Updated
August 29, 2016.
iTunes is one application I use every day. And I seem to add new tunes to my iTunes library almost as often as I use iTunes. The iTunes library doesn't have a practical size limit; as long as there's space on your drive, you can keep adding tunes or other media files.
That's not entirely a good thing. If you're not paying attention, your iTunes library can quickly take up more than its fair share of drive space.
Moving your iTunes library from your startup drive to another internal or external drive can not only free up some space on your startup drive, it can also give you more room to grow your iTunes library.
Before You Move Your iTunes Library
This guide will work for iTunes version 7 and later, however, some names will differ slightly, depending on the version of iTunes you're using. For instance, in iTunes 8 and earlier, the library folder where the media files are located is called iTunes Music. In iTunes version 9 and later, the same folder is called iTunes Media. To further muddy the waters, if the iTunes Music folder was created by iTunes 8 or earlier, then it will retain the older name (iTunes Music), even if you update to a newer version of iTunes. I hope I've caught all of these little discrepancies, but if you come across one I missed, please drop me a line so I can update this document. The instructions outlined here will use the vernacular found in iTunes version 10.x
Before you begin, I want to emphasize that you must have a current backup of your Mac, or at the very least, a current backup of iTunes.
The process of moving your iTunes library includes deleting the original source library. If something should go wrong and you don't have a backup, you could be singing the blues; that is, if you still have any music files to sing along to.
Playlists, Ratings, and Media Files
The process I outline here will retain all of your iTunes settings, including playlists and ratings, and all media files; not just music and video, but audio books, podcasts, etc. However, in order for iTunes to retain all this good stuff, you must let it be in charge of keeping the Music or Media folder organized. If you don't want iTunes to be in charge, the process of moving your media folder will still work, but you may find that metadata items, such as playlists and ratings, will be wiped out. I highly recommend letting iTunes manage your media.
Have iTunes Manage Your Media Folder
Before you actually move anything, start by verifying or setting up iTunes to manage your Music or Media folder.
- Launch iTunes, located at /Applications.
- From the iTunes menu, select iTunes, Preferences.
- In the Preferences window that opens, select the Advanced icon.
- Make sure there is a check mark next to the "Keep iTunes Media folder organized" item. (Early versions of iTunes may say "Keep iTunes Music folder organized.")
- Click OK.
Continue to the next page to complete the iTunes library move.
Published: 6/10/2012
Updated: 5/31/2015