Move iTunes library to new MacBook Pro - please help!
I asked this question several months ago but received no responses so am trying again.
I am seeking advice on moving an iTunes/Apple Music library from my Synology NAS drive onto my MacBook Pro running the Music app in Catalina (version 10.15.7).
The library on my NAS was created using the old iTunes app on my previous MacBook Pro. When I opened the Music app on my new MacBook, it launched the library on my NAS, which appears to be working fine.
I would now like to move the media library from my NAS onto my MacBook but am not sure of a safe way of doing this.
The current state is:
- the library file (music library.musiclibrary) is located on my Mac (in ~Music/Music).
- My media files are located in the music folder on my NAS (/Music). I suspect there are quite a few duplicate music files and old unused iTunes library (itl, xml, etc), files in here so it would be a bonus if I can clean this up in the process).
I’ve read a lot of threads on moving iTunes/Music libraries and the option I'm currently leaning towards is to:
- change the default media location in the Music app to the music folder on my Mac (~Music/Music), then
- Use the Consolidate function in the Music app to send all of my media to ~Music/Music on my Mac
Should this do the trick and are there any extra steps or precautions I should take?
Another option would be to copy and paste all of the content from my NAS' Music folder over to my Mac, but I'm not sure how to do this without breaking the link between my library file and my media files (and therefore losing playlists, artwork, etc).
Any help would be hugely appreciated!