How to downgrade iTunes 11 to previous version 10.7

I think you probably do have to recreate those, sadly. I also bit the bullet and recreated a load of stuff manually. Suck it up and say thank you Apple thru gritted teeth while tugging your forelock. I did the same, figuring it would take less time and pain than the stress of trying to fix all the stuff they broke, by seeking automatic fixes.

(Apple will never get another piece of software updated on my machine until utterly, desperately needed and proven to be 'safe' - and if not safe, with a proven work-round courtesy of threads like this. Total end of trust. Not that anyone from Apple will be reading this, or giving a rat's behind.)

Another very dissatisfied Apple customer - been using Macs and iTunes for about 15 years but couldnt believe the missing iTunes DJ in version 11. Anyway, Pacifist together with the itunes 10.7 dmg and my Time Machine backup enabled me to get it back. Thanks Pacifist, Thanks Apple (for Time Machine). Lets have iTunes DJ and voting back in the next version please.

Update. I am sitting here enjoying iTunes DJ and I have found that my old Mac Mini which was getting really slow, has definitly got a lot faster since downgrading itunes. It was so bad I was considering a new one, now I dont have to and can wait until they sort itunes 11 out.🙂

It's been a while so I figured I'd bump this thread (since I just did the downgrade from 11.1 to 10.7 on Mac after rolling back my iPad from iOS 7 to iOS 6.1.3). I used the AppZapper / Pacifist method for Itunes (select replace on everything).

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/03/how-to-downgrade-from-itunes-11-to-version- 10-7-on-your-mac/

On startup of 10.7 I got the message about the iTunes Library.itl file needing a newer version of iTunes. So I didn't let it download a new version (nice try Apple) and quit iTunes.

As someone noted a few pages back in this thread - if you get to this point don't give up, you'll be okay, just a little thing more to do. When iTunes installed 11.x it backed up a copy of your old v10.x "iTunes Library.itl" file in the "Previous iTunes" folder (mine was called "iTunes Library 2013-09-18.itl") and this sits inside your iTunes folder inside your Music folder (in the OS X finder window).

So I moved the v11.1 "iTunes Library.itl" file from the iTunes folder down into the "Previous iTunes Libraries" folder, then copied the "iTunes Library 2013-09-18.itl" file (it'll have the date you did the v11 upgrade in its name) up into the iTunes folder (where the v11.1 one was sitting) and renamed it back to the "iTunes Library.itl".

Open iTunes and viola, everything was back in place and working. Ahhhhhhhhh, that feels so good.

Limnos,

What if i HAVE no "Previous iTunes Libraries" (like in an attempt to free up disk space, I deleted everything that sounded (or was) old)? Is there hope? I've made it this far, with Pacifist. Please say 'yes' :-) (I'm thinking perhaps someone could send me THEIR 10.7 Library?!?!!...)

Muchas Thanks, Sylv

Between this tutorial, and Blovis's very clear step-by-step directions on page 3 of this topic, could someone please explain which of the two is the better way to do the downgrade?

I read over this entire article prepping for this, but I'm about the least tech savvy as they come, and would like to know which is the "safer" less fullproof way of getting the job done WITHOUT having to rebuild everything from the ground up. Losing a few newer playlists, ect. is fine but a wipeout would be devastating.

My Itunes Library is huge and I use an external drive for backup (my time machine has failed to complete a backup since I bought it) it has now exceeded the amount of space left on the drive because it is still housing my previous itunes library that I had before the update. The good one. Without knowing how to transfer that version back if something goes wrong, I'm really gonna get one shot at this without that built in time-machine rewind. Correct?

This works:

http://oceandigital.ca/blog/2013/04/14/how-to-downgrade-itunes-11-to-10-7-on-osx /

Its not in my time machine. Thats the issue.

It makes everything more complicated since I DON'T HAVE the time machine to fall back on.

Any other imputs as to which downgrade procedure (of the ones I previously mentioned) is less potentially dangerous?

I'm waiting on bated breath here because I want itunes 11 gone. The itunes store showing up blank (probably something fixable but don't care) earlier today was the final straw.

I have everything in place: appzapper, and Pacifist are ready to go, but I don't want to try them if Blovis's instructions on page three were easier.

If you do not have Time Machine then you need to restore the library file from somewhere else. It's the only way to get your iTunes library back. If you don't have that then you'll have to rebuild the library. Follow my instructions posted earlier, it works.

May I run a quick poll of everybody here... Now that iTunes 11.1 is here and a lot of the bugs have been ironed out, I was wondering what people's reasons are for staying on 10.7?

My work machine is on 11.1 and it seems to be working pretty smoothly now. I really do like the mini player for starters. And with Genius Shuffle combined with all the Play Next stuff, I haven't really been missing iTunes DJ. The bug for me that I couldn't live with was that I couldn't re-tag files as Podcasts without switching iTunes Match off and on again, and with a 16,000 song library, that would take ages. Now they appear to have resolved that bug, I am considering upgrading to iTunes 11.1 at home.

Why are any of you sticking with 10.7? Are there any other issues I should know about it before upgrading (again)?

Thanks!

I downgraded originally, but (and I really find this odd for Apple), they fixed all the issues I had with 11. I have since re-upgraded. I think their software quality control is lacking these days, 11 was not ready to be released in much the same manner the original iMac wasn't quite ready in 1998. Once everything is fixed we are happy.

I still think the new interface is more clunky than the old. But that might just be my workflow and not their design.

I was able to revert back to iTunes 10.7 using Pacifist but now, my iTunes will not recognize my fifth-gen iPod Nano although it's displayed under Devices in Finder. The only reasons I know Finder and Dropbox recognizes my iPod is because of the camera roll. But I was wondering if anyone knows how to have the iPod be displayed back on iTunes?

I am never upgrading. I am sick of Apple's control-freakery 'nanny knows best' changing things that aren't broke, removing features, changing interfaces, changing things for the sake of 'fashion', etc. (Don't even get me started on iOS7!)

I spent a long time wrangling iTunes - figuring out its 'behaviour' and configuring it do what I want in the way I wanted it. It works, now. Version 11 broke some of that and I was faced with a different interface/missing functions. The differences may have been small or trivial to some, but frankly I just don't need the hassle. Why should I be forced to adapt my behaviour because some Apple-employed, contemptible, 'developer' (good grief!) thinks s/he knows best what I need, and that things I used before are no longer of use to me? I need no further 'features, and if I do then I'd like them to be additive, not replacing existing features I also still use.

Same applies to much other Apple software (and many apps in the App store).

One day they'll break my ability to use this version of iTunes on whatever hardware / operating system I end up with (= am forced to endure; OS version, anyway, if I stay with Mac) and I will view that event as being forced to do a 'rip and replace', and iTunes version whatever may or may not make it to the short list of things I'll consider to replace iTunes 10.

I spoke to soon... I was about to take the plunge into iTunes 11, but it appears they have messed about with Podcasts and the update deletes your saved podcast files:

http://www.mcelhearn.com/itunes-11-apple-has-broken-podcasts-but-heres-how-to-pa rtly-fix-them/

and you can't delete old ones either:

http://www.mcelhearn.com/itunes-11-and-podcasts-you-cannot-delete-old-podcasts/

Just when you thought it was save to go back in the water...

Anyone with a LARGE library tried again with iTunes 11.?

I am contemplating upgrading my phone to iOS 7 but that requires iTunes 11. But I will not do it if the search function in iTunes 11 still struggles with large libraries.

I have an early 2008 iMac with 4GB Ram as my music machine and 80,000 or so songs.