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ITunes "add folders" needs to be fixed

I just had to move to new computer and the big trouble of moving iTunes. I have over 250+ iTunes movies and 5000+ music songs. The add folder option is not there in ituns. I have paid a boat load of money to apple for movies and music and now I manual have to add each file or re-download the files. A apple "get your head out of your a__". The point of having a digital file/copy is managing your own files like owning the cd/dvd. I should not have to re-download 2TB of digital files when I already have them. Add the "add folder" option back and make it scan all files. Manually ADDING files is not a solution it is just lazy programming on apples part.

Posted on Feb 9, 2016 10:02 AM

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Feb 9, 2016 10:41 AM in response to Potsie6039

The Add Folder to Library ... function is available via the File menu; if necessary, enable the menu bar by pressing Cttl-B (or select Show Menu Bar from the "mini menu" accessed using the little black/white square icon/dropdown at the top right of the iTunes window).


However, you shouldn't really be using this function to migrate your library from an old computer to the new one - you can (and should) move your complete library so that you not only retain access to your media but also to playlists, playcounts, ratings, etc. The following resources are relevant:


  • How to move your iTunes library to a new computer - Apple Support is the "official" guidance on this topic
  • Turningtest2's user tip on Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy describes a better / more robust method to copy the iTunes library from your old PC (typically to an external / USB hard drive) from which you can then copy it to your new PC
  • Tt2's user tip on Make a split library portable provides a lot more detail on the operations that may be needed to bring your library into the correct layout to make it fully portable between systems - the "official" guidance referred to above correctly references iTunes Consolidate Library function as part of this, but in some cases - particularly if you're using a non-standard way to store your media - additional info my be useful.


Once you've completed the migration process, make sure you create and maintain a complete backup of your library (I'd definitely recommend using SyncToy as described in the second reference above). With this process in place moving your library to a new PC becomes a simple and issue-free process.

ITunes "add folders" needs to be fixed

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