Share iTunes library between two accounts on the same computer

Question

Level 1

0 points

Share iTunes library between two accounts on the same computer

I've recently purchased a new Macbook, and while we had one account on the old laptop, I've setup the new computer with accounts for us both. However, having used the same account for years on the old laptop and listening to all the same music, we want to share the same iTunes library and using home sharing isn't a good solution for us. If one of us adds a new album to the library, or updates the metadata I'd like those changes it to automatically show up for the other user.

The standard solution to this problem I've read online (and one that worked for me years ago when I tried it on an old iMac) is to move the iTunes Library to /Users/Shared/iTunes, update the permissions so both users have read / write access, and then select that as the iTunes library for both users.

Doing this _almost_ works, but of one account has iTunes running then trying to open it in the other account leads to a error message stating that the "iTunes Library.itl" file is locked.

I've looked online fairly extensively for a solution to this problem, but the articles I've found seem to reference older versions of Mac OS and iTunes (I'm running iTunes 12 on Mac OS 10.10) and none of them mention the locked "iTunes Library.itl" file problem.

iTunes 12.2.1.16-OTHER, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Sep 1, 2015 4:27 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Limnos

Level 10

411,193 points

Sep 1, 2015 5:42 AM in response to joshmaker

The .itl file generates the lists you see when you open iTunes. Nothing has changed in that regard with any version of iTunes. All versions rely upon opening the iTunes Library.itl file for read and write status and this can only be opened by one copy of iTunes at a time. In that regard there is no "solution" to this issue. You either have to remember to quit iTunes before switching users or use a method where you have separate .itl files but then remember to keep each updated relative to the other. In this regard in fact all you have to do is copy the .itl file when a user updates something and have that copy used by the other user (still a bit finicky but maybe better than having to remember which items you need to add and which ones were deleted, etc.)

Reply