Run Itunes Library From External Hard Drive Mac

Run Itunes Off External Drive
External Hard Drive Mac Pc
Itunes On External Hard Drive
Itunes Library On External Drive
Itunes External Hard Drive Library
Run Itunes Library From External Hard Drive Mac Format

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.

Nov 22, 2018 How to Move iTunes Library to External Hard Drive with iTunes Step 1 To find the location of your iTunes media folder, launch iTunes on your computer Then click “Edit” (PC) or “iTunes”(Mac) on the menu bar Preferences Advanced Here you will see the “iTunes Media folder location” in your computer. Nov 20, 2011 Hi guys, I've recently moved and don't have a laptop or desktop anymore. I have all my Itunes backed up including music etc onto my external hard drive. The point I suppose I'm trying to ask is - Could I take my external hard drive, run MY itunes off it, connect it onto any computer.

Jul 12, 2019 Plug your external hard drive into a USB port on your Mac and open it in Finder. If this is a hard drive that already has files on it, right-click on it to select Get Info and make sure you have enough space to load your media library. Once you’re certain you have all your files in the iTunes Media folder and there’s space on your hard.

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:

Run Itunes Off External Drive

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.
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.
Click OK.

This process could take upwards of an hour or two, depending on how much data stored in your iTunes library.

Mac hid library store. Access Hidden Library Menu Option On Mac. Follow the steps below to access the Hidden Library Menu option on your Mac. Left-click your mouse anywhere on the screen of your Mac. This will reveal the Go Option in the top menu bar of your Mac. You can also click on the Finder Icon in the Dock of your Mac to activate the Go Option. Jan 12, 2020 Apple hides the Library folder by setting a file system flag associated with the folder. You can toggle the visibility flag for any folder on your Mac; Apple just chose to set the Library folder's visibility flag to the off state by default.

External Hard Drive Mac Pc

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.

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.

Itunes On External Hard Drive

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.

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Nothing is as painful as losing data or content you gathered for a long time. Your iTunes liberal comprises albums and songs you have cherished for years. So, it is expedient to back up iTunes to external hard drive to prevent a total loss of your precious data if something happens to your iPhone, iPad or iPod.

With the use of the modern application and easy-to-follow procedures, you can back up your iTunes successfully and without any hassles. This guide will take you by the hand and show you how to back up iTunes to external hard drive.

Part 1: How to Backup iTunes to External Hard Drive
Part 2: Tip: What If Your iTunes is Damaged?

How to Backup iTunes to External Hard Drive

1. Backup iTunes to External Hard Drive on Windows

This guide is for users with Windows PC. Follow the steps below to backup iTunes to external hard drive.

Step 1: Sign in to your Windows PC and launch the desktop.
Step 2: Find iTunes icon and start the application.
Step 3: Click the “Sign In” button located at the top-left corner.
Step 4: Input your Apple ID credentials and sign in.

Step 5: On the window that comes up after signing in, click Edit menu at the menu bar from the top left corner.
Step 6: Click preferences.
Step 7: Click the Advanced tab on the General Preferences.

Step 8: Check the “Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library” checkbox and click “Ok” under the Advanced tab. This setting ensures that a copy of files goes to the iTunes Media folder when adding them to the iTunes library.

Step 9: Click the file menu on the iTunes main window.
Step 10: Click library.

Step 11: Click the organize Library option.
Step 12: Check the “Consolidate files” checkbox and click Ok.

Step 13: Having completed 'Step 12,' close the iTunes window.
Step 14: Connect your external hard drive to the PC.
Step 15: Go to the iTunes Media folder and locate your iTunes Media folder’s location (refer to step 1-7).
Step 16: When you have located the iTunes Media folder, move a step up to the iTunes Media’s Parent folder.
Step 17: Drag and drop or copy and paste the iTunes from the parent folder to your external hard drive to backup your library.

Did this multitude of times but each time restarted was only able to browse a few photos before application would freeze or crash. Google photo app. Initially set up and all seemed to work fine, was able to access library from Photos as well as iOS devices, however after loading up some recent holiday photos, the Application would freeze and/or crash and then suggest that the library needed repairing.

2. Backup iTunes to External Hard Drive on Mac

Having used your Mac for some time, you are likely to have several music files on your computer backing up your data is advisable. Below are the steps to take to backup your iTunes to external drive.

Steps 1: Consolidate your library. Gather all scattered music files on your computer. Start iTunes→ Click File→ Select Organize Library from the Library’s dropdown menu→ Check “Consolidate Files” checkbox →Ok.

Step 2: Backup your iTunes library to your external hard drive. Launch iTunes→ Connect external hard drive→ Open Mac’s hard drive→ Click music folder→ Select iTunes, drag it to your external hard drive→ click authenticate if prompted→ Enter your password→ Click Ok.

Itunes Library On External Drive

Tip: What If Your iTunes is Damaged?

iTunes may get damaged as a result of different factors such as failure to complete an update, corrupted files, incomplete backup, and more. These could make iTunes to malfunction or show “not working” message. However, it is not a big problem to fix. Download and install iMyFone TunesFix, and follow the guide below to fix the error.

Key Features:

Repairs all iTunes problems or issues with only one click.
Four comprehensive modes to resolve all kinds of iTunes’ errors and repairing requirements.
Repairs iTunes issues without erasing your data.
Deep clean iTunes and boost your PC.
Deep uninstallation of iTunes and all components.

Using iMyFone TunesFix to Fix the Issue

iMyFone TunesFix is an all-in-one application that is effective for resolving all errors or problems that iTunes may have. The application solves the problems without leaving a trace behind. To fix a damaged iTunes, follow the step below:

a. Auto Fix

Step 1: Launch iMyFone TunesFix, and it will detect iTunes and its errors automatically.
Step 2: Let iMyFone TunesFix fix the errors automatically.

b. Repair Backup/Restore Errors

Step 1: Launch iMyFone TunesFix.
Step 2: Select the repair mode, click “Restore backup/Restore Errors.”

Step 3: Wait as the errors get fixed.

Itunes External Hard Drive Library

c.Fix Other iTunes Problems

Step 1: Launch iMyFone TunesFix.
Step 2: Click Fix Other iTunes Problems to solve any unknown error or problem .

Step 3: Allow the application to fix the error.