Library From Windows To Mac Move Itunes Music Library From Windows To Mac](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125697302/380677535.png)
There are a few ways to transfer your iTunes library from one computer to another. When you get a new Mac, use Setup Assistant (or Migration Assistant, if you’re switching from Windows) to move files—including your iTunes files—from your old computer to the new one. Part 2: Free Way to Transfer iTunes Library from Mac to PC; Part 1: Simplest Way to Transfer iTunes Library from Mac to PC When it comes to how to move iTunes libary from Mac to PC, here we highly recommend iMusic from Aimersoft to you. It is a All-in-one-music management tool to tranfer, backup, restore your iTunes library Music from Mac to PC. Jan 04, 2020 How to Move Your iTunes Library. You can move your iTunes library to a different folder, computer, or drive. Here's how to do it, even in macOS Catalina, which ditches iTunes for the Music app.
- Dec 08, 2019 I don’t think I am going to use migration assistant to setup my new Mac. I would rather start fresh on Mac. I have a photo library that is managed by Lightroom and my music library is managed by iTunes. Can I export my iTunes library to a shared folder and then just import into the Mac?
- Since iTunes uses the same file format for both Mac and Windows, the program will be able to read your iTunes Library file and it will show your music, videos, podcasts, and so on with playlists.
You can move your iTunes library to a different folder, computer, or drive. Here's how to do it, even in macOS Catalina, which ditches iTunes for the Music app.
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Moving your iTunes library sounds complicated, especially if you have a vast collection of music, TV shows, movies, and podcasts. But it's possible—if you follow the right steps.
Below we'll cover how to move your library to a NAS device or network drive as well as a PC. Since iTunes has been replaced in macOS Catalina, we'll also look at how to do it with Apple's new Music app.
Locate iTunes Media
When you install and set up iTunes for the first time, the software automatically chooses a location to house your library. By default, that location is C:users[username] MusiciTunes. That folder stores the iTunes library file, which is a database of all your iTunes content, along with other files.
Your content itself is saved in the folder iTunes Media, which contains subfolders for your music, movies, TV shows, books, and other items. Confirm the location for your iTunes content by opening iTunes and navigating to Edit > Preferences > Advanced in Windows and iTunes > Preferences > Advanced on a Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier. The location of your iTunes Media folder is displayed.
Move Your iTunes Library to a Network Drive
Why go through the trouble of moving your library to a network drive or NAS device? Well, a computer that houses your iTunes library needs to be turned on any time you want to access the content from a different device.
By moving your library to a network drive that’s always available, you or anyone else in your household can access the content from any computer or mobile device in your home at any time.
If you have a network drive or NAS set up, use the software for your router or NAS to create a specific network share to store your iTunes library. Name it something like iTunesContent, then open File Explorer in Windows or Finder in macOS.
Map a drive to this new network share, maybe assigning the letter 'I' to iTunesContent. Finally, create a folder on your new network share called iTunes. Then, open your new iTunes folder and create a subfolder called iTunes Media.
Transfer the Folders
In File Explorer, Windows Explorer, or Finder, copy all the subfolders in the iTunes folder, except the iTunes Media folder, from your computer to the iTunes folder on your network.
iTunes Media Folder
Open iTunes, then click the Edit Menu (or the iTunes menu on a Mac) and select Preferences > Advanced. Click the Change button for your iTunes Media folder location, then navigate to and select the iTunes Media folder on your network share.
The location should say: I:iTunesiTunes Media (assuming you used 'I' as the drive letter for mapping). Then check the two options for 'Keep iTunes Media folder organized' and 'Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library.' Click OK to close the Preferences window.
Move and Rename
A message may say it's updating your iTunes library. It then asks if you would like to move and rename the files in your new iTunes Media folder to match the 'Keep iTunes Media folder organized' preference. Click Yes.
Add Folder to Library
Now it's time to move your iTunes content. Open the File menu in iTunes and click Add Folder to Library (Windows) or Add to Library (Mac).
Select Subfolders
From the Add to Library window, drill up or down to your iTunes Media folder and select all the subfolders except for the 'Automatically Add to iTunes' folder. Select Audiobooks, Books, iTunes U, Movies, Music, Podcasts, and TV Shows. Then click the Select Folder button.
Hurry Up and Wait
iTunes now starts adding the content from the library on your computer to the new library on your network. Step away from your computer and take a nice long break as the copying may take awhile, especially if you have a large library.
Did the Files Transfer?
After the copying is complete, close iTunes. In File Explorer, Windows Explorer, or Finder, open the iTunes Media library on your network and make sure the folders and files for your music, books, and other content are there.
Rename iTunes Folder
Rename the iTunes folder on your computer to something like iTunes-old. Hold down the Shift key and reopen iTunes from its shortcut. A message pops up asking you to choose the iTunes library.
Click the 'Choose Library' button. In the Open iTunes Library window, navigate to and select the iTunes Library.itl file in the iTunes folder on your network and then click the Open button.
Test Your Handiwork
iTunes opens and should display the content from your music folder or whatever folder you last accessed. Select the other types of content from the menu, such as movies, TV shows, and books, to make sure the thumbnail images for those items display in iTunes. You should also try playing some music, movies, or TV shows to ensure that they play properly.
When you're satisfied that all your content files now reside on the network and that iTunes is pointing to them, you can delete the old iTunes folder on your computer. From now on, any time you open iTunes, the software will access your files from the network.
Move Your iTunes Library to Another Computer
![Library Library](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125697302/401672057.jpg)
If you want to move your library from one computer to another, make sure iTunes is installed on the target PC first. Don't open iTunes yet. If you did already open the program on the target computer, launch File Explorer or Finder, navigate to the C:Users[username]Musicfolder, and delete the entire iTunes folder.
Copy Your Files Via a HomeGroup
If you're a Windows 7 or 8.1 holdout, you can transfer files from one computer to another through HomeGroup. Once both computers are linked, open Windows Explorer and navigate to C:Users[username]Music folder. Select and copy the iTunes folder, then click the entry for HomeGroup, the entry for your username, and the entry for the target computer.
You should see all the shared folders of the target computer, including the Music folder. Open the Music folder and paste the iTunes folder from the source to the target PC. Take a nice, long break as the copy is likely to take awhile.
Copy Files With External Devices
HomeGroup is not available in Windows 10, so those with that OS (and Mac users) will have to find an alternative method to copy files between two different machines. You can copy them from the source PC to an external device, then copy them over to the target computer. Another option is to use a USB cable to connect both computers and copy the files over. If your library isn't too large, you can always copy it to and from an online file storage site such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Box, Dropbox, or Box.
Authorize This Computer
After the copy finishes, open iTunes on your target computer. If you haven't yet authorized this computer for iTunes, click the Account menu, move to Authorizations, and click 'Authorize This Computer.' At the window to authorize the computer, sign in with your Apple ID and password and click the Authorize button.
Test Your Handiwork
Now move to the different categories—such as Music, Movies, and TV Shows—and make sure you can access and play the content. If all is well, go back to your source computer. Make sure you de-authorize iTunes so it's not chewing up a license. You can then delete your iTunes content and uninstall iTunes at the source.
Move Your Library in Catalina
Moving your library on a Mac that's running macOS Catalina is a different process, mainly because iTunes has been retired as the default application for storing and organizing media. As such, your content is stored in different locations. The default locations are as follows:
- Music: C:/users/[username]/music
- TV Shows and Movies: C:/users/[username]/movies
- Podcasts: C:/Library/Group Containers/243LU875E5.groups.com.apple.podcasts
- eBooks and Audiobooks:C:/Library/Containers/com.apple.BKAgentService/ Data/Documents/iBooks/Books.
Mac
You can move your music, TV shows, and movies from their default folders to a new location on a network drive or to another Mac. To do this, follow the same steps above as described for iTunes.Accessing Podcasts on macOS Catalina
Moving podcast episodes and books would be problematic due to their default locations, but you don't have to move them. Just open the Podcasts app on your new Mac, and it should automatically display the shows to which you subscribe. From there, you can download individual episodes.
Accessing Books on macOS Catalina
For books, open the Books app on your new Mac; it should display any books you've purchased through iTunes. You can then download individual books to your computer.
To add other books you've obtained elsewhere, copy your entire Books folder (and Audiobooks folder if it's separate) from your old Mac to an accessible location for your new Mac.
Open the Books app and click File > Add to Library, then select your Books and Audiobooks folders. Click Add and your books should be imported into your new library.
After decades of digital music, it's not unlikely if you've amassed quite the collection of music on your computer's hard drive. If your iTunes library is taking up too much space, you can move it off of your local drive and onto an external hard drive without breaking your music collection.
![Move Itunes Music Library From Windows To Mac Move Itunes Music Library From Windows To Mac](/uploads/1/2/5/6/125697302/380677535.png)
You can also transfer your entire iTunes library from one computer to another if you are migrating to a new Mac.
Before you start: Back up your Mac
Before making major changes to your computer, it's always a good idea to back up your data: The best way to back up your Mac is with a Time Machine routine in place, but you can choose an alternate backup option that's right for you.
What you will need
You will, of course, need the computer your iTunes library is currently on. You will also need the following:
- An external hard drive (and power source, if applicable)
- A USB cable to connect the hard drive to your original Mac
- A power source for your original Mac
- If you're moving to a new computer, your new Mac (and its power cable)
Step 1: Consolidate your library
Over time, it's easy for your music, movies, apps, and other iTunes content to end up stored in various places throughout your computer's hard drive. To ensure that you copy everything from iTunes over to an external hard drive, you should first consolidate your library. Even if you think your library has all your information consolidated already, it can't hurt to do a manual check before moving any data.
- Launch iTunes on your Mac.
- Click File in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
- Hover your cursor over Library in the dropdown menu.
- Select Organize Library from the secondary menu.
- Tick the box for Consolidate Files in the window that appears.
- Click OK.
This process makes a copy of all files in the iTunes media folder, and leaves the original files in their current location.
Step 2: Move your iTunes Library to an external hard drive
- Quit iTunes.
- Connect your external hard drive to your computer using a USB cable.
- Click on Finder to open a Finder window.
- Select your Mac's hard drive. Add hidden library to favorites mac.
- Click on the Music folder.
- Select iTunes and drag it to the external hard drive.
- Click Authenticate when prompted to give permission to move the iTunes folder.
- Enter your administrator password.
- Browse mac photos library. Click OK.
This process could take upwards of an hour or two, depending on how much data stored in your iTunes library.
Step 3: Redirect iTunes to the new location
Once you've transferred a copy of your iTunes library onto an external hard drive, you will need to set a new path for the iTunes app by redirecting it to search the external hard drive for content, rather than your local drive.
- Launch iTunes and hold down the Option Keyat the same time.
- Click on Choose Library when the window appears.
- Select your external hard drive under Devices in the Finder sidebar.
- Click on iTunes.
- Click Open.
Note: Until you delete the iTunes file on your local hard drive, you can switch which libraries iTunes uses by launching the app and holding down the Option key at the same time.
Step 4: Make sure it worked
If you performed the first three steps correctly, when you open iTunes, it should look the same as it did before. You can double-check to make sure the migration worked by checking the info of any content.
- Launch iTunes.
- Select a song, podcast, movie, app, or other content.
- Right-click or Control-click on the song.
- Select Get info from the drop down menu.
- Click on the File tab in the info window.
- Look under Location to ensure that the content is now being stored under /Volumes/external hard drive name/.. instead of Users/local hard drive name/..
Step 5: Delete the old iTunes library
Once you have transferred a copy of your iTunes library onto an external hard drive and redirected iTunes to the new location, you can delete the iTunes folder on your local hard drive, freeing up space on your Mac.
Move Itunes Music Library From Windows To Mac Computer
Note: If you are making a copy to transfer to a new computer, you don't need to perform step 5 unless you want to remove your iTunes library from the old computer.
- Quit iTunes.
- Click on Finder to open a Finder window.
- Select your Mac's hard drive.
- Click on the Music folder.
- Select iTunes and drag it to the trash.
Make sure your external hard drive is connected to your Mac when you launch iTunes from now on. Otherwise, iTunes won't be able to find the files. If that happens, quit iTunes, connect your external hard drive to your computer, and reopen iTunes.
Step 6 [optional]: Move your iTunes library to a new Mac
Once you have your iTunes library on an external hard drive, you can relocate it to a new Mac.
- Quit iTunes on your new Mac.
- Connect your external hard drive to your new Mac using a USB cable.
- Open the external hard drive once it appears on your new Mac's screen.
- Click on Finder on your new Mac to open a Finder window.
- Select your new Mac's hard drive.
- Click on the Music folder.
- Drag the iTunes folder from your external hard drive into the Music folder on your new Mac.
- Launch iTunes and hold down the Option Keyat the same time.
- Click on Choose Library when the window appears.
- Select your local hard drive under Devices in the Finder sidebar.
- Click on the Music folder.
- Click on iTunes.
- Click Open.
Any questions?
Do you have any questions or issues with moving your iTunes library onto an external hard drive or onto a new Mac? Let us know in the comments and we'll help you out.
How To Move Music Files Into Itunes
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