How to Transfer iTunes Library from One Computer to Another

Use an external hard drive

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

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

Click File . This item is on the upper left side of the screen (Mac) or the upper left side of the iTunes window (Windows).

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

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

Select the "Consolidate files" box. The section above the Organize Library window appears.

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

On a Mac computer, you may be asked to enter your Apple ID password before continuing.

This process may take a few minutes.

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

If you use a Mac computer, you need a USB-C to USB-3.0 adapter to connect the hard drive to your computer.

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

Mac - Open Finder, click your 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, click File Explorer , click the Music folder on the left (you must first double-click This PC here), click the iTunes folder , press the Ctrland key Cat the same time.

Open the external hard drive. Click the external hard drive name on the left side of Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows).

Copy the iTunes folder to your hard drive. Click Edit and click Paste (for Mac) or press Ctrland key Vat the same time (for Windows).

Wait for the iTunes folder to complete copying. This process can take 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 icon ⏏ Ejectto the right of the hard drive name in the Finder window, then unplug the hard drive cable from the computer.

Windows - Click on the hard drive with the tick icon in the lower right corner of the screen (you must first click ^ here), then click on the Eject option and remove 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 name on the left side of the Finder window.

Windows - Open Start, click the File Explorer icon , and click the external hard drive name on the left side of the Explorer window.

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

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

Mac - Click your Mac's hard drive in the upper left corner of 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 tap Delete(Windows).

If your 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 (such as off your desktop), 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 a few hours depending on the size of your iTunes library.

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

Use 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 on the same network (wired or Wi-Fi), and you must have an Apple ID linked to your iTunes account.

Open iTunes on your home computer and on your new computer. Make sure iTunes is fully open and updated before continuing.

If iTunes on your computer hasn't been updated, you'll see a window pop up notifying you that 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 will do this step in the same way as activating Home Sharing on your new computer.

Enabling Home Sharing on the computer you transfer the library to first will prevent fewer errors than the reverse order.

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

Click the name of your home computer library. It's located at the bottom of the drop-down menu under the Music pane . Then your home computer library will appear.

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

Move songs to your 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.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 09 November 2023