HT201625: Manage and back up your iTunes media library

Learn about Manage and back up your iTunes media library
Gayzo

Q: move and run Itunes to external harddrive on windows 10

woulkd like to move Itunes to my external drive and run it from there to free up space on my PC

iOS 9.2

Posted on Mar 26, 2016 8:17 AM

Close

Q: move and run Itunes to external harddrive on windows 10

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by hhgttg27,

    hhgttg27 hhgttg27 Mar 26, 2016 8:47 AM in response to Gayzo
    Level 5 (5,407 points)
    iTunes
    Mar 26, 2016 8:47 AM in response to Gayzo

    You should leave the iTunes application where it is, on the system drive.  You can, however, easily move your iTunes library to an external drive.  As long as your library is in the standard location and all your content is within the standard folders, you can copy the complete library structure (by default, C:\Users\username\Music\iTunes) to an external drive (putting it in the roots, as X:\iTunes if the external HDD is drive "X").  Then hold down SHIFT as you start iTunes and when you see this prompt:

    Shift-Start Dialog.jpg

    click on Choose Library... then navigate to and select the iTunes Library.itl file in X:\iTunes.

     

    See turingtest2's user tip on Make a split library portable for more details, including the steps you may need to follow if your current library is not self-contained.