Move an iTunes Library
Right now I am so stinking mad at iTunes that the last thing I want to do is write a tutorial on how to move an entire library of music from one computer to another and make the music PLAY. But since I learned it’s a couple simple steps to make iTunes play your moved library, I had to save you some grief by writing about it.
Anyway, moving the files themselves is not what I’m concerned about. You can copy files onto discs and upload them to your new computer or you can drag and drop the entire library if you have both computers hooked to a wireless home network (like I do). The problem is once you get the files moved, iTunes will show all the titles but will refuse to play anything. Instead, a message pops up that says “The song could not be used because the original file could not be found. Would you like to locate it?”
After you try screaming at the screen that the file is RIGHT THERE, you can either go down your list one by one and point iTunes to the new location of your music file, or you can do as I did in this video. It’s simple.
Changing iTunes settings to recognize a moved library
Once your library is moved to a folder under the “iTunes Media” under “My Music,” open iTunes, click on Edit, then Preferences, then Advanced. Enable both “Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized,” and “Copy Files to iTunes Media Folder when adding to.” Also, remember to go to the iTunes store and enable your new computer to play the songs that you downloaded.
Enjoy the video.
I hope you found this post before you ripped all your hair out! Was it helpful?
