iTunes library unreadable after OS downgrade

[Martinpa]

I had to downgrade from Mojave to High Sierra because of the lack of CUDA drivers. I just tried opening iTunes and locate my iTunes library, but it won't open because "The file "iTunes Library" cannot be read because it was created by a newer version of iTunes. Update your macOS to install the latest version of iTunes."

As mentioned, updating my OS is not an option. The only support Apple Support gave me was to tell me to restart my library from the ground up, which is daunting considering the amount of music I have, and all the playlists I had. Does anyone have a better solution?

For information, I am running MacOS 10.13.6, and my version of iTunes is 12.8.2 (and as far as I know, the version of iTunes I had on Mojave was 12.9.x)

Thanks in advance

 

[The Man]

No backup? Use older iTunes Library file Home/Music/iTunes Library/Previous iTunes Libraries/ Won't that work? Duplicate backup file with date just before upgrade and put it in iTunes Library folder.

 

[Partron22]

As The Man says. You need to dump the current .itl file, and replace it with an older version from the /Previous iTunes Library folder. You'll have to rename the file to its standard name. Usually the file you want is the most recent old copy, but depending on what you've done, it might be a couple/three revisions back. Have a backup handy of both new and old .itl files before you start messing around.

 

[Martinpa]

I don't know why, but the most recent previous library dates back to September 24th 2018...

 

[Partron22]

Finder sometimes changes creation/mod dates for no apparent reason. Sort by mod date, and the .itl you want should be should be one of the top few listed with a date before your unpleasant "upgrade" experience. If you added any music around that time, check whether it is still there. Usually the diffs are just play count changes.