Q: can i move the library folder not just the media folder to an external hard drive?

a and r wrote:

 

can i move the itunes library folder, not just the media folder, to an external hard drive?

Yes. Assuming you're happy letting iTunes manage your media folders and your media folder is currently inside the main iTunes library folder then do the following.

1. Use the menu command File > Library > Organize Library > Rearrange Files in the folder iTunes Media folder, unless this option is greyed out. This helps organize the library into a better shape for moving.
2. Use the menu command File > Library > Organize Library > Rearrange Files in the folder iTunes Media folder, unless this option is greyed out. This ensures that all the media in inside the iTunes Media folder before you move it.
3. With iTunes closed, copy the entire iTunes folder out to your external drive, e.g. as X:\iTunes where X: is the drive letter of the external drive.
4. Click the icon to start iTunes and then immediately press and continue to hold down the shift button until asked to choose or create a library. Click choose and navigate to the library file X:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl.

If I have more than one itunes library, how do i combine them and once I have can i delete the duplicates.

5. Add the contents of additional media folders to your main library, e.g. by moving them into the Automatically Add to iTunes folder, then dedupe using the methods or script detailed in this post.

tt2