Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Enabling new computer to have access to iTunes library on external HD

J

jersey10

macrumors regular
Original poster
My iTunes library is located on an external HD. I now have a new iMac that needs to have access to that library (like my old eMac did). Transferring the settings from the old eMac is not currently possible. Right now, nothing shows up in the iTunes library of my new iMac, even with the external HD connected.

How do I enable my new iMac to have access to my iTunes library on the external HD without having all those songs copied onto the internal hard drive of my iMac (i.e., I want to keep the actual copies of the iTunes stuff on the external HD only).

Please let me know. Thanks.
 
Go into preferences in itunes, select the 'general' tab, then select where the folder for where your music library is. Voila.
 
Also, make sure you untick the 2 boxes so iTunes doesn't copy the songs to your iTunes music folder and rearrange all the folders.
 

Attachments

  • Picture 4.png
    Picture 4.png
    48.2 KB · Views: 118
Thanks. Everything is now in my library, but somehow I lost all my playlists. Not a big deal, but is there any way to fix this?
 
The playlist and playcount information is stored in this file: Music/iTunes/iTunes Library. Close iTunes, copy the Library file from your old eMac to your new machine and launch iTunes. The old playcount info should show up again.

This way you obviously destroy all the changes you recently made inside iTunes (on the new machine).
 
jersey10 said:
My iTunes library is located on an external HD. I now have a new iMac that needs to have access to that library (like my old eMac did). Transferring the settings from the old eMac is not currently possible. Right now, nothing shows up in the iTunes library of my new iMac, even with the external HD connected.

How do I enable my new iMac to have access to my iTunes library on the external HD without having all those songs copied onto the internal hard drive of my iMac (i.e., I want to keep the actual copies of the iTunes stuff on the external HD only).

Please let me know. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Another option is to take the replace the iTunes folder inside your new computer's Home/Music folder with an alias to the iTunes folder on your external drive. Next time you launch iTunes it will simply direct itself there.

I've had my iTunes Library on an external drive for nearly 5 years, with 3 different computers. Whenever I set up a new system I just pop that alias in there and boom, back to my same old iTunes (playlists and all) 😛
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back