iTunes Library.itl file cannot be found or created! What to do?

Hi, Guido.

First thing you want to do is search your computer and find out if there any .itl files on your computer and, if there are, make a note where they're located. If you haven't changed iTunes default settings, you should find one at C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\My Documents\My Music\iTunes .

Then you want to connect iTunes to that file by using the Choose Library option that is described in this article in the Apple Knowledge Base.

Let us know if that brings you any combination of joy and/or satisfaction.

Hi Guido - I saw in the other post that you tried using the old library file and it didn't work. I think from what you described you do still have the .itl file - the icon on mine is the itunes logo (disc w/ blue music notes) with the word 'DATA' below that, and it's named 'itunes library.' If you just see little icons it will be the blue music notes on a little piece of paper with the same title. Then when you right-click and go to 'properties' it says the type of file is 'iTunes Music Database File.'

When you renamed the old library file, did you add the .itl at the end? If you did, try erasing the .itl part and just leaving it named as 'itunes library' and try opening itunes again. If you didn't add the .itl at the end, try adding it and see if it will open.

Also try the other suggestion above and see if you can open that file and/or the file in the 'previous itunes library' folder.

Another option of you still can't get it to work is to just move that database file out of the itunes folder onto your desktop, then try opening itunes again and see if it will at least open. Again, leave the 'itunes music library' file (the .xml one) in the itunes folder (by the way, the icon for that looks like a piece of paper with a little ball or globe between these: < and >)

If itunes opens and your music files show up, cool! If it opens and you don't see your music files, try going to File>Import... and try to import the 'itunes music library' file. Just be aware that if you have a lot of music it will take awhile; don't hit 'stop' but let it do it's thing.

Let us know if you got it to work or not - there may still be other things to try. 🙂

I am having the problem where iTunes does not open, but rather gives me an error message stating that the iTunes Library.itl is locked, or the disk or location is protected. That is as far as I can get. I can't even find the iTunes Library.itl file anyplace on my hard drive. Any guidance would be greatly appreaciated. This is on a Win XP Pro system.

Hello, We are experiencing the same problem, however, with the solutions posted so far, we are still unable to correct the problem.

We are able to open iTunes now with the steps provided, something we weren't able to do before.

When we have the "itunes library.itl" files on the desktop and are using the "import..." option under itunes>file, we receive the message - *"The file "iTunes Library.itl" cannot be imported. You do not have enough access* *privileges for this operation.* Any further ideas to help us solve this problem?

I believe this problem started when we updated iTunes under a different user account on this computer recently. We currently have version 7.4.3.1 running.

The problem is that I cannot even find any itl files on the hard drive. So I don't understand how iTunes thinks that it is locked... Any more suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I am receiving the message: The files "itunes library .ilt" cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of itunes

Any suggestions? I searched for .itl files and my computer did not find any.

Normally when you go to My Music>iTunes you will see two files: 'itunes library', which is the .itl file, and 'itunes music library', which is an .xml file. the .itl file will have the itunes logo on the icon, the blue music notes, and the .xml file has a little ball or globe on it.

You should also see a 'previous itunes libraries' folder in this itunes folder, and if you open it you should see an older library file with whatever date you last updated itunes; the icon for this also has the itunes logo on it.

Do you see any of these files when you try opening the folders? If not, maybe just try searching for any files with 'itunes' in the name and see if you find the library that way? When I was getting a similar error message about not being able to use the library because it had been created by a newer version, I couldn't open itunes until I found that library file and moved it out of the itunes folder.

If you do see these files try using the suggestion linked by The Mimico Kid above and see if you can open itunes that way. If you still don't see the library file, can you tell us what you see when you open the My Music>iTunes folder?