iTunes 12.9.5.5 - Mojave, Need Help with main Folder structure

Hi,

See Make a split library portable - Apple Community for background.

Here are the typical layouts for the iTunes folders: The images are from Windows, but the overall layout is the same:

The core of the library is the iTunes Library.itl file. The XML, if present, provides third party apps a way to read the iTunes library even if iTunes isn't running. The exact name of the file depends on the location of the library and/or the name of the .itl file. The .itl file is updated each time you run iTunes, so your active library is the one with the most recent timestamp. You can hold down option as you launch iTunes to choose a different library if you want to see what the differences are.

You can discard the .tmp files. You don't generally need to keep the all files in the Previous iTunes Libraries folder. One or two recent files could potentially be used for disaster recovery when you don't have any other form of routine backup of the .itl file.

The active media folder should be called iTunes Media and be in the same folder as the active .itl file. iTunes Music is the old name for this folder. On a Mac you should be able to rename the folder without affecting links to the media. You may also be able to move folders from one place to another as long as they stay on the same volume and you don't overwrite one folder with another.

The main library folder should normally contain the library files and the folders Album Artwork, iTunes Media, and (optionally) Previous iTunes Libraries, and nothing else. The iTunes Media folder should contain folders for each type of media, that is in the library, such as Music, Podcasts, Voice Memos, etc. Compilations would normally be inside Music, having it one level higher indicates the older layout version. There are also the folders Automatically Add to iTunes and Downloads. These last two should normally be empty.

You should be able to use File > Library > Organize Library > Consolidate Files and Rearrange Files to bring copies of all the files connected to the library into the active media folder. You can then delete the various copies of things that remain outside of the media folder, although you probably want to check for orphaned files, i.e. things you want to keep that aren't currently listed in the library. These can moved into the Automatically Add to iTunes folder inside the media folder to absorb them into the library.

iTunes 12.7 dropped support for iOS apps, but if you're keeping your archive of Mobile Applications this folder should be moved into the media folder.

tt2

The penny drops... You don't show a Music folder in the screenshot because your music is stored on another path right? So is it only music tracks that have broken links? Are they stored in the standard album and artist folders or do you have a custom layout as well?

tt2

This is one approach:

Lost & Found Playlists

Create a playlist called Found, select everything in Music and drag it into the Found playlist. Create a smart playlist called Lost matching only Music items and the rule Playlist is not Found. Your lost tracks will be in this playlist.

Alternatively try Doug's script: Super Remove Dead Tracks.

tt2

You're welcome. 🙂

tt2

The "missing file" issue with exclamation marks happens if the file is no longer where iTunes or Music expects to find it. Possible causes are that you or some third party tool has moved, renamed or deleted the file, one of its parent folders, the drive it lives on has had a name change, or you've moved a non-portable library to a different path (see Make a split library portable for details). It is also possible that iTunes or Music have changed from expecting the files to be in the pre-iTunes 9 layout to post-iTunes 9 layout, or vice-versa, and so is looking in slightly the wrong place, or that you've been too aggressive when deleting duplicates at some point.

Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Cmd-I to get Song Info, then click No when asked to try to locate the track. Look on the file tab for the location the library thinks the file should be. Now take a look around your hard drives. Hopefully you can locate the track in question. If a section of your library has simply been moved, a folder renamed, or a drive label has changed, it should be possible to reverse the actions. If the difference between the two paths is an additional Music folder in one path then this is a layout issue. I can explain further if that is the case. If everything is where it is supposed to be try Repair security permissions for iTunes for Mac - Apple Community.

In some cases the library may be able to repair itself if you go through the same steps with Get Info, or when playing a track, but this time click Locate and browse to the lost track. It may then offer to attempt to automatically fix other broken links. Although it says something like "use the same location" I think it expects to find the tracks in the same artist & album layout they were in previously, with one systematic change to the path.

If you want me to try to provide specific advice please post back the following details:

1. The location of the media folder under iTunes|Music > Preferences > Advanced
2. The location of a sample missing track shown under Song Info > File > Location that begins file://
3. The true path to the file whose details you gave in 2

See also FixLinks - an AppleScript to repair broken links in Music - Apple Community. I notice your content is predominantly podcasts but the script in its current form has been designed for Music, and Catalina. I should be able to update it, or create an alternate version, but it might be helpful if you can supply the answers to 2. and 3. just so that we're singing from the same hymn sheet.

tt2