iTunes adding folders

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Level 1

4 points

iTunes adding folders

I have happily used iTunes on Windows (now using W11) for years. I have a problem not encountered before with a folder containing 200 subfolders with ALAC or AAC tracks from (classical) CDs - c 3,200 tracks (files). When I "add" the main folder, 10 of the 200 will not load - and at least one subfolder only adds a couple of tracks (from 12 on the subfolder). I can play the "bad" tracks (the ones I cannot add) on Windows Media Player, but not on iTunes. I suspect this has to do with folder and file names: I can edit any of the addable folders but Explorer will not allow me to edit any of the files or folders that won't upload (add). This problem may have nothing to do with iTunes and be a Windows problem, but anyone with an idea of how I can get to the bottom of it so I can clean up the problem and add the missing folders to my library would be very much appreciated.

Windows, Windows 10

Posted on May 15, 2024 7:55 AM

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Answer 1

the fiend

Level 7

22,626 points

May 16, 2024 3:42 AM in response to ToadStool365

The first thing to check is to confirm that the songs that will not add to iTunes are in fact ALAC, AAC or another compatible file type.

Specifically, FLAC files (with the file extension of .flac) cannot be added to an iTunes Library and iTunes does not offer an error message telling you that they were not added. (I've just re-checked this by trying to add a .flac album. It didn't work.)

If that is not the issue, can you tell whether the missing files have all the relevant tag information in them? For example, if the track title, artist name, or album title are not filled in, when you add them to your library and then look for them under the specific field that hasn't been filled in, you probably won't notice them in the library. Look for any songs with unknown title, unknown artist or unknown album title.

As a last resort, arrange the Songs View of your library into Most Recently Added and check to see whether there is anything added at the relevant time.

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Answer 2

ToadStool365 Author

Level 1

4 points

May 16, 2024 7:29 AM in response to the fiend

Thanks for your reply. I am aware of that. I spent hours duplicating the downloaded CD's from Apple Lossless to FLAC using foobar and putting the FLAC files well away - just in case! The offending folders are ALAC except for one AAC. I have also checked all of the offending folders with MP3tag - and they all APPEAR to be as they should be. I would like to be able to compare all folders and files on iTunes where you can see if there is any anomaly, but I cannot upload the offending files to do this!

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Answer 3

ToadStool365 Author

Level 1

4 points

May 16, 2024 9:37 AM in response to ToadStool365

I seem to have partially alleviated the problem, but I would still like to know what is causing it. I deleted all the offending folders and reloaded them back to the main music directory from my backup. 17 of the 20 became editable and were "addable" to iTunes. The other 3 still would not load - until I cut and moved them to a different drive when they decided to behave perfectly well. So I have 197 folders on one drive and 3 on another - not great, but manageable until I forget about it and start tidying up again! I have no idea what caused this problem. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

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