restoring itunes library from backup

How did you do these backups? If it's in relatively standard format you can do it the same way you would move your library:

iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the new location of the library.

pprof78 wrote:

Hi, I recently had to reformat my my macbook and lost all my playlists in itunes. I have all music backed up on hadrive. how can i restore my playlists.

Do you have the entire iTunes folder backed up? 🙂

Or only the music files? 😟

The playlists are in the iTunes music library.itl file in the iTunes folder.

Here is what I do when restoring iTunes library from backup:

1.Quit iTunes.

2.Copy your iTunes folder from your external hard drive to whatever location you desire on your internal hard drive.

3.Open iTunes while holding down the Option key (Mac) or Shift key (Windows).

4.In the resulting dialog, click the Choose Library button.

5.Navigate to the new iTunes folder you just copied and locate the iTunes Library.itl file

6.Click Choose (Mac OS X) or Open (Windows)

7.iTunes will open and your iTunes Library will be restored.

More you can know by visiting this:

http://www.iphone-android-recovery.com/iphone/iphone-backup-extractor.html

This would be the most helpful advice I have found on apple.com

Thank you for saving me hours of frustration.

Bacheller wrote:

Here is what I do when restoring iTunes library from backup:

That does not restore from a backup.

It simply opens a new/different iTunes library.

I would appreciate it if anyone could help me restore my playlists. Here is my tale of woe:

My computer (a PC) crashed and I had to reinstall the operating system. I have a back up on an external drive containing all my music and .itl files. All the music files automatically restored at part of the restore process. I then installed iTunes, but needed to restore my playlists. I tried copying all the all the .itl files to iTunes (I have a lot of music and wanted to avoid recopying the entire iTunes directory), but when I tried to select my backed up library .itl file as my new library file, iTunes told me that file was locked and I was not authorized to use it.

Next I figured since I had my playlists on an iPod and an iPhone I could just export them to iTunes. First I disabled automatic syncing so that iTunes wouldn't kill my playlists. Then I attached my iPhone to my computer and looked for the playlists on my iPhone so that I could export them to iTunes. The playlists were nowhere to be seen. I disconnected my iPhone only to find that all my music except that which I had purchased from iTunes (I have music originally from CDs) was deleted from my iPhone and my iPhone playlists were reduced to only content purchased from iTunes.

Any help would be much appreciated.

caro999 wrote:

I would appreciate it if anyone could help me restore my playlists. Here is my tale of woe:

My computer (a PC) crashed and I had to reinstall the operating system. I have a back up on an external drive containing all my music and .itl files.

1. Quit iTunes.
2. Copy the entire /Music/iTunes/ folder from the backup drive to the internal to /Music/
3. Start iTunes.

This is all you need to do.

I tried copying all the all the .itl files to iTunes (I have a lot of music and wanted to avoid recopying the entire iTunes directory

So you don’t really want to restore everything?

You simply want to use the backup as your original file (thereby no longer having a backup)?

Chris, thanks so much for your advice but it didn't work. I copied the entire Music directory from my backup drive to my computer. I then started iTunes. iTunes then prompted me to either Go the iTunes store or Scan for Media. I then booted my computer and tried again, with the same result. I scanned for media the last time, which left me without my playlists. Do you have any other suggestions? I would really appreciate it. Thanks in advance.