Dec 31, 2016 How to transfer full iTunes music library without losing playlists, play counts, likes or ratings! I transferred my entire library from a 2011 MacBook Pro. How to Transfer iTunes Library to PC/External Drive 1 Manually Backup iTunes Library. There is always need for extra safety measures and file protection. PC, USB flash and other external drive can be used to back up your iTunes media library, and it is good in file protection. Feb 22, 2017 Reasons to move your iTunes library from one Mac to new Mac Here are the top reasons you would want to do that. 1) The most obvious reason may be that you are swapping your old mac for a new one and won’t be using the old one any longer.

iTunes from Mac to Mac

Part 1: How to Transfer iTunes Library from Mac to Mac

Often, Mac users will have more than one Mac in their home. It is the nature of the beast, as they may be so pleased with their exclusive Mac environment that there may suddenly be a MacBook or an iMac in the house where there may have been only one Mac computer previously. So, like households with both PC and Mac systems in them, households with more than one Mac may decide that it’s time to copy their iTunes library from one Mac to another. There are a number of steps to follow when transferring iTunes from one Mac computer to the other, just as there are when you transfer iTunes from PC to Mac. Here is how it’s done:

Step 1. Open iTunes. Go to Preferences > Advanced

From there, click “Keep iTunes Media folder organized” in order to see your iTunes folder stay properly organized and keep the transition from one computer to the other smooth.

Step 2. Deauthorize your computer from the iTunes store

It’s important to ensure that you deauthorize your old computer from the iTunes Store if you are planning on not using your old computer on iTunes anymore. All you need to do is go to Store>Deauthorize this computer, and your old computer will be deauthorized.

Step 3. Move your iTunes Media Folder

From here, it’s simply a matter of closing iTunes on your old computer and moving your iTunes Media folder across the network to your new computer. Locate the Music folder (~/Music) and use either an external hard drive or a wired or wireless network to get the job done.

Step 4. Change the Library on the new computer

Move the iTunes folder to the same location on the new machine as you had it on the old machine. This will help your iTunes on your new computer locate all the music files on your new machine.

Step 5. Launch iTunes while holding down the Option key

A dialog box will open, asking whether you want to 'Cancel', 'Create a new library', or 'Choose an Existing Library'. Select 'Choose Library', then navigate to where you moved the iTunes folder. Remember that you will overwrite any existing music files in your library.

Step 6. Authorize the new computer in the iTunes Store

This allows you to get any authorized purchases in your iTunes account.

While Mac may be the platform of choice for many iTunes users, there are multiple users who have iTunes for PC and may be looking at transferring iTunes to another PC system. Therefore, it is important to know how to transfer iTunes from one PC to another.

Transfer iPhone/iPad/iPod touch music, videos and photos to Mac and iTunes.

One-click backup to iTunes and manage your songs, videos, and photo albums.

Copy music from iPhone, iPod, iPad to Mac or iTunes.
Export videos from iPhone, iPad, iPod to iTunes/Mac.
Transfer all photos from photo album to Mac or iTunes.
Copy playlists with rating and play counts to iTunes.

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.

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.

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

Move Itunes Library From Windows To Mac

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 ont

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Move Itunes Library Mac