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Easily export music and playlists from iTunes on Windows
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This wikiHow guide teaches you how to move your iTunes music library from one Windows computer to another. Transferring your iTunes library is super easy–you'll just need to consolidate your iTunes library, copy it to a USB drive or external hard drive, then copy the folder to the same location on the other PC. Note: This method only works for Windows, since Mac computers no longer have iTunes.
Quick Steps
- Consolidate your library in File > Library > Organize Library .
- Open File Explorer and navigate to the iTunes folder.
- Copy the folder to an external or flash drive.
- Copy the folder to the same location on the new computer.
- Press Shift as you open iTunes.
- Select the library file ( Library.itl ) to load your library.
Steps
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Click the File menu in iTunes. If you need to move your iTunes music library from one PC to another, you'll need to consolidate your library first. Start by opening the iTunes app on your computer and clicking the File menu at the top of the application. [1] X Research source
- If prompted to update iTunes, click Download iTunes and follow the on-screen instructions. You may have to restart your computer before you can proceed.
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Select the Library menu. Additional options will expand.Advertisement
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Click Organize Library… . Doing so opens a window.
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Check the "Consolidate files" box and click OK . This backs up your entire iTunes Library to the iTunes Media folder.
- Your files will remain in their original locations as well. [2] X Research source
- Depending on the size of your iTunes library, this process can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes.
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Connect a USB flash drive or external drive to your computer. Now that you've consolidated your library, you can easily back it up to an external drive , then move the backed-up folder to your new computer. If you don't have an external drive, you can pick one up on Amazon or at your local electronics store.
- Your flash drive or external hard drive must be large enough to fit your entire iTunes library onto it.
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2Find the path to your iTunes folder. If you already know where iTunes stores your media files, you can skip this step. If not, here's an easy way to find the location: [3] X Research source
- In iTunes, click the Edit menu and select Preferences .
- Click Advanced .
- You will see the path to your iTunes Media folder under "iTunes Media Folder Location."
- For example, C:\Users\wikiHow\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media.
- Copy the path to the iTunes folder (not the iTunes Media folder). To do this, use the mouse to highlight everything before "\iTunes Media", then press Ctrl + C
to copy it.
- In the above example, the part we want to copy is "C:\wikiHow\myusername\Music\iTunes".
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Go to the iTunes folder in File Explorer. Open File Explorer by pressing Windows key + E , or by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting File Explorer . Then, navigate to your iTunes folder. [4] X Research source
- If you copied the path to the folder in the previous step, click the address bar at the top of File Explorer, press Ctrl + V to paste it, then press Enter to go to that location.
- Otherwise, browse to the folder in File Explorer. It should be in your personal folder under "Music."
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Copy the iTunes folder. Click the iTunes folder to select it, then press Ctrl + C to copy it.
- If you already have music in iTunes on the new computer, you'll instead double-click the iTunes folder and then copy the iTunes Media folder inside of it. [5] X Research source
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Open your USB flash drive or external hard drive. On the left side of the File Explorer window, click the name of your plugged-in USB flash drive or external flash drive.
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Paste the copied iTunes folder. In the flash drive or external drive's window, press Ctrl + V to paste the copied folder. This might take a few moments depending on the size of your library and the speed of your external drive.
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Eject your USB flash drive or external drive . Once you've safely removed your flash drive or external drive, you can proceed with adding your iTunes library to the other computer.
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Install iTunes on the new computer. If you haven't already, download and install iTunes on the computer you're transferring your library to.
- If iTunes is already installed, close it for now.
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Open the external hard drive on the new computer. Plug the drive into any available port on the new computer. Once connected, open File Explorer, then click the name of the drive to view its contents.
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Copy the iTunes folder. Click the iTunes folder you copied to the drive once to select it, then press Ctrl + C to copy it.
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Open the new computer's Music folder. Go to the location of the Music folder, which is where you found the iTunes folder on your first computer. Don't worry if you don't see an iTunes folder here yet, as it won't show up until you've started using iTunes.
- If you copied the iTunes Media folder in the last part, you'll double-click the iTunes Media folder, then double-click the Automatically Add to iTunes folder instead.
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Paste the copied iTunes folder. Click anywhere inside the Music folder, then press Ctrl + V to paste your iTunes library into the folder. You should then see the iTunes folder appear in the Music folder.
- If you do see an iTunes folder and you haven't already used iTunes on this computer, you can delete the iTunes folder by clicking it first and then pressing Delete .
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6Hold down the ⇧ Shift key as you open iTunes. This tells iTunes to prompt you to select a library location. [6] X Research source
- An easy way to do this is to press the Windows key on your keyboard, type itunes , then hold down Shift as you click iTunes in the search results.
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7Click Choose Library when iTunes opens. Now you'll be able to browse for the library you copied from the other computer.
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8Select the Library.itl file inside the copied folder. To do this, navigate to the iTunes folder you copied over, click Open , then double-click the file called Library.itl . This loads the complete library from your other computer.
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9Deauthorize the original computer. If you plan to stop using the old computer, you should deauthorize it–you can only play your iTunes Store purchases on five authorized devices, and you'll want that space available to authorize future devices . [7] X Research source On the original computer, follow these steps to deauthorize iTunes after transferring your library: [8] X Research source
- Open iTunes on your old computer.
- Click the Account menu.
- Click Authorizations .
- Click Deauthorize This Computer and follow the on-screen instructions.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionAre there guidelines for copying my iTunes library from one type of Apple device to another?Community AnswerOnce you purchase the music you have the right to transfer it, as long as it's through iTunes. I wouldn't recommend USB transfer, but if it's for personal use then it doesn't matter -- do whatever you want.
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QuestionHow do I transfer songs from one computer to another without installing iTunes?Community AnswerUse a USB flashdrive or an SD Card. Insert the storage device and open the device's folder and the folder containing the songs; drag the songs from the song folder to the device folder. Remove the storage device and insert it into the new computer; open its folder and the folder where you will add these songs. Move the files like you did before.
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QuestionHow do I find the import button?Community AnswerOnce you've selected all the files you want to copy to the second computer, scroll the page down and the import button is at the bottom of the screen, in the lower right hand corner.
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Tips
- You can ensure that any songs you add to iTunes in the future are added to the iTunes folder automatically by opening the iTunes Preferences window, clicking Advanced, and checking the "Copy files to iTunes Media folder" box.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/itunes/move-your-itunes-library-to-another-computer-itns3230/windows
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/itunes/move-your-itunes-library-to-another-computer-itns3230/windows
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/itunes/move-your-itunes-library-to-another-computer-itns3230/windows
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204318
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204668
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/itunes/move-your-itunes-library-to-another-computer-itns3230/windows
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/itunes/move-your-itunes-library-to-another-computer-itns3230/windows
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/itunes/authorize-a-computer-itns3010/12.13/windows/10
About This Article
Article Summary
X
To transfer your iTunes library, start by opening iTunes, then clicking “File,” “Library,” and “Organize Library.” In the pop-out menu, check the “Consolidate Files” box, then click “OK.” Once your library consolidates, plug in your external hard drive. Next, find the computer’s “Music” folder, find the “iTunes” folder inside, then copy and paste the “iTunes” folder onto the hard drive. Eject the hard drive, then plug it into your new computer. When you open the hard drive on your new computer, copy and paste the “iTunes” folder into the “Music” folder. To learn some keyboard shortcuts you can use to make transferring your library easier, keep reading!
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Reader Success Stories
- "Option worked perfectly - interesting to note that not both computers needed to be running the most up to date version of iTunes. My old computer runs XP and as such, the iTunes update is unavailable. Home sharing seems to bypass this however!" ..." more
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"Option worked perfectly - interesting to note that not both computers needed to be running the most up to date version of iTunes. My old computer runs XP and as such, the iTunes update is unavailable. Home sharing seems to bypass this however!"
..."
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"After much searching, I finally came across this site. It was extremely easy, and WAY CHEAPER than buying an external drive, which I did not want to do. Thank God for helping me find this!!"
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"Clear, easy to follow steps. I looked at several other sites and these directions were the easiest to follow. Thank you."
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"I had a G4 with all my music and I wanted to move it to my iMac. I followed method 2 and the move went perfectly."
"Very nicely explained. I used an external hard drive. I also want to try home sharing."
