Hello Tracy, First, your confusion regarding the iTunes Library source files is completely understandable. In fact, the more research one does on this subject, the more confusing the issue can become; this is because, in part, there are several ways to accomplish the same task and the method used will depend upon how you start and where you wish to end up, as it were.
1. Keep in mind that, simply put, an iTunes Library consist of two main components. The component that most people think of when dealing with a Library is the source files or Library contents. The contents of any iTunes Library can be spread across many different folders and even drives so it is important to know where your source folders are located. In many cases, people just use the default configuration which is often the most intuitive. Since you have the contents of your Library on an external drive, you obviously understand this component. 2. The second component of an iTunes Library is a file or series of files that keep track of how the Library appears and where the contents are located. This is what the .ITL file you mentioned does. In fact, iTunes for Windows now uses three files to keep track of this information and they are as follows: iTunes Library.itl iTunes Library.xml iTunes Music Library.xml The most important of these is the first, iTunes Library.itl. It is important to remember that the three files listed above need not be in the same folder or even on the same drive as the actual contents of the Library. Tracy, it is quite possible that if you copied your iTunes Library from the local disc drive of your Windows computer, the .itl and .xml files were not copied with it because they are located in you’re My Documents Folder. If this is the case, then you will need to first find and then copy these files to your external drive as well. Remember, these files only serve to retain appearance, play lists, and meta data for the Library. Without these files, you will need to re-create play lists, etc. 3. So, whenever you create a new iTunes Library, a .itl file is created along with any other .xml files as needed. Consequently, should you choose to open a different Library other than the one already selected, you will select the folder where a .itl lives. As an example, on my Windows computer, the contents of my iTunes Library is on drive P, a network attached storage drive. However, the .itl file is on the local drive of my computer. So, assuming I needed to open the Library manually, from within iTunes, I would choose c:\My Documents\My Music\... The path is not important in this example for it is to illustrate the point that the .itl is the proverbial gateway to your iTunes Library. 4. Although many Mac users do not concern themselves with the underlying file structure of the iTunes Library, grasping these fundamental points will greatly enhance more advanced aspects of iTunes including sharing one Library in a cross-platform environment. 5. Assuming you wish to keep the contents of your iTunes Library on the local drive of your Mac, you will simply copy the Library from your external drive to any Folder of your choice, on the Mac. Then, point iTunes, on your Mac, to the Folder containing the .itl file. Even after all of this, you will most likely need to manually adjust source file properties from within iTunes. This is because of the difference in file structure between Windows and Mac. 6. While this will not help you in your current situation, I strongly recommend that, in the future, you keep both your .itl and .xml files on a network attached storage drive along with the contents of your iTunes Library. Then, you can easily open the Library, completely intact, from any computer, Windows or Mac, on your network. Good Luck, Mark From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Traci Sent: Friday, August 26, 2011 12:13 PM To: macvisionaries Subject: Windows to Mac, ITunes Hi all, I've been googling like crazy, and yet I'm still unclear. :) I have my entire iTunes folder from windows on an external harddrive. What do I need to do to move this over to my Mac? If possible, I'd like to keep all my settings, as far as playlists and the like. I've read something about renaming an ITL file? This is where I get confused. :) Hope you guys can help. Thanks, Traci -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To post to this group, send email to macvisionaries@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/macvisionaries?hl=en.
