Ratings on iPhone are not uploading to iTunes on PC

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Ratings on iPhone are not uploading to iTunes on PC

I have spent an extensive amount of time rating my music library in iTunes. Previously when I have sync'd my phone with iTunes the ratings have migrated automatically into iTunes. This is not the case at the moment. I have recently purchased a new PC and upon installing and opening iTunes, all of the previously existing ratings are now all gone (they were all there on my old Windows machine).

All of the ratings are still on my iPhone, but when I sync/backup it with my PC they do not upload.

When I view my iPhone in iTunes under the Music tab there is the checkbox to "sync music" in iTunes, but when I check it, it says "Are you sure you want to remove existing music... (bla, bla, bla) from this iPhone and sync with this iTunes library. Music, (bla, bla, bla), from other iTunes libraries will be removed and items will be synced from this iTunes library." I am reluctant to use this function since there are no ratings existing in my current iTunes library, I am concerned that this will erase countless hours of work rating my 90G library of music.

My questions:

Will using the "sync music" function in iTunes described above remove all of my existing ratings on my iPhone?
How do I fix this if the above is true? I want to transfer the ratings from my iPhone to my iTunes library.

Please DO NOT respond by saying that I need to "make sure I have the latest versions of iTunes and iOS installed" on my phone and PC. Both have the latest versions. I always update both immediately when new versions are released and check for new versions constantly. Currently running 12.12.9 on iTunes and iOS 16.6.

Posted on Aug 23, 2023 7:20 PM

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Answer 1

Jeff_888

Community Specialist

Aug 24, 2023 2:30 PM in response to ChollyOdrek

Hi ChollyOdrek,

Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities. We understand you've gotten a new computer and you'd like to keep all your music ratings in iTunes. Syncing is meant to be from the computer to the iPhone so this method won't work. We recommend moving your iTunes library from the other computer to your new computer by following these steps: Move your iTunes library to another computer.

"If you get a new computer, you can transfer your iTunes library by connecting computers or by using iPodor a portable drive. See the Apple Support article 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.

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

In the iTunes app on your PC, choose Edit > Preferences, then click Advanced.
Note the location of your iTunes Media folder in the “iTunes Media folder location” section.
Quit iTunes.
Navigate to your iTunes folder in File Explorer.
Drag the iTunes folder from its location to an external drive.

Restore from a backup

You can restore your iTunes library from your external drive to a computer. If you’re restoring an iTunes library from a different computer, make sure your new computer has the latest version of iTunes.

In the iTunes app on your PC, choose File > Exit.
Locate your external drive (in File Explorer), then drag the iTunes folder you backed up earlier from your external drive to your internal drive.

Important: It’s highly recommended that you put the iTunes folder back in [User folder]\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media.

3. Hold down the Shift key while you open iTunes (go to Start, then choose iTunes > iTunes).

4. Click Choose Library.

5. Choose the iTunes folder that you dragged to your computer in step 2, click Open, then choose the iTunes Library.itl file inside.

Before you sell or give away a computer, don’t forget to deauthorize it (choose Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer). See Authorize a PC to play iTunes purchases."

We hope this helps.

Take care.

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