Create New Itunes Library Mac

  1. Create New Itunes Library On Mac
  2. Create New Itunes Library On Mac
  3. Open Itunes Library
  4. Create New Itunes Library Mac Download
  5. Log Into My Itunes Library
  6. Itunes Open Existing Library
  7. Create A New Itunes Library Mac

Oct 07, 2019 Restore your library from a backup. Go to 'This Computer,' then click your external drive. Select your iTunes folder, then right-click and choose Copy. Go to the location on your computer where you want your iTunes library, then right-click and choose Paste. Hold down the Shift key. Feb 03, 2018  Apple's iTunes software is, in the main, designed to transfer data to their devices but not in the other direction. In general if you try to connect and sync an Apple device to a new library iTunes will want to erase all the current media content and replace it with items from the new library.

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Apple's iTunes software is, in the main, designed to transfer data to their devices but not in the other direction. In general if you try to connect and sync an Apple device to a new library iTunes will want to erase all the current media content and replace it with items from the new library. See Move your iTunes library to a new computer for advice on moving a working library to a new computer if that is still a possibility.


Should you be in the unfortunate position where your computer has been lost, stolen or damaged and you have no viable backup of your library then you can use the steps below to attempt to recover most, if not all, of your media and other information from your devices. If, however the library that has been lost or damaged was on your current computer see Empty/corrupt iTunes library after upgrade/crash first.


If you still have the computer, but it is in a non-bootable state, then it may be possible to extract the hard drive, put it in an external drive bay and recover data from it that way. The steps in Repair security permissions for iTunes for Windows may help to allow iTunes to properly access any recovered data. If the drive is accessible then using your old drive may well be easier than what follows, though it depends in part on the mix of purchased vs. ripped media and whether or not your device holds all your media, or a subset of it. If you have an iPod classic, nano, or shuffle see Recover media from an iPod instead of this tip.


  1. Preparation
    Before you connect any device to a new library go to the Devices tab of the the preferences panel via Edit > Preferences (Windows - press CTRL+B to reveal the menu bar if needed) or iTunes > Preferences (Mac) and ensure the box next to Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically is ticked. You can now safely connect the device to your computer without the danger of media being automatically deleted or overwritten. If your device doesn't register in iTunes see iOS device not showing in iTunes for Windows.
    If this device contains contacts or calendar items that are not already on the computer you are using, and that you wish to recover, then make sure you have at least one contact & one event in the applications that will sync with the device (e.g. Windows Address Book or Outlook under Windows, iCal & Address Book on a Mac). Dummy entries will do, but there must be at least one if the data is to be retrieved from the device in step 7 below.
  2. Transfer purchases
    You can transfer your iTunes Store purchases into a new library, after connecting the device, with the menu item File > Devices > Transfer Purchases from '<DeviceName>'. You should be prompted to authorize the computer to your iTunes account if you have not already done so. If your device holds content from more than one account you will need to authorize each one. To avoid duplicates it may be easier to extract all media at one time at step 4, then come back to this step to recover any Apps or iPod Games if you are running iTunes 12.6.3.6 or earlier. Note that with the introduction of app thinning in iOS 9 your device may no longer contain a complete version of each app, so app transfer from device to library is disabled, and with iTunes 12.7 most app management features were removed altogether. See Managing apps with iTunes 12.7 or later for details.
    See also: HT201267: Redownload or transfer your iTunes Store purchases from an iPhone, iPad, or iPod to a computer (retired document, archived version)
  3. Back up (iOS only)
    If this is an iOS device you should now right-click on it (control-click on a Mac) in the left-hand column of the iTunes window and click Back Up to make a backup of the current settings and application data on the device.
    See also HT201302: Import photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Although a backup should include the contents of the camera roll it is probably best to copy off your photos and videos to local storage at the same time. See HT204136: About backups for iOS devices for more details about what is and is not included in the backup.
  4. Recover other media
    iTunes only permits the transfer of iTunes Store purchases. If your device contains other media that you've ripped from CD or downloaded from other online stores you can either go back to the original sources or use third party software to extract your data from your device. There is a list of some of the software available below. Note also that photos synced to the device from a previous computer are not necessarily included in the device's backup so should be extracted now if possible.
  5. Recover other purchases
    Your device may not have held all your iTunes Store purchases. You can recover qualifying purchases from your account by visiting the music home page of the iTunes Store then clicking on the Purchased link in the Quick Links section in the right-hand column.
    See also: HT201272: Redownload music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books from the iTunes Store, iBooks Store, and App Store
  6. Restore (iOS only)
    Having backed up your device, and rescued all the media from it that you can, you should now restore the device from the backup that you took earlier to ensure that the device is properly associated with this new library. Right-click on it (control-click on a Mac) in the left-hand column of the iTunes window and click Restore from Backup..
  7. Sync
    Set up your new preferences for syncing Music, TV Shows, Podcasts, Info etc. then click Sync. You may get an erase and sync warning at this point however provided you have recovered all of your content from the device then you can safely proceed. For a device that holds calendar or contact information you should be prompted to restore or merge. Click merge to copy this information into your computer. Your device is now properly associated with your new library and you shouldn't have lost any data.

  8. Backup your library
    For the future you should backup your library to a separate hard drive or network share as restoring a backup is much easier than the process above. The user tip Backup your iTunes for Windows library with SyncToy gives a suggested way of doing this effectively for Windows users. Mac owners can make use of Time Machine, or tools such as Carbon Copy Cloner or Synkron which can do a similar job to SyncToy.
  9. Remove old authorizations and associations
    If you've lost access to an old computer, or it will no longer boot up, it may still be authorized to or associated with your Apple ID. See Deauthorize your computer using iTunes - Apple Support and use the Deauthorize all computers option to remove all authorizations, then authorize the computers you still wish to use. See View and remove your associated devices in iTunes - Apple Support to manage any unwanted associations.





Media recovery software

This list is by no means comprehensive. Compatibility and feature details may have altered since this tip was published. There is usually a trade-off between cost and ease of use.


ProductDescriptionWinMaciPodiOSPlaylists Ratings
FloolaFree cross platform (Linux too) iPod manager. It appears to have partial support for extracting playlists to m3u files rather than transferring directly to iTunes.?
iPod AccessCopies music, videos, playlists, ratings and more. Can extract content from hard drive based iPods with damaged databases.
iPod2PCCan copy songs, podcasts and playlists to iTunes or a folder of your choice.?
iRipClaims it can copy the contents of your iPod or iPhone to your Mac or PC with a single click.?
MediaMonkey

Although primarily an alternative media manager to iTunes, MediaMonkey can also be used to copy files from an iPod or iOS device to the local file system. Tracks can be copied directly into the iTunes Automatically Add to iTunes folder to add and organize them within the iTunes library.

Recommended, particularly for retrieving selected files rather than everything on the device.

Music RescueCopies music, videos, podcasts, audiobooks, audio recordings, playlists and notes.?
PhoneViewSave iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch app data, voicemail, text messages, iMessages, call log, notes, contacts, music and photos to your Mac.
SenutiTransfer music from your iPod or iPhone to your computer with this easy to use application for Mac.
SharePodFree tool that can add, remove and copy media to or from your device.
TouchCopyComprehensive tools for copying media and other items from your device to your computer.
TuneJackCan copy all songs & playlists from your iPod/iOS device to your PC and optionally add them to iTunes.
iRepoCan copy selected songs & playlists from your iPod/iOS device to your PC/Mac and optionally add them to iTunes. (TuneJack with options)
iGadgetCan copy selected songs & playlists from your iPod/iOS device to your PC/Mac and optionally add them to iTunes. Can also add other data as notes to non-iOS devices. (TuneJack with more options)
YamiPodYet another iPod manager. Mainly designed as a free cross platform (Linux too) alternative to iTunes for hard drive based iPods it includes features for transferring media from your device to your computer.?


Metadata only

A Windows script that imports regular playlists from an iPod or iOS device into the iTunes library. Can import from a selected playlist, or playlist folder, or all playlists on the device.


Use to extract metadata not recovered with other tools, e.g. the method given in Recover media from an iPod below.


How do i merge two itunes libraries on a mac

Metadata only

A Windows script that copies highest play count, skip count, rating and most recent played & skipped date of selected tracks or playlist between iTunes and an iPod or iOS device.


Use to extract metadata not recovered with other tools, e.g. the method in Recover media from an iPod below.

Recover media from an iPod

This approach is mainly aimed at older devices that can be accessed via disk mode, however free tools such as iFunBox or MediaMonkey which give access to the iOS file system may also allow you to use this method to extract media from an iOS device. Windows users would also be able to make use of the two scripts above to recover playlists and stats.


The user tip is an alternative to the iLounge Article: Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide that has been previously referred to.


Recommended for retrieving everything from the device in one go.

ProductDescriptionWinMaciPodiOSPlaylists Ratings


See also:

Aug 05,2019 • Filed to: iTunes Music Transfer • Proven solutions

Want to learn how to create a new iTunes library? You’ve probably noticed, but there are ways of operating or using two iTunes libraries at once (even more.) It’s a bit of a complicated procedure, but it’s totally doable if you know what to do. We’re going to be covering both the Mac and Windows PC how-to processes down below, and we’ve even included a quick “how to rebuild iTunes library” tutorial at the very end. So, make sure to stick around to learn all that you need to know!

Part 1. Create a New iTunes Library on Mac Directly

The first thing that we’re going to be demonstrating, is how to create a new iTunes library on a Mac computer. This iTunes library will work just like a regular iTunes library would. The only difference is the fact that the contents aren’t the same and that they’ll be saved and back-up in a separate folder. Of course, you will be able to switch between libraries as well — which helps with separating one from another. Note: this is also a popular method of moving your iTunes library from one PC to another.

Create New Itunes Library On Mac

Step 1 — Options Key

To be able to create a New iTunes library, you’re going to have to launch iTunes in a very specific way. That means, that iTunes should be turned off before you start the process described below:

On your Mac computer, hold down the Options key on your keyboard and then launch the iTunes program.

After doing this, a message should pop-up on your screen (refer to the image below.) On that message, select the Create Library… option in order to start fresh with a new iTunes library!

Step 2 — Save

Next, you’ll be given the option to name your new iTunes library — as well as choose where you want to save it to. For our sample, we simply named ours iTunes 1 and saved it on the default Music folder.

Step 3 — Use the New Library!

That’s it! iTunes should now launch, and you’ll be able to use it as you would with any other library — import songs, purchase songs, etc.

Tip: If you want to switch back to your old library, shut off iTunes and re-launch it while pressing the Options key. While doing so, you can pick the “Choose Library…” option and select which iTunes library you want to access.

Create New Itunes Library On Mac

Part 2. Create a New iTunes Library on Windows Directly

Open Itunes Library

Now, let’s do that same thing — except on a Windows PC this time! This will be very similar to the previous sample, but it’ll just look a little different because it is on the Windows OS. There’s also another conditional difference that might prevent you from being able to create a new iTunes library on Windows! So, make sure to follow the instructions exact (they are deceptively similar, but there is one important thing that they differ in.)

Step 1 — Shift Key

The main difference is in how you can access the create a new library option. Unlike with a Mac, you’ll need to…

Shut off iTunes, then hold down the Shift key whilst launching iTunes (it cannot be from a desktop short-cut — you’ll have to launch it directly from the Start menu.) Like before, however, once the message to “Choose iTunes Library” appear on your screen, you need to select the Create Library… option.

Step 2 — Save New Library

Next, you’ll be prompted to pick a save location for your new iTunes library. Like before, we named ours iTunes 1 and kept it saved in the default Music location.

Step 3 — Use Your New Library

After saving your new iTunes library, you will now be able to use it like any new iTunes library.

Again, if you want to switch from one library to another. All you have to do is launch iTunes in the way described in Step 1 — with the only difference being that you click the ‘Choose Library’ option.

Part 3. How to Rebuild iTunes library with Recommended Software

For this last tutorial, we’re going to be rebuilding our iTunes library with our recommended software — called iMusic. This is a good option for those who already have their iTunes on their mobile device and want to rebuild it on their PC! For this sample, we’re going to be using an Android device, but you can do this basically from any device. The basic gist, as we’re going to be showing you, is to copy everything on your device to your iTunes library. Of course, that’s not all that you can do with this software. Other key features include:

Create New Itunes Library Mac Download

iMusic - Super Easy to Rebuild iTunes Library and Restore iTunes Library

  • Build in iTunes library to Rebuild iTunes library with one click.
  • Transfer songs to and from your mobile device and iTunes library.
  • Use the extra tools in the Toolbox tab in order to burn music to a CD, transfer music to a USB, remove DRM, and more.
  • Use the iTunes library management tab in order to edit ID3 Tags and add/remove to your iTunes library.
  • Take advantage of the iTunes plug-in view in order to rebuild your library from scratch with the contents of your mobile device.
  • Download or Record music from many different sources.

Rebuilding iTunes library with iMusic

Log Into My Itunes Library

Step 1 — iTunes Plug-In

With iMusic, you have the option of running both iTunes and iMusic all at once. To do this, simply toggle the iTunes plug-in feature — shown in the image below.

Step 2 — Rebuild iTunes Library

After toggling on the iMusic plug-in feature, you should be able to see something like this (refer to the image below.) On there, you can select the Rebuild iTunes Library feature.

Step 3 — Start!

You’ll be prompted to connect a device. Once that’s done, iMusic will automatically scan so that it is able to find the differences between one library and another.

Library

Itunes Open Existing Library

If you click the Start button, whatever isn’t already on your iTunes library will be transferred on their based on what you have on your Samsung/iOS device.

Create A New Itunes Library Mac

Conclusion: To conclude, there are many different solutions available out there for you to try when it comes to creating a New iTunes library. We were able to show you the Mac and Windows version of using iTunes, as well as a new a much easier method of rebuilding your iTunes library with a third-party software called iMusic! Try out iMusic for FREE yourself and see just how many different options and tools you can have access to with just one single program -- Downloads are available for both Mac and Windows!