HT201625: Manage and back up your iTunes media library

Learn about Manage and back up your iTunes media library

nanjowood

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Q: I need to move my iTunes library from an old PC to a new one. 15,000+ songs, dates back to 2005 and was moved once in 2008, so may be a little disorganized.

My object is to move my iTunes library from my old PC to a new one.

My library, including 15,000 songs, dates back to 2005 and was moved once in 2008, so it may be a little disorganized.

I haven't found an article yet. But I found support article HT201625 and I will use its tips to organize my library a little better.

Some considerations:

* At what point do I install iTunes on the new computer?

* I prefer keeping my music in mp3 format so that I can burn mp3 CDs to play in the car. For that reason I buy most of it from amazon, not iTunes.

* I have iTunes Match, so that is one possible method to transfer the majority. But I tried that on my Macbook and that method downloads them in an apple format, not as mp3s.

Thanks, Nan

Windows 7, Move from old Win7PC to new Win7 PC

Posted on Nov 25, 2014 1:44 PM

I have this question too

Q: I need to move my iTunes library from an old PC to a new one. 15,000+ songs, dates back to 2005 and was moved once in 2008, so may ... more

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by turingtest2,Helpful

turingtest2 Nov 25, 2014 1:55 PM in response to nanjowood
Level 10 (85,368 points)

iPod

Nov 25, 2014 1:55 PM in response to nanjowood

All you normally need to do is copy the entire iTunes folder from User's Music on one computer into User's Music on the other. You can use a network share or an external drive to help with the move. Move the library before installing iTunes.

See this migrate iTunes library post for more details and strategies for when the library isn't in the usual layout.

tt2
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by nanjowood,

nanjowood Nov 25, 2014 2:41 PM in response to turingtest2
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Nov 25, 2014 2:41 PM in response to turingtest2

Thank you for the link. That's a different article than I found last night.
I will use an external drive for the move, after I clean up my library a bit. (I started on that computer with iTunes on its second hard drive, E, but I notice that all or most of it is now on drive C.
Thanks so much for telling me to move the files before installing iTunes.
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by turingtest2,

turingtest2 Nov 25, 2014 2:48 PM in response to nanjowood
Level 10 (85,368 points)

iPod

Nov 25, 2014 2:48 PM in response to nanjowood

Since you have bits of the library on different drives see Make a split library portable.

tt2
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HT201625: Manage and back up your iTunes media library

Q: I need to move my iTunes library from an old PC to a new one. 15,000+ songs, dates back to 2005 and was moved once in 2008, so may be a little disorganized.

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by turingtest2,★Helpful

by nanjowood,

by turingtest2,

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by turingtest2,Helpful