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iTunes won't load library from external HDD.

I'm a DJ in Miami. I have 1TB+ of music. I have it in my HDD that I've used for months with my Macbook Pro Retina. For some reason I opened iTunes a couple days ago before a gig & my HDD wasn't loaded to the library. I went into the preferences & chose my HDD again but when I click apply it just closes the window & nothing happens. My music & playlists won't show up. Everything is still on my HDD so I know that's not it. I even formatted my Macbook & installed a fresh copy of Mavericks hoping that would solve it but it won't work. I have a backup HDD as well but iTunes won't load it either.

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012), OS X Mavericks (10.9.4)

Posted on Jul 28, 2014 5:25 PM

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Posted on Jul 28, 2014 7:54 PM

Don't do it with preferences. Those only tell iTunes where you want to store media from this point on, not where to find old media. Start iTunes while holding down the option/alt key and choose the iTunes Library.itl file in the iTunes folder on the external. If there is no .itl file there then you do not have your entire library on the external drive, only media and the issue is different.


By the way, your external drive has to be on and mounted before you start iTunes or you have to redesignate the library location.

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Jul 28, 2014 7:54 PM in response to Mister Fontela

Don't do it with preferences. Those only tell iTunes where you want to store media from this point on, not where to find old media. Start iTunes while holding down the option/alt key and choose the iTunes Library.itl file in the iTunes folder on the external. If there is no .itl file there then you do not have your entire library on the external drive, only media and the issue is different.


By the way, your external drive has to be on and mounted before you start iTunes or you have to redesignate the library location.

Jul 28, 2014 8:24 PM in response to Mister Fontela

I think if you are using iTunes in a semi-professional capacity you need to learn how it works:


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


iTunes 9 [and later]: Understanding iTunes Media Organization - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3847


Image of folder structure and explanation of different iTunes versions (turingtest2 post) - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-7392


You will normally only have one .itl file. It is the library file, along with a smattering of support files and folders. Most of your files are just media files but it's the .itl that gives it all structure. The reason I can't answer your question is most people don't understand "library" has a specific meaning in iTunes. It isn't just media, it's the whole lot working together. Now some people split their library and keep the main files on the main drive, and media on the external. Better is to keep it all together, either on internal or external.


You should have a .itl file somewhere. Conceivably if your drive is corrupt or something weird happened then it might be gone. That's what backups are for. If nothing else you should have old copies of the library fro when you last upgraded iTunes. Did you do a spotlight search?


If your library file is really gone then you will have to build it again:


iTunes: How to re-create your iTunes library and playlists - http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1451

Jul 28, 2014 8:58 PM in response to Mister Fontela

Playlist information is stored entirely in the .itl and companion .xml files. Ratings, playcount and date added are only in the .itl file. iTunes default folder structure, if that is what you were using, does not have any playlist elements to it.


The files themselves should have tags for standard things such as artist, name, etc. unless you use WAV format in which case that information is only stored in the iTunes database file.

Jul 29, 2014 8:29 PM in response to Mister Fontela

I presume you mean your music was organized in playlists in the iTunes application window. It is possible, but unusual, to override iTunes media organization from its standard folder arrangement to one you impose, and I wanted to make sure you had not done that whereby you might have been able to use folder structure to create playlists. If you were using iTunes structure then all the information about your playlists was located only in those two library files that have been deleted. You have your media but all the library structure is lost, including the playlists. 😟


I don't suppose you had a backup? If you are a professional DJ it behooves you to buy a backup drive since drive failure is possible without warning such as during a gig. Personally I would keep the whole library (library files + media) on an external drive, plus a backup of that drive. (Plus another computer if you're worried about that component too -- I would be. When I do a paid music gig I always take spare strings and sometimes even a whole second instrument in case my primary gets damaged. I don't want to let down my band, or our clients.)


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

Nov 5, 2014 7:51 PM in response to Limnos

Thank you so much Limnos. This is the best summary of dealing with the iTunes libraries and all of its complex filing systems. Since iTunes is changing every season and MacBooks get outdated every few years, it has often been problematic and I have lost some important playlists in the past, and added mass amounts of music and duplicates that I didn't want.


I also keep my ridiculously large library on an external drive. I simply haven't had the time to begin to sort through the mess and get rid of all the junk I don't want.

When I upgraded to iTunes 12 last week, I made the mistake of not having my hard drive plugged in when I started up the new iTunes. None of my music library or playlists show up in the new iTunes. But, I didn't panic. I knew there was a simple solution to this, although it isn't something you can figure out by simply trying actions in the menu or preferences.


My biggest issue getting the right answers, is trying to find the correct forum discussion, I had to try about twenty different queries and sort through fifty links before I found this thread. Wished I had known this a few years ago !!!! Ever since the iphone, iTunes has become an extension of OSX rather than simply a way to play my music. Do you remember MacAmp? My friend wrote that software back before Apple turned it into iTunes 1.0, and we often just can't believe what it has become.


With your four links describing the key parts to the iTunes filing system, I do think that I may finally be able to do some tasks that I have been too scared to address and take charge of my media again. Thanks Again, and I do hope many others find this thread and end their suffering.

iTunes won't load library from external HDD.

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