my iPhone 5s is currently synced with my home computer (family computer) iTunes. i now have my own macbook pro and want to connect it to that library. i've made my new apple ID which is connected with iTunes on my laptop. I don't care if the music gets deleted, because im downloading new music on my laptop, but i need to keep the photos and apps and ringtones and contacts and everything else! i plugged it in and pressed sync but it said it will erase it and put on everything from my iTunes, i've backed it up to my laptop so i think my apps are on my laptop but im unsure whether everything else is too?
Welcome to the Support Communities! First of all, congratulations on acquiring your new MacBook Pro! It sounds like you are really asking about two different questions here ...
1) How to move your iTunes library from your family computer to your new MacBook Pro so that you can sync to it.
2) How to retain all of the information that was in iCloud (contacts, calendars, photos, etc.) on your new computer.
Did you have your own Apple ID when you were using your family computer? If so, you don't need to create a new one just because you got a new computer. You can just sign into iCloud on your MacBook Pro with your old Apple ID.
Did you have your own User Account on your family computer? If so, you could copy your home folder (contains your documents, photos, music, etc.) to your new computer.
I'm going to include some basic information to get started here. Hopefully one of these scenarios will work for you.
When you get a new computer, you can move your iTunes library so that you can play your media on and sync with your new computer.
Before you begin
Make a new backup of your iTunes library or update your existing backup before you move it. Even if you already have a backup of your iTunes library, this step makes sure you capture any changes and makes the process easier.
Use an external drive
If you're using this method on a Mac:
From the Finder menu, choose Preferences.
Make sure that the boxes next to "External disks" and "Hard disks" are enabled.
Part 1: Install iTunes
Download and install the latest version of iTunes.
Part 2: Move any new content
If you’ve used iTunes on your new computer, move your media to a new folder. This will keep anything you added to your new computer separate from your old library. These files can be added back to your library in Part 4.
Part 3: Copy the iTunes backup from your old computer
To copy all of your media files, including the library file that holds all your playlists and other settings, to your new computer:
Locate the following folder on your new computer.
Mac: Choose Go > Home from the Finder menu bar. Double click the Music folder.
Drag the iTunes folder in this location onto the desktop. Mac: From the Music folder to the Desktop:
Part 4 (optional): Add back new content
Copy the iTunes Media folder you created in Part 2 into the "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder inside the iTunes Media folder you copied in Part 3. iTunes will automatically import the content.
If you used iCloud with your old computer for syncing, set up iCloud on your new computer.
If you will continue to use your old computer, recreate your iTunes library. This prevents an iOS device from seeing the old computer as the new one because of the old library files.
No. You can't merge two or more Apple IDs into a single one. You can, however, use one Apple ID for iCloud services and another Apple ID for Store purchases (including iTunes in the Cloud and iTunes Match). See “Using one Apple ID for iCloud and a different Apple ID for Store Purchases” for details.
I have purchased music, apps, or books with multiple Apple IDs. How can I get all of this content onto my iOS device?
First, copy all of your purchased content so that it's on the same Mac or PC with iTunes. This computer should be the one you sync your device with.
Next, authorize your computer to play content with each Apple ID in iTunes. After your computer is authorized for all of your content, it can be synced to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.
The easiest way to avoid this is to simply copy the old library to the new computer.
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. Hold down the option (alt) key (shift on Windows) and open iTunes. At the prompt to create or choose a library choose the copied iTunes folder.
If this is to a new computer and you put the copied iTunes folder 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.)
The challenge I have is that the iTunes library is too large for my MacBook Pro. I have the library on a home server. I've been unable to sync for fear of losing something when the prompt says the iphone needs to be erased to sync. I thought I read in the forums that you could simply backup the phone, let it get erased, and then restore from the backup. Does that really work? I know restoring works but I mean does restoring from a backup allow the iphone to sync to a new computer yet not lose anything? Thanks.
