Sep 24, 2019 After iTunes finishes copying your library to its new location, you can delete the original folder by going to Users your account Music iTunes and moving the iTunes Media folder to the trash. Don't delete the original iTunes folder or any files or folders it contains, other than the iTunes Media or iTunes Music folder. There are a few ways to transfer your iTunes library from one computer to another. When you get a new Mac, use Setup Assistant (or Migration Assistant, if you’re switching from Windows) to move files—including your iTunes files—from your old computer to the new one. May 07, 2019 Ready to upgrade to a different computer? Make sure that your music comes with you! Here's how to transfer iTunes library to a new computer. So your first question is probably: Why on earth would you want to move your iTunes library FROM a cool Mac TO a boring old PC? Well it’s a good question and I do feel rather like I’m going the wrong way on a one-way street.
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
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.
- 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.
Power up![Moving Your Itunes Library From Pc To Mac Moving Your Itunes Library From Pc To Mac](https://imusic.aimersoft.com/images/article/itunes-library/guide-to-transfer-itunes-library-from-mac-to-pc-by-imusic-step4.jpg)
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Everyone knows that iTunes is a great platform that provides a lot of stuff regarding entertainment and fun. However, most users don’t know where to find iTunes library on their computer when transfer them to a new computer. Don’t worry, we will teach you where to find it without any hassle.
- Part 1: Where to Find iTunes Library Location on Your Computer?
- Part 2: How to Change iTunes Library Location to a New One?
Where to Find iTunes Library Location on Your Computer?
If you don’t know where your iTunes library is on your computer, don’t worry about it. Here are the detailed procedures of finding it on your computer systems.
1 How to Find iTunes Library Location on PC
If you are using a PC, you can find your media files in the iTunes library folder. The media files contain imported songs, downloaded stuff and purchased items from iTunes. You can also find individual folders containing songs and movies etc. Here is the complete address of iTunes library on windows: C:UsersusernameMy MusiciTunes.
2 Where Is iTunes Library on Mac
Oppositely, if you are on a Mac, follow the process below. You can do the same steps including finding the media files including songs and other stuff.
Step 1: While you are in the Finder, click on Go button on the menu bar. The menu bar is located on the top of your screen.
Step 2: Now click on Home>Music>iTunes.
3 How to Locate a Specific Item You See in iTunes?
Everything you see on iTunes including your songs and other media files can be located on your computer. All you need is to find the media folder locations which you can do easily from iTunes. Here is how to locate a specific file or media folder of iTunes.
Step 1: Choose the item and click on Edit>Get Info from the top menu.
Step 2: Choose the File tab.
Step 3: Here you will see the location of this item with its complete address. This item may stored in your computer or a cloud server.
How to Change iTunes Library Location to a New One?
By default, your songs and movies will be downloaded in the media folder location. It doesn’t matter if you have manually set it or not, iTunes will save your files in the media file folder by default. However, if you want to change that location and want to set up a new location for all of your media files and songs, here is how you can do it.
Step 1: Go to the Preferences menu under iTunes in Mac and Edit in Windows.
Step 2: Now click on the ‘Advanced’ tab.
Step 3: Now you will see the location of your folder with option Change in front of it. Click on it and choose a new location for your folder.
How to Export iTunes Library to iPhone within Seconds?
iMyFone TunesMate is a professional iOS media transfer software. Whether you are unable to transfer your files or you are having problems with your iTunes library, iMyFone TunesMate can do a lot of stuff for you. It can do all the tasks you perform with iTunes. In other words, if you are having any type of problems with your iTunes, get iMyFone TunesMate for your computer system.
Here are some great features from iMyFone TunesMate.
- You can easily transfer iTunes library to your mobile phone without affecting or erasing any of your files and folders.
- You can directly export your iTunes library without actually opening it, even when your iTunes gets crashed.
- You can share all of your purchased stuff to any device. It means you will get rid of the restrictions and limitations you face on iTunes.
- You can use two-way transfer, from mobile to computer/iTunes and from computer/iTunes to mobile using iMyFone TunesMate.
You can use iMyFone TunesMate to transfer iTunes library to your iPhone within seconds, here is the process to complete this job.
Switching From Pc To Mac
Step 1: Open iMyFone TunesMate on your computer and connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable.
![Moving your itunes library from pc to mac free Moving your itunes library from pc to mac free](https://appletoolbox.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/How-to-back-up-your-iTunes-library-before-upgrading-to-macOS-Catalina.jpg?ezimgfmt=rs:412x258/rscb2/ng:webp/ngcb2)
Step 2: On the Home screen, click on Transfer iTunes Media to iDevice tab. It will scan the entire iTunes library and show them in a list.
Access itunes library mac. Step 3: Now select the entire library or the media files you want to transfer and click on Transfer button. (It will only transfer the items which exist in iTunes but not in your iPhone)