Q: How do I move my itunes library & playlists to exernal hard drive
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May 18, 2016 1:43 AMby Ben Brophy,I have found this article which is useful but it doesn't tell about how to delete the files from my hard drive & also if playlists & the music is still easily accessible to play via iTunes.
Manage and back up your iTunes media library - Apple Support -
May 18, 2016 1:56 AMby Kenichi Watanabe,Since it's a MacBook, you probably use it as a "mobile" computer. You don't want to have it tied to an external drive all the time, even if the external drive is "portable." You can use the method described in this Apple document. It explains how to back up your complete iTunes library to an external drive. But the procedure is the same when putting your iTunes folder on an external drive, to use from there.
Manage and back up your iTunes media library - Apple Support
To summarize, "consolidate" your iTunes folder (which is in your user account Music folder) so it has all of your iTunes data. Then, copy that iTunes folder to the external drive. That is your "backup," but you can then use it as your ongoing iTunes folder. Launch iTunes as described in this document
Open a different iTunes Library file or create a new one - Apple Support
with the Choose Library option. Choose the iTunes Library.itl file in the iTunes folder you copied to external drive. Because that iTunes folder is initially the same, iTunes looks the same. But you can now expand your iTunes library further.
If you want to run iTunes while the external drive is NOT connected, and access the same music library, here's an extra option to consider. Sign up for iTunes Match, which is Apple's service that gives you an iCloud Music Library ($25 per year). Initiate the service with iTunes using your complete iTunes library on the external drive. iTunes Match matches or uploads your iTunes music library to iCloud, to create your iCloud Music Library.
On the MacBook, with external drive not connected, create a new iTunes library (see same link above). It opens blank (empty). However, when you sign in using your Apple ID, because you have an iCloud Music Library, you see your songs. You can stream your songs from iCloud, whenever and wherever the MacBook has a Wi-Fi connection to the Internet. No external drive needed.
When you are back home, connect the external drive and launch iTunes using the iTunes library on external drive. You are signed in with the same Apple ID, so you access the same iCloud Music Library, but your song files are all stored locally in this case. You should maintain this iTunes library so that you have a copy of all of your song files stored locally on that external drive.
When using MacBook in "mobile mode," all song files accessed from iCloud. When using MacBook in "stationary mode," all song files accessed from local storage. The iTunes Match services keeps things "in sync." And if you happen to have an iPhone (or other iOS device), you can access the same iCloud Music Library from it. This is Apple's info about iTunes Match
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May 18, 2016 4:39 AMby Ben Brophy,Thank you for your reply Kenichi.
Can you tell me if I can then safely delete the music off my internal drive & still access my music / playlists via the external drive?
The whole purpose of this exercise is to free up my internal computer space & running speed whilst still enjoying access to my music.
Thank you
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May 18, 2016 5:12 AMby Limnos,Moving a library: Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its sub-folders and files) intact to the other drive, hold down the option/alt key (shift on Windows) while starting iTunes, and when requested to select a library select the iTunes Library.itl file in the copied folder. This moves the entire library to the external drive and once there you can delete the iTunes folder on the internal drive. For people using default settings everything should already be in this folder but if you want to play it safe you can consolidate media first as instructed in another post. This makes sure any media iTunes currently knows about is put in this folder prior to copying. Remember this external drive has to be running and awake prior to starting iTunes in the folder. If you forget this and start iTunes it will appear with a blank library and you will have to restart it using the option key method.
Using Match would require you leave your library on the internal drive but rely upon iCloud for storing some of your media for use when wanted. I would not trust iCloud 100% and I would always make sure you have at least 2 backup copies of any media you are not actually storing on your computer. If you are interested in a Match solution we can go into more detail.
