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Home Sharing stopped working

I recently upgraded my Mini from Monterey to Ventura, and now Home Sharing has stopped working. When I try to access my media from my Apple TV, it says "No libraries available" and directs me to turn on Home Sharing, which was already on. I have tried turning Home Sharing and Media Sharing off and back on again on my computer, with all of the appropriate checkboxes being ticked, to no avail. I have also tried restarting my computer and my Apple TV, also without success. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Mac mini, macOS 12.1

Posted on Jan 22, 2023 11:46 AM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 7, 2023 3:51 PM

In case anyone else ever has this problem, here's what happened. Note that this was a problem on all of my Apple TVs, and on both my old Mini and on the Mini that I just got last week. I spent an hour and a half on the phone with Apple support, who were absolutely great and patient. At their suggestion or on my own, I tried the following:

1) Turn Home Sharing/Media Sharing off and back on again on Mini

2) Restore older version of my Music library from Time Machine on Mini

3) Quit Computers app on Apple TV

4) Sign out of my iCloud on Apple TV, then back In

5) Sign out of my Apple ID on Mini, then back In

6) Reboot Apple TV

7) Reboot Mini

8) Wipe Mini and reinstall OS Ventura

9) Start up in Safe Mode on Mini

10) Uninstall antivirus software with VPN on Mini

11) Restart wifi router


None of that worked. So, one suggestion that the Apple Support folks made, but we didn't get to try before I had to go, was to reset my Apple TV. So, after we hung up, that's what I tried. Voila! Success!! The weird thing is, that resetting one Apple TV fixed the problem on all of my Apple TVs. Go figure.

5 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 7, 2023 3:51 PM in response to greguva

In case anyone else ever has this problem, here's what happened. Note that this was a problem on all of my Apple TVs, and on both my old Mini and on the Mini that I just got last week. I spent an hour and a half on the phone with Apple support, who were absolutely great and patient. At their suggestion or on my own, I tried the following:

1) Turn Home Sharing/Media Sharing off and back on again on Mini

2) Restore older version of my Music library from Time Machine on Mini

3) Quit Computers app on Apple TV

4) Sign out of my iCloud on Apple TV, then back In

5) Sign out of my Apple ID on Mini, then back In

6) Reboot Apple TV

7) Reboot Mini

8) Wipe Mini and reinstall OS Ventura

9) Start up in Safe Mode on Mini

10) Uninstall antivirus software with VPN on Mini

11) Restart wifi router


None of that worked. So, one suggestion that the Apple Support folks made, but we didn't get to try before I had to go, was to reset my Apple TV. So, after we hung up, that's what I tried. Voila! Success!! The weird thing is, that resetting one Apple TV fixed the problem on all of my Apple TVs. Go figure.

Jan 24, 2023 2:46 PM in response to greguva

Hello greguva,


To resolve your issue, let's make sure you are signed into the same Apple ID account on both devices. If you are currently signed into the same account, then let's sign out and back in on both devices before turning on Home Sharing and setting it back up. You can find the steps on how to get it done here: Use Home Sharing to share media from a computer to other devices - Apple Support and below.


"Use Home Sharing on your Mac

To access your media library:

  1. Open the Music app.
  2. If you're not signed in, sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.
  3. In the sidebar, click Library.

The media library selection in the Library drop-down menu on a Mac

4. Click the media library.

To go back to your music library, click Eject  in the sidebar.


Use Home Sharing on your Apple TV

To use Home Sharing to access your computer's media library on your Apple TV, sign in to Home Sharing on your Apple TV:

  1. Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Home Sharing.
  2. Select Turn on Home Sharing.
  3. Sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.

After you sign in, follow these steps to access your computer's media library on your Apple TV:

  1. Connect your Apple TV to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer.
  2. On your computer, open the Music app, Apple TV app, or iTunes for Windows.
  3. On your Apple TV, go to the Home Screen, select Computers, and choose a shared library.

You can also view photos from your computer on your Apple TV.

  • On your Mac: Choose Apple menu  > System Settings, then click General in the sidebar. Click Sharing on the right. Turn on Media Sharing, then click the Info button  next to it. Then select Share Photos with Apple TV.
  • On your PC: Open iTunes for Windows. In the menu bar, go to File > Home Sharing, then select Choose Photos to Share with Apple TV.
  1. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences Settings, then click General in the sidebar.
  2. Click Sharing on the right.
  3. Click Turn on Media Sharing, then click the Info button  next to it.
  4. Select Home Sharing, then enter your Apple ID and click Turn on Home Sharing. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network. and sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.
  5. Click Turn On Home Sharing."


Best regards.



Jan 24, 2023 2:41 PM in response to greguva

Hello greguva,


To resolve your issue, let's make sure you are signed into the same Apple ID account on both devices. If you are currently signed into the same account, then let's sign out and back in on both devices before turning on Home Sharing and setting it back up. You can find the steps on how to get it done here: Use Home Sharing to share media from a computer to other devices - Apple Support and below.


"Use Home Sharing on your Mac

To access your media library:

  1. Open the Music app.
  2. If you're not signed in, sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.
  3. In the sidebar, click Library.

The media library selection in the Library drop-down menu on a Mac

4. Click the media library.

To go back to your music library, click Eject  in the sidebar.


Use Home Sharing on your Apple TV

To use Home Sharing to access your computer's media library on your Apple TV, sign in to Home Sharing on your Apple TV:

  1. Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Home Sharing.
  2. Select Turn on Home Sharing.
  3. Sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.

After you sign in, follow these steps to access your computer's media library on your Apple TV:

  1. Connect your Apple TV to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer.
  2. On your computer, open the Music app, Apple TV app, or iTunes for Windows.
  3. On your Apple TV, go to the Home Screen, select Computers, and choose a shared library.

You can also view photos from your computer on your Apple TV.

  • On your Mac: Choose Apple menu  > System Settings, then click General in the sidebar. Click Sharing on the right. Turn on Media Sharing, then click the Info button  next to it. Then select Share Photos with Apple TV.
  • On your PC: Open iTunes for Windows. In the menu bar, go to File > Home Sharing, then select Choose Photos to Share with Apple TV.
  1. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences Settings, then click General in the sidebar.
  2. Click Sharing on the right.
  3. Click Turn on Media Sharing, then click the Info button  next to it.
  4. Select Home Sharing, then enter your Apple ID and click Turn on Home Sharing. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network. and sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.
  5. Click Turn On Home Sharing."


Best regards.



Feb 6, 2023 7:56 AM in response to greguva

greguva, Thanks for letting us know. In that case, we recommend that you contact Apple Support directly so that they can work with you to find a solution. You can reach them by clicking here: Apple Support or calling the most local number in your region: Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support Thank you for participating in the Apple Support Communities. Cheers!

Home Sharing stopped working

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