(How) Can I COPY my desktop iTunes to my laptop?

Hello flobbyblob,

Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities.

We've got some suggestions for copying your iTunes Library to your new computer. These steps will help you to back up your iTunes Library first, then move to your new computer.

Before you transfer or restore your iTunes media library on your PC, consolidate it and create a back up.

Here are some things to know

Your iTunes library, a database that's made up of all of the music and other media that you add to iTunes for Windows, is organized into two iTunes library files and an iTunes Media folder.

Before you back up your media:

• Consolidate your iTunes library.

• Redownload any previous purchases, like music, movies and TV shows, and more. The only way to back up your purchased media is to download your purchases to your computer.

Back up and restore your iTunes library on your PC

Consolidate your files in the iTunes folder

You can consolidate all the files in your library in the iTunes folder to make it easier to move your library to a new computer.

1. In the iTunes app  on your PC, choose File > Library > Organize Library.

2. Select “Consolidate files.”

Files remain in their original locations, and copies are placed in the iTunes folder.

Back up your library and media files

Important: It’s highly recommended that you create a backup of your library.

By default, the iTunes Media folder is stored in your iTunes folder:

[User folder]\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media

1. In the iTunes app  on your PC, choose Edit > Preferences, then click Advanced.

2. Note the location of your iTunes Media folder in the “iTunes Media folder location” section.

3. Quit iTunes.

4. Navigate to your iTunes folder in File Explorer.

5. Drag the iTunes folder from its location to an external drive.

Move your iTunes library to another computer

Another idea, is to use the Home Sharing feature. This way you can access the library from your new computer, while still having a different library on your new computer.

With Home Sharing, you can share, stream, and import media from up to five computers that are connected to your home Wi-Fi network.

Before you set up Home Sharing

• Update all of your Apple devices to the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS. On your PC, make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes for Windows.

• Connect all of your devices to the same Wi-Fi or Ethernet network.

• Make sure that all of your devices are signed in with the same Apple ID and authorized to play purchases using that Apple ID.

Read more about this here: Use Home Sharing to share media from a computer to other devices

Regards.

Hi flobbyblob,

When you consolidate your iTunes Library, copies of any files that were outside of your iTunes Media folder are added to your iTunes Media folder. To save space on your hard drive, you might want to delete the original files after you make sure that the copies are in your iTunes Media Folder.

Take care.