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User profile for user: David Tomer
David Tomer Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Copy music file from iTunes to desktop?

Can anyone explain to me what happens when you drag a music file from iTunes to the Desktop and "copy" it there?

I can see, for example, just by trying it, that an ACC file becomes a .m4a, an AIFF becomes a .aiff, and a protected ACC becomes a .m4p [with a little padlock on it]. So will the non-protected files just transfer over like any other file to wherever I want to transfer them? What happens with the .m4p files? It seems to play, but I haven't tried putting it anywhere else.

Export from iTunes apparently merely creates a file with the playlist info, no music files.

MacMini 1.5 Intel Core Solo, 2GB, Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Posted on Jul 26, 2007 7:27 PM

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User profile for user: PT
PT
User level: Level 7
20,888 points

Posted on Jul 26, 2007 7:39 PM

The files in the iTunes music folders are the media files themselves while iTunes is simply a media file player. So you can take the files from the media folder and use them in other places or with other media players if you like (except protected AAC files).
As you have seen, AAC files are really MPEG-4 format files and you have unprotected ones and protected ones. The protected files only play with iTunes, but all others can be moved anywhere you want and played with other devices or computer players.
For example, MP3 files can be put onto a CDR and played in a car stereo that can play MP3s. The files can be transferred onto hard drives, DVDs, CDRS, thumb drives, etc. and transferred to other computers. You can email them if you wish.
I use iTunes to make small snippets of my MP3s into WAV files to use as ring tones on my wireless phone and just pull the resulting WAV snippets from the iTunes music folder into my cell phone.
Patrick
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User profile for user: PT
PT
User level: Level 7
20,888 points

Jul 26, 2007 7:39 PM in response to David Tomer

The files in the iTunes music folders are the media files themselves while iTunes is simply a media file player. So you can take the files from the media folder and use them in other places or with other media players if you like (except protected AAC files).
As you have seen, AAC files are really MPEG-4 format files and you have unprotected ones and protected ones. The protected files only play with iTunes, but all others can be moved anywhere you want and played with other devices or computer players.
For example, MP3 files can be put onto a CDR and played in a car stereo that can play MP3s. The files can be transferred onto hard drives, DVDs, CDRS, thumb drives, etc. and transferred to other computers. You can email them if you wish.
I use iTunes to make small snippets of my MP3s into WAV files to use as ring tones on my wireless phone and just pull the resulting WAV snippets from the iTunes music folder into my cell phone.
Patrick
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User profile for user: PT
PT
User level: Level 7
20,888 points

Aug 2, 2007 9:49 AM in response to David Tomer

I don't know actually. I have never tried dragging a title from iTunes onto my desktop. I always drill down through the folder structure (or do a search) to locate the original file and then copy it where ever I need it. I am not at home at the moment, so I can not try your suggestion to see. Maybe someone else, in the meantime, can try it out and report back.
Patrick
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User profile for user: nobisung
nobisung
User level: Level 1
0 points

Sep 24, 2007 4:25 PM in response to David Tomer

Hi everyone, this question is not stupid. You know, I have the same problem with this guy. I can copy nothing directly from itune (but i can when copy it one by one). Trying copy files from Finder is the stupid way when you have a lot of songs in a lot of folders while you do not need all song in the same artist in the same time.

I think, this problem come from the new version of itune. Because I've ever copied music directly from itune.

Apple staff should be clear with this problem.

Thanks
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Copy music file from iTunes to desktop?

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