Moving iTunes to new Computer - Windows 8.1

Ideally you should copy the complete iTunes library structure - typically located at C:\Users\username\Music\iTunes - from the old computer to the new one. It should look like this:

Assuming that your music and other media files are all contained within the iTunes Media folder and its subfolders you can move this iTunes folder and all its content from your old system to the corresponding location on the new one (i.e., place it in C:\Users\username\Music). If you've already installed and run iTunes on the new system, overwrite the files and folders already created in that location - this assumes that you've not added any content on the new system, i.e., you are just migrating your library from the old system to the new one, not merging different libraries on the two).

Then, just to be sure you are picking up the right library information, hold down the Shift key while starting iTunes on the new system. You'll get this prompt:

Click Choose Library.. then navigate to and select the iTunes Library.itl file within the folders you just copied across. Click OK - you're complete library - media, artwork, playlists, etc. - should now be available on the new system.

One further benefit of this approach - because you have replicated the library in full any iDevices will see this as "the same" library as you had on the old system, and sync operations will continue to work without getting a message about your iPod / iPhone being erased. You should also make sure that you create and maintain a backup of your library (the full folder structure as illustrated above) as a safeguard against any future cause of data loss.

You're welcome 🙂

hi there, this sounds like it could help me. i'm not sure what I've done. I set up my new laptop and installed iTunes and then copied my iTunes folder from my external hard drive to the laptop, and now when I try to open ITunes it gives me a message The file iTunes Library itl cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes.

i'm not sure what to do now? would I be best just removing iTunes and the iTunes folder and just starting over? appreciate your help

If you're actually running an earlier version of iTunes on your new laptop than on your on the system from which you copied your library, you should update the laptop to the same - or later - version.

Otherwise, the "iTunes Library itl cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes" error may be indicative of corruption in the database file. It may be worth copying the iTunes Library.itl file from your old system (typically located in C:\Users\username\Music\iTunes) to your new laptop again (just in case there was a simple error in the copy process); then hold down Shift as you start iTunes, when you get this prompt:

click on Choose Library..., navigate to and select the iTunes Library.itl file that you just copied, and click Open. This would eliminate the possibility that iTunes is picking up a different (and invalid) copy of the library file on startup.

If this doesn't resolve the issue, see turingtest2's notes on Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash.

thanks very much that's a great help

You're welcome - let us know if and when you resolve the problem!

"So, do you know what will happen when I try to sync my ipad? Previously it has told me that the ipod can only be synced with one computer. So will it erase everything and download everything again?"

Assuming that you copied the complete library, including the database, any iDevice should see this as the same library as you were using before and will not erase prior content. The in-built limitation is that an iDevice cannot be synced with more than one library, not computer (though without careful control over migration of the data this can easily go wrong). I can't verify this directly for the iPad (or other iOS devices) but this is certainly true for "traditional" iPods.