ljansse

Q: How to back up iTunes library

I am writing to find out how to make sure my iTunes library on my Mac is backed up to iCloud. I have an older MacBook Pro and want to make sure I have my music backed up in case the computer fails. I don't keep all my music on my other devices, such as my iPhone 6.

 

What are my options and what are the steps to make sure that my entire library is backed up in the event of a computer failure?

Thank you for any help!

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Jul 7, 2016 11:47 AM

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Q: How to back up iTunes library

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  • by Carolyn Samit,

    Carolyn Samit Carolyn Samit Jul 7, 2016 11:50 AM in response to ljansse
    Level 10 (120,569 points)
    Apple Watch
    Jul 7, 2016 11:50 AM in response to ljansse

    Make sure the MacBook Pro meets iCloud system requirements >  System requirements for iCloud - Apple Support

  • by donovanm21,

    donovanm21 donovanm21 Jul 7, 2016 11:59 AM in response to ljansse
    Level 1 (63 points)
    Servers Enterprise
    Jul 7, 2016 11:59 AM in response to ljansse

    Effectively you just need to ensure you have a full copy of the iTunes folder (Found in Home -> Music). I've used multiple machines in the past and want to keep my iTunes library with me on any machine and be able to sync my iPhone with any machine. Having the same iTunes library with you is the solution. I kept my iTunes library on an external drive and using the Option + Open iTunes method to select my library from my drive worked for me.

     

    On the cloud front, google provides 15GB free space on G-Drive. Possible solution for a growing library.

     

    Hope this helps.

  • by Rysz,

    Rysz Rysz Jul 7, 2016 12:19 PM in response to ljansse
    Level 7 (20,274 points)
    iTunes
    Jul 7, 2016 12:19 PM in response to ljansse

    iCloud is a syncing, not a backup service.

     

    You should make a backup of the entire iTunes folder from a Users > your user > Music folder. That's the only way to preserve not only your music files, but also all the additional metadata that iTunes stores in its database.

     

    This assumes your Advanced preferences for iTunes are to allow the app to copy all files and organize your media folder.

  • by Limnos,

    Limnos Limnos Jul 7, 2016 2:36 PM in response to ljansse
    Level 9 (53,665 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 7, 2016 2:36 PM in response to ljansse

    Do as Rysz instructs about backing up the iTunes folder on the computer. Copy it to another hard drive or a flash drive if you have one large enough.  iCloud is not a backup service.  Some items are quasi-backed up in iCloud but only to the extent that it is a purchase from Apple and it has not been removed from the store so they can still be re-downloaded.  This does not include your playlist structure or media you have from other sources such as CDs.  I guess you could try backing up to iCloud Drive but you would likely have to pay for additional storage and iCloud drive isn't really designed for backup.

     

    Your iPhone is not a backup device.  If you lost your computer and only had media on the iPhone the iPhone would refuse to even sync with your computer because you would have lost the iTunes library with which the iPhone identifies.