Where is the proper location for the iTunes Library.xml file

[mwheelerk]

I maintain my library on an external HDD. I have been playing around with Sonos recently but it has been unable to import my iTunes Playlists. I believe this may have something to do with the location of my iTunes Library.xml file. When looking at Finder I can see that I actually have two iTunes Library.xml files in my path. I am assuming that the current xml file is the most recently dated but I am wondering if the location is wrong as I have read in Sonos support that the xml file for an external HDD must be in the same path as Sonos is pointed in order to import my Playlists. Should I replace the xml file under iTunes Media with the xml file located under iTunes? Should I create a new one?

 

[Musicophile]

I have mine on my main SSD (music files on USB external HD), and find it to be much faster this way, especially given the size of my library.

[Daudio]

I am assuming that the current xml file is the most recently dated but I am wondering if the location is wrong as I have read in Sonos support that the xml file for an external HDD must be in the same path as Sonos is pointed in order to import my Playlists. Should I replace the xml file under iTunes Media with the xml file located under iTunes? Should I create a new one?

 

I would move that extra .xml file in your Music folder, to some other location, such as the Desktop, prior to deleting it. I believe that it is redundant, and should be trashed, but move it first, to be safe, until you have things working right.

 

Your iTunes library is actually contained in the 'iTunes Library' file in the iTunes folder (it is really an '.itl' type file). The 'iTunes Library.xml' is only a copy of the data in the 'iTunes Library.itl' file in the industry standard XML data format.

 

I don't know anything about Sonos, but assume that it reads the XML data from that file to import your iTunes libraries metadata, including playlists. I think you should then point Sonos at your external 'iTunes' folder to do the import.

 

 

I've moved my 'iTunes' folder (and thus the library files) to my external HDD along with the 'iTunes Media' folder (separate paths), for easier backup and portability.

[mwheelerk]

Still hoping for some help on exactly how to proceed. I have three iTunes XML and I am unsure of which is the proper one and where it should be or could be located. All of my music folders/files are located on an external HDD identified as Music Library.

 

• The first XML file is located on my MacBook under Music>iTunes and is located in the same column as the iTunes Media folder. It shows a Created date of 8/30/14 and Modified/Last Opened dates of 6/9/15.
  
• The second XML file is located on my external HDD as Music Library>Music>iTunes and is located in the same column as the iTunes Media folder. It shows a Created date of 1/9/12 and Modified/Last Opened dates of 9/11/12.
  
• The third XML file is located on my external HDD as Music Library>Music>iTunes>iTunes Media and is located in the same column as the Music folder that all my music folders/files reside. Its created date shows as 3/6/10 and the Modified/Last Opened dates of 3/8/10. One other note when accessing the above two XML files I end up with an icon that looks like the Safari icon on a sheet of paper with XML on the bottom. For this third XML file all I see is a box with code written in it.
  

Ultimately I would like to eliminate the duplicate XML files and have the correct, current XML file located in the proper place on the external HDD with my music folders/files so as to be able to use some features for playlists etc with the Sonos set up I am working with.

 

Any guidance in what is the proper method to move or recreate the XML file and deleting the old XML files is appreciated. My inclination right now is to start with the third and oldest XML file and remove it from the path but copy it to the desktop and try to operate iTunes for a day or two that way to ensure all is well. Then I would proceed in the same manner with the second oldest XML. Finally I want to move the current/newest iTunes XML to the external HDD from the MacBook but this is where I am most concerned about doing so properly.

 

Thanks

 

P.S. I should note that other than this little conundrum my iTunes library seems to be working properly. I also have Audirvana, Sonos and JRiver pointed to this same file path and they also work properly.

[goldsdad]

It seems pretty clear from the "last modified" dates that your current XML file is the 6/9/15 one in the "~/Music/iTunes/" folder of the boot volume (your MacBook's internal drive).

There's a bunch of other long-unused files and folders in the external "/Volumes/MUSIC Library/Music/iTunes/" folder. I guess you copied your entire iTunes folder to that drive a few years ago, but your current functional iTunes library database is in your boot volume while the iTunes music collection is in the external volume. You can delete everything except folder "iTunes Media" from "/Volumes/MUSIC Library/Music/iTunes/". Also delete the other long-unused XML file from "/Volumes/MUSIC Library/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media".

You need Sonos to see your current XML file, so are you sure your Sonos setup has been provided with "~/Music/iTunes/" as a shared folder?