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User profile for user: sky-blue-02
sky-blue-02 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Audiobook duplicates incorrectly showing in iTunes

There are duplicates of my audiobooks showing in the grid view of iTunes. I have some audiobook covers showing upwards of 10x:


User uploaded file


Things I've Tried

  • I checked whether there were duplicate copies of the audiobooks in my Library — there were not.
  • I checked whether this duplication problem also happened in list view — it does not.
  • I closed and reopened iTunes — the problem persisted.
  • I checked the info for the audiobook tracks (using cmd+i) — the information was the same, so the tracks should've been listed under the same cover.
  • I deleted one of the duplicate audiobooks from my library and then added it back — as a result of this, the problem spread to more audiobooks in my collection.


I think the problem is with a settings file. Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot or solve this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

MacBook Air (13-inch, Early 2015), macOS Sierra (10.12.6), iTunes 12.7.5.9

Posted on Jun 19, 2018 4:19 PM

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User profile for user: sky-blue-02
sky-blue-02 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Posted on Jun 20, 2018 11:34 AM

I managed to fix this issue on my own. I did not have this issue before upgrading iTunes to the most recent version (12.7.5.9), so I decided to downgrade iTunes. I wanted to share this solution in case others might find it useful.


Warnings: This is an advanced solution. Do not proceed if you are not confident with your abilities. This solution may result in data loss. Back up everything before preceding, just in case you need to undo these changes. Specifically, be sure to back up your /Users/<username>/Music/iTunes folder. Proceed at your own risk.

Here are the steps I followed:

  1. Close iTunes.
  2. Navigate to /Users/<username>/Music/iTunes — where <username> is your username.
  3. Delete the following files or move them to a location outside of the iTunes folder: "iTunes Library Extras.itdb" "iTunes Library Genius.itdb" "iTunes Library.itl"
  4. Open Terminal.
  5. Type in: cd ~ to make sure that you're in your home directory. The character after "cd" is a tilde. Then press [Return].
  6. Type in: cd Applications and press [Return].
  7. Type in: sudo rm -rf iTunes.app/ (make sure the syntax is correct), then press [Return]. It will prompt you for your password. Enter it and then press [Return]. (This step deletes the iTunes app from your computer.)
  8. Go to the official page and download iTunes 12.6.2: Download iTunes 12.6.2 for macOS
  9. Once it has finished downloading, install it.
  10. Open iTunes 12.6.2, go to File > Add to Library... and select the whole /Users/<username>/Music/iTunes directory. It will add everything back.
  11. At this point, if you have unofficial audiobooks (e.g. from Librivox.org), they may be incorrectly filed under "Music" in your library.
  12. Find them in the Music section, select them all at once, then press cmd+i
  13. A dialogue will come up asking you if you want to edit multiple items at once — confirm that you do.
  14. Select the Options tab at the top, then under the dropdown menu labeled "media kind," select Audiobook. Click OK to confirm.
  15. You will now find those audiobooks in the Audiobook section of iTunes.


After completing these steps (no system restart necessary), my audiobooks were not showing duplicates anymore.

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User profile for user: sky-blue-02
sky-blue-02 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Jun 20, 2018 11:34 AM in response to sky-blue-02

I managed to fix this issue on my own. I did not have this issue before upgrading iTunes to the most recent version (12.7.5.9), so I decided to downgrade iTunes. I wanted to share this solution in case others might find it useful.


Warnings: This is an advanced solution. Do not proceed if you are not confident with your abilities. This solution may result in data loss. Back up everything before preceding, just in case you need to undo these changes. Specifically, be sure to back up your /Users/<username>/Music/iTunes folder. Proceed at your own risk.

Here are the steps I followed:

  1. Close iTunes.
  2. Navigate to /Users/<username>/Music/iTunes — where <username> is your username.
  3. Delete the following files or move them to a location outside of the iTunes folder: "iTunes Library Extras.itdb" "iTunes Library Genius.itdb" "iTunes Library.itl"
  4. Open Terminal.
  5. Type in: cd ~ to make sure that you're in your home directory. The character after "cd" is a tilde. Then press [Return].
  6. Type in: cd Applications and press [Return].
  7. Type in: sudo rm -rf iTunes.app/ (make sure the syntax is correct), then press [Return]. It will prompt you for your password. Enter it and then press [Return]. (This step deletes the iTunes app from your computer.)
  8. Go to the official page and download iTunes 12.6.2: Download iTunes 12.6.2 for macOS
  9. Once it has finished downloading, install it.
  10. Open iTunes 12.6.2, go to File > Add to Library... and select the whole /Users/<username>/Music/iTunes directory. It will add everything back.
  11. At this point, if you have unofficial audiobooks (e.g. from Librivox.org), they may be incorrectly filed under "Music" in your library.
  12. Find them in the Music section, select them all at once, then press cmd+i
  13. A dialogue will come up asking you if you want to edit multiple items at once — confirm that you do.
  14. Select the Options tab at the top, then under the dropdown menu labeled "media kind," select Audiobook. Click OK to confirm.
  15. You will now find those audiobooks in the Audiobook section of iTunes.


After completing these steps (no system restart necessary), my audiobooks were not showing duplicates anymore.

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User profile for user: turingtest2
turingtest2
User level: Level 10
272,773 points

Jun 20, 2018 1:42 PM in response to sky-blue-02

Bit late in the day, but see Organizing audiobook chapters. The issue you describe affects iTunes 12.7.2 and subsequent builds to date. The proposed workaround means you can carry on using the latest build, which you might need if you have any iOS 11 devices, and doesn't involve loss of metadata such as ratings, date added, or playlist membership.


tt2

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Audiobook duplicates incorrectly showing in iTunes

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