Migrate Itunes Library To External Drive Mac
- 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.
- 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.
- Itunes Library External Hard Drive
- Migrate Itunes Library To External Drive Mac Os
- Migrate Itunes Library To External Drive Mac Pc
- Move Itunes Library To External Drive Mac
- Migrate Itunes Library To External Drive Mac Free
By Stephen Robles
Tuesday, February 03, 2015, 09:17 am PT (12:17 pm ET)
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. See the Apple Support article Back up and restore your iTunes Library.
When trying to free up drive space on your Mac, one of the first things you can do is move the iTunes Library to a portable hard drive. Here's a detailed guide on how to back up your music, movies and more to reclaim your hard drive.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.
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
750GB to 6TB External Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $65.00 @ Amazon
500GB to 6TB Portable Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $99.00 @ B&H
500GB to 6TB Portable Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $56.99 @Adorama
500GB to 6TB Portable Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $58.00 @ Amazon
Get a new Mac but don’t know how to transfer your iTunes library from the old computer to the new one? Well, this article can help you out with two simple solutions on how to transfer iTunes library to new Mac.
Q: How to transfer iTunes library to my new Macbook? I would like to move my entire iTunes Library from my Windows PC to an external hard drive and I’d like to keep it there because it won’t fit onto my new Macbook Air. I am happy to plug this in whenever I wish to use my iTunes Library.
–A User from Apple Community
With a large iTunes library, it would not be an easy case for you to transfer it to your new Mac. Transfer data between two computers can be pretty annoying. With diverse genres of content in your iTunes library, it would be nice if you can find a good tool to transfer it simply and quickly.
And to help you out, in this article, we shall render you efficient methods on how to transfer iTunes library to new Mac.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via External Hard Drive or USB Drive
Step 1. To find the location of your iTunes media folder, launch iTunes on your old 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.
Itunes Library External Hard Drive
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via External Hard Drive or USB Drive – Step 1
Step 2. Then click File > Library > Organize Library > Check the box named as “Consolidate files” > Click OK.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via External Hard Drive or USB Drive – Step 2
Step 3. Quit iTunes > Connect your external hard drive or USB drive to the computer > Open the iTunes media folder from the location in step 1 > Drag the folder to the external hard drive/USB drive.
Step 4. Open iTunes > Then click “Choose Library” in the pop-up window > Select the iTunes library folder in your external hard drive.
Step 5. On your new Mac, connect your external drive to Mac > Click Finder on your new Mac > Choose the Music folder > Then drag the iTunes library folder in the external drive to the music folder in new Mac.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via External Hard Drive or USB Drive – Step 5
Step 6. 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.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via External Hard Drive or USB Drive – Step 6
Migrate Itunes Library To External Drive Mac Os
If you do have iPod classic, iPod nano or iPod shuffle, you can also use it as a hard drive in iTunes on Mac. Connect the iPod to your computer > Click the device icon on your iTunes > Summary > Select “Enable disk use” > Click Apply.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via AnyTrans for iOS
Besides manually moving your iTunes library to a new Mac, there is an easier and quicker way for you to achieve it – AnyTrans for iOS. It is a professional iOS data manager that allows you to simply transfer your iOS data from one device to another. Adobe plugin download windows 10.
- Transfer media content selectively or wholly from iTunes to your hard drive or another iDevice without hassle.
- Transferring music speedily. AnyTrans for iOS supports you transfer more than 1000 songs in minutes.
- Manage and transfer almost all your iOS data like contacts, photos, ringtones, music, calendar, from one iDevice to another or from iDevice to computer and vice versa.
- No leak or loss of data. AnyTrans for iOS assures that all the data in the process of transferring would not be leaked or lost.
AnyTrans for iOS – iTunes Music Transfer
Want to transfer your iTunes library to another Mac simply and quickly? You can easily achieve it with this helper – AnyTrans for iOS. It can help you transfer your media content from iTunes to iDevice or computer without hassle.
Download AnyTrans for iOS now on your Windows PC or Mac and follow the below steps to know how to transfer iTunes library to new Mac.
Step 1. Launch AnyTrans for iOS > Connect your iDevice to the computer as an external drive > Click the button in the middle of the top bar > Choose iTunes Library in the drop-down menu.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via AnyTrans for iOS – Step 1
Step 2. Select all the items at once or some of them > Click on Send to Device button.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via AnyTrans for iOS – Step 2
Step 3. On your new Mac, connect your iDevice to the new Mac > Under Device Manager, go to Category Management > Choose Content to iTunes.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via AnyTrans for iOS – Step 3
Step 4. Check the box of the data types you want to transfer > Click the arrow icon to initiate the process.
Migrate Itunes Library To External Drive Mac Pc
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via AnyTrans for iOS – Step 4 Mac library folder.
The Bottom Line
Move Itunes Library To External Drive Mac
That’s the two methods on how to move iTunes library to new Mac. As you can see, with the help of AnyTrans for iOS, you can manage your iTunes library or iPhone data easier than ever. You can also back up your iOS app and restore them to your iDevices at any time. Download it now and enjoy your free trial!
Migrate Itunes Library To External Drive Mac Free
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