Shaheer42

Q: I moved iTunes library to new computer. Now it duplicates all songs

Hi. I moved my iTunes library from my old computer to my new one, according to the instructions provided in this link:

How to move your iTunes library to a new computer - Apple Support

The way I add my songs to the library, is by selecting the "Add folder to Library" option under "File". The music appearing in the iTunes library on my new computer is, I believe, the Music which is present in the iTunes media folder. I don't know whether there used to be these songs in the iTunes media folder in my previous laptop before I followed the instructions above.

But this is not the folder I use to keep my music in. I keep it in a separate music folder. I had such a folder in the previous computer, and have one in the new one as well.The iTunes in the previous computer used to know about this folder. So, if I used to get some new music, I would simply put it in this folder of my computer, and I would go to iTunes and go to the add folder to library option, and select this folder, and it would automatically add any new music files.

But I separately copied this folder to my new computer. So now my new computer has the exact same songs, in a similar folder. But I added some new songs to this folder, and I wanted to add these. And now when I selected the add folder to library option, it started duplicating all the songs, and adding the to the library. I cancelled the process midway, but I still have duplicates of all songs.

I don't know whether this is some bug, but I think by what I did in the above mentioned instructions, it was going to this. But is there any solution?

What I basically want is that I just simply add songs to my separate music folder, and use the "Add folder to Library" option to add all these songs to the library. But, I do not want to erase all the previous music data. I mean I have my playlists and other data like the number of times each song has been played in the iTunes media folder, which I got from the previous computer, so I would not like to make a new one.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

Posted on Jul 12, 2015 11:12 AM

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Q: I moved iTunes library to new computer. Now it duplicates all songs

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  • by turingtest2,Helpful

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 12, 2015 1:27 PM in response to Shaheer42
    Level 10 (87,068 points)
    Apple TV
    Jul 12, 2015 1:27 PM in response to Shaheer42

    Hopefully the library is still intact on the original computer. I have tools for deduplicating, but better not to have to use them and I suspect from what you've said that the current library on new computer is missing ratings, play counts, and playlists.





    Migrate an iTunes library from one computer to another

    These are two possible approaches that will normally work to move an existing library to a new computer.

     

    Method 1

    1. Backup the library with this User Tip.
    2. Deauthorize the old computer if you no longer want to access protected content on it.
    3. Restore the backup to your new computer using the same tool used to back it up.
    4. Keep your backup up-to-date in future.

     

    Method 2

    Connect the two computers to the same network. Share your <User's Music> folder from the old computer and copy the entireiTunes library folder into the <User's Music> folder on the new one. Again, deauthorize the old computer if no longer required.

     

    Both methods should give the new computer a working clone of the library that was on the old one, with ratings, play counts, playlists etc. preserved. As far as iTunes is concerned this is still the "home" library for your devices so you shouldn't have any issues with iTunes wanting to erase and reload.

     

    I'd normally recommend method 1 since it establishes an ongoing backup for your library and unlike copying with Windows Explorer the process can be resumed if it is interrupted and it will continue to the next item if there are any read/access errors.

     

    Note if you have iOS devices and haven't moved your contacts and calendar items across then you should create one dummy entry of each in your new profile and iTunes should  merge the existing data from the device.

     

    If your media folder has been split out from the main iTunes folder you may need to do some preparatory work to make it easier to move. See Make a split library portable.


    If you've already copied over your media folder you may be able to copy over the bits that you left behind the first time and put everything together the way it should be, it depends in part on whether or not you let iTunes manage the files, and have made the same choice on both machines.

     

    Should you be in the unfortunate position where you are no longer able to access your original library or a backup of it then seeRecover your iTunes library from your iPod or iOS device for advice on how to set up your devices with a new library with the maximum preservation of data.

     

    tt2

  • by Shaheer42,

    Shaheer42 Shaheer42 Jul 12, 2015 1:54 PM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 12, 2015 1:54 PM in response to turingtest2

    Thanks for replying, but I think that you did not fully understand my problem, perhaps because I did not explain it carefully. Let me do that again.

    I have already copied the whole iTunes folder from the previous computer to the new one by connecting them to the same network and all, but the thing is that the iTunes on my new computer currently has music from the iTunes media folder. This same music is in my own separate self created music folder. If I add my own self created music folder into the library, iTunes will duplicate all the files, as of course iTunes does not know that these are the same files as the ones in the iTunes media folder. I think that it started taking the music from the iTunes media folder when I enabled the option "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library". I was asked to go to this link "Back up your iTunes library by copying it to an external drive - Apple Support" by this link "How to move your iTunes library to a new computer - Apple Support" when I was trying to shift my library. And now I do have ratings, playlists etc. on my new computer, but the only thing I want is that I be able to add new songs to my music folder, and then add this music folder to the iTunes library without it duplicating. I think for now if I do want to add songs I will have to copy each song to the "Automatically Add to iTunes" folder located in the iTunes media folder.

    I hope that I am clear this time, if not then ask me to elaborate even more. I do understand that this situation is rather complicated perhaps

  • by turingtest2,Helpful

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 12, 2015 2:12 PM in response to Shaheer42
    Level 10 (87,068 points)
    Apple TV
    Jul 12, 2015 2:12 PM in response to Shaheer42

    An iTunes library is formed from a library database, some supporting files and the media. If you copy the library properly from one computer to another there is no need to import any content on the new system. Everything will already be listed, and will play. If you use the standard layout for your library it all works easily, copy entire iTunes folder from <User's Music> on source into <User's Music> on target, then install iTunes. If you've already installed iTunes you can delete the empty library before copying. If your library is in a non standard layout you can copy the library files over and you should copy the media folder(s) over to exactly the same paths they were on the source computer, otherwise the library will be full of broken links. Or you can use my Make a split library portable tip to convert the source library into the ideal shape for easy transfer.

     

    For some advice on duplicates see Re: How can I delete duplicates all at once. If you add media from a folder outside the designated media folder when copy files is active then you generate copies.

     

    tt2

  • by Shaheer42,

    Shaheer42 Shaheer42 Jul 12, 2015 2:45 PM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 12, 2015 2:45 PM in response to turingtest2

    Please just tell me, is there any way of telling iTunes that the songs inside the iTunes Media folder are the same as the one located in my separate music folder?

    I read a little of your making a split library portable article, and I found some things you might want to consider before answering ^this^ question.

    "...then you need to remember to consolidate the media that is stored in the wrong location..." What really does consolidate mean? I may sound dumb asking this, but just tell me if this can somehow help me. I read a definition of this word, and it said that it means to combine multiple things into one. So can I use this feature somehow to make my iTunes Media Folder's songs the same as the songs in my own music folder?

    "...users will move the entire working library to a new location and then connect to it there..." Does this means that users do move library's media to other places and they somehow connect it and the library still keeps functioning as it used to?

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 12, 2015 3:06 PM in response to Shaheer42
    Level 10 (87,068 points)
    Apple TV
    Jul 12, 2015 3:06 PM in response to Shaheer42

    iTunes doesn't have a built-in deduping system, nor does it have an automatic way to switch the connections from one path to another. It may well be easiest to start over from scratch. At the very least explain the shape of the library on the original computer in terms of the location of iTunes Library.itl file and the location of media, and tell me what you have copied from where to where. There may a way to cut down the data that needs to copied again.

     

    In iTunes consolidate means to copy any item located outside of the named media folder into the media folder and then update the library so that it points to the new copy. Cleaning up the originals is a manual task.

     

    tt2

  • by Shaheer42,

    Shaheer42 Shaheer42 Jul 12, 2015 3:59 PM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 12, 2015 3:59 PM in response to turingtest2

    You are asking me to explain what my library was in the original computer. Honestly, I do not know what more I can explain. Just go through whatever I have written above, and you should find an answer. Or well, let me just do some of it again. I do not really know what was going on in my iTunes media folder previously on my old computer. I never used to check that, and you can say that I did not even really know that it existed. I do not know what used to be the location of any file over there, but at least after I followed the steps given in this article "How to move your iTunes library to a new computer - Apple Support", the location of iTunes Library.itl was I think obviously in the iTunes media folder, that is located inside "My Music", that is located inside "Libraries". I see no reason for this to change throughout the whole process though, in either computer, and I think that it should always be the same. But then again, I'm not you, and I of course don't know much.

    Anyways, the location of the media was in another different folder, in a different drive. Let us, for ease, call this "Folder X", so that I do not have to say "my own personal music folder that I created myself" again and again . This folder was created by myself. I do not know whether the songs present in this folder were also present in the iTunes media folder as well previously, but they did appear there after I selected the "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library" option.

    I copied two things from my old computer to the new computer. Firstly, I copied Folder X in my old computer, to my new computer. Let us call the Folder X present in the new computer be called "Folder Y". Folder X and Folder Y are the same, but Folder X is in the previous computer and Folder Y is in the new computer.

    Then I ticked the option "Copy files to iTunes Media folder when adding to library" and consolidated the files (though I did delete the original files) in my old computer. iTunes took a long time where it said that it was copying songs.

    When all above was done, my songs were appearing in the iTunes media folder in the previous laptop. I copied this whole folder, and took it to the same location (\Users\username\Music\) in my new computer. Then I opened iTunes and it had all the songs from the iTunes Media Folder listed over there.

    Then I added some songs to Folder Y, and went to add Folder Y to iTunes. I wanted just the new songs to come into the library, as all the other songs were already there. But instead, every song of Folder Y started to come. As Folder Y and iTunes Media Folder had the same songs, it appeared as if every song is duplicating. In reality, iTunes did not know that the songs of Folder Y are the same as the iTunes Media Folder, which is why it started adding them all.

    Now do you have a solution?

    Ask me anything you want, and I will answer. I want to get this done.

  • by hhgttg27,

    hhgttg27 hhgttg27 Jul 12, 2015 4:15 PM in response to Shaheer42
    Level 5 (5,440 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 12, 2015 4:15 PM in response to Shaheer42

    The directions provided in How to move your iTunes library to a new computer - Apple Support are based on your library being consolidated before you start to migrate data (this is actually stated in one of the references at the start of that page - Back up your iTunes library by copying it to an external drive - Apple Support).

     

    As you've discovered, the procedure is highly likely to fail if your media files are not located in the default iTunes Media folders, or in another location that has the same file/folder structure.  As described in tt2's user tip on Make a split library portable an iTunes library with this structure:

    Well Formed Library.jpg

    (or any variation where the relationship between the iTunes Library.itl file and the iTunes Media folder is preserved) is simple to move between storage devices or between computers.  Any other layout is far more difficult to replicate, as the links to media files in the iTunes database will work only if they are exactly the same on the new computer as they were on the old one.

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 12, 2015 6:25 PM in response to Shaheer42
    Level 10 (87,068 points)
    Apple TV
    Jul 12, 2015 6:25 PM in response to Shaheer42

    I was hoping for specific paths so I could be specific in my response, particularly since all you need to know is given in a generalised form in the user tip. Folder X will do if we're certain we mean the same things, but if you had said "on the old computer all my media is in D:\Music" then I would be able to tell you that you need to make sure your copy on the new computer is also seen as drive D: and that you should set the media folder under Edit > Preferences > Advanced to D:\Music. It is also best to turn off the options Keep... and Copy... if there is anything non-standard about your library.

     

    I'll assume that on both computers the library is stored at C:\Users\<User>\Music\iTunes although in some cases Music can be shown as My Music or <User>'s Music.

     

    If you're trying, at least for now, to simply replicate the working library from the old computer to the new one then on the new computer rename the iTunes folder in your music folder as Not iTunes. You can then copy the iTunes folder from the old computer into the new one again, launch iTunes, correct the media folder to D:Music, or whatever Folder X/Y is really called, and turn off the options for keep & copy for now.

     

    This should give you a working library on the new computer, with all of your media visible and no duplicates. You can, if needed, use File > Add Folder to Library to add any new content from the media to the library in a way that won't create duplicates since iTunes is now connected to the files in the active media folder.

     

    You can at this point discard Not iTunes as it is no longer needed. It is up to you whether or not you want to enable Keep... and Copy... options. For clarity Keep... tells iTunes to rearrange what is inside the media folder according to the tag properties, Copy... tells it to make local copies of anything added that is outside the media folder. For most users having both enabled leaves the least housekeeping and the best chance when they move their library they will have all of their content. Long term I would suggest manipulating the library into a portable layout that is easy to backup and migrate in future

     

    tt2

  • by Shaheer42,

    Shaheer42 Shaheer42 Jul 13, 2015 4:59 AM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 13, 2015 4:59 AM in response to turingtest2

    LOL. I kept all my music in D:\Shaheer42\Music. In my new computer I don't have a D Drive. I only have a C Drive, and now my Music is located in C:\Shaheer42\Music. For your information, also, this computer is 64 bit, while the previous one was 32 bit, if this makes any difference.

    And yes, the library is stored at C:\Users\<Username>\Music\iTunes on both the computers. The <User> however is different on both computers, if that makes any difference.

    So I guess that I cannot do what you said above, right? Because there is no D Drive in my computer. Well is there any other alternative?

    Or if not, then I guess that I will switch to the standard iTunes library. So how can I do this? Can I make a shortcut of the "Automatically add to iTunes" folder, and place this in C:\Shaheer42\Music. And then whatever song I place in C:\Shaheer42\Music, I will simply make a shortcut of this song, and place it in the shortcut I just created for the "Automatically add to iTunes" folder. Will this make it work? And also, to do this, will I need to have the Keep... and Copy... options enabled, or is it optional with other advantages you described above? I think that I can keep the Copy... option disabled, and then if I need to move my library ever again, I can simply turn it on, and it will copy everything to the Media Folder, right? So there is no real point in keeping it on for now. It will just waste space. Does it make any difference whether I turn it on now, or whether I turn it on when I'm about to shift my library?

    And could you please explain again what the Keep... option does? I did not understand that.

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 13, 2015 5:59 AM in response to Shaheer42
    Level 10 (87,068 points)
    Apple TV
    Jul 13, 2015 5:59 AM in response to Shaheer42

    We're back to "If I were you I wouldn't start from here".

     

    Fixing the library on the original computer into a portable shape, then copying over the whole thing is probably still the simplest approach.

     

    Using the Automatically Add to iTunes folder will always create new entries in your library, ratings, play counts, and playlist membership belong to the older entries. Tidying up is a chore.

     

    You could open a command prompt and type in SUBST D: C:\ <Enter/Return> which makes drive C: appear on both drive letters. Assuming D: isn't already being used by something else. If it is you could reassign drive letters using the diskmgmt.msc control panel. Once this is in place copying over the old library files to the new computer as suggested before would work, but leave you with the same split library and a bonus replica drive to worry about. It would mean however that you could follow some advice on fixing the split library on the new computer instead of having to do it on the old one.

     

    In terms of making the library portable the current media folder as far as the library is concerned is D:\Shaheer42\Music. Make this folder exist on the new computer using the SUBST command, or alternatively make this set of changes on the old computer.

     

    Start iTunes, use Edit > Preferences > Advanced to set the media folder to D:\Shaheer42\Music if it isn't already, turn off Keep & Copy, click OK. Close iTunes. Wait for it to finish saving files. Copy the 5 library files, and the Album Artwork folder into D:\Shaheer42, then shift-start-iTunes (by this I mean click the iTunes icon and immediately hold down the shift key, keep holding until prompted to choose or create a library) and choose the library file D:\Shaheer42\iTunes Library.itl. Make sure the media folder is still listed correctly and that media plays. Close iTunes and rename the folder D:\Shaheer42\Music as D:\Shaheer42\iTunes Media. Start iTunes. Check it is working. Close iTunes. Now either rename D:\Shaheer42 as D:\iTunes, or make a new folder D:\iTunes and move the 5 library files, Album Artwork and iTunes Media folders inside it. Shift-start iTunes and open D:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl. Close iTunes.

     

    If you've made these changes on the new computer use SUBST /D to delete the substituted drive letter, then shift-start-iTunes and open it from C:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl.

     

    If you've made these changes on the old computer copy the library files and Album Artwork folder over to the new computer into C:\iTunes and move the folder C:\Shaheer42\Music inside C:\iTunes then rename it as C:\iTunes\iTunes Media. Shift-start-iTunes and open it from C:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl.

     

     

     

     

    The Keep... option rearranges files inside the media folder when you make changes to their tags. For example if you had an album called Greatest Hits (Bonus Tracks) which you decide you now want to call simply Greatest Hits then if Keep... is enabled the name of the folder holding the album will be updated. If Keep... is turned off the files stay in the same place.

     

     

     

     

    tt2

  • by Shaheer42,

    Shaheer42 Shaheer42 Jul 13, 2015 1:45 PM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 13, 2015 1:45 PM in response to turingtest2

    What exactly will the process you have told above do? I mean this process:

    "You could open a command prompt and type in SUBST D: C:\ <Enter/Return>.......Shift-start-iTunes and open it from C:\iTunes\iTunes Library.itl."

    I mean what will be the end result? What will I get in the end? I think it will be that my current music folder, that is C:\Shaheer42\Music would now be located in the iTunes Media Folder in my new computer, and I will still have my library working. Is that correct? I think so. But what is the point of that? I already have my entire iTunes library in my new computer, along with the ratings, play lists and all songs in the new laptop. This all is already located in the iTunes media folder. What I wanted was to be able to add songs to C:\Shaheer42\Music, and then go to the "Add folder to library" option in iTunes, then select C:\Shaheer42\Music, and then the new songs would appear in the library, and the songs already in the library would not replicate. Will the process you told be able to do this?

    Oh, and is my library already not portable? I think it is. I mean everything that is related to my library in the previous computer was available in the iTunes media folder after i selected the Copy... option in iTunes. What is the difference between such a library and a portable library? I mean all I would have to do to take it to another computer would be to copy the C:\Users\<User>\Music\iTunes folder in the previous computer, and paste it at C:\Users\<User>\Music in the new computer.

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 13, 2015 2:09 PM in response to Shaheer42
    Level 10 (87,068 points)
    Apple TV
    Jul 13, 2015 2:09 PM in response to Shaheer42

    The command I've suggested temporarily makes the C: drive also appear as drive D:

     

    An iTunes library is portable if the library files are in one folder, normally called iTunes, and the media files are inside as subfolder of the first one, typically called iTunes Media, and also designated in the preferences as the media folder.

     

    If the library is in a portable shape it can be moved to a new path and iTunes will still be able to locate the media. If it isn't in a portable shape then the media needs to be on matching paths to the previous system. Using the SUBST command would allow for this. Fixing the shape of a working library is mush easier than fixing things when they are broken, though that is another approach. Are the files in your music folder set out in artist & album folders below that or have you used some other naming scheme?

     

    tt2

  • by Shaheer42,

    Shaheer42 Shaheer42 Jul 14, 2015 3:36 AM in response to turingtest2
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 14, 2015 3:36 AM in response to turingtest2

    In my music folder, there are no sub folders. Each and every song from every artist an album is displayed on the same page. Its completely different from that of iTunes Media Folder.

    And I meant to ask where would I get in the end if I follow your process? Like where would my music folder be located, and will I still have a replicate drive? And you know, my library is portable. I have said this many times before as well, I just copied the iTunes folder from the previous computer to the new one, and that brought all of my media here. But all this media was located in the iTunes media folder, and I wanted iTunes to realize that the media in C:\Shaheer42\Music is the same as that in the iTunes Media Folder.

  • by turingtest2,

    turingtest2 turingtest2 Jul 14, 2015 4:40 AM in response to Shaheer42
    Level 10 (87,068 points)
    Apple TV
    Jul 14, 2015 4:40 AM in response to Shaheer42

    By portable I mean that you can move or copy the library from one computer/drive/path to another without damaging the links between the library and the media. iTunes expects every track to stay at exact the same place, unless you're moving a portable library around. There is no easy way to tell iTunes to swap from looking for a file at say D:\Shaheer42\Music\<Filename>.<Ext> to C:\Shaheer42\Music\<Filename>.<Ext>. That said my FindTracks script started life as something that did just that. I may be able to resurrect an older version of it.  One of the problems is that when a script asks iTunes where a missing file is it comes back with an empty string, so swapping links from one path to another only works when the library can "see" the tracks on both paths. Using the SUBST command would help with this.

     

    As I understand it all your media is in a flat folder layout at C:\Shaheer42\Music, but It used to be at D:\Shaheer42\Music on the old system. What state is the library in on the new computer at the moment? All broken links or broken links and duplicates that work, or something else?

     

    tt2

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