Itunes not responding, running extremely slow

I am having the same issue. It's horrible. Makes me not want to use it at all, which is a first! I tried to download an earlier version but my mac woudn't let me install it because I have a newer version. Is there a way around this in Terminal?

Tim

I encourage people to send feedback:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

From earlier in this thread:

This is from other people. Worked for me, anyway.

Download 12.3:

http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/download-review/1957301/apple-itunes-for-mac-1110

Then:

1. Open the Terminal
2. Run "sudo rm -r /Applications/iTunes.app"
3. Re-install iTunes

Also, be aware that when it asks for your password, the password won't be visible as you type it. After you type password, hit enter and iTunes should be deleted.

After I reinstalled 12.3.0.44, things worked as before. Note: I had to restart to my iMac before the version number in Finder matched the actual version number found by looking at "About iTunes" in the menu. Also, I then ran repair disk permissions via OnyX. It showed some problems w/ iTunes permissions, but those may or may not have been relevant to any of this problem.

Good luck and hope this helps.

Download 12.3:

*********

Then:

1. Open the Terminal
2. Run "sudo rm -r /Applications/iTunes.app"
3. Re-install iTunes

Also, be aware that when it asks for your password, the password won't be visible as you type it. After you type password, hit enter and iTunes should be deleted.

<Link Edited by Host>

I just sent Apple feedback through the form.

Right now iTunes 12.3.044 is gathering information about my library—again. It seems interminable, stuck at 2/3. It's like watching grass grow.

To the left of the dropdown menu in the upper right corner is a tiny cloud with diagonal stripes.

Not sure what you're seeing. It might be iTunes gathering Genius info to send to Apple. I know I had to wait for that to finish after I reverted before iTunes began working properly. One use to be able to Genius on/off in the Store menu, but now it only says "update Genius," so I'm not sure how to turn it off now.

Echo for this problem. I have a MacBook Air, 8Gb ram, i7 processor, so I don't believe it's caused by lack of hard ware. My library is relatively large (300Gb), and access via my home network, but with iTunes 11 it was ok (I wouldn't say fast, but it was useable) now with iTines 12 it is pretty much unuseable - 35 minutes to add tracks to the library, 17 minutes to add 10 tracks to my phone...

I am extremely unimpressed, but have not found a good solution so far.

I had same problem on late 2013 Mac Pro, all I can say is lucky it had a few cores, iTunes was sitting at 100+% and I tried everything, until I signed out of the store restarted and saw CPU usage had dropped to normal levels, then I signed into home sharing only and so far its running normally, course I haven't signed into the store yet, I am convinced that's where the problem is.

Having downgraded to iTunes 12.3.044, syncing my library with Apple Music stalls without end. For this reason I can't add playlists to My Music. Also, I have lost access to all the Apple Music playlists that I added to My Music previously.

To add insult to injury, iTunes 12.3.044 now refuses to play Apple Music playlists, displaying a message that my subscription has ended. I checked my account: my Family subscription is due for automatic renewal on October 30, 2015.

I'm sorely tempted to reconsider. Why would I want to be a paid subscriber to such a 'service'? Apple has seriously damaged my trust. You don't mess with the soundtrack to other people's lives.

I'm having the exact same problems! Glad to find out that others are experiencing the spinning beachball! I've never experienced this with iTunes before (sure I've had other problems; mostly related to syncing my iPhone; but never the "beachball of death").

Does anyone know if reverting to 12.3 causes problems with iPhones running iOS 9.1? I thought iTunes 12.3.1 was needed for the new iOS update?

This worked perfectly. Thanks!

I haven't tried downgrading yet, but nothing else seems to help. Found this curiosity on the console tonight 😕:

10/30/15 7:23:24.000 PM kernel[0]: process iTunes[823] thread 79730 caught burning CPU! It used more than 50% CPU (Actual recent usage: 74%) over 180 seconds. thread lifetime cpu usage 147.432514 seconds, (143.913733 user, 3.518781 system) ledger info: balance: 90004483048 credit: 147189931066 debit: 57185448018 limit: 90000000000 (50%) period: 180000000000 time since last refill (ns): 120539545295

I have all of the same symptoms as everyone else in this thread -- large library (200 gigs), everything worked perfectly until the last update, and now I see the spinning beachball every time I try to do anything in iTunes. I called Apple and was on the phone for 2 hours while two different technicians talked me through various procedures to clean out caches, repair permissions, etc. In the end I was told that my library was corrupted, and the suggestion was made that I should re-import all of my music... which is, of course, impossible. I am extremely frustrated!

Reverting to 12.3.044 really does help. Also, I've found iTunes performs far better (i.e. minimal beach ball and less choppy playback) when disabling preferences > parental controls > (podcasts + internet radio + itunes store + shared libraries), and disabling preferences > general > show apple music. Also, make sure your preferences > advanced > (check for new updates automatically) is OFF. Cmon, tech bros at apple- get off the foosball table and fix my **** music thingy!

After a few days wondering about what happened and reading all of the posts, and without access to change my iPhone music libraries (I use to do a t least, a monthly backup to my Mac), I tried something new.

First Stage

1) From Finder, move the original files (iTunes Library.xml + iTunes Library.xml) from Music<iTunes folder, for example to the Desktop

3) Open iTunes pressing Option key;

4) Select Criate New Library;

3) Now, iTunes open in a flash...

Second Stage

1) On Preferences < Advanced, make sure that the location of the music files are selected (on my case, an external drive with about 200Gb ou music);

2) Then, on File, select ⌘O (Add to Library) and point to the Music Folder, on my my case, the external drive, and let the iTunes "import" all the references;

3) Repeat this step for applications and podcasts.

Now, I have a perfect and normal iTunes app. Everything works on the fly, I can surf my music library in milliseconds and the applications, podcasts as well...

So, what's missing? The playlists course (in my case, more than 400...).

Third Stage - The Playlists

For this, I had 2 options:

1) Before start the First Stage, on File, select, Export the Playlists, save it to the Desktop for example, and now proceed to the import command;

2) Start from scratch all the playlists all over again... A patient job, no doubt...

I chose the second one, just in case (I only have album playlists and not customized ones, which helped my decision...).

Conclusion

The problem was, no doubt about it at least in my case, the original iTunes libraries, that came all the way from 2002 (originally created on a Windows PC...)...

Somehow, when I upgraded to 12.3.1.23, something went very, very, wrong and I confess, it was the first time ever.

iTunes is a mess, we all know that.

It started as a "play music app" (the best of the market with it's clean and minimalist UI) and ended an AI of some sort, all messed up, and desperately needed of mental therapy.

Apple need to fix it, and probably divide it into 2 or more distinct apps...

Now, it is almost an independent OS inside the OS X, and it´s a mess... Apple Music, didn't help either.