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music deleted from the "automatically add to iTunes" folder

I had a big music folder library that had to backup to give service to my mac. I had no music on my itunes at all but recently I downloaded and added mp3 files to the "automatically add to iTunes" folder. Worked fine, played the songs on itunes and then I decided to add my old music library to itunes.

Itunes added the new files and songs play normally on the library not the apple music. The files from the recent music shows on the library but won't play because it can not locate the file.

I've searched on icloud and on the mac for the files and the files are missing! anyone knows why the mp3 files disappeared from the automatically add to itunes folder and the entire mac ? thanks



Posted on Aug 21, 2019 4:32 PM

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Posted on Aug 21, 2019 5:02 PM

Songs in this particular folder are relocated by iTunes according to their metadata. It is quite normal for them to be removed from this folder and re-filed according to their artist/album. Are you saying that you can't locate the native files now? You can go into Song Info in iTunes and under the File tab you'll see where iTunes put them.


For the "Apple Music" files you're referring to, if these are downloads from your Apple Music plan you may have to re-download them if you moved them while your Mac was being serviced, could be part of the "protected" status of such files.

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3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 21, 2019 5:02 PM in response to nat_ga

Songs in this particular folder are relocated by iTunes according to their metadata. It is quite normal for them to be removed from this folder and re-filed according to their artist/album. Are you saying that you can't locate the native files now? You can go into Song Info in iTunes and under the File tab you'll see where iTunes put them.


For the "Apple Music" files you're referring to, if these are downloads from your Apple Music plan you may have to re-download them if you moved them while your Mac was being serviced, could be part of the "protected" status of such files.

Aug 21, 2019 4:57 PM in response to nat_ga

Content you place in the Automatically Add to iTunes folder should be added to the library and moved from that folder according to the metadata, e.g. artist and album folders for music. In other words the default state of the folder is empty if iTunes is running. If you copy one folder on top of another on a Mac the original version of the folder is replaced with the new one, the content isn't merged. Without knowing more I would suspect this is what you have done. Apple Music content can be transferred from one computer to another if you migrate the library as a unit (see Move your iTunes library to a new computer - Apple Community) but you cannot import the files into a different library. The Apple Music files you have will need to be deleted and then you'll have to make fresh downloads of them.


tt2

music deleted from the "automatically add to iTunes" folder

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