How to Transfer iTunes Library from One Computer to Another

This article shows you how to transfer your iTunes music library from one computer to another, in addition, you can also use the Home Sharing feature if both computers are connected to the same wireless network and enter the same Apple account

Table of Contents

Using an external hard drive

Make sure you have iTunes installed on the other computer. For example, if you move your library from your home computer to a new computer, you must install iTunes on that computer before continuing.

Open iTunes. Perform this step on your home computer to transfer the library.

Click File . It’s on the top left of the screen (Mac) or the top left of the iTunes window (Windows).

Select Library . This is near the bottom of the File drop-down menu.

Click Organize Library… . The item above the menu appears.

Select the “Conspite files” box. The item at the top of the Organize Library window appears.

Click OK . The button is at the bottom of the window. This step will start copying music on your computer to the iTunes Media folder.

On a Mac, you may be asked to enter your Apple ID password before continuing.
This process may take several minutes.

Connect the external hard drive to the computer. Plug the USB cable into the computer’s USB port.

If you’re using a Mac computer, you’ll need a USB-C to USB-3.0 adapter to connect the hard drive to your computer.

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Copy the iTunes folder. This process will vary depending on the computer:

Mac – Open Finder, click the Mac hard drive in the upper-left corner, double-click the Music folder, click the iTunes folder, click Edit , and click Copy .
Windows – Open Start

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, click File Explorer

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, click the Music folder on the left side (you have to double-click This PC here first), click the iTunes folder, press Ctrl and C keys at the same time.

Open the external hard drive. Click the external hard drive’s name to the left of Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows).

Copy the iTunes folder to the hard drive. Click Edit and click Paste (for Mac) or press the Ctrl and V keys at the same time (for Windows).

Wait for the iTunes folder to finish copying. This process can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours depending on the size of the library.

Disconnect the external hard drive. To do this:

Mac – Click the ⏏ Eject icon to the right of the hard drive’s name in the Finder window, then unplug the hard drive cable from the computer.
Windows – Click on the hard drive with the checkmark icon in the bottom right corner of the screen (you have to click ^ here first), then click the Eject option and eject the drive from the computer.

Connect the external drive to the new computer.

Open the external drive. To do this:

Mac – Open Finder, then click the external hard drive’s name on the left side of the Finder window.
Windows – Open Start, click the File Explorer icon, and click the external hard drive’s name on the left side of the Explorer window.

Copy the iTunes folder. Click the folder, then Edit and then Copy (Mac) or press Ctrl + C (Windows).

Go to your new computer’s iTunes folder. To do this:

Mac – Click on your Mac’s hard drive in the upper left corner of the Finder, double-click the Music folder, and find the iTunes folder.
Windows – Click the Music folder on the left side of the File Explorer window, then find the iTunes folder.

Delete the iTunes folder. Click the folder, then click Edit and click Move to Trash (Mac) or press Delete (Windows).

If the new computer has music files, deleting the iTunes folder will also delete the music files. If you want to keep your music files, you’ll need to copy your new computer’s iTunes folder, paste it somewhere else (like off-screen), delete it from the Music folder, and then return it to your drive’s iTunes folder. external hard drive and copy it again.

Paste the copied iTunes folder into the Music folder. Click Edit and then Paste (Mac) or press Ctrl + V (Windows). The iTunes folder from the external drive will start copying itself to the Music folder.

This process can take a few minutes to several hours depending on the size of your iTunes library.

Open iTunes after the folder completes copying. The music will appear in your iTunes library.

Using Home Sharing

Complete the necessary requirements for Home Sharing. To use Home Sharing between two computers, you must have iTunes installed on both computers, they must be connected to the same network (wired or Wi-Fi), and you must have an Apple ID associated with your iTunes account.

Open iTunes on your home computer and on the new computer. Make sure that iTunes is fully open and up to date before continuing.

If iTunes on your computer isn’t up to date, you’ll see a window that says a new version of iTunes is available. Click the Download iTunes button in the window that appears, then wait for the update to install and restart your computer when prompted.

Turn on Home Sharing on the new computer. Click File , select Home Sharing in the drop-down menu, click Turn On Home Sharing , and enter your Apple ID password when prompted.

Turn on Home Sharing on your home computer. You’ll do this by following the same method of activating Home Sharing on your new computer.

Enabling Home Sharing on the computer where you move the library to first will avoid fewer errors than the reverse sequence.

Click the Music pane on the new computer. An icon with a musical note in the upper left corner of the iTunes window.

Click the name of your home computer library. The item is at the bottom of the drop-down menu under the Music pane. Then your home computer library will appear.

Select the music you want to switch to. Click the song, then press ⌘ Command + A to select the entire song in the library. You can also select individual songs by holding down the ⌘ Command key and clicking each song.

Move the song to the new computer library. Click and drag the selected song to the “Music” tab on the left side of the window, then release the mouse button. This step will begin transferring the selected song to the new computer’s iTunes folder.

Dragging a selected song will drag other selected songs.

Steps

Using an external hard drive

Using Home Sharing

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