Stop The Stress! Learn The Easy Trick To Move Your iTunes Library To A New Location!

If you are an iTunes user, then at some point, you must have faced the issue of running out of space on your computer or wanting to move your library to a more convenient location. But the thought of moving your entire library can leave you feeling stressed out and overwhelmed. However, there is an easy trick that you can use to move your iTunes library to a new location without any hassle.

Before we start, it’s important to take a backup of your iTunes library to avoid loss of data. Once you’ve done that, follow the steps below to move your iTunes library to a new location:

Step 1: Choose the new location for your iTunes library

The first step is to choose a new location where you want to move your iTunes library. This could be an external hard drive, a network server or any other location that suits your needs. Once you’ve selected the location, make sure it has enough free space to accommodate your entire library.

Step 2: Copy your iTunes library to the new location

Next, you need to copy your entire iTunes library to the new location. To do this, locate the iTunes folder on your computer. By default, this folder should be located in the Music folder on a Mac and in the My Music folder on a PC.

To copy the iTunes folder, simply drag and drop it to the new location that you’ve selected. You can also use the Copy and Paste function to move the folder. Once the copying is complete, check to make sure that all your media files and playlists have been transferred.

Step 3: Tell iTunes where your library is now located

After you’ve copied your library to the new location, it’s time to tell iTunes where to find it. To do this, hold down the Option key (Mac) or the Shift key (PC) while opening iTunes. A message will appear asking you to choose the iTunes library that you want to use. Click on the “Choose Library” button and select the new location where you’ve copied your iTunes library.

After selecting the new location, iTunes will restart and you’ll see your entire library as it was before. However, now all your media files and playlists will be stored at the new location.

By following these three easy steps, you can move your entire iTunes library to a new location without any stress. This trick can not only free up space on your computer, but also make it easier to access your media files from anywhere. So, the next time you want to move your iTunes library, you’ll have a stress-free solution at your fingertips.

This article explains how to move your entire iTunes or Music library to a new folder or destination, such as an external hard drive or cloud backup service.

What to Know

  • Select Music > Preferences > Files. Turn on Keep Music Media folder organized > Change. Input new location.In Music menu bar, select File > Library > Organize Library > Consolidate Files.Confirm the files copied over and delete the originals.

Choose a New Location for the iTunes Files

There are two sets of instructions to complete moving your music files to a new destination. The first is to change the location of your media folder, and the second is to copy your existing music files to the new location.

  • Open Music and select Music > Preferences.
  • Earlier versions of iTunes require you to select iTunes > Preferences or Edit > Preferences.With macOS Catalina (10.15), Apple replaced iTunes with three apps: Music, Podcasts, and TV. These apps serve the same function as iTunes.
  • Open Music. Select the Files tab.
  • On older versions of iTunes, select the Advanced tab.
  • Make sure the Keep Music Media folder organized option is enabled. If it’s already checked, skip to the next step.
  • Select Change to change the media folder location. The folder that opens is where your songs (or podcasts, video, etc.) are currently stored. You can change this destination to any location you like.
  • To put your media in a new folder that doesn’t yet exist, select New Folder.
  • Select the folder for where you’d like to store media and then select OK.

Copy Your Existing Music to the New Location

Now you can begin consolidating your media library to the new location.

Open Music and select Music > Preferences.

Earlier versions of iTunes require you to select iTunes > Preferences or Edit > Preferences.

Open Music. Select the Files tab.

On older versions of iTunes, select the Advanced tab.

Make sure the Keep Music Media folder organized option is enabled. If it’s already checked, skip to the next step.

Select Change to change the media folder location. The folder that opens is where your songs (or podcasts, video, etc.) are currently stored. You can change this destination to any location you like.

To put your media in a new folder that doesn’t yet exist, select New Folder.

Select the folder for where you’d like to store media and then select OK.

  • In the Music menu bar, select File > Library > Organize Library.
  • Older versions of iTunes may list the Organize Library option as “Consolidate Library.” If not, try looking for it under the Advanced tab in the Preferences window.
  • Select the check box next to Consolidate files and select OK.
  • In older versions of iTunes you may need to select Consolidate.
  • Once any prompts and windows have disappeared, it’s safe to assume that the files have finished copying to the new location. To be sure, open the folder you chose in Step 4 to look for the transferred media. You should see a folder labeled Music.
  • After all your songs have been copied to the new folder, it’s safe to delete the original files.
  • The default location for Windows users is C:\Users[username]\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media.

In the Music menu bar, select File > Library > Organize Library.

Older versions of iTunes may list the Organize Library option as “Consolidate Library.” If not, try looking for it under the Advanced tab in the Preferences window.

Select the check box next to Consolidate files and select OK.

In older versions of iTunes you may need to select Consolidate.

Once any prompts and windows have disappeared, it’s safe to assume that the files have finished copying to the new location. To be sure, open the folder you chose in Step 4 to look for the transferred media. You should see a folder labeled Music.

After all your songs have been copied to the new folder, it’s safe to delete the original files.

The default location for Windows users is C:\Users[username]\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media.

It’s a good idea keep any XML or ITL files in case you need them in the future.

These instructions apply to systems running macOS Catalina (10.15) and later. For earlier versions of iTunes, the instructions are similar but the names and locations of buttons may be slightly different.

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