Insanely slow typing in iTunes search box

iTunes has two search modes. Click the magnifying glass in the search box and make sure Search Entire Library is not ticked for best performance.

Otherwise for general advice see Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates.

The steps in the second box are a guide to removing everything related to iTunes and then rebuilding it which is often a good starting point unless the symptoms indicate a more specific approach. When reinstalling right click on the downloaded setup file and use run as administrator.

Review the other boxes and the list of support documents further down the page in case one of them applies.

The further information area has direct links to the current and recent builds in case you have problems downloading, or want to revert to an older version if the current one won't work properly for you at the moment.

Your library and device backups should be unaffected by these steps but there are links to backup and recovery advice should it be needed.

tt2

TT2 to the rescue again! Thanks so much, you've helped me with one of the most annoying problems I had with iTunes lately. Quick question: what's the difference between the two modes, with "Search entire library" checked and unchecked? I'm under the impression that both still search your entire library, but clearly I must be mistaken because this makes no sense. Where is "Search entire library" actually searching?

Search entire library returns content from the whole library, across all media types, in a graphic overlay which can then be used to add items to Up Next or a playlist. The other mode filters down the current view or playlist to show matching items. Search entire library seems to be the slower of the two modes, and isn't what I normally want when I'm managing my library.

tt2

That's without "entire library" ticked.

My library is large (about 17,000 songs). However this has not increased that much since I noticed the search bar problem appear. I cannot remember which version I had when it was all OK.

Are you on the current build (12.7.1) now? If not I'd start with a full tear down and then install that version. Otherwise it may be just one more aspect of the never ending puzzle that is iTunes.

Is there any real need to switch the filter from All to Artist? Most of the time you're likely to end up with the same results.

FWIW I've just tried it here and I cannot tell the difference, although oddly I noticed that the status bar can take up to 15 seconds to refresh the count even though the results are already on screen. 😮😕

tt2

Yes I am on 12.7.1.14.

Come to think of it, I didn't remove iTunes completely as I wasn't sure it would add the whole iTunes library back in correctly. I spent a lot of time getting artwork, inserting missing information about songs etc. Will that info be preserved if I uninstalled iTunes completely?

I switched it to "all" on the search bar. However on the side bar on the left there is a choice of library; recently added, artist, album, song etc So I have to choose something and there is no "all" option. I hope that is clear. My workaround for now is not to select "artist" on the sidebar. Its strange though.

Yes, the library is preserved though the tear down and rebuild process.

You do have a backup don't you? If not you'll find advice on how to make one at one of the links.

I generally work in Recently Added or Songs. Easy to forget there are other places that act as the default view for other users. 😊

tt2

Your simple solution of clicking on the magnifying glass and unchecking the "search entire library" option has not only stopped the insane lags in typing but it has also meant that I now get an instant shortlist of what I'm searching for, rather than the very annoying and confusing list that I had before.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

I tried this, but it did not help. Windows 10 and iTunes are updated, and syncing is turned off, but typing in search box is still painfully slow.

That's more or less what I thought, good to understand the full process now though. Agreed about this new default search not being what I'm looking for when searching though. Cheers, buddy : ).

You're welcome. 🙂

tt2

I tried all those steps and it is still ridiculously slow appearing on the search bar as I type when selecting "Artist". It seems to be OK when I select by other categories.

Is that with or without Search Entire Library ticked? Do you have a particularly large library?

tt2

Hi,

No, no backup of iTunes, but I will do before I uninstall. Is that needed to restore my information or is it just in case?