iTunes 12.7.1.14 has deleted all my music

Thanks Limnos, but this does not work for me as itunes has DELETED the file content of my music folder on my macbook pro which I find outrageous.

I can go back to a previous library, but that is just an index without any functioning link. I cannot locate any files as the have been deleted by itunes.

400+ Albums. Deleted. Even my manually added artwork for the album covers are deleted in the corresponding file.

All what is left are some itunes bought albums, but not even ALL of them remain.

Luckily I have a backup on an external hard drive, but that is actually not the point.

I guess the only other option is to go trough timemachine.

ASC user turingtest2 help document: Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash - https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6561

If you don't see your entire library after you update iTunes on your Mac or PC - https://support.apple.com/kb/HT203225

Sept. 2016 - https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7690304 - you may also need to sign into iCloud again.

Try Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash. The iCloud Music Library option might only be present if you are signed into your Apple ID and you have a subscription to iTunes Match or Apple Music. Have you checked in the media folder of your library to see if the media files are still present. Is your library in the standard path of <User's Music>/iTunes or elsewhere?

tt2

Did Limnos suggestion work for you?
I have the same problem, but iTunes has definitely deleted my music/media folder content. Just a few iTunes store bought albums are left, but not even those are complete.

I hope you have a back up through timemachine or on an external hard drive. You could just re-import from there.

Exactly the same thing has happened to me and I have no up to date backups. It has deleted the music on my iPhones too. I have permanently lost a lot of personal music it seems, in particularly upsetting that of my musician son. Has anyone any answer to this? The help guides do not work. My iTunes does not even have a listing for iCloud music library in preferences general - the help link suggests turning this off first but it is not there. Then the steps did not work at all as described. I have also lost purchased music. Has anyone a suggestion of a different app to use? As I have an iPhone I fear I am stuck.

Thank you

Thanks for your message turingtest2,

that option you have suggested does unfortunately not work, I have tried it. More than once.
I do not use iCloud music nor Apple Music.

I don't like the concept, but it feels like Apple clearly tries to force us into using it.

What other option do we have since everything else has been deleted by them.

Smart move actually.

My library was/ is located at the standard path, however apple has taken the liberty of emptying these folders leaving me with a half hearted selection of a few iTunes store bought albums. Less than 20.

It was a personal library of 400+ albums. It's not so much about the missing albums bought via the iTunes store, which I am sure I can re-download again for the 1000th time as Apple also likes to remove them on a regular basis.

It's been annoying enough that suddenly songs started to be disabled. Either showing suddenly a dotted circle next to the title, or a cloud or another symbol that you had to google as there was no explanation to what had happened to the song/ file that was actually legally imported and working fine.

I can re-upload the music from my backup kept on my NAS, but that is not the point.

The point is: APPLE, Please stop touching my files/ music library.

I would have stopped updating iTunes ages ago, as it gets worse with every update.

But I could no longer backup my iPhone and iPad (you see I have been a loyal apple customer) so I was forced to update.

I am familiar with the dotted circle symbol, but only see it in the view of a device in iTunes when content fails to sync properly. I've also seen iTunes forget what is in the media folder after an update, but the media files themselves remain.

tt2