itunes media folder keeps resetting back to default

Start here: iTunes installers. More recent builds are now listed at the very end of the page. Offhand I cannot recall which build this first popped up in but judging from this thread you'd have to go back to at least 12.9.3.3, which won't work if you're using iOS 13. I'd still recommend switching the library into the portable layout where there is an iTunes folder containing iTunes Media. In the long run this makes backing up and moving the library around in future much easier.

tt2

You can consolidate the library created this way so that the files are actually in the correct location, but the steps as given throw out all of the original playlists, ratings, date added, play counts, and so on. The process given in Make a split library portable - Apple Community does actually work, although it isn't so easy to read since a forum update mangled the formatting. I cannot edit it without making it worse, and haven't found the time to rewrite it from scratch.

tt2

See my post above where I gave specific instructions to convert a non-portable library into a portable one that is then unaffected by this issue. The process needs to be adapted for your own layout but in general it is possible to move a library into a more resiliant shape.

tt2

You can easily have multiple iTunes libraries, each in their own parent folders, each containing an iTunes Media folder, and switch between them on demand. My primary library is at D:\iTunes, my Apple Music library is in D:\iTunes Match (upgraded, haven't found a need to change the name of the parent folder), and then I have probably a dozen variations on iTunes Test, iTunes New Test, iTunes Dupe Test, iTunes Empty, iTunes Blank, iTunes Store Test, etc. each created while trying to test some particular aspect of iTunes or one of my scripts. In other words, a potential scheme for you might be to convert your various libraries into iTunes ALAC, iTunes AAC, etc. Or you can hold out for Apple to fix it and carry on as you are until then. Best of luck either way.

tt2

I'm afraid that is correct, bigpor2gee, it is precisely the issue. There is no way around it: start iTunes, re-consolidate the library, wait for 20 minutes or so until paths are fixed again, and you are all set to go. That is pretty much -- unfortunately -- the only way I have found around the problem and the one I am currently using. I am considering leaving ALACs completely behind in favor of FLAC but so far still shy away from converting (will all my sorting tags etc. be converted?).

If you are fine with your iTunes media files be in the standard "iTunes Media" folder structure, the problem does not exist, but if you are among those who have clear ideas about what folders should be doing what, iTunes is currently deeply, deeply broken.

this does not work for me.

OK, this mess will not co-operate at all, just to add to the detail- I managed to get my media out of the onedrive folder, what is left in there now is a file called .iTunes Preferences.plist, this and everything I try to add to iTunes gets stuck in this folder as well.

In the folder where I want everything to be (D:\music) there is all the existing media, also a sub-folder called iTunes which has the current library, every time I open this folder iTunes autostarts so it is the current library. ITunes still insists on adding all new media to the onedrive folder. I have copied the library files to D:\iTunes, gone into edit-preferences-advanced and reset the path from D:\onedrive\Music to D:\iTunes Media. Clicked OK and told it to move and rename files when it asked.

I then asked it to consolidate the files, nothing appeared in the iTunes Media folder, when I stopped it and checked in the edit preferences-advanced menu it had changed the Media folder location back to the D:\onedrive\Music folder again. I have tried the shift+click option and told it to use the correct library on D drive, it insists on using the onedrive folder no matter what I do. I do not want to create a new library and have all 23000 songs listed as unplayed but cannot get it to stop using the onedrive location.

Hi, whenever iTunes library files in a folder are visible iTunes starts, if I close it it just restarts again. I have also been in the edit/preferences/media file location thing and tried just resetting the location, it changes in that window but whenever I return to that window it just goes back to the onedrive location, it's doing my head in! Restarting, rebooting, reinstalling, nothing seems to help! I am running Windows 10 64 bit with 32 Gig of ram.

OH, forgot to mention, I am trying to get iTunes to use d:\iTunes\iTunes media as you said, this also shows when I hit the reset button, but everytime I change it to that iTunes changes it back to the onedrive path, I cannot get it to consolidate outside of the b*?/+* onedrive folder because it keeps resetting to the onedrive folder. Is there a registry setting that could be changing the media path?

Bum! it did not work, it got my hopes up by creating an empty library in a new folder, when I used shift+click and chose my existing library it went straight back to using the library in the d:\itunes folder but insists on the media folder being in the onedrive. Is there a way to copy all the media to another library where I want it including metadata such as number of plays? that would work for me if it can be done.

Glad I checked tonight before copying a double CD to it, it reset to the onedrive location again. I changed it back yet again, so far it has stayed set to d:\iTunes\iTunes Media so I am going to see where it rips to.

Next step is going to be look for an alternative to iTunes, even if I have to pay for it.

No disrespect but you all don't seem to understand what the problem is. The "hold down shift" thing is only going to help choose which library you're connecting to, not which media folder. I'm having this same issue currently. I'm connecting to the proper library file, but then I go into Preferences, change the Media Folder, exit out of iTunes and go back in, and it reverts back to the way it was. I just want to change where my media is being stored, not the library itself. This is clearly some kind of bug. I have the drive I want to use mapped, it's always available. There should be no issue with iTunes accessing it.

This solution doesn't work, at least not with the latest version of iTunes. When you hold the shift key, it does give you the Choose Library option, but you are then required to locate and open the .itl file, which only exists on the default C drive location.

Leave it to Apple to mess up a good thing with every new release... never had a problem changing my default library until they decided to integrate their software with Windows and OSX. Time to find a new player me thinks.

This solution doesn't work, at least not with the latest version of iTunes. When you hold the shift key, it does give you the Choose Library option, but you are then required to locate and open the .itl file, which only exists on the default C drive location.

Leave it to Apple to mess up a good thing with every new release... never had a problem changing my default library until they decided to integrate their software with Windows and OSX. Time to find a new player me thinks.