Move iTunes library to external hard drive?

That link to iTunesinfo is to iTunes scripts for Windows?

Yes, the scripts I've posted there are for Windows. I realise we're in the iTunes for Mac forum, but thegreendahlia is running Windows and that script can tease out some useful info. for their problem.

tt2

Hi there,

Sorry to be a bit dopey but I've no idea how to go about running a script! I just about understand what that means. I proofread technical IT books for a living but am actually terrible at the IT side. Do you know about other IT areas or just iTunes?

Thanks 🙂

Click on the link iTunesInfo to go to the downloads page, right-click on the name of the script there and use Save as... or Download depending on your browser. Once downloaded double-click on the file to run it. If iTunes isn't running the script will make it fire up, then it will present a small window of information about your library. I'm only interested in the first four entries.

tt2

It says:

ITL Location: E:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl

XML Location: E:\iTunes\iTunes Library.xml

Media Folder Location: E:\iTunes\iTunes Media

iTunes Media Folder Organisation: True

Looking good, but I forgot to repeat the request for the media folder as listed under Edit > Preferences > Advanced. With that extra bit of information I can give you the right advice...

tt2

Before I found this discussion, I was in the same dilema, moving my itunes library to an external drive. So I followed the Apple support document and moved the library, but not the other stuff. So the .xml files and such are on the boot drive of my Mini, and the music, movies and such are on my external drive. iTunes is running great at this point, but is it too late to move the .xml stuff from the boot drive to the external drive? It would be nice to have everything in one place, and I wish I knew to just move the whole folder.

So am I too late? Is it too much work at this point?

Thanks....

Ken

My make a split library portable post should expalin how to put a working split library back into a portable form.

tt2

Read the post, seems easy enough, but wanted to run it by you...

My setup now is that on my external drive, I have a folder in the root of it called "iTunes". In there I have "Downloads", "Movies", etc...

So would I just copy the library files into that root "iTunes" folder, then do the Option (alt) key thing when starting iTunes? Is it that simple?

Thanks for the help!!

Ken

Not quite. See this bit.

iTunes uses the name of the folder holding the library files as the window title. (Not any more) Having made a library "portable" you may need to take a final step of renaming the library folder to iTunes or, if the library files have ended up at the root of a drive, moving all of the library files and content folders into a new folder called iTunes.

It would seem your "media folder" is <Root>/iTunes and the library is in the "new" layout so the process (briefly) is:

1. Move/copy library files (inc. Album Artwork) to <Root> and connect to them there, test.
2. Close iTunes, rename iTunes to iTunes Media, start iTunes, test.
3. Close iTunes, create a folder called <Root>/iTunes, move library files (inc. Album Artwork) and media folder inside <Root>/iTunesand reconnect to the moved library, test.

tt2

Yea, it's in the "new" layout. I have had iTunes since version 7 or so, and even with 11, and having the file locations never change, it was still in the "old" format. But when I moved the media to the external drive it got updated.

So the library files should start in the root of the external drive, and not in the iTunes folder?

When I initially move the library files I should use the "Option" key command to locate the moved library files , and also do that at each step you outlined?

I back up regularly, so I'm not worried about data loss, I just want to make sure I do it right.

These are the folders currently in <Root>/iTunes on External drive:

Automatically Add to iTunes

Downloads

Mobile Applications

Movies

Music

TV Shows

Voice Memos

And in my iTunes folder in my User folder:

Album Artwork

And all of the library files:

iTunes Library Extras.itdb

iTunes Library Genius.itdb

iTunes Library.itl

iTunes Music Library.xml

Thanks again for the help!!!

Yes, the library files need to make a temporary stop in the root folder to get the "portable" shape of "a library folder containing the library files and a direct subfolder of the library folder designated as the media folder containing all the media". From there we use an undocumented "self-updating" feature to give the media folder its now-standard name of iTunes Media, and then use the portableness to move the library from the root folder where it may be mixed up with other stuff down into a self-contained iTunes folder.

At some point you should find that the most recently updated .xml file is called iTunes Library.xml, at which time delete iTunes Music Library.xml as it is no longer required.

tt2

And then the resulting structure of my external drive should be:

<Root>/iTunes/iTunes Media

Makes sense. Thanks for the help!!!

Yep, library files in iTunes, media in iTunes/iTunes Media. The steps along the way are needed to stop things breaking. If you jump to the end point in one go it generally doesn't work. I have repair tools for Windows, and iTunes may sometimes manage if everything is "just right", but the steps I've given should work without a hitch.

tt2

Sorry for the delay, it's E:\iTunes\iTunes Media