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How to transfer my music library to another computer so that itunes recognizes it when I launch itunes

I have copied my entire music library into the "Music" folder of a new computer, but when I try to sync my iphone in iTunes with the new computer, i get a message asking if I want to remove all music, books, movies, videos from this iphone and sync with this iTunes library. Before I do that, I want to be sure that "this iTunes Library" will include and recognize all the music that I have copied into it. Am I doing this right or do I need to do something different?


Thank you!

Windows, Windows 6

Posted on Jul 8, 2022 8:17 AM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Jul 8, 2022 11:07 AM

before connecting your phone to the new iTunes library, check to ensure that the music is in your new iTunes Library? (It should be, if you've copied the old library correctly.) Can you see it listed, do the songs play? Can you make an educated decision about whether everything is there? (Again, it should be.)


If the answer is yes, then connect the phone to the new library. The reason that you get the message asking if you wish to remove all the media from the phone is because an iPhone (any iDevice) can only Sync with one iTunes Library at a time. If (or when) you plug the phone into a new iTunes Library, you will get that question and the subsequent Sync will only put back onto the phone the media (music, videos etc.) that it finds in the new library.


If the answer (to the is the new library complete question) is no, do not connect the phone to it until you have resolved that situation.


The new library must have the content of your old iTunes Library in it before connecting the phone. What will definitely not happen is media (music etc.) getting transferred from the phone to the new library.

5 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Jul 8, 2022 11:07 AM in response to TennisTK

before connecting your phone to the new iTunes library, check to ensure that the music is in your new iTunes Library? (It should be, if you've copied the old library correctly.) Can you see it listed, do the songs play? Can you make an educated decision about whether everything is there? (Again, it should be.)


If the answer is yes, then connect the phone to the new library. The reason that you get the message asking if you wish to remove all the media from the phone is because an iPhone (any iDevice) can only Sync with one iTunes Library at a time. If (or when) you plug the phone into a new iTunes Library, you will get that question and the subsequent Sync will only put back onto the phone the media (music, videos etc.) that it finds in the new library.


If the answer (to the is the new library complete question) is no, do not connect the phone to it until you have resolved that situation.


The new library must have the content of your old iTunes Library in it before connecting the phone. What will definitely not happen is media (music etc.) getting transferred from the phone to the new library.

How to transfer my music library to another computer so that itunes recognizes it when I launch itunes

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