Stop iTunes from Adding Songs Automatically

[Stormraven]

I've been trying to figure out how to sort this for ages now, and I just can't get to the bottom of it to save my life.

This is the situation. I've just downloaded an album, and it ended up in my Downloads folder, so I moved it to the desktop, then played one of the songs in the album.

As soon as I played the song, it opened up in iTunes and then automatically added the song to the music library. I don't want it to do that, I've spent the last couple of hours sorting out my library, adding album artwork, name changes etc and the last thing I need is things getting automatically added to the music library and cluttering and messing things up.

Can someone help me please? I want to use iTunes as my default media player, as I've heard a few people say 'Use QuickTime then' but I don't want to do that. Can someone help me out please, I'd appreciate it so much.

Kind Regards.

[Hal Itosis]

Just do your previewing with QuickLook then. [select a file and press the spacebar... use arrow keys to select next/previous file, etc.]

[Stormraven]

That works, but there's got to be a way to do this through iTunes hasn't there? I mean, it should be a pretty nesessary setting IMO. I'd prefer iTunes way if there is a setting for it,

[killmoms]

The whole point of iTunes is to be a library-based player. When you open something with it, it’s added to the library (even if you set it to not copy files to its folder). That’s how it works. If you want something to just play files by default, set all MP3s or AAC files to open with something else, like QuickTime Player or Vox or whatever.

You can “not want to do that” all you want, but as long as you keep wanting to use iTunes to a purpose for which it was not designed, you’ll be much more frustrated, I think.

[Kyffin]

Hello, not sure if what you ask is possible (I wish it were though- it'd be nice to be able to play something on iTunes without it taking any sort of action- just like, well, a music player) and in the interests of keeping an immaculate library I've stopped trying- but if anyones got any tips please bring them.

Instead I use VLC for this sort of thing; but have you tried going to the playlists where you can see your recently added/played songs? It should be possible to delete them from the library from here (and in the iTunes>Preferences>Advanced box there is an option if you don't want to add the song to iTunes as well)- I mean its not perfect but you should be able to remove them afterwards, hopefully restoring your library.

As another option, if you want your music to go into the iTunes library flawlessly (its the way I do it- very neat, very large library) have you tried editing the ID3 tags so that the song should show up perfectly in the library? I use a free program called musorg, it lets you change the MP3 information so that the track/album shows up in iTunes as you want before you import it.

Sorry, can't be of any more help, but would be interested if there is a way to make iTunes behave as you say?

[iLog.Genius]

If they aren't "added" to the library, how do you expect it to play? I guess I'm a little confused at that part but with any other music player, when you open an mp3, you're kind of "adding" it to that player's library. Adding it to iTunes library doesn't mean anything

Also, if you're editing the tags, adding album artwork, how exactly is iTunes messing it up? If you're organized, and it looks you are in terms of adding info to the tabs, iTunes shouldn't be messing anything up and it should look very organized.

Maybe I'm not understanding your real problem here?

[Hal Itosis]

If iTunes didn't function this way (i.e., as a librarian), then there would be even more threads with folks wondering: " hey, i recently played a song in itunes and now i can't find it... wth? "

iTunes is no more a 'player' than iPhoto is a 'viewer'.
[use QuickLook ftw]

[AppleNewton]

Do that....



Also to note, if you already have it enabled for pre-tagged albums you can disable it then open up the albums then tag em and reenable the preferences.

[Nermal]

That option won't help; the track will still be added to the library but just won't be copied to the media folder.

[iLog.Genius]

Originally Posted by Nermal

That option won't help; the track will still be added to the library but just won't be copied to the media folder.

Maybe that's what the OP is experiencing but he wasn't clear. I was thinking too that iTunes was making a duplicate in his iTunes music folder, since it made no sense what the OP described in terms of playing music in iTunes without adding to the library.

[Nermal]

Originally Posted by iLog.Genius

Maybe that's what the OP is experiencing but he wasn't clear. I was thinking too that iTunes was making a duplicate in his iTunes music folder, since it made no sense what the OP described in terms of playing music in iTunes without adding to the library.

The OP's third paragraph, to me, implies that he wants a one-off play without adding it to the list of tracks in iTunes. Of course, everything's open to interpretation.

[mo14k]

Originally Posted by Stormraven

I've been trying to figure out how to sort this for ages now, and I just can't get to the bottom of it to save my life.

This is the situation. I've just downloaded an album, and it ended up in my Downloads folder, so I moved it to the desktop, then played one of the songs in the album.

As soon as I played the song, it opened up in iTunes and then automatically added the song to the music library. I don't want it to do that, I've spent the last couple of hours sorting out my library, adding album artwork, name changes etc and the last thing I need is things getting automatically added to the music library and cluttering and messing things up.

Can someone help me please? I want to use iTunes as my default media player, as I've heard a few people say 'Use QuickTime then' but I don't want to do that. Can someone help me out please, I'd appreciate it so much.

Kind Regards.

Just press SPACE BAR and play it once/preview it through that.

[mrboult]

I always hated the way double clicking any audio track in the finder would open up iTunes and start importing it.

I often forget about quicklook as an option.

So I simply clicked on an audio track, selected 'get info' (file menu) and chose that 'all files like this' should be opened with QuickTime.

Now tracks only go to itunes if I specifically put them there.

[cerberez]

WOW that is absolutely ridiculous! and they don't even include an option to "stop adding automatically." If itunes is, as one of you said, for a library, not a player, then why is it set as the default player? Typical apple.