importing from old library

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importing from old library

Hi, I just bought a new macbook5k, and I would like to know the fastest, or the safest way of importing all my music in iTunes from my old macbook pro. My library is quite large, at about 600GB.

On my old MBP, I am running at the OS version before Yosemite. But my iTunes is up to date, to whichever the latest update that was. So will there be any compatibility issue? Or should I upgrade my OS to Yosemite first, and then somehow import my library to my new 5K?

Now on to the real question, how can I import it? I am thinking about dragging the library (the 'iTunes' folder under 'Music' in Finder) to an external hard drive. Then from there, copy and paste into my new desktop? So like I just mentioned earlier, version compatibility issue? How about the details to 'moving into the new laptop'? Do I simply just paste and replace the 'iTunes' folder on my new computer? Detailed steps will be greatly appreciated!

When I got my MBP years back, I remember doing a wireless transfer from my then even older macbook to the MBP--the problem with that was, the order it imported was by some weird segmented song name alphabetical order, which distorted all my ordering in the library. (I like to have everything sorted by create date, and because I obtain new songs by entire album, so it will look nice and everything is by imported date, by album) ... So someone please enlighten me on this route if I have to take it -- importing by album, not by song name alphabetical order ( I don't mind album order is messed up, as long as I see everything listed out by album, when I have create date sort selected).

Thank you.

iTunes 12.1.2.27

iOS 6.0.1

Posted on Jul 2, 2015 1:13 AM

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Answer 1

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Limnos

Level 10

411,121 points

Jul 2, 2015 5:46 AM in response to fatewheelC

Moving a library: Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its sub-folders 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 iTunes Library.itl file in the copied iTunes folder.

When this is to a new computer 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.)

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