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Level 1

43 points

Restoring a music playlist from a Time Machine backup.

Is there a way to retrieve one playlist that I deleted by mistake from a Time Machine backup and restore it to my Music App or iTunes library on my iMac? I can't seem to figure out how to find a specific playlist in Time Machine. I am not an Apple Music subscriber if that makes any difference. I have many playlists, and they are made up of music that I both bought from Apple and uploaded myself. When Apple made the iTunes changes, I just kept using the new Music App and adding purchased music to my library. I regularly back up my iMac to two external drives with Time Machine. Please tell me that Time Machine not only backs up tunes but playlists as well. I sure hope so.

If this can be done, please tell me the steps involved or where I can find them. Thanks.

Posted on Jan 23, 2022 3:39 PM

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JazzmanJohn Author

Level 1

43 points

Posted on Jan 23, 2022 5:57 PM

This is over my head unless you help me further. Are we talking about restoring one playlist or my whole iTunes library of 18,000 songs and 40 playlists each with about 200 songs? I am assuming from your answer that my playlists are backed up but that I just haven't figured out how to access them, right?

In step one, you say rename the package. Where do I find the package? I assume this is done before I open up Time Machine in step two, right?

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27 replies

JazzmanJohn Author

Level 1

43 points

Jan 25, 2022 6:52 PM in response to turingtest2

No, I don't subscribe to iTunes Match. I tried it once before, and it almost wrecked my Music Library. I won't do that again. Luckily I was able to restore my entire music library from a backup.

Regarding the above steps, you've lost me again. First, please confirm for me you are absolutely positive that Time Machine backs up Playlists. Otherwise, this is an exercise in futility. Assuming it does, at what point in the process do I hold down Option as I launch Music? Are you talking about launching the Music app? Where is a Choose Library button? Then what?

JazzmanJohn Author

Level 1

43 points

Jan 26, 2022 4:42 AM in response to turingtest2

I think I understand. If so, I restore the Music Library from the Time Machine backup. After doing so and when I open Music again, I hold down the Option key and click the Choose Library button. I did that but got lost in trying to choose the library file ~/Music/Music/Music Library. I don't see it. Do I have to search for it somehow? I do see a lot of choices including a Music Library but not that one. Advise.

JazzmanJohn Author

Level 1

43 points

Jan 26, 2022 7:35 AM in response to turingtest2

SUCCESS!! And it is all due to your persistence and excellent instructions. I did my best to follow your lead, and I finally recovered that Playlist. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but when I performed that last step it worked.

Do you work for Apple, or are you independent? Either way, you really know your stuff.

I cannot thank you enough for sticking with me and guiding me to success in this effort. My Playlist Library is very important to me, and it would have been impossible to recreate that lost Playlist. Restoring it from a backup was critical. Thanks to you, it has been restored and I have learned a lot in the process. I have also printed all of this for future reference just in case.

Thank you so very much.

turingtest2

Level 10

272,949 points

Jan 24, 2022 12:35 PM in response to JazzmanJohn

Select a song in your library. Press cmd+i to get info. Look at the File tab. What does it list for the track's location?

tt2

JazzmanJohn Author

Level 1

43 points

Jan 24, 2022 1:08 PM in response to turingtest2

So, is my user's Music folder /Users/jazzman/Music/iTunes (original)/iTunes Music/? If so, look that up in Finder and follow your steps to the letter from there?