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Tilpots

macrumors 601
Original poster
Apr 19, 2006
4,195
71
Carolina Beach, NC
My daughter accidentally deleted a playlist off my wife's iPhone 4. Shortly after, my wife synced the iPhone to iTunes to restore the playlist, not realizing that the playlist would then be erased from iTunes as well. Now the playlist is missing from the phone and the computer.

How do I recover this playlist in the least "damaging" way. I have an iTunes Time Machine Backup from a month ago, but I don't necessarily want to wipe out everything I've done since then if I TM backup iTunes. Where can I go to just grab that one deleted playlist from TM? Is there another way to go about retrieving this file? Thanks for your help!
 
Last edited:

wrldwzrd89

macrumors G5
Jun 6, 2003
12,110
77
Solon, OH
You can restore your iTunes Library file from just before the deletion, via Time Machine. You'll have to do this while iTunes is NOT running, though. By default, the file is here: /Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library
 

Tilpots

macrumors 601
Original poster
Apr 19, 2006
4,195
71
Carolina Beach, NC
You can restore your iTunes Library file from just before the deletion, via Time Machine. You'll have to do this while iTunes is NOT running, though. By default, the file is here: /Users/username/Music/iTunes/iTunes Library

Thanks for the reply, but as i stated, my last TM backup was from a month ago. Are you suggesting that there would be a more recent copy anyway?
 

Consultant

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
13,314
34
If you got another computer than restore the itunes playlist to another computer, export that playlist, and import to current itunes.

Without another computer, you would save the current itunes library data (There are a few files in iTunes folder). Do above, but restore new library before import.
 

Consultant

macrumors G5
Jun 27, 2007
13,314
34
In my librarly only these change because I don't use genius.

iTunes Library
iTunes Music Library.xml
iTunes Library Extras.itdb
 

Tilpots

macrumors 601
Original poster
Apr 19, 2006
4,195
71
Carolina Beach, NC
So here's how I did it and it worked like a charm:

1. Opened TM and did a backup

2. Restored the iTunes Library file from my last TM backup

3. Exported the lost Playlist as a .txt file

4. Restored iTunes Library file again from today's backup

5. Imported lost Playlist .txt file

Easy. Thanks!
 

mvtaormina

macrumors newbie
Jan 15, 2012
1
0
If you delete a playlist from your iphone by accident, than

1. Turn off your wifi to avoid wireless sync, if on

2 Goto original computer, the deleted playlist should be there

3. Create a new playlist

4. Copy songs to the new playlist

5. Turn wifi back on for wireless sync or do a manual sync

6. The old disappears (as expected), add the new one, change name as you see fit.

Good Luck
 

MissSunshine36

macrumors newbie
Jan 19, 2012
1
0
Deleted iphone Playlist

Similar problem to that of the gent who's daughter deleted from wife's iPhone - deleted a playlist from my iPhone 3, connected to PC to update playlist (as thought this was easier as every variation I make on the iPhone - then treated it as another playlist but added 1 and 2 after the same title!) - anyway - deleted the playlist from iPhone, connected and sync'd to iTunes on my laptop - deleted playlist entirely. I don't know how to restore, i do not have Time Machine - I can see in the folders that I have a previous library which was December last year - this will help - but when I double click on it - nothing happens. Can someone in simple terms advise what I can do to restore - it was a playlist of 500 songs from my library of 8000 songs - as as you can imagine I dont want to start over, was easier to add to as new songs were added to my library. HELP PLEASE!!! Thank you :confused:
 

Tilpots

macrumors 601
Original poster
Apr 19, 2006
4,195
71
Carolina Beach, NC
Similar problem to that of the gent who's daughter deleted from wife's iPhone - deleted a playlist from my iPhone 3, connected to PC to update playlist (as thought this was easier as every variation I make on the iPhone - then treated it as another playlist but added 1 and 2 after the same title!) - anyway - deleted the playlist from iPhone, connected and sync'd to iTunes on my laptop - deleted playlist entirely. I don't know how to restore, i do not have Time Machine - I can see in the folders that I have a previous library which was December last year - this will help - but when I double click on it - nothing happens. Can someone in simple terms advise what I can do to restore - it was a playlist of 500 songs from my library of 8000 songs - as as you can imagine I dont want to start over, was easier to add to as new songs were added to my library. HELP PLEASE!!! Thank you :confused:

If its not backed up, I'm not sure it's recoverable. Anyone think different?
 
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