iTunes music on external drive

[Glennster]

I sold my Macbook and now am just using my work PC laptop for all my computer needs.
Currently I store all my music, via iTunes, on the laptop harddrive. Can I use an external drive to move and store my music in iTunes and just plug in the external whenever I want to listen to my tunes? OR does the music have to be stored on the actual hardrive of the laptop?

 

[overlyunderme]

Can be stored on an external drive. I have mine set up this way on a 2TB portable drive since I don't have enough room on my laptop HDD. Just have to tell iTunes where your media files are.

 

[Glennster]

Can be stored on an external drive. I have mine set up this way on a 2TB portable drive since I don't have enough room on my laptop HDD. Just have to tell iTunes where your media files are.

and no issues of crashing when you open Itunes?

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Preferable solution is to use an HFS+ formatted disk.

Within iTunes, turn OFF "keep media organized" in iTunes preferences.

Then, while iTunes is RUNNING, move (not copy) the "iTunes Media" folder within the iTunes folder on to the external disk. Because iTunes is running, it will update its database for the new location.

Then change the storage directory to the new external-drive directory. (Then you can turn "keep media organized" back on if you wish.)

This is how I recall doing it a few years ago. Although to be safe, try it with a new/nearly empty library first.

The other option is to move the entire iTunes folder over with iTunes closed, but then if you launch iTunes with the external drive unplugged, iTunes will get confused and try to create an all-new library. By moving only the MEDIA, your iTunes "database" will stay on the internal drive, and iTunes will load properly with your library. It will just complain if you try to actually play any files. As soon as you plug the external drive back in, it will work fine again.

 

[overlyunderme]

and no issues of crashing when you open Itunes?

As long as the drive is plugged in first then iTunes is started.