How do I backup my iTunes playlist with a flash drive on my PC?
Windows, Windows 10
Follow these steps:
Save a copy of your playlists in iTunes on PC - Apple Support
Note: this saves the names of the songs but not the songs themselves.
Follow these steps:
Save a copy of your playlists in iTunes on PC - Apple Support
Note: this saves the names of the songs but not the songs themselves.
See also Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy - Apple Community. It seems you might need to backup your whole library, not just the playlists from it. You might need a larger external drive depending on the size of your library.
tt2
Hi there. Playlist can be a slightly woolly term. SyncToy is a suggestion to optimise copying of the library, as only changed or updated files have to be copied from the source folder to the backup folder. An alternative approach is to make sure iTunes is closed, and simply to copy the whole iTunes folder from the computer to your external drive. The next time you do this however you have to deal with Windows asking about overwriting files.
tt2
"An alternative approach is to make sure iTunes is closed, and simply to copy the whole iTunes folder from the computer to your external drive"
Could you please explain in greater detail so a novice like me can fully understand? Like, if my iTunes is closed then how do I copy the whole iTunes folder? And, where is this folder? If you're referring to the music folder in my Windows 11 File Explorer, that folder no longer has any of my uploaded CDs either. Also, now that I am re-uploading my CDs they are not appearing in that folder like they used to when I had my old PC with Windows 10.
Also, when you say "External Drive" do you mean like a CD burner? I recently bought one because my new All-In- One PC doesn't have a CD burner and I was directed by another Apple tech, since iTunes no longer supports personally uploaded songs, to buy one.
Hi javaliga!
Thank you so much for replying to my question! I appreciate it!
Which one of the four answers on the link you provided should I use? I tried the 2nd one down but I don't have XML on the pop up menu.
Also, what I want is the ability to replace my playlist should this PC die. That recently happened and I now have a new PC. What I would really like to do is put my playlist on a flash drive.
Thanks, Mark
Hi tt2!
It's good to hear from you again! You have helped me a couple of times before, and I have tried but failed to use your SyncToy properly. I am hoping you know of another way.
My playlist IS my whole library. I have nothing else but music on my iTunes and I am currently re-uploading all my CDs of over two hundred CD albums. I lost all of my uploaded music when my old PC recently died after 10 years and I transferred my playlist to my new PC. Only my purchased songs remained. I figure I will want to back up my entire playlist after the holidays. My plan is to get a large capacity flash drive (256GB) for Christmas and then download my playlist to that. By then I should have like over 4,000 songs on iTunes.
Mark
BACKING UP ITUNES
