You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

📰 Newsroom Update

Billie Eilish is Apple Music’s Artist of the Year for 2024. Learn more >

Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply ask a new question.

What is the default iTune Folder Structure for iTunes 10?

What is the default iTune Folder Structure for iTunes 10? As far as I can tell in windows 7 it goes something like.

My Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music

Other folders for downloads, pod casts, mobile applications are all in the iTunes Media folder, however the iTunes library database files are located in the iTunes Folder.

The reason I ask is that I am re-doing my music collection and I set up the folder structure mentioned above, but iTunes re-arranded everything and copied all of my music into the iTunes Media folder.

Anyone have any idea how iTunes does it by default?

Various, Windows 7, HP Media Smart Home Server

Posted on Jan 18, 2011 9:21 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on May 17, 2011 3:24 AM

The iTunes 10 Folder Organization is:

*USER*\Music (My Music shell folder)\iTunes\

within that folder should be the following folders:

  • [Album Art]: This is iTune's proprietary, poorly compressed, method of storing album art
  • [Backup]: Mine just has one file "iTunes-20101215-Ratings.xml"
  • [Previous iTunes Libraries]: everytime you do an update your 'iTunes Library.itl' is saved here in case there's problems with the update
  • [iTunes Media]: This is where the good stuff is. I'll go more into that in a sec.
  • Your iTunes Library files are here as well, Genius, Extras, Music Library, etc.




*USER*\Music (My Music shell folder)\iTunes\iTunes Media


  • [Audiobooks]: In here is will be your Audiobooks in Author (Album Artist/Artist) Folders. {Audiobooks\James Patterson\Witch & Wizard.m4b}
  • [Automatically Add to iTunes]: This is an iTunes system folder, anything you put is here will be automatically added to your library. Anything you put in here that iTunes doesn't understand will be put in a folder [Not Added] then a folder with the date & time of the add {iTunes Media\Automatically Add to iTunes\Not Added\2010-08-20 14.34.00}
  • [Downloads]: This is a system folder used to keep things that are being downloaded. All the downloads will be in a folder named after the 'Title' of the thing being downloaded (The [Name] field of the 'Get Info' page) with a "download.XXX" & "Info.plist" (The metadata for the dowloading file). At least for me, at the moment all video files will stay here until I un-check/re-check the 'Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized' option, hopefully this will be fixed in the next update
  • [iPod Games]: If you have any of the old click-wheel games they'll be here (no sorting folders)
  • [Mobile Applications]: iPhone/Touch or iPad apps will be stored here (no sorting folders)
  • [Movies]: Here you have all your Movies sorted in folders named after the Titles {iTunes Media\Movies\Big Trouble\Big Trouble.m4v}
  • [Music]: Here's your Music sorted by [Album Artist] (Or Artist if none listed) then [Album] tracks are titled %Track Number% %Title%.XXX {iTunes Media\Music\Colors\Falling In\06 Hey Girl.mp3} "Hey Girl" being track #6 on the Album "Falling In" by the band "Colors"
  • [Podcasts]: Here we have folders for the Podcast name although since the podcasts' metadata provided by the creators there are often many folders for a single podcast as there are slight diferences is their naming (I have folders for [Ask A Ninja], [Ask A Ninja - iPod], [Ask A Ninja - SD] & [Ask A Ninja - Video] all from the same podcast)
  • [TV Shows]: Folders for Show -> Then Season {iTunes Media\TV Shows\Caprica\Season 1}
  • There should also be a ".iTunes Preferences.plist" file
18 replies

What is the default iTune Folder Structure for iTunes 10?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.