Moving Your Itunes Library From Windows To Mac
- Moving Your Itunes Library From Windows To Mac Windows 10
- Moving Your Itunes Library From Windows To Mac Computer
- How To Move Itunes From Windows To Mac
- Move Itunes Library Windows 10
- Move Itunes Library From Windows To Mac
- If your iTunes library has gotten a bit too big for your regular hard drive, it may be time to move it. If you don't want to lose your playlists, play counts, ratings, and other stuff that iTunes.
- Now you've decided to make the switch - from Windows to Mac (or back). Sadly, transferring your iTunes library along with your playlists and ratings isn't just a matter of moving the music.
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.
Mar 16, 2020 Launch iTunes on your new Mac Hold down the Option key while opening iTunes Click “Choose Library” in the pop-up window Select the music folder in your local hard drive Choose the iTunes library folder Click Open.
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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.
Transfer itunes to new computer. Then try to open Migration Assistant again. If that doesn't help, check for firewall software on your PC and turn it off. After migration completes. If Migration Assistant doesn’t open on your PC, turn off any antivirus software on your PC. Firewall software can block network ports needed during migration. After migration completes, you can turn firewall software on again.
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
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.
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.
Mac photo library on nas software. In addition to being able to configure a large amount of storage at a low cost and freeing up your desktop or notebook from the workload, a Plex setup with a NAS drive offers features like 4K video transcoding, the ability to record TV shows for free, and much more. Using a dedicated device like a drive to host your offers a variety of advantages over using a Mac.
By Stephen Robles
Tuesday, February 03, 2015, 09:17 am PT (12:17 pm ET)
All the music, podcasts, movies and TV shows you've downloaded to iTunes are most likely taking up a good amount of hard drive space and can easily be moved.
Before starting the process, we suggest making an up to date Time Machine backup of your computer to an external hard drive or Time Capsule. Be sure the external hard drive you use to perform this backup is different than where you will move the iTunes Library should anything happen.
To begin moving your library, open iTunes, click File in the Menu Bar and select Library > Organize Library
Check the box that says Consolidate files and click OK. This will make sure all the music, movies and other files are actually located in the iTunes Media folder that will be moving to your external drive.
If you moved your iTunes Media folder in the past, it is best to double check the folder iTunes is actually accessing for your library files. To do this, go to iTunes in the Menu Bar > Preferences and click the Advanced tab.
Under the iTunes Media folder location you will see a path to the files you are about to move. By default, this should be located in the Music folder of your Home directory.
Quit iTunes by going to iTunes in the Menu Bar > Quit iTunes or press Cmd + Q. Connect the external hard drive that you will use to copy the iTunes library. You should see it appear on your desktop.
Open a new Finder window and click Music in the left sidebar. Click and drag the iTunes folder onto the external hard drive icon on your Desktop.
Depending on how large your library is and the connection speed of the external drive, it may take several minutes or longer to complete the copy process.
Once the copy is completed, hold the Option key on your keyboard and open iTunes from the Dock or Applications folder again. A new window will pop up asking you to Create Library or Choose Library. Click on Choose Library.
In the browser window that appears, navigate to your external hard drive, click the iTunes folder there and choose the iTunes Library file.
iTunes will then open and as long as the external hard drive is connected, iTunes will reference the library on the external drive and not on your computer's drive.
Quit iTunes once again and eject the external hard drive holding your new iTunes Library. Open a new Finder window and navigate to the Music folder in the left sidebar again.
Right click or Ctrl+click on the iTunes folder and move it to the Trash.
Moving Your Itunes Library From Windows To Mac Windows 10
Finally, to free up the space on your internal hard drive, open the Trash from the Dock or Finder window and click Empty Trash in the upper right corner.
Your iTunes Library has officially been removed from the internal drive. You can now reconnect the external hard drive you used to copy the iTunes Library, open iTunes and use it as normal.
If you open iTunes without your external hard drive connected, iTunes will give you an error message saying the 'Library cannot be found.' Quit iTunes, connect the external hard drive and reopen iTunes to fix.
You may want to copy your iTunes folder onto a second external hard drive as a backup as well. iTunes Match for $25 per year will also backup all your music to Apple's cloud service.
Where to buy an external drive at discount
Choosing a high-quality Mac-formatted external hard drive instead of an Apple-branded Time Capsule will often save you hundreds of dollars. Of all the Apple Authorized Resellers who deal heavily in storage devices, B&H Photo, Adorama, and Amazon offer the best mix of brand options, discounted pricing, availability, and cost-free shipping. Below are some quick links that jump to the available Mac-formatted storage options currently available from these resellers:
1TB to 6TB External Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $95.99 @ B&H
1TB to 6TB External Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $119.00 @ Adorama
Moving Your Itunes Library From Windows To Mac Computer
750GB to 6TB External Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $65.00 @ Amazon
How To Move Itunes From Windows To Mac
500GB to 6TB Portable Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $99.00 @ B&H500GB to 6TB Portable Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $56.99 @Adorama