Revert to previous itl after opening the wrong library

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Level 1

6 points

Revert to previous itl after opening the wrong library

Hello all,

I have a big problem. In preparation for backing up and restoring my system, I wanted to verify that I had the correct .itl file for my iTunes library. I went to the location other guides said would be where I would find it, and did find an itl file there. It was very old (5 years old) though, but I figured maybe it was just that I hadn't created a new one but it had bbeen updating this one.

I opened itunes and chose that library and it's NOT the correct one. All of my playlists and most of my music is gone.

How can I get back to the library I had 5 minutes prior to this? Clearly the file I used was some outdated thing that was lying around, but iTunes must have been using a different file to run up until now. How can I find that file and restore my library to its former state?

Please help....this is a LOT of time and energy lost if I have to rebuild this from scratch....so many hours making those **** playlists....

iPhone 5s, iOS 10.0.2

Posted on Mar 27, 2018 11:15 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

turingtest2

Level 10

272,795 points

Mar 27, 2018 12:36 PM in response to Kiyren

See Open a different iTunes Library file or create a new one - Apple Support. Search your computer for files of the form *.itl. The one you want will be the one with the second most recent modification date.

See Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy for a suggested way to backup your library, and Make a split library portable if it isn't all stored inside the standard layout within a single iTunes folder.

tt2

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Answer 2

Kiyren Author

Level 1

6 points

Mar 27, 2018 12:37 PM in response to turingtest2

That did it. The problem was that this hard drive has been copied over from multiple laptops and things had gotten placed in abnormal places. The one in the iTunes folder was in fact a super old one, while the one I wanted was in the overall "Music" folder (in which the iTunes folder resides). Using that one restored things to the way they should be. Now backing up those files in preparation for the reformatting. Thanks!

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