Export Itunes Library To Another Mac

Tips

By Stephen Robles
Tuesday, February 03, 2015, 09:17 am PT (12:17 pm ET)

When trying to free up drive space on your Mac, one of the first things you can do is move the iTunes Library to a portable hard drive. Here's a detailed guide on how to back up your music, movies and more to reclaim your hard drive.


Before you start your transfer process, reliable network connectivity between the two computers is needed i.e. Between your PC and Mac. The iTunes software must be installed on both computers also. Your Apple id must also be linked to iTunes library in order to proceed successfully. That's not entirely a good thing. If you're not paying attention, your iTunes library can quickly take up more than its fair share of drive space. Moving your iTunes library from its original location to another internal or external drive can free up some room. It can also give you more space to grow your collection.

How to Move Your iTunes Library. You can move your iTunes library to a different folder, computer, or drive. Here's how to do it, even in macOS Catalina, which ditches iTunes for the Music app. 2020-4-2  Copy iTunes Library from a Windows PC to a Mac. If you just want to move your iTunes library to another location on your Mac it’s a pretty similar process. Enjoy your iTunes music, and happy switching! I have recently bought a Mac Mini and im looking to export my library from a Dell PC to the Mac.


All the music, podcasts, movies and TV shows you've downloaded to iTunes are most likely taking up a good amount of hard drive space and can easily be moved.
Before starting the process, we suggest making an up to date Time Machine backup of your computer to an external hard drive or Time Capsule. Be sure the external hard drive you use to perform this backup is different than where you will move the iTunes Library should anything happen.


To begin moving your library, open iTunes, click File in the Menu Bar and select Library > Organize Library


Check the box that says Consolidate files and click OK. This will make sure all the music, movies and other files are actually located in the iTunes Media folder that will be moving to your external drive.


If you moved your iTunes Media folder in the past, it is best to double check the folder iTunes is actually accessing for your library files. To do this, go to iTunes in the Menu Bar > Preferences and click the Advanced tab.
Under the iTunes Media folder location you will see a path to the files you are about to move. By default, this should be located in the Music folder of your Home directory.


Quit iTunes by going to iTunes in the Menu Bar > Quit iTunes or press Cmd + Q. Connect the external hard drive that you will use to copy the iTunes library. You should see it appear on your desktop.


Open a new Finder window and click Music in the left sidebar. Click and drag the iTunes folder onto the external hard drive icon on your Desktop.


Depending on how large your library is and the connection speed of the external drive, it may take several minutes or longer to complete the copy process.Export Itunes Library To Another Mac
Once the copy is completed, hold the Option key on your keyboard and open iTunes from the Dock or Applications folder again. A new window will pop up asking you to Create Library or Choose Library. Click on Choose Library.


In the browser window that appears, navigate to your external hard drive, click the iTunes folder there and choose the iTunes Library file.


iTunes will then open and as long as the external hard drive is connected, iTunes will reference the library on the external drive and not on your computer's drive.
Quit iTunes once again and eject the external hard drive holding your new iTunes Library. Open a new Finder window and navigate to the Music folder in the left sidebar again.
Right click or Ctrl+click on the iTunes folder and move it to the Trash.


Finally, to free up the space on your internal hard drive, open the Trash from the Dock or Finder window and click Empty Trash in the upper right corner.


Your iTunes Library has officially been removed from the internal drive. You can now reconnect the external hard drive you used to copy the iTunes Library, open iTunes and use it as normal.
If you open iTunes without your external hard drive connected, iTunes will give you an error message saying the 'Library cannot be found.' Quit iTunes, connect the external hard drive and reopen iTunes to fix.
You may want to copy your iTunes folder onto a second external hard drive as a backup as well. iTunes Match for $25 per year will also backup all your music to Apple's cloud service.

Where to buy an external drive at discount


Choosing a high-quality Mac-formatted external hard drive instead of an Apple-branded Time Capsule will often save you hundreds of dollars. Of all the Apple Authorized Resellers who deal heavily in storage devices, B&H Photo, Adorama, and Amazon offer the best mix of brand options, discounted pricing, availability, and cost-free shipping. Below are some quick links that jump to the available Mac-formatted storage options currently available from these resellers:
1TB to 6TB External Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $95.99 @ B&H
1TB to 6TB External Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $119.00 @ Adorama
750GB to 6TB External Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $65.00 @ Amazon
500GB to 6TB Portable Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $99.00 @ B&H
500GB to 6TB Portable Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $56.99 @Adorama
500GB to 6TB Portable Hard Drives (Mac Formatted) from $58.00 @ Amazon

Aug 12,2019 • Filed to: iTunes Music Transfer • Proven solutions

Want to learn how to export your iTunes library? We have a couple of different solutions for you. To break it down really quick, we’re going to be showing you how to move your iTunes library to Windows Media Player, another iTunes library, an iOS device, and finally to an SD card! We’ll be using both iTunes and a third-party program called iMusic in order to do all this. It’s up to you which of these solutions will work most for you, but we recommend sticking around till the end to learn all that you need to know about the methods in question!

Part 1. Export iTunes library to Windows Media Player

The first tutorial will be on how to export your iTunes library to your Windows Media Player. This is something you might want to learn how to do if you decide to change to Windows Media Player (which is, honestly, better at doing certain things — even if it’s not as sleek or as feature-packed.) This process is going to be a lot though, so try to stay with us as we break it down as best as we can.

Steps to Export iTunes Library to Windows Media Player

Step 1 — Find 'Edit' , choose' Preferences '

To start the process, you will need to edit your Preferences on iTunes. You can do this by clicking the Edit tab and selecting the Preference option.

Step 2 — Advanced

Now, the Preference window should open. On there, move to Advanced preferences [1.]

Under advanced preferences, you will need to click the two following options on: “Keep iTunes Media Folder Organized” and “Copy Files to iTunes Media Folder…” [2.]Then, click OK to save your new preference settings [3.]

Step 3 — File > Library > Organize Library...

Once those preference settings have been changed, we’re going to then change the Organize Library settings. To do this, click the File tab > Library > Organize Library… (shown below.)

Step 4 — Consolidate Files

A pop-up window should appear on your screen (shown below.) On here, all you need to do is turn on the “Consolidate Files” option, and then save your changes by clicking the OK button.

Step 5 — Manage Libraries

It’s only at this point, that you can actually launch Windows Media Player. On there, you’ll need to click the Organize tab > Manage Libraries > Music (shown below.)

Step 6 — Music library Locations

Like usual, a pop-up should appear (this one called Music Library Locations.) The thing to do next to move your iTunes library to Windows Media Player is to click the Add button on the right-hand side of the screen.

Step 7 — Include Folder

You will now be given the opportunity to browse your PC for the relevant iTunes music folder (which is what we spent Steps 1 through 4 creating.) You should find this iTunes library under This PC > Music > iTunes.

Select your organized iTunes folder, and then click Include Folder in order to import your iTunes library to your Windows Media Player!

For this next breakdown, we’re going to be showing you how you can get a copy of your iTunes library from your Windows computer to your Mac computer! For this, we’re going to be using a third-party program called iMusic. It’s not exactly made for just backup and restoration, but it is one of the features available in its special toolbox. Other things that you can do with this transfer software include the following:

iMusic - Move Whole iTunes Library to Mac Computer with Simple Clicks

  • Transfer iTunes Library to Mac without Data Lossing.
  • Edit and Manage your iTunes library.
  • Edit and Manage your Mobile Device’s library.
  • Burn CD, move files to USB Disk, Remove DRM Music, Backup/Restore, etc.
  • Record music from any radio stations with music tag, covers, album name attached.
  • Discover, Download, and Record Songs from 3000+ websites.

How to Export iTuns Library to Mac Computer by iMusic

Step 1 — Toolbox

After launching the iMusic program (which you can download from here), you need to move to the Toolbox page (shown below.) On there, under ITUNES TOOLKIT is the Backup/Restore iTunes option.

Step 2 — Backup

A second window should appear showing you the following options after selecting the “Backup/Restore iTunes Library” option (refer to the image below.) On here, you’re going to need to select the Backup feature.

Step 3 — Select Content

Next, iMusic will prompt you to select what files you want to backup. Do so [1] and then click the Backup button in order to save your backup file.

Step 4 — iMusic Backup

You can find your iMusic Backup folder (with your entire iMusic library) in the following folder This PC > Music > iTunes. To move this to your Mac computer, copy this folder to a disk, SD card, external drive, etc. Then paste it on your Mac PC.

Step 5 — Restore

Now, we’re moving onto your Mac PC now! On your Mac PC, launch iMusic, go to the Toolbox page and basically repeat Step 1. Except this time, rather than selecting the Backup option, you’ll be clicking the Restore option.

Step 6 — Restore iTunes Library!

iMusic will automatically scan your Mac computer for your iMusic backup. If it didn’t click the green Choose button, then browse and select it so that it appears [1.]The only thing left to do in order to fully move your iTunes library from Windows to Mac with iMusic, is to click the Restore button at the bottom of the window [2.]

Part 3. Move iTunes Library to iPad

For this third tutorial, still using the iMusic software, we’re going to be moving our iTunes library to our iPad (this will work for iPods and iPhones too — as well as Android devices.) Of course, this time, rather than using the Toolbox page, we’re going to be using the DEVICE page. Which is where you can manage your Mobile Device’s library.

How to Move iTunes Library to iPad by iMusic

Step 1 — Transfer iTunes Music to Device

To start, you will need to have your iPad connected to your PC. If it is, then you should be able to see these options (shown below), after clicking the DEVICE page. On the device page, click the Transfer iTunes Music to Device option in order to begin transferring your iTunes library to your iPad.

Export Itunes Library To Another Macbook Pro

Step 2 — Move Entire Library!

iMusic will give you the option to decide what you want to move. If you want to move everything, just select the Entire Library option [1.] Then, finalize the transfer between iTunes to your iPad by clicking the Transfer button.

Part 4. How to Export iTunes Library to SD Card

Finally, we’re going to be finishing things up by exporting our iTunes library to an SD card (a lot of the same concept applies if you’re moving your iTunes library to a USB drive, external disk, your computer, etc.) For this, we’re going to be using the iMusic software again, as it provides a very convenient solution for moving your iTunes library from one place to another.

Steps to Export iTunes Libray to SD Card

Step 1 — ITUNES LIBRARY

In order to move your iTunes library to your SD card, you’ll need to move to the ITUNES LIBRARY page (as this is where all the iTunes management options are.)

Angel Baby

Step 2 — Select All

Export Itunes Library To Another Mac Screen

Now, to transfer your entire library to your SD card, you will have to select all the audio files on this list. Which you can do easily by clicking the Select All box (pointed out in the image below.)

Step 3 — Export!

Once you have all the files in your iTunes library selected, click the Export icon [1], then select the Export to Computer option [2.]

Export Itunes Library To Another Mac Laptop

Step 4 — SD Card

How To Copy Itunes Library To Another Mac Computer

Next, a pop-up browse for folder option will appear. On here, browse and select your SD card (as is shown below.) By clicking the OK button, you will be able to officially copy your iTunes library to your SD card with iMusic!

Another Day

Conclusion: And so, we conclude all our breakdown of all the available iTunes Library export options! Perhaps you were surprised, but we actually used iMusic for three out of the four tutorials. This is because it is a lot more intuitive and easier to use than other available options. We recommend that you try it out yourself and see just how easy it can be to do a bunch of things that you might want to do in the management of your iTunes library.

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