Since Upgrading, iTunes 12.7.2 Is Generating Hundreds of Temp Files

Hi, Drew.

Thank you for suggesting that I test my iTunes in a fresh new user account. I did this over the weekend, and the iTunes software appears to work just fine. I imported a handful of music tracks from 3 or 4 albums, and then downloaded a couple of additional albums that I had previously purchased through the iTunes Store.

I opened the folder where the iTunes Library data files live, and then watched them update as the music tracks downloaded. I saw a .temp file being generated, and then quickly disappearing as it was incorporated into the existing .itl file—just the way it's all supposed to work. I still can't determine why this is NOT happening in my other two accounts.

One complicating factor: because I did not want my entire music library (more than 142 GB) to exist in multiple copies on both of my user accounts on the MacBook Air, I let all of my music track files and the Library data files live in the Shared folder (rather than the Music folder for either account). Over the past couple of years, this has occasionally caused some permissions issues, but I know how to "Get Info" for the folder, set that to "Read & Write" for all users, and then initiate the "Apply to Enclosed Items" feature. This has worked just fine for two or three years, and I was previously able to change metatdata in one account, and later see it reflected in the other.

All this changed in mid-November, and I still can't figure out the reason for the change. At some point that month, I upgraded to High Sierra, so got the new file architecture. I also upgraded to a new version of the anti-virus software that I use (ClamXav). And at some point that month, my Sonos wireless speaker system self-installed an upgrade as well. Any one of these might have triggered the problem.

I sincerely appreciate your insights with all this, and would welcome additional suggestions. At some point, I may need to hire a Mac-certified technician to make a house call.

Update—Problem Solved.

First, I want to express my thanks to everyone who contributed an idea here, and especially to DREW REECE and TURINGTEST2. Before dis-installing my anti-virus software, I e-mailed the technical support desk at ClamXAV for their input. The technician who responded was nice enough to read this entire thread, and he told me it was the first report he had seen of any possible conflict between the ClamXAV program and iTunes. He was all but certain that the ClamXAV did not trigger the problem, and based on his assurance, I decided to leave my anti-virus in place.

Once I moved my all my iTunes library files and media out of the SHARED folder and into the Music folder of the primary user account on my MBA, all the temp files stopped self-generating. So ultimately, it appears that the whole thing was a result of trying to play music from the same library though two user accounts. The fix was to put iTunes back where Apple intends it to be…in the Music folder.

That said, however, I still cannot understand why I had been able to give my iTunes a home for more than two years in that shared folder without any significant difficulty. The problem with all the temp files only began in early November, and near as I can tell that was directly after the upgrade to High Sierra reformatted the file structure on the drive. So what had worked before (accessing the music files from two user accounts) no longer worked.

In the end, once I got the temp file issue sorted, I made the decision to give my entire music library a new home on my desktop iMac. So I’ve spent the past few days sorting out that move—consolidating duplicate tracks, combining bits and pieces of music from a couple of seldom-used collections on other drives.

I’ve purchased and downloaded a couple of programs to help me in managing and streamlining my iTunes library in its new home, and so far I have found both of them quite useful (and well worth the purchase price). I bought LairWare’s Song Sergeant app, and another program titled SuperSync.

Again, thank you to everyone who posted suggestions here.