No longer possible to convert .itl library files on my Big Sur Mac

Hi,

It was all straightforward when iTunes was updated in parallel for Mac and Windows at the same time, and the library was cross platform compatible. The Mojave version of iTunes broke that somewhat as it became an OS component that Apple updated when they felt like it. With Music in Catalina it became more complicated as, as far as I can tell, Music only considers iTunes libraries created by Mojave as valid. Older .itl files don't work. There is a separate issue with Monterey where it just stalls when attempting to convert what would otherwise be valid .itl libraries.

If you'd like to send me your .itl file (email in profile) I can try converting it to a .musiclibrary package, but success may depend on which version of iTunes for Window the library was created by. When using the XML export/import route the import phase only works if you've edited the XML file such that it correctly uses the paths that you've copied the files to on the new computer. Failing this all you see is your purchase history, assuming that you are signed into your Apple Account.

The other approach you could use is to take out a temporary subscription to Apple Music, which would let you clone the library from one machine to the other. After you download all content in the cloud you could turn off Sync Library in both computers and then cancel the subscription renewal, assuming you no longer want it.

tt2

Another issue moving between Mac and Windows is that Windows really only like NTFS, which Mac can read but not natively write. Both platforms can read and write exFAT, although Windows cannot create that format, and Macs prefer HFS+/APFS. The workaround here is to copy data over a network where the source and destination file systems don't have to match, and each computer can work with the disk format it prefers.

What build of iTunes is installed? See Help > About iTunes if you're not sure. I can run a test at my end to see if Mojave iTunes can read a library created by that version, and if that will then open in Music. I'm using Catalina, but Big Sur can also be persuaded to install iTunes at a push. (Search Retroactive iTunes for details). It that were to work you might be able to miss out a conversion step and stay in a familiar environment.

The main change when moving an XML between Windows and Mac is to flip any \ to / and replace the path to the media folder in Windows (something perhaps like X:\iTunes\iTunes Media) to its equivalent on the Mac (e.g. <VolumeName>/iTunes/iTunes Media) not forgetting that any spaces in the path need to be represented as %20. Typically it requires one or two global search and replace operations in a suitable text editor. Macs and Windows may also use different end of line markers (LF vs CRLF) which may or may not have an impact depending on which direction you are porting the XML.

tt2

iTunes only backs up the .itl file in the Previous iTunes Libraries folder when there is a change to the database structure that makes the new library incompatible with the previous build of iTunes. .itl files are forwards compatible (ignoring Music's inability to open anything prior to Mojave) so the current version of iTunes should open any older library. An older version of iTunes for Windows likely won't read your current .itl file, but you might be able to bring an older version of your library up to date with the current content of your media folder. You would lose recent edits to playlists, play counts, etc. however. There isn't a way to trick iTunes into making a current library compatible with an older build. The only option there is to go via XML export, edit, and import, which loses Date Added details. If you'd like to share the full path to a specific track in both Windows and Mac I could suggest the edit you need to make, or potentially create the file from the .itl you've already shared with me.

tt2

I suspect a previous attempt to import an XML version of your library explains why the playlists are there. Smart playlists should populate as they are based on rules. Regular playlists only repopulate if the tracks are at the locations indicated in the XML file, which they will only be if it has been edited correctly before import.

Most music formats support metadata, with the obvious exception of files in .wav format. Artwork isn't always embedded, but transferring tracks between libraries will be more successful when it is. I have some Windows scripts that ensure all art is embedded if you are interested. The scripts have slightly different functions:

CreateFolderArt ensures that every album folder ends up with a Folder.jpg image which is the art that iTunes already knows about. Side effects are that if artwork has been updated in iTunes the folder art should be updated also, and if any track from the album doesn't have embedded artwork it gets embedded.

EmbedFolderArt was actually written for someone who already had various artwork images stored in the album folders and wanted them added to their tracks, but not if iTunes had already downloaded a better quality image. It creates new files of any store art with the name iTunesArt.jpg, then embeds the largest image by area in the album's folder, based on the premise that this is likely to be the best image.

In either case you could search and destroy the images in the folders after they are embedded if you don't want them.

Date added, rating, plays, skips, and (regular) playlist membership are among the details that are not included in the tag. These values are only stored in the library database. All apart from date added can be restored if you rebuild the library by importing an XML file rather than importing the files into an otherwise empty library.

While Monterey has issues converting .itl files it should have no problem with a .musiclibrary database created in Big Sur.

I do have a working copy of your library (sans media files) in Sequoia, so I can export an XML file from that that should need only minor editing. If I look at the location record for the first track in the library I get the following:

<key>Location</key><string>file:///Volumes/Data%20Drive/Steve/Desktop/Music/Media.localized/Music/2%20Fabiola/Magic%20Flight/02%20Magic%20Flight%20(Don%20Joan%20Avantura%20M.m4a</string>

The text in bold is what would need to be changed to match the actual location you're intending to use for this file. All the %20s are spaces. What is the path to this track on your Mac?

tt2

Hi.

1 & 2 aren't going to work because you're still trying to access a newer library in an incompatible older system. My Catalina Music won't read your .itl. The main point of using the network to transfer data from one system to another is when you have a disk format that isn't cross platform compatible.

3 won't be an issue for whatever Music library you have at the time.

I suspect 4 won't work because Monterey is three years old and anyway it hates .itl files.

Which leaves us with 5. I'm not at home right now, but I'll try editing the XML later and post it to you when I'm done so you can try it out.

tt2

Hi,

I've just sent you an edited XML derived from your original .itl file which I hope you will be able to import correctly on your Mac.

Apple have a solution for syncing libraries across multiple computers and platforms already. It is the Apple Music subscription service, available for a fee. TANSTAAFL.

There is an Apple Music for Windows client, but it is not very good, and has no features for importing or switching libraries, ripping CDs, printing, scripting support, and installing it to try it out cripples the local iTunes installation. Avoid at all costs.

tt2

I neglected to mention iTunes Match, which is cheaper than Apple Music, and limited to your own content rather than giving you access to an additional catalog that you can play on demand and add at will, however both services are limited to 100,000 tracks (excluding iTunes Store purchases) which I suspect makes them unsuitable for you.

I too was hoping for more from the XML edit. I did it using the Music library that Sequoia had generated. I should perhaps try again starting with the original Windows version of the library in case details were lost in translation somewhere.

tt2

Hi. I got your library which unfortunately won't open in Mojave iTunes (12.9.5.5) or Catalina Music (1.0.6.10). It will open in my Sequoia version of Music, so in principle there is cross platform compatibility as long as you are running the current builds everywhere.

If it worked until recently can you identify when? You could potentially revert to the last version of iTunes where this process still worked for you. If you look inside the Previous iTunes Libraries folder inside your iTunes folder you should see a number of dated .itl files that are associated with each change to the .itl. I have links to various installers for iTunes listed at the bottom of Troubleshooting issues with iTunes for Windows updates - Apple Community. To use an older version you have to uninstall the copy you have now, replace the current library with a relevant copy of one from the Previous iTunes Libraries folder, removing the date from the filename, then install the version that you want to use.

Going back to Apple Music as a possible way to run the same library concurrently on Windows and Mac, the issue you are worried about is that sometimes Apple Music (or iTunes Match) can mismatch your songs in its database. A classic problem is an explicit version of a track being matched with a clean copy. This can be counteracted by physically replacing any mismatches with your originals from the source library. That does mean that you would need to review matched tracks on the Mac after transfer, but I don't think the issue is as common as it used to be. As long as you have all the source content maintained on at least one computer and backed up it shouldn't really be a cause for concern.

tt2

I changed iTunes Media into Apple Music Media in the XML because that is what you said you were going to do. Sorry if I got the wrong impression.

tt2