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User profile for user: The Coffeys
The Coffeys Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

How Do I Redirect my TV Library Settings?

I am moving between an old machine (MacBook Air M1) and a new machine (MacBook Pro M2).


My video collection is a mix of things purchased from the Apple Store and things ripped from DVD's. On my old machine, those all resided on the hard disk, but they took up almost half a TB of space, so for the new machine, I want them to be on an external hard drive.


I copied the Movies folder, including all the TV, Movie, and Video files, from the old machine onto the external hard drive. Then I attached the hard drive to the new machine, opened TV, and in Settings/Files, pointed the library at the new external drive.


However, even after restarting and verifying the library is still pointed at the external drive, the only things I see in my TV library are the things I purchased from Apple. I don't see any of the videos on the current drive.


Am I missing a step?

MacBook Pro (M2 Pro, 2023)

Posted on May 31, 2023 4:52 PM

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User profile for user: Urquhart1244
Urquhart1244
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
142,992 points

Posted on May 31, 2023 5:23 PM

  1. The media folder itself is not the library. The app isn’t going to look for media there by itself. Only new additions will be copied to the new media folder.
  2. The library is a database file, with links to the media files. These are separate. Set your links right, and the Home Sharing will start working.
  3. You can use drag-and-drop to (re-)add media files to the library. I would advise to not do everything at once, but instead add a few, then test, then (re-)add more later.
  4. By default, the TV will copy entries to the media folder, but if you place (new) media files on the external drive manually first, then no automatic copying is needed, and then it may be more efficient to disable the automatic copying in the app’s Settings.
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User profile for user: Urquhart1244
Urquhart1244
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
142,992 points

May 31, 2023 5:23 PM in response to The Coffeys

  1. The media folder itself is not the library. The app isn’t going to look for media there by itself. Only new additions will be copied to the new media folder.
  2. The library is a database file, with links to the media files. These are separate. Set your links right, and the Home Sharing will start working.
  3. You can use drag-and-drop to (re-)add media files to the library. I would advise to not do everything at once, but instead add a few, then test, then (re-)add more later.
  4. By default, the TV will copy entries to the media folder, but if you place (new) media files on the external drive manually first, then no automatic copying is needed, and then it may be more efficient to disable the automatic copying in the app’s Settings.
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User profile for user: Urquhart1244
Urquhart1244
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
142,992 points

Jun 2, 2023 4:53 AM in response to The Coffeys

For new computers and clean installs: Find a home video file/movie file, then drag-and-drop it to the main window of the TV app with the Library visible. Untagged files will be categorized as Home Video. Video files tagged as movie, TV show, or home video will be categorized as indicated.


I would recommend to have the TV Library file in the user’s home folder on the boot disk instead of the external disk, else launching the TV app without the external disk connected might cause the creation of a new library, and bring confusion why it doesn’t work anymore.


Manage your library in the Apple TV app on Mac - Apple Support

How multiple libraries work in the Apple TV app on Mac - Apple Support

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User profile for user: The Coffeys
The Coffeys Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jun 1, 2023 7:37 AM in response to Urquhart1244

Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. Here's what I currently have set up.


This is the media folder location:



...and this is what that folder looks like ...



...with folders under Movies and TV Shows corresponding to the shows that were physically on the old machine.


When I open my Library in TV, I'm not seeing the other things. What do I have to do to make them visible? Do I modify the TV Library file?


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User profile for user: The Coffeys
The Coffeys Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jun 5, 2023 9:58 AM in response to Urquhart1244

I really appreciate your help on this, and apologize if I seem slow on the uptake here, but I want to make sure I do this right -- it was rushing things on the old machine that led me to replace it so I could start over.


I guess my last(?) question is -- does the Media Folder location in the TV settings only refer to where the movie/tv files are and not the location of the library file, meaning my library file on my internal hard drive (Users/me/Movies/TV/Media) will control and it'll just be the video files themselves that live on the external drive?

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How Do I Redirect my TV Library Settings?

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