2020-4-4 Transfer Photos From Mac or Windows PC to iPhone and iPad using iTunes or Finder. Finder for Macs running macOS Catalina and iTunes for earlier Macs and Windows PC is a viable medium to transfer photos and videos from computer to your iOS devices. The steps for Finder and iTunes are almost identical.
Geek
18th April 2010So your first question is probably: Why on earth would you want to move your iTunes library FROM a cool Mac TO a boring old PC? Well it’s a good question and I do feel rather like I’m going the wrong way on a one-way street. But my trusty iMac just turned 9 years old and has only a 55 GB hard drive (my ipod has 64!) and less than a GB of RAM. So it’s not much fun to use anymore and I just don’t have $1200 to shell out on a new one right now. My PC laptop that I use for work is not sexy but it’s bulked up like an East German athlete in 1984.
That’s why I made the move, and my hat’s off to Apple because it was simple and straightforward. The only real danger here is that you may think too much and over-complicate it. If you want to know the logic behind why you’re doing all these things you can read a very informative article here… I’m basically just showing you the Cliff’s Notes version of how to do it.
Also, unless you know how to network a PC and Mac together, you will need a Portable Hard Drive to make this happen. I used an 80GB Iomega drive that I’ve had forever… you can get these very cheaply now.
Here’s how to move your iTunes library from your Mac to your PC
STEP ONE: Open iTunes on your Mac. Go to iTunes > Preferences. When the pop-up window appears click the Advanced option in the top menu. Then you should see this screen:
Now if your “Keep iTunes Media folder organized” box is already checked, then you need to UNCHECK it and select OK. Then go back to the same screen and check that same box and click OK. There will be a short progress bar and then you can continue.
STEP TWO: Still on your Mac, go to File > Library > Organize Library
Now select “Consolidate Files” and click OK as seen below.
It will let you know that it cannot be undone which is fine, so just click Continue.
STEP THREE: Now it’s time to move those songs. Plug your portable hard drive into your Mac. Go to your Mac Hard Drive menu and confirm that it’s there. Now click on your Mac hard drive and you should see a foldeer called “Music” under that will be a folder called “iTunes”. Double click the iTunes folder and you will find two things we need to move: a folder called “iTunes Music” and a file called “iTunes Library”. Drag both the file and the folder to your portable hard drive.
Depending on the speed of your USB connection and size of your library you may now have time to take in a movie. Or in my case with my 9-year-old Mac, the entire Wagner Ring Cycle.
STEP FOUR: Now we move over to the PC. If you don’t already have the latest version of iTunes on your PC you’ll need to download that now. Eject your portable drive from the Mac, then disconnect it and plug it into your PC. Go to “Computer” in the Start menu and confirm the drive is there. Now open your “Music” folder on your PC and you should see an “iTunes” folder. Drag both the iTunes Library file and the iTunes Music folder from the portable drive to this folder. Again, this may take a while to transfer.
STEP FIVE: This is where I got stuck but the solution is very simple. I was able to see the music files in the folder and play them directly, but iTunes wasn’t seeing them and listing them out for me. That’s because the file that we moved called “iTunes Library” needs a different extension for the PC to recognize it. So right click on that file on your PC and add “.itl” to the end of it. Now close iTunes if you have it open, and re-open it while holding down the SHIFT key on your PC. You’ll get a window that says Choose iTunes Library. Click “choose library” and then double click on the iTunes Library file (which should now have the little iTunes logo next to it instead of a blank page).
iTunes will now index all your songs and display them along with all your playlists. I hope this worked as well for you as it did for me, but if not I refer you to the much more complex and detailed article here: http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/moving-your-itunes-library-to-a-new-hard-drive/.
Cheers!
Get a new Mac but don’t know how to transfer your iTunes library from the old computer to the new one? Well, this article can help you out with two simple solutions on how to transfer iTunes library to new Mac.
Q: How to transfer iTunes library to my new Macbook? I would like to move my entire iTunes Library from my Windows PC to an external hard drive and I’d like to keep it there because it won’t fit onto my new Macbook Air. I am happy to plug this in whenever I wish to use my iTunes Library.
–A User from Apple Community
With a large iTunes library, it would not be an easy case for you to transfer it to your new Mac. Transfer data between two computers can be pretty annoying. With diverse genres of content in your iTunes library, it would be nice if you can find a good tool to transfer it simply and quickly.
And to help you out, in this article, we shall render you efficient methods on how to transfer iTunes library to new Mac.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via External Hard Drive or USB Drive
Step 1. To find the location of your iTunes media folder, launch iTunes on your old computer > Then click “Edit” (PC) or “iTunes”(Mac) on the menu bar > Preferences > Advanced > Here you will see the “iTunes Media folder location” in your computer.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via External Hard Drive or USB Drive – Step 1
Step 2. Then click File > Library > Organize Library > Check the box named as “Consolidate files” > Click OK.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via External Hard Drive or USB Drive – Step 2
Step 3. Quit iTunes > Connect your external hard drive or USB drive to the computer > Open the iTunes media folder from the location in step 1 > Drag the folder to the external hard drive/USB drive.
Step 4. Open iTunes > Then click “Choose Library” in the pop-up window > Select the iTunes library folder in your external hard drive.
Step 5. On your new Mac, connect your external drive to Mac > Click Finder on your new Mac > Choose the Music folder > Then drag the iTunes library folder in the external drive to the music folder in new Mac.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via External Hard Drive or USB Drive – Step 5
Step 6. Launch iTunes on your new Mac > Hold down the Option key while opening iTunes > Click “Choose Library” in the pop-up window > Select the music folder in your local hard drive > Choose the iTunes library folder > Click Open.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via External Hard Drive or USB Drive – Step 6
If you do have iPod classic, iPod nano or iPod shuffle, you can also use it as a hard drive in iTunes on Mac. Connect the iPod to your computer > Click the device icon on your iTunes > Summary > Select “Enable disk use” > Click Apply.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via AnyTrans for iOS
Besides manually moving your iTunes library to a new Mac, there is an easier and quicker way for you to achieve it – AnyTrans for iOS. It is a professional iOS data manager that allows you to simply transfer your iOS data from one device to another.
- Transfer media content selectively or wholly from iTunes to your hard drive or another iDevice without hassle.
- Transferring music speedily. AnyTrans for iOS supports you transfer more than 1000 songs in minutes.
- Manage and transfer almost all your iOS data like contacts, photos, ringtones, music, calendar, from one iDevice to another or from iDevice to computer and vice versa.
- No leak or loss of data. AnyTrans for iOS assures that all the data in the process of transferring would not be leaked or lost.
AnyTrans for iOS – iTunes Music Transfer
Want to transfer your iTunes library to another Mac simply and quickly? You can easily achieve it with this helper – AnyTrans for iOS. It can help you transfer your media content from iTunes to iDevice or computer without hassle.
Download AnyTrans for iOS now on your Windows PC or Mac and follow the below steps to know how to transfer iTunes library to new Mac.
Step 1. Launch AnyTrans for iOS > Connect your iDevice to the computer as an external drive > Click the button in the middle of the top bar > Choose iTunes Library in the drop-down menu.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via AnyTrans for iOS – Step 1
Step 2. Select all the items at once or some of them > Click on Send to Device button.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via AnyTrans for iOS – Step 2
Step 3. On your new Mac, connect your iDevice to the new Mac > Under Device Manager, go to Category Management > Choose Content to iTunes.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via AnyTrans for iOS – Step 3
How To Transfer Itunes Library From Mac To Pc
Step 4. Check the box of the data types you want to transfer > Click the arrow icon to initiate the process.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to New Mac via AnyTrans for iOS – Step 4
The Bottom Line
That’s the two methods on how to move iTunes library to new Mac. As you can see, with the help of AnyTrans for iOS, you can manage your iTunes library or iPhone data easier than ever. You can also back up your iOS app and restore them to your iDevices at any time. Download it now and enjoy your free trial!
How To Transfer Itunes Library From Mac To Windows Pc
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