How to transfer iTunes songs from one computer to another
78Move iTunes songs from one computer to another
So you have iTunes music on two computers and want to consolidate? It's happened to me, too. Bought a new computer, and also downloaded music on my work computer. Thought I could transfer them to my main computer at home with my iPhone. No such luck. But you can move songs legally and not run into problems with Apple or iTunes (in fact, an Apple rep is the one who told me how to do it). Here's how you do it.
Transfer iTunes music from one computer to next
If you are moving your music from, let's say, your home computer, to your work computer (so you can listen to music at work), then first, go to your home computer and move your iTunes library to recordable media, meaning a CD (if you have a CD burner), DVD (if you have a DVD burner), or flash drive (if you have one of those).
- Go to your iTunes Music folder on your computer.Windows: (Documents & Settings > [your username] > )My Documents > My Music > iTunes > iTunes MusicMac: [your home folder] > Music > iTunes > iTunes Music
- Copy this entire folder to a CD, DVD or flash drive. You could try zipping it and emailing it if you only have a song or two, but anything beyond that, and it will be too large.
- At your second (recipient) computer, insert the CD, DVD or flash drive.
- Open iTunes
- Choose File > Add to Library...
- Select the iTunes Music folder in your recordable media in the dialog box
- Give it a few minutes to import all the files
- Done!
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Thanks Jimmy! It is pretty easy. Not sure why Apple doesn't allow you to use your iPhone or iPod to do the same thing!
Good job! Thanks
Now that is quite easy. Thanks.
Your fan.
Mon.
Thanks, Livelonger.
OMG - you are my hero! Recent computer crash and I'm all kinds of confused about getting my life back on the box that holds my life...my computer. Bless you!
Great advice. I also found out that when I got a new computer that files I had purchased from ITunes were reloaded once I plugged in my Ipod.
Thanks! I have about 36G of music on an external hard-drive that is linked up with my itunes on my home PC. Sounds like I can just plug it into my work Mac (if the external drive works with the Mac, which I'm not sure it will) and voila. I'll have to try it soon.
thanks for the tips, i was always wondering how to do that. For some reason some of my older itunes music comes up as "not found" so maybe i can just export it to my new laptop to see if it works.
i did this but when i take the flash drive out and try to play the songs i added it says it cannot find the folder and therefore will not work. what do i need to change? could it be a prob that one comp is mac and my laptop is not?
olivia: Not sure what's going on. Maybe after you do the Add to Library step, play each song just once, before you disconnect the flash drive. Let me know if that works.
Very Cool! I asked this question just today! Talk about the universe aligning! Thank You!
whatre we supposed to do if you have like thousands of songs? i tried to put it on a cd but it couldnt hold all of my music
Hi Kiera - Then you'll have to do it via an external hard drive. You can buy one with 100 MB for less than $50 nowadays.
Olivia. you need to drag and drop from your flash drive to a folder on your computer, then copy the songs from there into your itunes.
By only copying from your flash drive to your itunes library, only the song title data is transferred and itunes is accessing the music files directly off the flash drive. once removed...it can no longer access it.
hope that helps
Hey, guys... would you happen to know any way to move the songs on your IPOD into your ITUNES library?
Nicole - I heard about a piece of software called iDump that can take things off your iPod and add them to your computer. Not sure if there's another step after that to pull it into iTunes but I'd google iDump and see where it leads you...
Thanks for the info. It's just what I needed today.
there is also a program called tune tools for ipod that can help get stuf off your ipod and put it on a computer. it works as a great back-up system.
The problem comes between XP and Vista. I have had a terrible time doing this. All my iTunes downloads are on CDs which will not upload to vista iTunes. and it's not the CDs as they were burned, tested once, and never touched again.
Thanks!!!i can finally steal my stepdads music... Mwahahahahaha
EXCELLENT !!! THANKS FOR ALL.
THANKS A MILLION... FINALLY I can transfer my music to my laptop!
Thanks, livelonger. I transfer music from my iMac to my iBook via an ethernet connection, but I have friend who has an ipod that's registered to his ex, and would like to transfer the tunes to his MacBook. Maybe this technique will help him. I hope so!
but if i have 5,000 songs. How man ycd;'s would be neede?
Songs are typically 3-5 MB and a CD holds just shy of 700 MB. I strongly suggest borrowing an external hard drive 50+ GB. You can buy them for relatively cheap, too. (I got a 250 GB hard drive for $60)
hey i just got an iphone, but have never owned an ipod, so i have never had itunes. my wife has 5000ish songs on her itunes. can i use this method to copy her songs and put them on my computer for when i register my own copy of itunes? what does anyone suggest?
Mikebell: I think with your iPod & iTunes you can authorize up to 5 computers. In your copy of iTunes, read the documentation on authorizing your computer with her account, so you can transfer songs without a hitch.
will that mess her up if she gets an iphone as well?
Mikebell: Not sure. I believe the authorization has to do with an iTunes account. I don't know if you're allowed up to 5 "devices" (including iPods, iPhones and computers) or if that's limited to computers only.
livelonger: thank you for all of the timely responses and patience. i guess my last question would be this: if i regester my own copy of itunes under my name on my computer, is there some kind of backdoor method to snagging her music? this way i can generate my own profile for my iphone and she can keep hers for when she gets an iphone as well?
so I got all of my music transfered over onto my computer but now on some songs it but now is asks me to find each song. Is there an easier way to do this or did i do something wrong?
thanks for your help!
paws123: try the "Add to Library" link in the File menu. You should be able to designate the folder where you have all your imported songs in as an iTunes library, so that it will import everything in that folder into your main iTunes library.
I've tried that exact thing, but nothing happens when I click open. Could it have something to do with the fact that I'm switching from a Mac to a laptop with Windows? Any tips for me?
all my songs i transferred said it could be not played because the orignial file could not be found and would like to know if i want to locate it. I have already authorized the computer. now what
Thank you so much . . . you are my hero. The directions on the itunes support site were impossible. I was able to use my external hard drive and move 5GB of music!
THANK YOU!! Thought I was going crazy trying to figure it out through ITunes support. Clicking, dragging or copying straight out of itunes does not work. Going through the start menu, to my documents, to itunes folder worked marvelously!
thank you, the people at buest buy are stupid they told me to email it to me. it works but you half to import every song by clicking on them.i have over 500 songs so it would of taken along time. thanks again
Hey i have an Acer Laptop with around 51 songs i Purchased off the Itunes store. Just in case i need to explain - They are the songs you buy for $1.69 on itunes store. Anyway. I have about 51 songs from there and i am getting an Alienware Area-51 desktop. I am 90% sure the Aleinware Desktop comes with Vista.
So if i want them on my desktop itunes what do i do. I have a couple of diferent ideas. Please tell me if they will work.
1. Is they any chance that when I log into my itunes acount on my desktop it will allow me to download straight away?
2. Do i need to find all those songs again (On itunes store) and instead of paying $1.69 they will allow me to download for free?
Please if anyone with the knowlage i am searching for could help me out i would be very very greatfull!!
You saved my life with this Hub Page. Why are you so awesome??
thnx, this way worked best for me!
Thank you soo much for this!I have a question though...once i finish transfering all of my music onto my laptop...can i just plug in my ipod? like everything will be okay??
hello there.
i have an ipod nano which i registered onto itunes on my old computer, which has now died. i have itunes on my new computer and i signed into my itunes account and downloaded some more things. i can't get the new downloaded stuff on my ipod cause my ipods registered on the old computer!! somebody please help :( i hope i havent wasted my money..
Ashie: You should be allowed to designate 5 computers max to each iTunes account - to activate more, you have to deactivate some of the others so that only 5 are activated at any one time. If you can't deactivate your dead computer, then contact Apple and ask them what you should do.
Starting to get worried. the Best Buy Gizmoids or whatever thay are called did a "data transfer" from an older Windows XP computer to a new Windows VISTA computer. I am now trying to find 1000+ itune songs (Documents and Settings, My Documents > My Music > iTunes > iTunes Music) with no luck...After reading Tylers comments i am wondering if i have to go back to square 1; i.e. burn tunes to DVD off old computer - which semi-crashed; then add files to library on new computer?
My hard drive crashed but I had all my music backed up on external. I reinstalled itunes and imported no problem...but when I go to transfer the songs to my new iphone I get the "no-go" icon / circle with slash. What gives? Any ideas why this happens and how I can just transfer the music that I bought and own? Thanks.
life saver thanks sooooo much!!
will it have all the album artwork, the playcounts, and stuff like that?
Thanks for the tip! Just wondering: I have videos and apps that I want to transfer too. Would those also go onto my flash drive if I did what you said?
Lauren: I don't see why not! Give it a try and let us know if, for whatever reason, it doesn't work.
Thanks this helped alot :D
Thanks so much! So logical! So helpful! Thanks alot!!
Okay so I just plugged my touch into my new computer. It transfered all my perchased music/videos/apps:]
I did this transfer thing from my dell pc to my new macbook pro.. it did transfer about 900 out of 1000 of them in the Music file on itunes. but below that, where it says Lex's Music under the shared drop box, all of the songs appear and play. is there a way i can get all of the songs to go onto my itouch?
wait,, do how i get rid of the shared part on my my itunes, i have the songs i want in my library
What if the music is from limewire.. will it still transfer? or do they have to be purchased songs through itunes? my friend is trying to transfer her music to a new laptop, and we cant figure out how to get them on there.
thanks for all the help!
If you put all of the songs onto a flash drive, would you still have them on the first computer?
If you do have an answer for me, please send me an e-mail... ajlarson6@hotmail.com
THANKS!
Another way is to do it by msn
HELP! I moved all my songs from my work computer to a flash drive and then tried to add all of those songs to my itunes and they all added just fine but now every single one of them that I play are static all the way through the song...Why is it doing this??? What is going on???
my simple way is to using thrid party software=Aniosoft iBackup, it enables you to transfer iPod's music and other content to any storage device and iTunes as well. And both the backup in the storage device can be recovered and restored with no any change and no any risk.And the data in the iTunes is quite in accord with the iPod's data including its playlists,rating and etc.
my old laptop is a Compaq but my new one is a mac. Ive tried this method and my new itunes wont recognize anything on my flash drive. it refuses to download. how can i fix this?
Thanks SOO MUCH! u just like saved my life!!! GOod stuff!
You forgot to mention that this does not work with an external hardrive if you are moving music from a windows to a mac exceeding 4GB
I had a large number of songs as well as tv series on my laptop that I wanted to be able to access on my desktop as well. The only way I could figure out to do it is by transfering purchases from my iPod to my desktop, I had to do this multiple times because my iPod wouldn't hold everything all at once. My new desktop was one of my authorized computers, I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not.
That's very useful. Would this still work if I was moving a selection of songs from iTunes 7 to another computer with iTunes 8? Because I can't upgrade the computer with iTunes 7 because viruses got everything and crashed the computer. And you see, I got an iPod nano, and this one requires iTunes 8, so would this still work?
Thank you so very much. I just bought a new computer and you were a life saver. While it took quite a while to copy my music over to the flash drive on my old computer, it was much less time and effort than reloading a CD at a time.
I am happily listening to my music as I write this.
Many thanks,
Sue
I have tried this many of times with my flash drive but as soon as i remove the flash drive, it doesn't let me play the songs. Any Help?
it works but once you remove your flash drive the files wont play on your itunes from the flash drive
I just bought my daughter a macbook pro to replace a dell laptop and we are trying to transfer her itunes music from the dell to the mac. She has a 250 gig HD and I opened her music file and copied the music folder and the artwork folder to the HD. It shows that all 2600 songs went into the file but when I tranferes it to itunes only 1489 show up on her mac. Any idea what the problem may be or how to rectify it?
Thanks for the trick, if I may add, how about connecting the two computer with firewire (Mac) restart the old computer with the letter "t" down as it restarts, so the new mac see the old mac as a hard drive. Then just copy the folder as you sugested. I did it today.
On an other note if you what to bypass the 5 computer limit with purchaced itunes music, burn a music CD (if you have lots of music from itunes this may take some time) then put the CD in your new mac open itunes go to menu/ file/ add a library (on older version of itunes it's called import) this will import the music, the new mac should see this music it just like a regular CD so no 5 mac limit! voila
Wow, thanks. I was stressing about if I have to re-buy them. o-o
Thank you Thank you Thank you!!! I was having the same problem as some of the others with the transferred music it would not play asking me if I wished to locate the original file. But doing it your way resolved it and your directions are easy to follow for someone like me who is not computer savvy. May God bless you Livelonger.
So, if I want to take all of the songs in my Itunes Library and place them on a Flash Drive so I can free up that huge amount of memory the songs are taking up on my harddrive, if I ever need to restore them on my Ipod, I'd just need to copy them from the Flash Drive to a folder in Itunes on my Ibook? No need for them to actually remain on my harddrive in my Itunes?
This was very helpful and clear...thanks!
Matilda
I've tried copying the files as you suggested but i just get a message saying "Windows encountered a problem when trying to copy this folder. What do you want Windows to do?" Retry, Skip or Cancel.
I know what i would like Windows to do....
Bless u sir!
jimmythejock says:
16 months ago
cool, alot easier than i thought, thanks for sharing this livelonger.....jimmy