What is the check mark column for in Itunes?

Check marks can be used to mark out tracks that you rarely want to listen to but still want to keep in your library, e.g. a bonus interview track at the end of an album. Unchecked tracks are usually excluded from syncing to devices, skipped during track to track playback and ingored when shuffling. To easily check or uncheck all tracks hold the ctrl key down while clicking a checkbox.

tt2

Laura:

Unless you have specific reasons for turning off a check mark, leave them all on because there is an option in iTunes which will prevent unchecked songs from going onto your devices.

Reasons for removing the check mark against a song are:

1. to stop it from playing in iTunes. When playing songs in your iTunes Library (on your computer) an unchecked song will not be played. Even if you are playing a Playlist, any unchecked song in that Playlist will be skipped (not played) if it is unchecked.
2. when Syncing your music to your iPod, iPhone etc., any song that is not checked will not be added to the device, even if it's in a Playlist you are putting onto the device. (There is an option to override this feature.)

Why would anyone want this?

1. You may not want to listen to seasonal songs outside of that season, but you want to keep them in your Library so that you can check them at the appropriate season time. Or, a song may in fact be a speech track, such as an interview with band members. Unchecking it means it will not be played when using iTunes, unless you specifically select it.
2. Unchecking a song can be a quick and easy way to remove a song from your device. I use a one-star rating for any song I don't like. Every now and again I check my "1-star Smart Playlist" for 1-star songs and uncheck them. As a consequence, they are then removed from my iPod. I find it a quick and easy way to remove songs that I don't like from my iPod.

If you or anyone else doesn't understand why check marks are used, perhaps it is because you have no need of them. In which case, leave them on, because if you turn off a check mark, it will not be played, ever, unless you specifically select it.

I also would like to know why if a check mark is removed on one playlist it removes it from other playlists as well?

Everything should be checked, except the few things that you want to ignore most of the time, like interviews or "holiday" music when it isn't the holidays in question... Or just check everything and turn the column off.

tt2

revering wrote:

I also would like to know why if a check mark is removed on one playlist it removes it from other playlists as well?

Because that's the way it's designed.

It sounds as though whatever you are trying to do is not best achieved by using the check mark. Perhaps if you explain what it is you are trying to do, someone can suggest a more suitable method.

I'm sorry, turingtest2, now I'm confused. I thought the first post said you check the box of the items you DON'T want to sync and then another post said all boxes should be checked EXCEPT the ones you want to ignore. I think I might be overtired...lol.

Thanks!

Edit > Preferences > General tab, untick Show list checkboxes.

tt2