Relocating iTunes Music Libraries to Removable/External Storage Media

By default, iTunes music libraries are stored in your user folders, namely the Music folder (Mac) or the My Music folder (Windows) within your home directory. This storage location can however be easily changed to be a CD, DVD, or other external storage device such as a USB Flash drive or an external hard drive. Keep in mind that if a CD or DVD is used, your music files must already be present on the disc (you will not be able to add additional music to your library once the disc is burned unless music is stored on another device such as USB flash drive or external hard drive), as these storage mediums are normally ‘read-only’ depending on your machine’s drive and the type of disc used. The steps below outline the process for copying and relocating your iTunes music folder. This procedure assumes the use of a CD or DVD to be your storage medium. PLEASE NOTE: This procedure is NOT necessary if you are only wanting to play (without importing) regular audio CD’s in iTunes.

Step 1

Begin by copying your existing music library folder (if you have one) over to a CD,DVD, or other Storage Medium. You will find this folder (entitled iTunes Music) in the iTunes folder located in your respective home directory Music folder, Music folder (Mac) or the My Music folder (Windows). It is only necessary to copy this folder, as the other files used in the iTunes folder are the database used for organizing your library and playlists, they should remain untouched. For more information, consult Apple’s online knowledgebase for Windows or Mac users.

OS X iTunes Music Folder

Windows iTunes Music Folder

Step 2

Open the iTunes Preferences menu, select the Advanced button. This is under the iTunes menu (Mac) or the Edit menu (Windows).

OS X iTunes Preferences Selection

Windows iTunes Preferences Selection

Step 3

Select the General tab under the Advanced menu. Locate the iTunes Music Folder location box and note the current location. To change this location to your CD/DVD (make sure it is loaded…) or other external storage, click the Change button located beside the box and select your new location by clicking the Choose(Mac) or OK(Windows) buttons at the bottom of the dialogue box. You may need to navigate up your directory structure to My Computer in Windows or select the location from your sidebar on the Mac dialogue window. Select the iTunes Music or other folder in the new location and click the Choose button. Verify the location that is now displayed in the box.

OS X Change Location Button

Windows Change Location Button

Windows-Selecting top level of the music folder

Step 4

Ensure that the Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library and the Keep iTunes Music Folder organized checkboxes are unchecked (if you are using a USB Flash Drive or other external HD, you may elect to turn these options back on after your library is setup initially). After verifying settings, click the OK button and you will return to the iTunes main window. If you already had a music library on your computer, iTunes will now update your library to point to the new music folder location. Note that only songs stored in the same relative location in the new music folder will be updated. If you change the directory structure, or added additional music files to the folder after copying it, you will need to re-add the songs from the new location.

OS X-Additional Music Folder Options

Windows-Additional Music Folder Options

Step 5

Click the Library icon on the side list of the iTunes window. Your library may be empty if you didn’t have a previous music collection on your computer, thus you can add the songs from your new music folder by going to the File menu and selecting Add to library(Mac) or Add Folder to Library(Windows). At the dialogue, pick the top-most folder of your new music folder location (i.e. select the ‘iTunes Music’ folder if you copied from an existing iTunes music folder). Click Choose and all songs in the new folder will be added to you library! You can now make playlists and play music as normal using the music stored on the CD/DVD/Other! If you moved your library on your current computer and some items in you library weren’t updated with the new location, delete them from your library (select and press backspace) and then re-add them using this same method (in Windows, select ‘Add File to Library’ if you only want to add a single file).

OS X-Add To Music Library

Windows-Add To Music Library

Step 6

Now that you have moved your music and pointed iTunes to the new location, don’t forget to delete the music out of the iTunes Music folder in your home directory so that you can free up that server space! NOTE: Only delete this folder and NOT the whole iTunes folder under your respective music folder, as it contains your library/playlist data.