Cannot see shared library

Question

Cannot see shared library

I have a Mac Mini (M1) and an older MacBook Pro on a WiFi network, with the Mini used mostly as a music player. I typically load music onto the music library on the MacBook Pro (from used CDs I buy on eBay ;) and then import it into the library on the Mac Mini. That way, the two media libraries act as backups for each other. I just upgraded both machines to Monterey (12.3.1), and the "open shared library" item no longer appears as an option in Music on either computer. Both guest sharing and Home sharing are on, and both computers are "authorized" and logged on to the same Apple ID. This used to work fine before updating to Monterey. Any idea what's amiss?

Mac mini 2018 or later

Posted on Apr 22, 2022 12:02 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

William Williams Author

Level 1

30 points

Apr 23, 2022 12:22 PM in response to c_luc9

Yes, thanks for linking to the Apple documentation; I had read it, actually. Media sharing and home sharing are "on" on both computers, there are fewer than 5 computers on my LAN, Music is open on both computers, both are signed in with the same Apple ID. Nonetheless, the option to "open shared library" is not available on either computer:

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Answer 2

c_luc9

Community Specialist

Apr 23, 2022 11:51 AM in response to William Williams

Hello William,

For sharing libraries between computers, keep in mind:

• You can set up a maximum of five computers on a local network (such as a home Wi-Fi network) to share their media libraries with each other. If a shared computer is turned on and Music is open, you can play that computer’s shared items on other computers in the network, but you can’t import the shared items into their libraries.

• If you want to import items from media libraries on other computers in your home network, you can turn on Home Sharing. See Import media using Home Sharing in Music on Mac.

You can find this information along with the steps to properly set up sharing, in this article: Share songs from a shared media library in Music on Mac - Apple Support

Best Regards.

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Answer 3

Ben_Z1

Community Specialist

Apr 23, 2022 12:29 PM in response to William Williams

William,

Understood, we appreciate that additional information. Based on what’s happening, we would recommend reaching out to Apple Support to get the best assistance going forward.

Get Support

Cheers!

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Cannot see shared library

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