Move Itunes Library From External Hard Drive To New Mac

08.04.2020
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Nov 10, 2019  Connect your new external hard drive to the computer with your iTunes library on it and backup your iTunes library to the external hard drive. How long this takes will depend on the size of your library and the speed of your computer/external hard drive. You may need to Authenticate to make a copy of your iTunes folder; go ahead and do this. 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. Jan 04, 2020  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). To locate the Music folder on your Mac, locate the Home option in the Finder menu, then double-click the Music folder. Within the Music folder, you'll find the iTunes folder, which you'll want to.

iTunes

1. iTunes Tips
2. Download iTunes Music
3. iTunes Library
4. Transfer iTunes
5. Others

Puzzled by hundreds of songs in your iTunes library, plus podcasts, TV shows, and Movies that you downloaded from iTunes? Want to know how to move itunes library to external hard drive? Follow the following guide to explore more solutions to move itunes library to external drive.

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Part 1: How to Transfer iTunes from Computer to External Hard Drive

External hard drives have become very necessary tools for those who use laptops or desktops for school or business on a regular basis. Not only are they used to store information that might fill up your hard drive too much, as in the case of movie files or photos, they are often used as backups for the information stored on computers.

iTunes is no exception to this. Computers glitch on occasion, and one of the worst things for many people to go through is the loss of their music and entertainment files because something goes wrong with their iTunes account for whatever reason. This, however, does not need to happen. A simple backup to an external hard drive can be exactly the workaround that many need to prevent the stress of being potentially unable to recover the iTunes library as it appears on their computer, should something go wrong. Many people transfer their iTunes library to the external hard drive as a way of ensuring they never lose their iTunes library in the event of a hard drive glitch. While the risk of something of that nature occurring is low, there is still the potential of that occurring. Here’s how to transfer the iTunes library over:

Step 1. Open iTunes > Preferences

You need to go into iTunes and make sure all your iTunes music files are together, just as you have done with the other modes of transferring your iTunes library over. For Windows-based systems, once you have gotten into iTunes, go to Edit > Preferences.

Step 2. Click Advanced

This will bring you to a series of checkboxes that you need to tick off in order to successfully consolidate your iTunes media library. The box you need to have ticked off is “Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library.” Click OK.

>Step 3. Go to File > Library > Organize Library

iTunes then ensures that copies of the original media files are placed in your library. If you like, once this step is completed you can then delete the originals off your hard drive.

Step 4. Quit iTunes and locate your external hard drive

You need to quit iTunes before you back it up. Your computer will not let you back it up otherwise. If you are on a Mac, you need to go to your Finder. On a PC, go to My Computer.

Step 5. Find your iTunes folder

Where is itunes library mac. Use multiple iTunes libraries on Mac. In the iTunes app on your Mac, choose iTunes Quit iTunes. Hold down the Option key while you open iTunes. In the window that appears, do one of the following: Create a new library: Click Create Library. Choose a different library: Click Choose Library. When you open iTunes, click on the “Choose Library” button. A pop up window will appear, which will show you your Music/My music folder. However, if you had decided to store your iTunes Library in someplace other than these folders, just navigate to that location,. Oct 07, 2019  Switch to another iTunes library. Hold down the Option key, then open the Music app or Apple TV app. In the window that appears, click Choose Library. Select a library, then click Choose.

On a Mac, you will find your iTunes folder through Finder > username > Music. Depending what system of Windows you are running, here’s where you will find your iTunes folder:

Windows XP: Documents and SettingsusernameMy DocumentsMy Music
Windows Vista: UsersusernameMy Music
Windows 7 or 8: UsersusernameMusic

Step 6. If you can’t find your iTunes folder

Open iTunes and locate Preferences. On Mac, you go to iTunes > Preferences. On Windows, go to Edit > Preferences. Click Advanced. Your iTunes folder will be in the “iTunes Media folder location” box.

Step 7. Drag the iTunes folder to the external drive

If you have many files, you will find that this takes a while. However, when this is done, your iTunes folder is successfully copied to the external hard drive.

Where users of both systems need to know exactly how to transfer iTunes from one system to another – or, for that matter, between systems – it is important to remember that this is a very step-by-step process where if one step is missing, you may find yourself troubleshooting a range of issues with your iTunes library. However, it is a relatively simple process regardless of the system you are starting from, and it should be remembered that most of what you need to remember lies in the Preferences menu. While some individuals may become stressed and wonder how to transfer their iTunes library over, believing it to be a cumbersome process where they will end up quite stressed by the end of it, it is important to remember that it really is not a terribly challenging process.

It is important to note that copying your iTunes library from one computer to another, regardless of whether you are going with the same system (be that PC or Mac) or going across systems, is not that complicated a process and that it can save you a great deal of stress in the long run, particularly if you find that your computer appears to be glitching from time to time. One of the most stressful experiences many today seem to go through is losing their entire music library on iTunes, particularly if that library is hundreds or even thousands of songs long. Whether you copy your iTunes library from one system to another or copy it to an external hard drive, it is a process that is rather easily done, while it may take some time to accomplish depending on the size of your library. It is, however, important to remember that the steps need to be followed in order to ensure that you get the copy made properly. In addition, it is also important to remember that while iTunes is an easy program to use, it may indeed take some time to make a copy of your entire library for copying from one system to another. The best advice is to be patient and let the computer do its work – the results will be worth it in the end.

Part 4: Must-Know Best iPhone/iPad/iPod/Android Phone Manager

iMusic is a all-in-one music manager and downloader for you to easily manage, record and download music. What's more, you can use it to transfer music between iPhone/iPad/iPod/Android phones and iTunes/Mac/PC. Among it's manage function, you could easily move or back up the whole iTunes library to external hard drive.

iMusic is a great tool that integrates all the features you need for getting and managing music. It is able to download and record music from music sharing sites, transfer music between computer and iTunes Library, iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Android devices. Here are its main features.

  • Transferring itunes library to external hard drive with simple click.
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  • Transfer music between Mac, Windows, iTunes Library and iPhone/iPad/iPod and Android devices
  • Record music from music sites, software that can play music on computer.
  • Backup music from iPhone, iPad and Android phone to Mac/PC

Guide to Move the iTunes Library to external hard drive with iMusic

Step 1. Go to iMusic's official website:https://imusic.aimersoft.com/ to download the latest version of iMusic then launch it.

Step 2. Connect the external hard drive to the computer, no matter the windows 10 , windows 7 or Mac .

Step 3. Before use it's 'music library', you need to download iTunes from Apple official site, then the music library will become what you see'itunes library'on the interface, just Click 'ITUNES LIBRARY' on the main interface of iMusic, you will enter the Music page by default, and then click the 'playlist'icon at the top-left corner, choose the music you want to export to external hard drive, next click the export mark at the top-right corner to open the external hard drive.

That's it, super easy right ? You have finish the whole process to move the iTunes library to externatl hard drive.

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.

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.

  1. Launch iTunes on your Mac.

  2. Click File in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.

  3. Hover your cursor over Library in the dropdown menu.

  4. Select Organize Library from the secondary menu.

  5. Tick the box for Consolidate Files in the window that appears.

  6. 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

  1. Quit iTunes.
  2. Connect your external hard drive to your computer using a USB cable.
  3. Click on Finder to open a Finder window.

  4. Select your Mac's hard drive.

  5. Click on the Music folder.

  6. Select iTunes and drag it to the external hard drive.

  7. Click Authenticate when prompted to give permission to move the iTunes folder.
  8. Enter your administrator password.

  9. 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

Text stored from lock screen on mac in library folder. 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.

  1. Launch iTunes and hold down the Option Keyat the same time.

  2. Click on Choose Library when the window appears.

  3. Select your external hard drive under Devices in the Finder sidebar.
  4. Click on iTunes.

  5. 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.

  1. Launch iTunes.

  2. Select a song, podcast, movie, app, or other content.

  3. Right-click or Control-click on the song.
  4. Select Get info from the drop down menu.

  5. Click on the File tab in the info window.

  6. 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

Move Itunes Library From External Hard Drive To Mac

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.

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.

  1. Quit iTunes.
  2. Click on Finder to open a Finder window.

  3. Select your Mac's hard drive.

  4. Click on the Music folder.

  5. 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.

External Hard Drive For Mac

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.

  1. Quit iTunes on your new Mac.
  2. Connect your external hard drive to your new Mac using a USB cable.
  3. Open the external hard drive once it appears on your new Mac's screen.
  4. Click on Finder on your new Mac to open a Finder window.

  5. Select your new Mac's hard drive.

  6. Click on the Music folder.

  7. Drag the iTunes folder from your external hard drive into the Music folder on your new Mac.

  8. Launch iTunes and hold down the Option Keyat the same time.
  9. Click on Choose Library when the window appears.

  10. Select your local hard drive under Devices in the Finder sidebar.

  11. Click on the Music folder.
  12. Click on iTunes.

  13. 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.

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