iTunes Library cannot be saved (Error -54)

This link is dead.

iMacPodshuffle wrote:

Have you already tried this:
Go to iTunes, "file", choose export library. Save the library.xml file on your desktop. Quit iTunes, delete the library files in the iTunes folder. Relaunch iTunes, go to "file", click on import library and choose the library.xml file.

I was having this problem in OS X 10.7.2 and this simple trick fixed it. Thanks.

I'm running 10.6.8 and just started getting this error today. So, if I do what you're suggesting, I won't lose my playlists or anything?

No, I retained all my playlists, etc.

Hey, just a quick question, you mentioned "delete the library files in the iTunes folder". I was wondering if you meant to delete all library files ? I have "Library Extras.itdb" "Library Genius.itdb" and "Library.itl". Just want to make sure this stuff is all new to me, Thanks !

The XML. Mine is called "iTunes Music Library.xml"

I have saved the library.XML as you mentioned, on the desk top. I was just wondering about which other libraries were to be deleted. I have the 3 I mentioned earlier. "iTunes extras.itdb" "iTunes Genius.itdb" and "iTunes library.itl". I appreciate your help, Thanks very much !

Oh, I see what you're saying. I don't believe I deleted any of those other files. They might get recreated after you create your new main library file anyway, but I'm not 100% sure. Maybe someone else can offer better insight here.

No worries, I appreciate your time thanks.

There's a solution that's even a bit simpler than the already-simple one outlined in this thread. Instead of exporting the library to the desktop, deleting the library files (in the iTunes folder), moving the exported library file to the iTunes folder, importing, etc...

Simply export the iTunes library to the existing iTunes library folder

(Use the same name as the existing library.xml file—and, when asked, confirm that you want to overwrite the existing file.)

Ta-da! No manual file management needed.

Thank you so much! I tried two suggestions, unsure which one fixed the problem:

1. Changed my Recently Played smart-list to only display entries from the last two days.
2. Reset my warnings via the advanced menu.

I also happened to switch from SFTP to FTP in a plugin I use. No more silly -54 errors! Thank you again for bearing with me.

I too tried two things (previously unsuggested) and not sure which fixed it. My errors began occurring after I restored my OS X install from a Time Machine backup:

1. File > Library > Organize Library... > Consolidate Files

2. Disk Utility > Repair Disk Permissions

The same error occured a crap load of times during the Consolidate Files process.

It's also worth noting that I had exported my library as suggested in this thread, but decided to give the two options above a try before deleting and importing the library file.

i had the same problem today by no reason i try to delete a song from my itunes library and shortly after i got a box with a message saying "The Itunes library file cannot be saved. error (-54) and i was concern because i never got this message before but i came here and i was reading any solution in how to get rid of this message and i just quited my itunes library and open it again and delet the same song and the box was gone i havent received it anymore

Same error (-54) here. There are lots of solutions in this thread, but this did it for me:

- deleted all my podcasts and emptied the trash. Restarted itunes. Deleted them again and restarted itunes again.

Fwiw, Consolidating files did nada for me. Still waiting on the permissions repair to see if that makes a difference. Considering the nature of the error, that's the one that seems it would work, out of the two.

Well, repairing disk permissions seems to have done it. Thanks!

This solved it for me:

Reset my warnings via the advanced menu.