Here are some things to know
Question: Q: iTunes stuck on 'Checking iTunes Library' after Yosemite update Hi, After updating to Yosemite, my iTunes and iPhoto will not open for me. ITunes gets stuck on 'Checking iTunes Library' and iPhoto just freezes immediately. Jul 21, 2019 Despite Apple’s assurances, now is a great time to manually back up your iTunes library. Apple has instructions on exactly how to do it, but key detail is that you’ll first need to download all the purchased content that you want to back up. If you back up your entire Mac via the Time Machine feature, this will include your iTunes library. The iTunes Match service allows you to access your music library on any Windows PC with iTunes for Windows or any Apple device. If iTunes Match is turned on, iTunes won’t let you sync music, so you have to disable it first and then try syncing music normally again. To do this, go to Settings Music.
Your iTunes library, a database that's made up of all of the music and other media that you add to iTunes for Windows, is organized into two iTunes library files and an iTunes Media folder.
Before you back up your media:
- Consolidate your iTunes library.
- Redownload any previous purchases, like music, movies, TV shows, and more. The only way to back up your purchased media is to download your purchases to your computer.
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If you have a Mac
In macOS Catalina or later, your previous iTunes media library is now available in the Apple Music app, Apple TV app, Apple Podcasts app, and Apple Books app. And when you back up your Mac, your media library is automatically included in that backup.
Consolidate your iTunes library
- Open iTunes.
- From the menu bar at the top of your computer screen or at the top of the iTunes window, choose File > Library > Organize Library.
- Select Consolidate files.
- Click OK.
When you consolidate, copies of any files that were outside of your iTunes Media folder are added to your iTunes Media folder. To save space on your hard drive, you might want to delete the original files after you make sure that the copies are in your iTunes Media Folder.
Find the iTunes Media folder
By default, your iTunes Media folder is in your iTunes folder. To find it, go to User > Music > iTunes > iTunes Media.
If you don't see your iTunes Media folder in the above location, here's how to find it:
- Open iTunes.
- From the menu bar at the top of the iTunes window, choose Edit > Preferences.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- Look in the box under 'iTunes Media folder location' for the location of your iTunes Media folder.
Back up your library and media files
After you consolidate your media files, you can back up your library and media files to an external drive.
- Quit iTunes.
- Find your iTunes folder.
- Right-click on your iTunes folder, then choose Copy.
- Go to your external hard drive, then right-click and choose Paste.
Restore your library from a backup
You can restore your iTunes library from your external drive to your computer. If you're restoring an iTunes Library from a different computer, make sure that your new computer has the latest version of iTunes.
Mac Stuck On Saving Itunes Library Dialog Won T Close
- Quit iTunes.
- Go to 'This PC,' then click your external drive.
- Select your iTunes folder, then right-click and choose Copy.
- Go to the location on your computer where you want your iTunes library, then right-click and choose Paste.
- Hold down the Shift key while opening iTunes.
- When you see a message that asks you to Choose iTunes Library, click Choose Library.
- Choose the location where you copied your iTunes folder.
- Choose the iTunes Library.itl file inside.
- Click Open.