The Music Library file cannot be saved. A duplicate file name was specified

Can I suggest that in future you at least recommend that users backup their Music folder first before you recommend a course of action like this? Perhaps your iTunes or Music library only contains purchases from the iTunes Store that can all be redownloaded on demand, but this is somewhat atypical of most users who will have media ripped from CD or perhaps purchased from other sources and not so easily recovered. You cannot assume people have backups, or know how to restore from them if they do. Recovery from the trash isn't always possible, particularly if a large quantity of files have been deleted.

Addendum. I think you should revisit your user tip. As it stands the advice there could permanently destroy someone's media collection. 😕

tt2

Muzzypat Said:

"The Music Library file cannot be saved. A duplicate file name was specifieI get this message "The Music Library file cannot be saved. A duplicate file name was specified" How do I fix this? Running Big Sur 11.2.3, iMac late 2017. Have my music on an NAS."

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What to Try:

Try clearing the Music Library and then use Check for Available Downloads...:

I. Close: Music

Next...

II. Rid of Downloads:

On the Finder Bar:

1. Click: Go menu
2. Select: Home
3. Select: Music
4. Select: Music
5. Select: Media
6. Drag and Drop: all folders to the Trash
7. Empty: to Trash
8. See Screenshot 1*

Next:

III. Reattempt the Downloads...

1. Open: iTunes
2. Click: Account menu
3. Select: Check for Available Downloads...
4. Proceed from there with the downloads
5. See Screenshot 2**

Next:

IV. Try Music Once More:

Open: Music

See if you no longer get this error

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Source: iTunes Library File Cannot Be Saved [Solved] - Amerisoft

Screenshots:

*Screenshot 1:

**Screenshot 2:

Muzzypat:

For everyone’s reference, I’ve authored a user tip on this for all to see.

"The Music Library file cannot be saved. A duplicate file name was specified" How to Fix this Issue in the Music App?

Muzzypat Said:

"The Music Library file cannot be saved. A duplicate file name was specified: I've been on my iMac all day working and listening to my music library after using your suggestion. I downloaded some music from Apple Music and not once did I get that error. I appreciate the effort you went to, to help me out. I've been using the Mac since the original 128K, and even used Macs at my job at Northwest Airlines when the company set up two Mac screens for each dispatcher to do flight planning. I study each OS iteration, and it's become so much bigger and challenging. Every OS I get my hands on Pearsons 'MacOS Support Essentials', but not everything is in that book. So I appreciate your help with this one. Have a great day."

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You are welcome. Glad you took part in these forums. I learned a bit too on this post. Since what I learned worked out, I posted the User Tip, so other's can know of it too. And just know to always backup prior to doing all this - something that was emphasized in this post. Here is the User Tip, with the tip to back up included: "The Music Library file cannot be saved. A duplicate file name was specified" Error and How to Get Around it - User Tip

And thank you too for the complement.

Muzzypat Said:

"The Music Library file cannot be saved. A duplicate file name was specified: Thanks. That seems to have wired. I appreciate the help!“

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You are welcome. I am glad that my research solved the issue. Proud to have helped.

turningtest2.

I’d reword it. But I don’t rip CDs. So, I came across no issues. Nothing was mentioned of home music. So, I saw it as having only Apple Store music that was overwriting itself, continuously.

In this case the media itself was being stored on a NAS drive, so the upshot is that your instructions will only have removed the database. The media folder might now contain duplicates of store purchases, the original files disconnected from the library, plus any that have been redownloaded, along with any orphaned files that weren't from the store and thus haven't been added into the replacement library. Also lost would be any ratings, play counts, playlists, etc. The consequences would be slightly different for those with an Apple Music or iTunes Match subscription, but overall the steps as you originally gave them could cause more problems than they solve.

The original error is particularly unhelpful as it doesn't give you the name of the file that cannot be updated. I suppose there might be a log file that could be examined but interpreting Mac logs is not a skill I've developed. I know this error sometimes occurs when syncing, particularly in Windows, and in that instance it can be usually be resolved by removing a folder called iPod Photo Cache which will then rebuild on the next sync. I've not yet established similar data for Music.

tt2

turningtest2 Said:

"In this case the media itself was being stored on a NAS drive, so the upshot is that your instructions will only have removed the database.[...]The original error is particularly unhelpful as it doesn't give you the name of the file that cannot be updated.[...]."

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To Clarify:

I make not assumptions on the NAS. It's dynamic. So, there could have been no issues, or there could have been issues.

I still think your process is too aggressive but thanks for taking on board the need to backup content before deleting anything. That at least means people can get back to where they started from if needs be.

tt2

turningtest2 Said:

"I still think your process is too aggressive but thanks for taking on board the need to backup content before deleting anything. That at least means people can get back to where they started from if needs be."

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Thank you for the advice.

I have posted the tip once more, mentioning what you have provided: https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-250003671

You're welcome. 🙂

tt2