Music library on external drive?

[Benz63amg]

My MacBook only has 128gb internal SSD so not enough to house my 100gb iTunes library which I backed up from my previous Mac (iMac with 2TB drive), I have my iTunes library folder on an external drive right now, if I connect the external drive that houses my large music library to my MacBook Pro and direct the Music app in Catalina to basically use the iTunes library on the external drive so that I can have my music on my MacBook Pro, That will only work as long as my external drive is connected to the MacBook, correct? What happens if I disconnect the external drive? will the music app simply become blank just like it was when it was empty? When I reconnect the external drive that houses my music library and turn on the Music app in Catalina it’ll show up the library again or is this going to be an issue where it’ll need to index and basically convert the library all over again every time the external hard dive is disconnected from the computer?

 

[theSeb]

That will only work as long as my external drive is connected to the MacBook, correct?

Yes, of course.

What happens if I disconnect the external drive? will the music app simply become blank just like it was when it was empty?

I assume you do not mean that you are planning on disconnecting whilst Apple Music is still running. If you disconnect and then run Apple Music it will tell you that it cannot find the library and ask you what to do. You can then choose Quit, Create Library or Choose Library...

When I reconnect the external drive that houses my music library and turn on the Music app in Catalina it’ll show up the library again or is this going to be an issue where it’ll need to index and basically convert the library all over again every time the external hard dive is disconnected from the computer?

No, as per above. Even if you chose the create libary option and you have an empty one on the internal drive, the next time you reconnect your external you can point Music to your existing library on the external drive.

You can do this by doing one of the following:

• Delete the empty itunes library on your internal drive and open the Music app or
• Hold alt when you open the Music app

Either one of these will show you a dialog about Music needing a library to continue.

 

[Benz63amg]

Yes, of course.


I assume you do not mean that you are planning on disconnecting whilst Apple Music is still running. If you disconnect and then run Apple Music it will tell you that it cannot find the library and ask you what to do. You can then choose Quit, Create Library or Choose Library...




No, as per above. Even if you chose the create libary option and you have an empty one on the internal drive, the next time you reconnect your external you can point Music to your existing library on the external drive.

You can do this by doing one of the following:

• Delete the empty itunes library on your internal drive and open the Music app or
• Hold alt when you open the Music app

Either one of these will show you a dialog about Music needing a library to continue.

Thanks for the response, So it sounds like I will need to manually direct(as in, tell the Music app) where the Library is located on the external hard drive every single time?( I don’t plan on keeping the external hard drive connected at all times so that’s why I asked what happens if I’m done using the music app (listening to my local music library) for the day and would like to disconnect the external hard drive, if I disconnect it and I open the Music app again without the external hard drive, it will prompt me to create a new blank library, I’m willing to do that once but will that need to be done every single time?
And when the external hard drive is connected back again to the Mac and I launch the music app, will it recognize that my music library on the external hard drive is back or will it still be at the blank empty library that I created earlier and will basically need to be told to load my real library from the external hard drive every single time?

if I planned on keeping my external harddrive connected at all times then this wouldn’t have been much of an issue by my computer is a MacBook Pro and I don’t want to make it less mobile by having an external hard drive connected to it at all times, Only when I need it.

 

[theSeb]

If you don't use the Music app when the external drive is disconnected, then you will never need to repoint it.

If you do open the app with the external drive disconnected, then you will need to repoint it to your external when you have connected it again.

 

[Benz63amg]

If you don't use the Music app when the external drive is disconnected, then you will never need to repoint it.

If you do open the app with the external drive disconnected, then you will need to repoint it to your external when you have connected it again.

I see, Would I be able to also backup my iPhone via the music app to the external harddrive just as I just to do on my previous Mac that had iTunes on Mojave?

 

[theSeb]

I have absolutely no idea. I used to use iTunes to back up my iDevices locally, but these days I just rely on the Apple cloudy goodness to do this for me.

 

[Benz63amg]

I have absolutely no idea. I used to use iTunes to back up my iDevices locally, but these days I just rely on the Apple cloudy goodness to do this for me.

iCloud only offers 5gb of storage for free, how are you backing up your iPhone backup to the cloud?(or are you paying Apple for a large iCloud plan?)
A local iPhone backup file is easily 50gbs or above

 

[theSeb]

I don't use Cloud Photos. I used to pull of my photos into my photo library on the Mac manually on a regular basis and I don't have hundreds of apps, so I was just fitting into the free tier. Eventually I got tired of it and relented and now I pay 0.99 per month for 50 GBs. I am good for it.

 

[Moksee]

Hello,

Hoping someone here can help with this issue...

I have successfully moved my iTunes library to an external hard drive. I've been using it from the hard drive from some time now, however, when I switch to a second Mac and direct it to the iTunes library on my external hard drive, it isn't up-to-date with the music added on the first Mac... Is there any chance you know why that is? (Apologies for perhaps a vague difficult-to-answer Q)

Any help appreciated.
Thank you.