Q: iTunes 12.2.0 have deleted all of my playlists and most songs...

I am desperate about an answer to this question. I am devastated.... everything is gone and I haven't made a backup recently.... HELP!! My apps for the iphone and iPad... everything is gone!!

Okay, try not to panic. There are two things to try.

First, you should try to turn off iTunes in the Cloud, which I think requires going into Store > Account Info and selecting "Deauthorize This Computer" or something like that. (I can't check because I've got it turned off.)

Now quit iTunes. Look in the folder Music > iTunes > Previous iTunes Libraries. Hopefully, there is at least one document in there with the file extension .itl and a date *prior* to when you updated to to 12.2. If you find such a thing, then do this:

Back in the main iTunes folder, rename the files iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music Library.xml (just add "corrupted" to the beginning of the file name, or something like that). Now rename the previous version to iTunes Library.itl, drag it into the main iTunes folder, and restart the iTunes app. (The XML file should regenerate automatically.) If all goes well, you should be looking at a version of your iTunes with all your playlists and songs restored. If you are given the option to use iTunes in the Cloud, just say No -- this seems to be where these problems are coming from.

If you can't find such a file, then you can look for one in TimeMachine -- just be sure the backup was made prior to upgrading to 12.2. Again, bring this into the iTunes folder, replacing the version that's been corrupted. I really do hope this works!

I hope Apple has taken note of this nightmare and is working on a fix.

You suggestion of 'reclaiming' an earlier Previous iTunes Library was also the solution yesterday for me. Now everything from my old iTunes, including music from  from my cd and record collection, documents, etc. works fine in the new iTunes.

Incidentally, after working out the 'black screen' launch problem, and this problem of losing the old library, I was thrilled to find that syncing of my IOS devices works fine with the new iTunes. And last, I am staying away fro Apple Music for now, especially since is a paid subscription!

Charles Thomas

Thank you Richard! This restored my confidence in implementing the upgrade to 12.2.0

Richard, thank you for your explantion. Could you please explain further detail about which files to rename with 'corrupt' as this part is not totally clear to me:

"Back in the main iTunes folder, rename the files iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music Library.xml (just add "corrupted" to the beginning of the file name, or something like that). Now rename the previous version to iTunes Library.itl, drag it into the main iTunes folder, and restart the iTunes app."

I hope you are able to break this down a bit for me, thank you. 

gaeln, these are the two files -- they should be in the folder Music > iTunes:

• iTunes Library

• iTunes Music Library.xml

Just change the names to something like "iTunes Library (corrupted).itl" and iTunes Music Library (corrupted).xml" -- the exact name doesn't matter, as long as it's different from the original.

Now you can choose one of the previous Library files, name it "iTunes Library.itl" and drag it into the iTunes folder. When you restart iTunes, a new XML file will be generated automatically, and you should be okay from here.

Thank you Richard! I was nervous about deauthorizing everything but did it anyway. I couldn't find the iTunes Music Library.xml in my iTunes folder so I just dealt with the .itl file and did what you said. And now it looks like everything is back! What a relief!

From now on I am going to back up my computer before upgrading anything more from Apple. What a freaking hassle!

i have just been on the phone with iTunes support and they talked me through another way. Go to iTunes store, log in with your apple id, then on the right hand side of the screen click on purchased and download all (at the bottom of the screen). This downloads everything thats sitting in your cloud. Quick and easy...although it did take me being on the phone for 30 mins to get to this stage as the guy was struggling to find the setting himself

Thanks @TynecastleScot8, but that only works for library contents that were purchased from iTunes, most of my library was imported from CDs which I still need to carry out the other process to regain them I think. :-)

Hi Richard, when you say "Now you can choose one of the previous Library files, name it "iTunes Library.itl" and drag it into the iTunes folder.", how do I know which is the best file to choose for my most recent version of my library?

Thanks, Gael

HI,

I have encountered the same problem, but when I follow your instructions, I can't find any file called iTunes Music Library.xml. Searching for .xml returns this:

I'm not seeing any iTunes music library.xml anywhere. And since this fix fix seemed to work for everyone else, and I'm unable to run into, I am way freaking out. However, in the my music, I'm pretty sure all of my music files are still here. I think. ARGH!!!

I'm running OS X 10.10.4.

Oh, and I see that Apple has released iTunes 12.2.1- does this update fix the problem???

Thank you so much for your help!

I also cant seem to find the iTunes Music Library.xml on my mac anywhere. Will it work without it? Sort of afraid to check, fearing I might mess it up even more.

UPDATE: No need for the .xml file if you dont have it. Just follow the steps as is. Renaming then replacing, it should work after that.

The fix mentioned here unfortunately didn't work for me.  It kept the same list that I already had.  I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the fact that all of my music is saved to a separate drive and not to my actual hard drive?  I cannot believe that Apple hasn't put out a fix for this yet.