Apple Music: Missing files after transfer to new iMac

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Level 1

4 points

Apple Music: Missing files after transfer to new iMac

I am a longstanding iTunes/Apple Music user (over 20 years!) with a large number of music files. I have built up an extraordinary amount of metadata which I wish to preserve.

I recently acquired a new iMac and want to transfer the files and metadata from my old Mac to my new one. I have managed to do so via an external hardrive (the migration software did not work) but the trouble is that although the metadata has transferred, the new mac cannot find a large number of the tracks (initially over 6000!).

I've tried to locate them manually, in the hope that the new mac would eventually find them, and while in the early stages the mac did locate groups of files, up to 100 at a time, it has now slowed back down to single files and I have over 5000 still to find.

I've looke into it a bit and I think that the problem is that, due to previous transfers, I've ended up with an iTunes (now Apple Music) library that is located across several folders.

For example

the bulk of my files are located in

Users > Sean > Music > Music 1 > Media > Music > Artist > Song

and another group in

Users > Sean > Music > Music

I've attempted to consolidate the library, but I think that just consolidates the folders individually rather than merge the folders together.

How can I rationalise the library, while retaining the metadata, and move them onto my new iMac without having to manually locate the files?

Many thanks for reading this --hope you can help!

best wishes,

Sean

iMac 27″, macOS 12.7

Posted on Feb 27, 2026 1:28 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

turingtest2

Level 10

278,351 points

Feb 27, 2026 2:45 AM in response to Seandodson

The "missing file" issue with exclamation marks happens if the file is no longer where iTunes or Music expects to find it. Possible causes are that you or some third party tool has moved, renamed or deleted the file, one of its parent folders, the drive it lives on has had a name change, or you've moved a non-portable library to a different path (see Make a split library portable for details). It is also possible that iTunes or Music have changed from expecting the files to be in the pre-iTunes 9 layout to post-iTunes 9 layout, or vice-versa, and so is looking in slightly the wrong place, or that you've been too aggressive when deleting duplicates at some point.

Select a track with an exclamation mark, use Cmd-I to get Song Info, then click No when asked to try to locate the track. Look on the file tab for the location the library thinks the file should be. Now take a look around your hard drives. Hopefully you can locate the track in question. If a section of your library has simply been moved, a folder renamed, or a drive label has changed, it should be possible to reverse the actions. If the difference between the two paths is an additional Music folder in one path then this is a layout issue. I can explain further if that is the case. If everything is where it is supposed to be try Repair security permissions for iTunes for Mac - Apple Community.

In some cases the library may be able to repair itself if you go through the same steps with Get Info, or when playing a track, but this time click Locate and browse to the lost track. It may then offer to attempt to automatically fix other broken links. Although it says something like "use the same location" I think it expects to find the tracks in the same artist & album layout they were in previously, with one systematic change to the path. I think the app needs to be "aware" that multiple tracks are missing before you attempt to fix one, in order to trigger the offer to automatically fix others.

If you want me to try to provide specific advice please post back the following details:

The location of the media folder under iTunes|Music > Preferences > Advanced
The location of a sample missing track shown under Song Info > File > Location that begins file://
The true path to the file whose details you gave in 2

See also FixLinks - an AppleScript to repair broken links in Music - Apple Community.

tt2

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Answer 2

Seandodson Author

Level 1

4 points

Mar 6, 2026 8:13 AM in response to turingtest2

Thanks for that, it was certainly helpful and I was able to locate where Apple Music thinks the tracks should be. I have tried to move all the files into this folder, but I somehow don't think it's been successul as I am still over 5000 tracks out of place.

For example, Apple music thinks that one of the tracks should be located here:

file:///Users/sean/Desktop/Media.localized/Music/Jago/Jago - I'm Going To Go (Frankie Knuckles/03 Jago - I'm Going To Go (Frankie K.m4a

but when i move that file into the folder, it still has the exclamation mark next to it, even after reboot.

I have tried to then locate the track, which I can do so successfully, but then Apple Music tries, but then says it can't locate any further tracks.

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Apple Music: Missing files after transfer to new iMac

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