How to move your iTunes Library to another location: Transfer your iTunes library to another Mac. When migrating to a brand-new Mac with a similar amount of storage space to the old one, OS X's. Method 1: Transfer iTunes Library via Apple Migration Assistant Tool. This tool is a developed apple and very easy to use. Migration Assistant helps you to transfer content on old Mac/PC Computer to a new Mac. ITunes library, all documents, apps, user accounts, and settings are included.
- Oct 29, 2010 This video will show you how to migrate your iTunes library from a Mac to a PC. Your playlists, ratings, and play count will remain in tact. For this video I used: -A MacBook running OSX 10.6.4.
- How to copy iTunes Library from one user profile to another? Ask Question Asked 8 years, 6 months ago. What is the safest way to move the iTunes Library from one hard drive to another? How to transfer music from one iTunes Library to another on the same computer?
- Move your iTunes library to another computer. If you get a new computer, you can transfer your iTunes library by connecting computers or by using iPod or a portable drive. See the Apple Support article Back up and restore your iTunes library on your PC.
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You could just move the ~/Music/iTunes to the ~/Music/iTunes folder on the other machine - it works. Don't forget to authorize that machine afterwards.
...And de-authorize the old one! (if you whish) ;)...
I did that a few months ago and I forgot to de-authorize the old machine. I was wandering who else installed my songs on their computer... :/ ;)
Apple will let you clear out your authorized machines list once a year. After that just reauthorize the machines you own. Just log into your iTunes account. Under account information, if you've deauthorized your whole list in the last 12 months you wont see the button. If you've never deauthorized then you should be able to see a button.
Hope this helps.
Actually, u can clear authorizations as many times as u want... the trick is when u get to the max of 5 machines, then you can goto your account settings in the iTunes Store and it will then let u reset all authorizations. This works every time. Try it. I can't tell you how many times I've had to do this.
If you want to preserve play counts, last added date and last played date, you need to make sure the name of the hard drive is the same on both machines. eg: Macintosh HD. You also need to make sure that the name of the User folder is the same (including capitalization).
Then just copy the library from one Mac to the other. Afterwards start iTunes, and you should have an exact duplicate of your old Library on your new Mac.
I apologize for the 'dumb' question but I am a new user and do not understand your solution. I have just purchased a imac and wish to transfer my itunes files from my pc to the imac. Your solution suggested that once you have consolidated your itune library to a folder on your desktop, you move the folder to the vacted itunes?. I assume that in my case, I create a consolidated folder on my pc desktop. But how do I get the folder from my pc to the imac? Your assistance is appreciated.
Go onto your PC and go into your My Music folder. There should be an iTunes folder there - you need to get that to your iMac. I would suggest initiating a network connection if you are on a high speed connection and just dragging and dropping. Otherwise, if it is small enough, you could always just burn that folder to a DVD.
http://www.sonzea.com/
Eliot
Just finished transferring 45 GB from my crusty old Dell to my spankin' new 20' iMac 2.66 C2D. I rely heavily on ratings to populate dozens of smart playlists and they transferred perfectly, even coming from the XP ghetto to the OSX promised land! My playcounts are still there as well, and I figured they'd be gone for sure. Thanks!!
I know this makes me sound like a luddite troll, but you would not have to 'authorize' or deal with any other hassles if you just bought good ole fashioned CDs. Then you could do what you like with the stuff YOU BOUGHT, rather than kowtow to your corporate lords and masters. There's no incomprehensible 6-page EULA and you won't have to buy the white album again once Apple and iTunes have gone the way of Commodore.
CDs will probably still work in '18. I have my doubts about proprietary, DRM-laden audio codecs.
I went to the Advanced menu but found no option called 'Consolidate'. Now what? I'm running mac OS 10.4.11, on a pre-Intel G5. Thanks!
How To Import Itunes Library From One Mac To Another
It's probably under a different menu - I believe Apple moves around all the menu items every so often to ensure that no one ever gets too comfortable using their software. You can easily locate this (or any) menu item by opening the help menu and typing consolidate.
'I believe Apple moves around all the menu items every so often to ensure that no one ever gets too comfortable using their software.'
Seriously?
What you have stated is the complete opposite of Apple's philosophy and practice.
LOL The part about not wanting users to get too comfortable was a joke, (well, kinda, lately I'm not so sure) but I have seen several different menu items in several different [Apple] Apps move around over the years. In particular, the Consolidate item which seems to only be accessible by right clicking on a song. (I see there is File > Library > Organize that will let you consolidate your entire library though.)

Hi, I spent whole a day trying to get my pcs itunes library to my new mac, but it just didn't work out. That's why I started searching for a software solution and found a little app promising to transfer entire itunes libraries from pc to any other computer. Finally this app did the trick and maybe its helpful for others as well. Its called Tune swift and you'll find a free activation code on the following page: http://www.copytrans.net/copytranstuneswift.php Note: It doesn't seem to be the fastest app. I transferred about 70GB and it took me about 2 or 3 hours to backup and transfer everything, but therefore it was easy to use and it worked.
When moving from mac to windows:
1) copy the iTunes folder across
2) find the file called 'iTunes Library' that has no extension. Its in the same folder as a file called 'iTunes Library.xml'.
3) Copy this file in the same folder.
4) name the copy 'iTunes Library.itl' in other words give it a file extension of 'itl'
5) Find your iTunes icon on your desktop
6) hold the shift key down, do not release it
7) double click on the icon using your mouse
8) iTunes will ask you to use a different library
9) browse to the folder containing your itl file created earlier and select the file
10) voila - your mac library is now working in windows.
When transferring from PC to MAC do the above procedure I gave in an earlier post in reverse - ie you just remove the '.itl' extension from the 'iTunes Library' file.
Also in order to get the MAC to ask you for a new iTunes Library you must Hold down the option(alt) key when starting iTunes (sometimes to get this right you first select the icon, hold option, then click to start it).
Tried this
http://www.transfer-itunes-library.com
Worked great for me
Hello,
I am always curious about how to transfer a full iTunes library between my iPod and iPad 2. Thanks for your guide!
Contents
- 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
Transfer Itunes To New Computer
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.