Combining iTunes Libraries

[Larry_Elliott]

I have two iTunes Libraries that I wish to combine on a new external drive.

 

Is there a "simple" way to do this. I have tried copying etc, but all of the tracks get marked with ! and cant be found.

 

Thanks

Larry

 

 

[poop]

On what exactly you want to do. The simple way to do what I think you're asking is to copy the files to your external drive, then drag and drop them into iTunes thereby creating a new combined library. It means you will loose some info about your use of these files in the past (like play count or date last played etc), but all metadata will be intact.

 

There are other ways to go about doing this, might help to let us know if you're OS X, Windows, Linux etc. Most likely the reason you get the ! can't find tracks is because you have moved audio files/folders but not your iTunes library files. Google will help you there.

 

[ferenc]

is probably the easiest way. Before you merge the libraries, I would put a note in the comment field in the two libraries' s all songs like Library 1 and Library 2. This way it can give you an easy smart playlist maiking possibility to show what song was where. You can put a note in the comment field at once for all the tracks easily selecting all songs in the library then using the Get Info menu. Before you merge of course. -

 

[Larry_Elliott]

Sorry - forgot to say I am using OSX.

Thanks for the ideas so far.

Larry

 

 

[Larry_Elliott]

Bump!

Thanks

 

[poop]

What's up Larry? You asked for the "simple" way to combine two iTunes libraries, now you know... I can offer the complicated way, but since I've tried to help out and you don't seem to be up for it, I'll save myself as much trouble this time and direct you to this:

 

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1449

 

Pretty obvious from there how to get the second library merged... unless you want to offer more than another one or two word information-barren plea...

 

[Larry_Elliott]

Poo,

Thanks for your response - the reason I bumped this is that you asked what operating system I was using, and I was concerned that this might have had some bearing on the process.

 

My apologies

 

Larry

 

 

[eelliottnj]

Could you please elaborate on the 'drag-and-drop' aspect of this? I have my iTunes song list, then I have an .itl file that I created from the music on the iPod. I'm trying to merge the two. I can't believe Apple makes this si freakin difficult. If I've authorized two of my five available computers, why can't I sync the iPod to both of these devices without needing the passage of a new constitutional ammendment?! Either I'm missing the picture or Steve-o is a paranoid ego maniac.

Help!

 

[nf_able]

I was attempting to merge my wife's old iTunes library with from our shared MBP to her new MacBook. Hooked up over ethernet cable; nav'd to library 1, selected every folder under iTunes Music and dragged it to the folder of library 2 thinking it would merge them or at worst prompt me to overwrite replace as elsewhere in the finder doing similar things... but no, I navigate to new MB and the only content there is from lib 1, not one and two ... I've not emptied trash and didn't notice the 'freeing up' of the gigs. Where is these folders now? Can I recover them? Thx, and yes I'm a moron.

 

nf