Have you bought a new computer, you are thrilled to use it, but you wonder how to resist without having even one of your favorite songs to listen to? Your iTunes library, with all your music, is still stored on your old computer. Want to know how to quickly transfer it to your new machine? Continue reading this simple guide.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Use Home Sharing
Step 1. Check the requirements to be able to use the Home Sharing feature
In order to take advantage of this iTunes feature and share data between two computers, you will need to install the program on both affected machines, connect the computers to the same network (wired or WiFi) and have an Apple ID linked to your iTunes account.
Step 2. Launch iTunes on both computers
Make sure they are connected to the same network and are using the latest version of iTunes available.
Step 3. Select the Family Sharing icon on the first computer
It is located in the menu on the left of the iTunes interface, where you also find your music library. If you do not see the Family Sharing icon, access the File menu, select the Home Sharing item and then choose the “Enable Family Sharing” option.
The Family Sharing icon will not be visible until the feature is active on both machines
Step 4. Enter your Apple ID and its password
After entering the required information, press the Turn on Home Sharing button.
Step 5. Authorize your second computer
From the computer to which you want to transfer your iTunes library, access the Store menu and select "Authorize this computer". You will be prompted to enter your Apple ID and its password.
Step 6. Select the Family Sharing icon located in the menu on the left side of the iTunes interface
The items that appear under this icon are related to all the libraries present on your first computer. Select the content you want to copy or access the Edit menu and choose the Select All option to transfer all the elements present.
You can also choose to copy specific files and playlists or the entire library
Step 7. Press the Import button
Your files will be copied to your new computer. Depending on the size of your iTunes library and the speed of your home network, the copying process may take some time to finish.
Method 2 of 3: Use an External Hard Drive
Step 1. Consolidate your iTunes library
Before copying your files to an external hard drive, you can greatly simplify your work by checking that all the files that make up your iTunes library are in a single location on your computer.
- Go to settings. On Mac, access the iTunes menu and select the Preferences item. On Windows, access the Edit menu and select the Preferences item.
- Select the Advanced tab. Make a note of the path where the iTunes Media folder is located on your computer. When finished, close the Preferences window.
- Access the File menu, move the mouse cursor over the Library item, choose the Organize Library item and finally select the Consolidate option. A message will appear stating that all files will be copied to the iTunes Media folder and that the operation cannot be undone. On Windows, this process will generate duplicate files.
- Press the OK button. The items in the library will be copied from their respective source folders to your disk, inside the iTunes Media folder. The copying process may take some time.
- Quit iTunes when the consolidation process is done.
Step 2. Connect an external hard drive to your computer
The device will need to have enough free space to store the entire iTunes Media folder. You can check the total size of the folder by selecting it with the right mouse button and choosing the Properties item. This step applies to both Finder and File Explorer.
- Make sure your memory drive is formatted correctly. Mac-formatted disks can only be used on a Mac, while Windows-formatted disks can also be read by a Mac.
- You can use your iPod or iPhone as an external storage drive if it has enough free space.
Step 3. Drag the iTunes Media folder to the window for your external drive
The path where the iTunes Media folder is stored is the one you found in step number one. The copying process will begin. Depending on the size of the library, the time required for the process may increase.
Step 4. Safely eject the hard drive
When the copy process is complete, select the hard drive with the right mouse button, then choose the Eject option. Now you can safely disconnect the drive from your computer.
Step 5. Launch iTunes on the second computer
Locate the path to the iTunes Media folder by following the instructions in step number one. Connect the external drive containing your iTunes library to your computer.
If your current iTunes folder already contains music that you don't want to lose, make a backup copy of the existing iTunes folder anywhere on your computer, such as your desktop
Step 6. Copy iTunes folder from external hard drive
Replace the current iTunes folder with the one on the external hard drive. The copying process may take some time for large libraries. When the copy is complete, iTunes will automatically reload all your data (song information, rating, playlist and other settings).
If you need to add your existing library to iTunes, access the File menu and select the Add folder to library item. Navigate to the location where you created the backup copy of your iTunes folder and hit the OK button. Do this step only after you have completed importing the library stored on the external drive
Method 3 of 3: Use iTunes Match
Step 1. Sign up for iTunes Match
This is a paid service that provides for an annual fee. The service stores all your music files using iCloud, including files you import into your library from CDs or sources other than the iTunes store. It is a very useful service in case you have a large number of music from sources other than the iTunes store.
- To register for iTunes Match, go to the Store menu and select the “Activate iTunes Match” item. You will be asked to enter your Apple ID and password, after which you will be redirected to the page to place your order.
- iTunes Match only loads songs that it doesn't match in your iTunes library. If there is a match, the iTunes files will be matched to the corresponding files without performing any uploads. This procedure greatly streamlines the data loading process, since it does not involve the entire library. Also, as a result, it provides a collection of songs with higher audio quality (but if your original song was of higher quality it will be replaced with a lower quality one).
Step 2. Wait for iTunes Match to scan your library
At the end of the pairing process between the songs in your library and those available on iTunes, the remaining unmatched files will be uploaded to iCloud. You can store up to 25000 songs in addition to all the already paired songs.
In case the number of your unmatched files is very large, obviously the uploading process will take a significant amount of time, which will also depend on the speed of your internet connection
Step 3. Access your songs from any iTunes associated with your Apple ID
When all the songs have been paired and uploaded, you will see an iCloud icon appear next to each song. By default, listening to the songs will take place in streaming, but at any time you can download the file of your interest locally, simply by pressing the relevant iCloud icon.
- You can access iTunes Match from iPhone: by selecting the Settings icon, choosing the Music item and activating the switch for the iTunes Match option.
- The iTunes program you are using to access your music files will need to be associated with your Apple ID.
