Migrating Itunes Library From Windows To Mac

iTunes library is a huge and powerful database where the valuable information is kept. Playlists, songs and other files are also organized there. iTunes uses iTunes library files and your iTunes Media folder to organize and store your music and other media. So if you have a new device one day, what can you do with your important files and music in iTunes? How to transfer iTunes from PC to Mac? There are three methods listed below for your reference.

  • Part 3: How to transfer iTunes from PC to Mac via iTransfer

Part 1: How to transfer iTunes from PC to Mac via USB Drive

  1. Andy Reply: July 11th, 2008 at 5:22 pm. I can confirm that these steps work even when moving the library between two different versions of iTunes. On my Windows machine I use Windows XP x64 (which cannot use any newer iTunes Version than 7.5) and on the Mac the current iTunes 7.7.
  2. Sep 02, 2011 The problem is that iTunes stores full paths to every file in your library database, and because the file systems between Mac and Windows are fundamentally different, it’s impossible for it to directly reference these files on the new computer, which may result in broken links.

Oct 30, 2019  Use Windows Migration Assistant to transfer your pictures, documents, and other data from a Windows PC to your Mac. Windows Migration Assistant transfers your contacts, calendars, email accounts, and more from a PC. Migration Assistant transfers your iTunes media as follows: music to the Apple Music app, videos to the Apple TV app, podcasts.

You need to consolidate and set up a backup before you move iTunes to new computer. Your iTunes is consisted of the added music and media. You have to consolidate iTunes library firstly. Then you can back up the files in iTunes.
You can consolidate iTunes library via following the steps as below:
1. Run iTunes and select File > Library > Organize Library in the menu bar which is at top of iTunes interface.
2. Choose “Consolidate files” and click the button “OK”.

iTunes media files can be found in iTunes folder. If not, you can follow the steps to find the media files as below.
Run iTunes, then select “Edit>Preference” on top of iTunes window, then click “Advanced” and you will see “iTunes Media folder location” and the iTunes media can be found in it.

Once the media files have been consolidated, the iTunes library can be backed up to the external drive by following these steps:
1. Go out of iTunes and the iTunes folder can be found.
2. Move iTunes library to external hard drive from the location by dragging. Then the iTunes library files can be copied to the external drive.

The iTunes library can be restored to your Mac from the external drive, you can follow the steps like below:
1. Logout iTunes and find the external drive on desktop.
2. The iTunes files will be copied to Mac from external drive by dragging.
3. Press the option key, then a prompt will pop up and you are required to select “Choose iTunes Library” by clicking this button.

4. Select the iTunes folder in the internal drive and click the button “Choose” to select iTunes library.

Part 2: How to transfer iTunes from PC to Mac via iTunes

If you want to transfer iTunes library to another computer, you can also use iTunes to complete this transfer. Below is the instruction to transfer iTunes library to new via iTunes.
1. Before you transfer the iTunes library by using iTunes, there are some changes needed to do like this: Edit> Preference> Advanced tab. Then check the option “Keep iTunes Music folder organized” and 'Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library'. The iTunes library location can also be changed here.

2. Enter File > Library and click and click “Organized Library”. All of the iTunes files are ensured to be saved in iTunes folder by this setting. Then go to UsernameMusiciTunesiTunes Media to find iTunes folder here and copy it to external drive.

3. Launch your iTunes on Mac computer. Some changes are needed to do on settings to make your library import from external drive. You can change the library path by clicking iTunes > Preferences > Advanced > Change. Connect your hard drive with your Mac and click the button “OK”.

4. Transfer the .xml file to Mac by following this: iTunes > Preferences > Select Advanced Tab. Then “Share iTunes Library xml with other applications”should be checked. Then, click “OK”.

5. This .xml file is copied to external drive like the pen drive. Then enter File > Library > Import Playlists Locate to find xml file you have saved. Next, click the button “OK”.

Part 3: How to transfer iTunes from PC to Mac via iTransfer

Leawo iTransfer is powerful software for transferring the files between Apple devices, iTunes and computer. It offers a great solution to transfer multiple files like apps, photos, music and more. This software is able to help the users to control and manage the files in an effective way. Because of the advanced technology on scanning and transferring, 100% safety and reliability are guaranteed by this software, which ensures no data loss during the transfer process. Amazon video library download to mac software. Here we will show you the steps of how to transfer iTunes from PC to Mac via iTransfer.

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1. You need to transfer iTunes files on PC to external hard drive by iTransfer firstly. Here we suppose you can use your iPhone as external hard drive.
Run Leawo iTransfer on computer and connect the external hard drive to the computer with USB cable. The external hard drive will be detected automatically and will be shown in the left sidebar. iTunes library will be displayed below the library of external hard drive. Music, movies and TV shows can be transferred to external hard drive from iTunes.

2. Select the media files in the iTunes library and the details will be shown on the right part of the software window. You can check the square beside the name on the top to select all files to transfer or hold Ctrl option to select some files for transferring, then right click on the selected files, choose the option Transfer to > iPhone. You are also allowed to search the files needed to transfer in the search bar which is on the upper right corner of the window, enter the name of the files in the search column and the results will be displayed below it. Then, click the button “Transfer” at the right bottom.

3. A pane will pop up and you are required to check “Transfer to list: iPhone”, then click the button “Transfer Now” to begin transfer iTunes to external hard drive.

4. Transfer progress will be shown to you and do not disconnect the transfer if it hasn’t finished transfer yet.

Here we have completed the task of transferring iTunes files to iPhone from PC. Then another problem appears, how to move iTunes files from iPhone to Mac? The following steps will guide you the details. Here we will use Leawo iTransfer for Mac to help us to complete this transfer.

1. Launch Leawo iTransfer for Mac on computer and connect your iPhone to Mac computer. Your iPhone will be detected automatically by this software and the information will be shown in the left sidebar of the window.

2. Choose iTunes files in the left sidebar, the detailed content will be listed on the right part of the window. Then press the button “Transfer” at the right bottom to begin to transfer all the iTunes files from iPhone to Mac. Or you can hold the key “Command” and choose the files needed to transfer,then select the option “Transfer to > My Computer” by right click on the files you have selected.

3. A pane will pop up and you need to check the option “Save to Folder” by clicking the button “Change” to select the target folder on your Mac for saving the transferred files. Then, click the button “Transfer Now” to begin to transfer the files.

4. The transfer progress will show up to let you know the transfer process. The files will be found in the target folder on your Mac when the transfer is completed.

Windows Migration Assistant transfers your contacts, calendars, email accounts, and more from a PC. It migrates this data to the appropriate places on your Mac. After migrating data to your Mac, authorize your computer for iTunes Store purchases. It’s important to authorize before you sync or play content that you download from the iTunes Store.

If you're migrating from one Mac to another Mac, follow the steps to move your content to a new Mac.

Before you begin

To prepare for a smooth migration:

  • Make sure that Windows is up to date. Migration Assistant works with Windows 7 and later.
  • Make sure that you know the name and password of an administrator account on your PC.
  • Connect your Mac and PC to the same network, such as your home Wi-Fi network. Or connect an Ethernet cable between the ports on your Mac and PC to create a direct network connection. Some Mac models require an Ethernet adapter, such as the Belkin USB-C to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter or Apple Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter.
  • If you're using Microsoft OneDrive on your PC, follow Microsoft's instructions for uninstalling OneDrive before continuing. You can reinstall OneDrive after migration is complete.

Then use the check disk (chkdsk) utility on your PC to make sure that your Windows hard drive doesn’t have any issues:

  1. Right-click the Start button, then click Run.
  2. Type cmd and press Enter. Command Prompt opens.
  3. At the prompt, type chkdsk and press Enter.
  4. If the utility reports that it found problems, type the following, where drive is the letter that represents your Windows startup disk, such as D:
  5. Press Enter.
  6. At the prompt, type Y, then restart your PC.
  7. Repeat this process until the check disk utility reports no issues. If the utility can't fix every issue that it finds, you might need to have your PC serviced. Then migrate your data to your Mac.

Move your data

This section guides you through migration, post-migration, and what to do if the steps don’t work for you.

How to move your information from a PC to your Mac

  1. On your PC, download and install the appropriate Windows Migration Assistant, based on the version of macOS on your Mac:
    • Windows Migration Assistant for macOS Mojave or later
    • Windows Migration Assistant for macOS Sierra and High Sierra
    • Windows Migration Assistant for OS X El Capitan or earlier
  2. Quit any open Windows apps.
  3. Open Windows Migration Assistant, then click Continue.
  4. Start up your Mac. Setup Assistant automatically opens the first time you turn on your Mac. If you’ve already set up your Mac, open Migration Assistant, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder.
  5. On your Mac, follow the onscreen prompts until you get to the migration pane of the assistant. Select the option to transfer your information “From a Windows PC,” then click Continue.
  6. When prompted, enter an administrator name and password.
  7. Click Continue to close any other open apps.
  8. In the migration window on your Mac, select your PC from the list of available computers. Then wait for the PC to show the same passcode that your Mac shows.
  9. When both computers display the same passcode, click Continue on your PC and Mac.
  10. Your Mac scans the drives on your PC to build a list of information to migrate. When the scan completes, select the information that you want to migrate to your Mac and click Continue. Learn about some of the data that you can transfer.

You can watch the progress and estimated time remaining on both the PC and your Mac. They tell you when migration is complete.

After you move your data

Migrating

When migration completes, close Windows Migration Assistant on your PC. Then log in to the new user account on your Mac. The first time you log in to a user account migrated from your PC, you’re asked to set a password. You can use the same password that you used on your PC, or create a new password.

After logging in to the user account that you migrated, your computer for iTunes Store purchases. It’s important to authorize before you sync or play content downloaded from the iTunes Store.

If you have issues moving your data

  • Quit all open apps on your PC, then try migrating your content again. For example, you can press Alt-Tab to choose an open application, then press Alt-F4 to quit it.
  • If your PC doesn't appear in the Setup Assistant or Migration Assistant window on your Mac, make sure the computers are connected to the same network. You can create an network by connecting a single Ethernet cable between your Mac and PC. If that doesn't help, check for firewall software on your PC and turn it off. Firewall software can block network ports needed during migration. After migration completes, you can turn firewall software on again.
  • If Migration Assistant doesn’t open on your PC, turn off any antivirus software on your PC. Then try to open Migration Assistant again. After migration completes. You can turn that software on again.
  • If you still can't migrate your information successfully, you can use an external drive or file sharing to manually copy important data to your Mac.

What data can I transfer?

Migration Assistant lets you choose the data to move to your Mac. Here’s what moves over for specific apps and data types:

Email, contacts, and calendar information
Email messages, email-account settings, contacts, and appointments move based on which version of Windows you're using and which accounts you have.

Outlook1
Data from 32-bit versions of Outlook in Windows 7 and later move as follows:

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  • People move to Contacts2
  • Appointments move to the Calendar app
  • IMAP and Exchange settings and messages move to the Mail app
  • POP settings and messages move to Mail2

Windows Live Mail
Data from Windows Live Mail in Windows 7 and later moves as follows:

  • IMAP settings and messages move to Mail
  • POP settings and messages move to Mail2

Windows Mail
Data from Windows Mail in Windows 7 and later (excluding Windows 8) move as follows:

  • IMAP settings and messages move to Mail
  • POP settings and messages move to Mail2
  • People move to Contacts

Bookmarks
Bookmarks from Internet Explorer, Safari for Windows, and Firefox move to Safari.

Migrating Itunes Library From Windows To Mac Windows 10

System settings
Language and location settings, and custom desktop pictures move to System Preferences. Your web browser homepage moves to Safari preferences.

Pictures
Photos and other images move to your home folder. You can then add them to Photos, or open Photos and let it search your Mac for photos to import.

iTunes content
Migration Assistant transfers your iTunes media as follows: music to the Apple Music app, videos to the Apple TV app, podcasts to the Apple Podcasts app, and audiobooks to the Apple Books app. What happened to iTunes?

Convert Windows Media To Itunes

Other files
Migration Assistant also moves these files:

  • Files from the top-level folder of the currently logged-in user’s home directory
  • Non-system files located in the Windows or Program Files folders
  • Top-level folders located on the Windows system disk and other attached disks

1. Migration Assistant doesn’t support 64-bit versions of Outlook. You can manually migrate Mail, Contacts, or Calendars from Outlook 2013 or Outlook 2016 by signing in and entering the content on your Mac manually.

Migrate Itunes Library From Mac To Pc

2. Migration Assistant transfers only the Mail or Contacts data that belongs to the logged-in Windows user. To transfer data from another user account, use Migration Assistant again while you’re logged in to another Windows account. Each time you migrate, your Mac creates a new user account.