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Pointing iTunes to network drive

I digitized all of my CDs on an exterior hard drive using iTunes. I have mounted the drive on my wireless network, but iTunes on my MacBook Pro does not see or play the music. How do I get past this roadblock and point it to the network drive?

MacBook Pro (13-inch Late 2011), iOS 8.3

Posted on Jun 20, 2015 3:15 PM

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3 replies

Jun 20, 2015 6:25 PM in response to SaratogaMike

You have to find the drive in Finder and add the media to your iTunes library. Do this by dragging the files/folders to an iTunes window or using the Add menu item in iTunes. This will also place a copy of the media in wherever you have designated as the Media folder location in iTunes preferences. If you do not want this to happen you should hold down the option key while dragging the items to iTunes. If you choose this option you should realize this can create problems down the line and unless you are intimately familiar with the way iTunes behaves most people should keep all their media in the place designated for media storage in preferences.

Jun 20, 2015 8:37 PM in response to Limnos

Thanks for the info. While I understand how to go into Advanced Preferences to change the iTunes Media Folder location, I don't know where to find the network drive in Finder where I can grab it. I can see it listed as a shared drives, but when I click on it, I'm not able to open it and use it as the location for iTunes. I'm sure there is something very basic and easy that I am doing wrong here, but it sure ain't obvious to me.

Jun 21, 2015 1:40 PM in response to SaratogaMike

All preferences does in terms of "pointing" is tell iTunes to store any new media added in that location. It does not get iTunes to scan a folder for media. That is what adding does.


The iTunes library is many files and folders all in the iTunes folder, just as a city library is many rooms and functions in one building. There are ways to move a library. or part of a library, to other locations but it has to be components already known to that library to exist. You don't tell iTunes there's a bunch of media files somewhere and to use those for the library except by adding them as I instructed earlier.

Pointing iTunes to network drive

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