How To Clear Itunes Library On Mac
How to reset iTunes on macOS
Sometimes to go forward you need to go back. iTunes is one of the most popular apps in the world, and Apple has made some great strides over the years. There is no denying that iTunes is the media hub for many, but sometimes a new version arrives that is broken, or introduces a feature that you don’t like, or removes a feature that you did like.
That’s why in this guide we’re going to show you how to take full control over your version of iTunes. We’ll cover how to reinstall iTunes, clean up iTunes junk files, perform a complete uninstall of iTunes and possibly even downgrade to an earlier version of iTunes.
Nov 29, 2018 Part 2: How to Delete iTunes Libray on Mac Step 1. Turn off iTunes on Mac and run Finder on Mac. Click on Go Now click on Home. Browse Music folder and click on iTunes. Find and delete these files: iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music Library.xml. Drag the “iTunes Library.itl” file onto the trashcan icon on the Dock. Alternately, hold 'Ctrl' and click the file, and then click “Move to Trash” from the pop-up menu. How to Reset iTunes Library on Mac or Windows PC Step #1. First off, shut down iTunes on your Mac or Windows Computer. Click on Go → Now click on Home. Browse Music folder. Click on iTunes. Alternatively, you can click on Music in Sidebar in Finder.
Are you ready? Let’s get started!
Reinstall iTunes
A healthy iTunes is a great experience but if the app starts behaving strangely then it’s time to take action. If iTunes keeps playing Britney Spears music for no reason, your Mac is probably demonically possessed. Unfortunately, you will have to set fire to your Mac. It’s the only way.
However, if you iTunes is merely crashing or freezing then a simple iTunes reinstall should solve the problem. You could first try to download the latest version of iTunes and run the installer.
Mar 18, 2020 Your Photos library holds all your photos, albums, slideshows, and print projects. If your library is large, and you want to free up storage space on your Mac, turn on iCloud Photo Library and use Optimize Mac Storage, or move your library to an external drive. Before you start, be sure to. Share mac photos library.
Share itunes library between users on same mac. Aug 05, 2013 If multiple users on an OS X system use iTunes, by default each will have a separate iTunes media folder in which music files are stored. This is convenient for privacy, but it will prevent users. Within Finder, move your iTunes library folder (by default this folder is located within /Music/iTunes/) to a location accessible by all user accounts. As mentioned above, my personal preference is to store it on an external drive connected to your Mac.
Even if it’s the same version as you have installed, this will reinstall iTunes without any hassles.
If that doesn’t fix the problem, you should completely uninstall iTunes before you run the downloaded install.
Completely Uninstall iTunes
Whether you want a more effective reinstall of iTunes or if you want to remove the app from your life for good, we’ve got you covered. You may have realized that Apple doesn’t make it easy for you to uninstall iTunes, so it requires a few extra steps.
Note – A complete uninstall iTunes app will remove your user settings, playlists, etc.
To completely uninstall iTunes follow these steps:
- Drag the desktop iTunes icon to the trash - if you receive an error continue to step 2, if you don’t skip to step 6
- Right-click the iTunes.app file in the Applications folder and click Get Info
- Click the padlock icon and enter your Admin Password
- Expand Sharing & Permissions and set 'everyone' to Read & Write
- Close the window and try step 1 again
- Empty the Trash
- Type Activity Monitor into Spotlight and launch the app
- Find iTunes Helper and remove it
- Navigate to Library > Preferences and remove files with 'com.apple.itunes' at the beginning
- Restart your Mac
Clean iTunes Junk
Speaking of cleaning iTunes, if you use the app – even if it runs perfectly - you should try out CleanMyMac’s specialist iTunes Junk cleaner. You wouldn’t believe all the wasted space iTunes takes up thanks to broken downloads, copies of apps, old backups, and all sorts of other junk.
A quick scan from CleanMyMac and you’ll be given the option to clear up a lot of space – space that can be used for more important things.
No, not Britney Spears albums.
Downgrade iTunes to an earlier version
There comes a time where a new version of iTunes makes us wish we never updated in the first place. We want to be clear that the best thing to do is give the new version time, see if there isn’t a workaround to solve
whatever it is that’s bothering you and submit feedback to Apple.
If you’re impatient and you want to roll back iTunes now, then there is a method that could achieve exactly that. This solution will only be possible if you use Time Machine to create regular backups.
Important Note – Before you begin make sure to create a Time Machine backup. If anything goes wrong, you can just restore to the current version of macOS.
Here's how to downgrade iTunes:
- Type Activity Monitor into Spotlight and launch the app
- Find iTunes Helper and remove it
- Type Terminal into Spotlight and launch app
- Type sudo rm –r /Applications/iTunes.app and press Return
- Type Time Machine into Spotlight and launch the app
- Restore the version of iTunes you want from the relevant Time Machine backup
- Also, restore these files from the ~/Music/iTunes folder:
iTunes Library Extras.itdb
iTunes Library Genius.itdb
iTunes Library.itl
iTunes Music Library.xml
iTunes should now be reverted to an old version, with all your settings and data intact.
Putting the “I” Back In iTunes
We hope that this guide helped you to feel more in control of your iTunes for Mac. There is no doubting that iTunes is an awesome app, but Apple’s insistence can be a bit overhanded at times. Now you can make iTunes cleaner with CleanMyMac X, fix a broken iTunes, downgrade iTunes to an earlier version and even uninstall iTunes completely.
You have the control and the power. Use it wisely*
*By never downloading Britney Spears songs.
These might also interest you:
- Common iTunes Tips
- iTunes Backup/Restore Tips
- iTunes Library Tips
- iTunes Update Problems
Your playlist on iTunes is such a mess. Some of your songs don't exist anymore or some are having duplicates. Perhaps, some tracks that you want are still there in your iTunes Library. In such case, you would want to clear iTunes Library and then rebuild the Library from scratch. Well! That's a good idea. And we are going to share the same in this article. So, if you've no idea on how to clear iTunes Library and start over, just have a look on this post and get your answers.
How to Clear iTunes Library and Start Over
As the heading states, this section will let you know about clearing your iTunes Library from Windows as well as Mac computers. So, now, you won't be any more wondering 'how do I clear my iTunes library and start over'. Just don't go any further to learn but scroll down and you will get what you want.
On Windows
On your Windows computer, open Windows Explorer. Now, hit on the 'Music' folder.
Go to 'iTunes' folder now and now you will be able to find two files i.e. 'iTunes Library .itl' and 'iTunes Music Library .xml'.
Now, remove the two files from this iTunes folder and this was how to clear iTunes library and start over
On Mac
Firstly, quit the iTunes in your computer and then hit on the 'Finder' menu to open it.
Now, choose the 'Go' menu and click 'Home' from the options that are appearing.
Hit on 'Music' and then choose 'iTunes' to open the folder.
The same files will be noticeable i.e. 'iTunes Library .itl' and 'iTunes Music Library .xml'. now, delete both the files to clear iTunes library and start over.
How to Rebuild iTunes Library
After learning how to clear iTunes library, let us now move on to get aware about how to rebuild iTunes Library from scratch. We will provide you two different ways by which you can carry out this method. Let's begin without any further ado.
Way1: Easiest Way--Tenorshare iCareFone
One of the simplest ways to gain an understanding on how to rebuild iTunes Library is taking advantage of Tenorshare iCareFone. It is the most skilled software out there in the market which is designed to work as an ultimate iOS data manager.
With the help of iCareFone, one can get the benefit of transferring data between iOS device and computer without any need of iTunes. Also, you can import your files to iTunes without any complications via Tenorshare iCareFone. You can execute all these tasks securely as well as easily copy your files between your iOS device and PC. Moreover, it is completely compatible with Mac and Windows computer. What's more! It can also assist the users if they are stuck with common iOS issues. The tool can fix them all easily. Let us now understand the guide on rebuilding iTunes Library on Mac or Windows
Step 1 – Run iCareFone and then get your iOS device connected with the PC. Hit on 'File Manager' from the main interface.
Step 2 – Choose 'Music' now from the list of file types and your music list will be on the screen.
Step 3 – Pick out the preferred music and hit on 'Export'. Now, select the destination folder i.e. iTunes folder and save it.
Way2: Rebuild iTunes Library with XML
In order to rebuild iTunes library using an iTunes xml file you need to follow the step guide mentioned with care. So, here's what you need to do.
First, locate your iTunes folder on your Mac/Win PC. On Mac, you'll find it right in the Music Folder which is available in your Home fodler (the one with your name and house icon). On Windows (7/8/10), you'll find it in the 'My Music' folder located at: C:Users[your username]My Music.
Now, delete the already present iTunes Library (.xml and .itl both) file.
Next, launch the iTunes application, then tap on 'File', followed by 'Library', then 'Import Playlist'. You then need to locate the iTunes Music Library.xml or iTunes Library.xml file with which you wish to rebuild iTunes library.
Wait for a while now, iTunes will analyze the xml file and rebuild your iTunes library subsequently.
Ultimate Tool to Fix All iTunes Errors
While working with iTunes, it is highly possible to encounter some common errors regarding iTunes. For instance, iTunes install errors like error 7, 193, 1305 or iTunes sync errors like error -54, -69 or 8003. Well! You can't stop such error but yes, they can be fixed using a professional tool. We would like to introduce Tenorshare TunesCare for such problems. This tool is highly recommended because it resolves all major iTunes errors; boost iTunes performance as well as compatible with iTunes 12.7.
Conclusion
How To Delete Itunes Library On Mac
Winding up the topic, we hope that now you have learnt about clearing and rebuilding iTunes Library well. We have provided simple ways to accomplish the task. Now, you can rebuild iTunes Library or clear it anytime you wish to. However, we would like to recommend you to use Tenorshare iCareFone for the rebuilding purpose for its reliability. The tool not just helps you rebuilding your Library but fully takes care of security as well. Moreover, TunesCare will also be your savior whenever you stuck with any of the iTunes error. Please share your thoughts or any queries if you have. Thanks!