itunes library .itl file not recognised on transfer from Windows 7 to MacOS High Sierra

I took the detail verbatim from your earlier post. You need to get the newly made empty iTunes Library.itl file into the folder that contains the iTunes Media folder with your media in it. This is what creates the portable relationship between the library and the media, which in turn should allow the same .itl file to work when copied over to the Mac and placed in the same relationship to the media folder there.

tt2

Apologies, I assumed if the list imported at all if would only have done so if could correctly identify the target file for each reference. See it this helps move things along...

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. To use with iTunes change:

-- tell application "iTunes" -- Mojave or earlier

tell application "Music" -- Catalina or later

to:

tell application "iTunes" -- Mojave or earlier

-- tell application "Music" -- Catalina or later

tt2

OK, and on the Windows box is all media connect to the library inside C drive >> Program Files >> iTunes >> iTunes Music >> iTunes Media?

Assuming so try the following:

1. Use File > Library > Export Library to export the library as an XML file (already done)
2. Close iTunes, rename the file iTunes Library.itl as iTunes Library (Old).itl
3. Uninstall iTunes and all related components.
4. Install iTunes 12.8.0.15 - links can be found in this user tip (I can't paste them here for reasons)
5. Launch iTunes
6. Import the XML file that made earlier, check that playlists are properly populated with tracks that play
7. Close iTunes
8. Transfer the iTunes Library.itl file to the Mac and place it in the iTunes Music folder
9. Option-start-iTunes (if needed) to access the .itl file you've copied over

tt2

Over on the PC open the library up again and Use File > Library > Export Library to export the library as an XML file. Copy the file over to the Mac and then use File > Library < Import Playlist to import the file you created. It should recreate the library if all goes well and iTunes manages to make sense of the changed paths. If not you'll need to use the same trick but downgrade iTunes on the Windows machine to say version 12.8.0.150. You can find links here.

Then after importing the XML into an empty library you should be able to move the iTunes Library.itl file this creates over to the Mac.

See also Move your iTunes library to a new computer - Apple Community for general advice.

tt2

Milind Arolker wrote:

Thanks tt2.

The importing of the "Library.xml" file worked. I can see the library set up on my iMac iTunes just as it appears on the windows PC.

Great, job done then.

But I got stuck with this instruction:

"Then after importing the XML into an empty library you should be able to move the iTunes Library.itl file this creates over to the Mac."

Can you explain the steps for moving the .itl file? I can't seem to get this to work, even when trying to open iTunes with the option key in order to select the .itl file (same error message as before).

That was from a more complicated suggestion you only needed to take up if importing the Library.xml didn't work.

tt2

My mistake. Given your library isn't/wasn't at the correct path I should have added some more details.

5a. Press and hold down shift as you launch iTunes. Use the option to create a library. Save the library in C drive >> Program Files >> iTunes as iTunes New

5b. Close iTunes. Move the file iTunes Library.itl from C drive >> Program Files >> iTunes >> iTunes New to C drive >> Program Files >> iTunes >> iTunes Music

5c. Press and hold down shift as you launch iTunes. Use the option to choose a library. Browse to and open the library file C drive >> Program Files >> iTunes >> iTunes Music >> iTunes Library.itl

6a. Use File > Library > Import Playlist to import the XML file into the empty library, check that playlists are properly populated with tracks that play

7.-9. As before

tt2

Right, empty playlists is what I feared. Back on the Windows system what are the paths to the iTunes Library.itl file and the media folder listed under Edit > Preferences > Advanced?

tt2

You're most welcome. Happy New Year! 🙂

tt2