iTunes suddenly reset

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Level 1

8 points

iTunes suddenly reset

I opened up iTunes today to find it completely empty. All the songs, podcasts, etc. were gone from the library and all the playlists I had created were gone. I have iTunes version 12.7.3.46.

The songs and podcasts are still on my computer where they had been, but no longer appear in iTunes. I realize I can put them back into the library (though have to wait a very long time for that to process because I have a large collection). Luckily the files still have the metadata I'd entered for them in iTunes. So I'm mostly concerned about losing my playlists. I had some awesome mixes that I've made over the years.

Is there a way to restore my iTunes to how it was before this happened? I'm also wondering why it happened but that may be impossible to tell without investigating more details. I see I have a file called "iTunes Library.itl" but if I open that in iTunes, nothing happens. I also see I have similar files under "Previous iTunes Libraries," the most recent one of which is dated almost a year ago, but anyway nothing happens when I open those either.

Any help would be appreciated. I'd also like to know how to prevent this from happening because as far as I can tell it seems to have happened for no reason. I wasn't doing anything unusual with my computer and my iTunes collection had been stable for years.

Posted on Feb 16, 2018 3:36 PM

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Answer 1

Feb 17, 2018 1:59 AM in response to j0equ1nn2

Hi j0equ1nn2,

Welcome to Communities. While there could be various factors at play here, I would first simply check to make sure iTunes knows the proper location of your iTunes Media folder.

To check this, follow the steps under the "Find and change the iTunes Media folder location" section here: Locate and organize your iTunes media files - Apple Support

Best regards.

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Answer 2

Feb 20, 2018 9:11 PM in response to DarkWizardMagic3000

Ok - I have the same issue. No playlists in iTunes - songs all have a cloud symbol next to them. The Advanced tab has iTunes correctly pointing to the location of my media folder - but everything is gone. I did NOT have any update to day - nor did I make any changes to the application or my devices. Last purchase was a week ago.

Where is the notification for any changes? Why the need for this change?

No clarity on how to correct this on my PC. This application and incessant updates is fast wearing out my patience for a platform that I've tolerated for probably too long.

Please someone explain the why (why this happened - so it won't happen again) - as well the how to fix getting my playlists back on my PC - and mass download / restore all my purchased (and saved from CD) songs from the 'cloud'.

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Answer 3

j0equ1nn2 Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 20, 2018 9:11 PM in response to braden281

That's what I'm saying. I didn't change anything and I would like to be able to more forward with my music collection without worrying about suddenly losing years of work making playlists, etc!

I don't know if iTunes lost its link to my media folder. If it did, I don't know why since I didn't change anything and received no notice about changes made externally. Anyway, I dragged the media back into iTunes and so now it is linked. But my playlists are still gone and I want them back!

It does seem like this could have something to do with automatic cloud synching. Personally I find the cloud useless. I have plenty of space on my computer for my files and I organize them diligently. All the cloud does is make unwanted copies of things and complicate my file organization. I wasn't even aware it was happening because it seems to all be preset on my computer. I'd like to delete my cloud permanently and keep local copies of my files. If I want copies of my stuff online, I'll put them there myself!

It really is maddening. I'm hoping someone from support can understand how irritating this all is and come up with a good solution.

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iTunes suddenly reset

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