I have the Music app on an iMac running Somona. I want to transfer the library to an external drive or another Mac. Exporting music files is easy enough. The important is to export also the playlists and playcounts. 40 songs have over 1,000 plays. Will consolidate, then move location work to an external drive and retain playlists/playcounts ? Or if that does not work, then how ?
What I've done to move my Music, Photos and Movie libraries to an external drive is to copy the Music and Pictures folders to the EHD.
Then I launched each app with the Option key held down, get this window,
Then navigate to the EHD and open your iTunes library.
For Photos you can go to the Pictures folder on the external drive and double click on the library to open it.
Once you've confirmed that the libraries work as expected you can delete the contents of the Picture and Music folders on the boot drive. DO NOT delete the folders themselves.
You can remove the existing Music and Pictures folder from the Finder's sidebar and drag the folders from the external drive into the sidebar.
What I've done to move my Music, Photos and Movie libraries to an external drive is to copy the Music and Pictures folders to the EHD.
Then I launched each app with the Option key held down, get this window,
Then navigate to the EHD and open your iTunes library.
For Photos you can go to the Pictures folder on the external drive and double click on the library to open it.
Once you've confirmed that the libraries work as expected you can delete the contents of the Picture and Music folders on the boot drive. DO NOT delete the folders themselves.
You can remove the existing Music and Pictures folder from the Finder's sidebar and drag the folders from the external drive into the sidebar.
Here's Apple's Support document, which is a bit confusing.
Change where your music files are stored on Mac - Apple Support
Not mentioned there is that if you hold down the Option key while starting the Music application, you get a dialog that allows you to create, and switch between, Music libraries. (You can only work with one library at a time.).
I think I have seen a User Tip on these forums on how to move Music libraries, so hopefully someone with a pointer t that tip, or who has more experience moving libraries _while retaining playlsts/playcounts etc._ will be along.
To export a playlist select the playlist then go to file, library, export. I always export to a flash drive then import in the Music app on the new drive. You can probably export directly to your external drive Music app.
It is starting to sounds like you have multiple music Libraries. The old iTunes Library on the external drive and a later Music Library on the iMac.
To Merge and then Consulate the Libraries see turningtest2's reply @ > Merging music libraries... - Apple Community
In your case this is going to be extra tricky, because it sounds like the old iTunes and new Music libraries are on different drives.
I could be wrong, but I think that you're going to have to move both libraries to the same drive, then merge and consulate the libraries.
The choose button was greyed out because I was clicking on the Music folder. Now no longer greyed out when the Library file was clicked. All done, play counts (and playlists) successfully transferred to EHD.
End of discussion. Thanks to all whom made an input.
Already know that (Option Key, choose library or create new library) , as worked with iTunes for as long as possible, using the itl (iTunes Library) file. But my question is regarding especially play counts to be transferred. With iTunes, the library went to external drive, and the play counts and playlists went with them. But eventually iTunes disappeared, was replaced by the Music app, and was stuck for playlists and play counts, trying to use the itl file. Found no way to do that, before the computer with iTunes on it had to be a software update. Before that, with iTunes open, I wrote down all the play counts for the Top 600 Most Played. iTunes then gone, had to resurrect the play counts manually by playing in the Music app and synced devices (took 8 months in 2024).
When I experimented by using the Option key with Music app a month ago, had a starter library with all my purchases in the cloud: no good to me. The iMac the library is on, is running out of storage by now. That is due to the internal Mac HD. Trying to find out all the steps beforehand to export all the songs, playlists and play counts from my current Music library to external drive.
The play counts start back in 2013. and the default playlist, smart playlist "Top 25 Most Played" when iTunes kicked in starts things off. Is unique to my listening over 12 years and still counting, personally very meaningful..
I try this and the choose button is greyed out. Only way out of this is to hit the cancel button. Your solution not working.
Sorry that I could not help.
While I understand the importance of Playlists, I fail to understand the importance of Plays (play count)...?
den.thed wrote:
Sorry that I could not help.
While I understand the importance of Playlists, I fail to understand the importance of Plays (play count)...?
Me too.
Not helpful, as the old iTunes library not exists. I already spent months last year to transfer the play counts (and playlists) to the target computer (Mac 1), that had the Music app, not iTunes. When done, the other Mac (Mac2) that had iTunes, got updated its MacOS, so that I no longer had iTunes, from that date. Mac 2 thus began with a fresh Music app and library, with no play counts, as could not find a way to transfer those items. Online help, to transfer from iTunes to Music app failed to get the playlists and play counts transferred.
Once the play counts got near enough, I did delete the iTunes library from EHD.
I repeat, playlists nowhere near as difficult as play counts. It takes a day to manually transfer playlists, but months to transfer play counts.
Now, I want to transfer the Music library on Mac 1, with the play counts and playlists intact, to external drive, due to storage running out on its internal hard drive. I'm sure there are more steps to take, than already answered. Those steps to be consolidation, and move location, As well as drag and drop. Those steps may be precise and done in the correct sequence. This is need to know. No step-by-step guide online found for this yet.
Failing the above, now thinking now to get Mac 2 running by re-installing Mac OS on an external drive, then running Migration Assistant onto that when it wakes up, and see if that works.
Transfer music, playlists and playcounts from Mac to external drive, or a new/factory settings restored Mac.
