Need help migrating iTunes library from PC to Mac

Question

Need help migrating iTunes library from PC to Mac

This is probably not the first "need to migrate iTunes library" question, and doubtless won't be the last. Nevertheless, I'm seeing multiple different methods to this, and with the current technology (I just got a 2012 iMac), I need to make sure that what I'm doing is appropriate for the current OS.

First of all, I'm trying to migrate my PC iTunes library (currently stored on external hard drvie) to my Mac's hard drive and still keep all the music/TV show/movie metadata, playlists, ratings, etc. It would be nice to keep play count and last played values, although I could do without these.

Now, Setup Assistant and Migration Assistant were the first thing I tried. They don't work. Period. I keep gettng some sort of error with the program preparing my data for transfer. So I'm resigned to transferring my data manually. My existing iTunes library is being organized by iTunes and I consolidated before I copied the files over.

For the iTunes library, I've seen three different articles with slightly different approaches:

http://myfirstmac.com/how-do-i-move-my-itunes-library-from-pc-to-mac-and-keep-my -settings-intact.html

http://lifehacker.com/242468/geek-to-live--how-to-move-an-itunes-library-from-a- pc-to-mac-and-back

http://www.macworld.com/article/1146958/move_itunes_windows_mac.html

I tried the method mentioned in the first link. I copied over my iTunes media, and then I copied over my iTunes Library.itl file. However, when I open iTunes, it doesn't "see" the library at all (although I'm given options to scan for the music and so on, but by doing this, won't it just end up rebuilding the library and thus losing my playlists and metadata??). I made sure that the iTunes library directory is the correct one, that the media files are were they are supposed to be (/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media) and the library file copied to /Music/iTunes. Of note, the iTunes Library.itl file does not seem to be recognized by Apple iTunes as a valid file, which makes me think that the article from myfirstmac.com was wrong.

Can someone tell me which of the above links I should be trying, or if there is another method that would work best with the current OS? Also, when I copy over the library files and start iTunes, shouldn't it just "see" the library and load up all the playlists without having to search for them again?

Please help me make my Christmas iMac dream come true. :-)

Thanks,
JB

iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012)

Posted on Dec 14, 2012 6:50 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 14, 2012 7:15 AM in response to Julian Bashir

Mac default iTunes music folder is

/Users/yourusername/Music/iTunes

I always copied the Windows iTunes contents inside that folder and I was ready to go.

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Answer 2

Dec 14, 2012 7:22 AM in response to Julian Bashir

Do not pay attention to ones telling you to change preferences or moving just your media folder. Your library is a whole set of files and folders.

iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music [library] to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527 - a somewhat bewildering and not always easily understandable set of options.

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 iTunes Library.itl file in the moved iTunes folder.

For the record there's this reference for iTunes 11 but it really doesn't strike me as having the specifics you need. iTunes 11 for Mac: Move your library to another computer - http://support.apple.com/kb/PH12168

Windows users see tip at: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4095896?answerId=18879381022#18879381022

If you put it in the default location of Macintosh HD > Users > *User Name* > Music then you don't even need to start with the option key held down, iTunes will automatically look for it there. (Make sure there isn't anything already in the iTunes folder there that you want to keep since you will be replacing it with the one you are moving.)

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Answer 3

Dec 14, 2012 8:52 AM in response to Limnos

Thanks. I looked at the first link, but I'm not entirely sure if its directions really apply to me. The only one that even looked close was the section under "External Drive." This appears to be written for a user who has his iTunes media files on an internal drive, and only moves it to the external drive for the purposes of the transfer. On my PC running windows vista, the iTunes library has *always* been on an external hard drive. This means that the library files are on my users/Julian/Music/iTunes subdirectory, and should be pointing to the files on my external hard drive. Now, what I am trying to do is copy my iTunes library from the PC external hard drive to the iMac's main (not external) hard drive, and I want iTunes to see that and keep my existing metadata, playlists, play counts, etc - thus, I would think that the library file needs to point to the Mac's internal hard drive.

Now, I have already copied the iTunes media files on my PC external hard drive to the default music location in my iMac, i.e. Music/iTunes/iTunesMedia. As I understood it, the library files should go in Music/iTunes. But (Question #1)... if I simply copy my existing PC library files to this location, will iTunes immediately recognize the library with all its existing playlists and metadata, or is there where I have to hit the Option(alt) key on startup to make it do that?

Question #2 is this - which of the iTunes library files do I need to copy over to accomplish what I am trying to do? There is a iTunes Library.itl file and an iTunes Music Library.xml file, as well as a directory for Album Art and some other files. According to the macworld link, I only have to copy over the iTunes Library.itl file, but somehow I'm not sure about this... because that link also said I had to delete the .itl extension but the default Mac iTunes Library file also has that extension, i.e. "iTunes Library.itl" Should I just copy over the entire iTunes directory contents to be safe?

Question #3: Will the mac be able work with these iTunes library files copied from PC? I ask because, when I copied over the iTunes Library.itl file, the icon for the file looked different somehow, like the OS was treating it as a different file type.

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Answer 4

Dec 14, 2012 9:07 AM in response to Julian Bashir

#1 Okay, you want it all back together on the Mac's internal drive, right? Follow the suggestions in: Make a split library portable - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3700206?answerId=17457605022#17457605022 Once you have it all back together on the external drive then it's a simple matter of copying the whole iTunes folder to the Mac.

#2 Ideally you copy all of them. The .itl file is the central library file but there are other files and folders involved with iTunes too.

What are the iTunes library files? - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1660

More on iTunes library files and what they do - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes#Media_management

What are all those iTunes files? - http://www.macworld.com/article/139974/2009/04/itunes_files.html

Where are my iTunes files located? - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1391

#3 Yes.

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Answer 5

Dec 14, 2012 10:35 AM in response to Limnos

Regarding making a "split library" portable, it seems all I really need to do is copy the media folder into the iTunes directory with the library files. Now, I've already copyied the media folder into the iTunes directory onto my mac. So... if I just copy the library files from the iTunes parent directory of my PC over to the iTunes parent directory on the mac, then that should have the same effect, right? Then, all I have to do is start iTunes with the option key pressed down?

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Answer 6

Dec 14, 2012 10:43 AM in response to Julian Bashir

I believe all you have to do is reunify the two groupings. I have not moved my library in 3 years and when I did it last time I needed to use a completly different process.

If something goes wrong you will still have the original files with which to try a different process. If it ends up with broken links then it may be possible to repair them all by finding one link and then let iTunes find all the other files based upon the same pattern.

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Answer 7

Dec 14, 2012 11:07 AM in response to Limnos

Thank you! thank you! thank you!

You were right -- all I had to do was reunite the iTunes media folder with the iTunes library files, then start iTunes with the alt/option key held down and select the iTunes directory. All my ratings, play counts, play lists, and lyrics appear to be preserved, from what I can see so far.

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