If you want to find out where iTunes stores your library files, the following guide should help you find the iTunes library location on both your Windows and Mac machines. Read on to even learn how to change the locations on your computer.
Dec 28, 2016 How to Restore iTunes Library on Mac For avoiding the big downside—one system crash or failed hard drive, you may lose everything you've spent hours ripping from CDs or, even worse, purchasing from the iTunes Music Store, you may have backed up your iTunes library to prevent the loss of your precious files.
iTunes provides you an easy way to add new files and organize existing files on its interface on your computer. The interface lets you view your files, their dates, and other information about your files. However, what you do not see in the list is where exactly your files are stored. iTunes has been quite confidential about it and it does not directly let users view the location of the stored files.
If you are curious and you would like to find out the iTunes library location on Windows or Mac, we have you covered. The following guide shows you the locations of the folders where iTunes stores your music and other media files on your computer’s storage. Once you have found where your files are actually located, you can play around with them just like any other files on your computer.
Finding the iTunes files location on a computer is extremely easy. This section should teach you how you find the folder on your PC or Mac computer.
While the default iTunes storage folders are not that bad, you can change the locations on your computer if you would like. Once you change the location, iTunes will begin to store your newly imported files into your new location on your computer.
Changing the iTunes files location on a Mac is pretty easy as you can do the task from within the iTunes app on your machine. You just need to modify an option in the settings and your task will be done. Here’s how you do it:
Step 1. Launch the iTunes app from Launchpad on your Mac.
How to Change iTunes Library Location on Mac – Step 1
Step 2. When the iTunes app launches, click on the iTunes menu at the top and select the option that says Preferences. It will open the iTunes settings screen on your Mac.
How to Change iTunes Library Location on Mac – Step 2
Step 3. When the settings menu opens, click on the last tab that says Advanced. Once you are there, click on the Change button given next to the iTunes Media folder location. You should be able to specify a new location for iTunes media files on your Mac.
How to Change iTunes Library Location on Mac – Step 3
Windows users can also easily change the iTunes storage location and that too from within the iTunes app. The following is how you do it.
Step 1. Launch the iTunes app and click on Edit followed by Preferences.
Step 2. Head to the Advanced tab and click on the Change button to change your iTunes media folder.
That’s how you change the iTunes media folder location on your Windows PC.
If you have not been able to find the iTunes media folder on your Windows PC or Mac, the above guide should help you find the folder very easily on your computer. It also teaches how you can change the default iTunes folder if you would like to do it.
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Your Photos library holds all your photos, albums, slideshows, and print projects. If your library is large, and you want to free up storage space on your Mac, turn on iCloud Photo Library and use Optimize Mac Storage, or move your library to an external drive.
Before you start, be sure to back up your library.
You can store your library on an external storage device, such as a USB or Thunderbolt drive formatted as APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled).1 Find out how to check the format of your external storage device.
To prevent data loss, Apple doesn't recommend storing photo libraries on external storage devices like SD cards and USB flash drives, or drives that are shared on a network.
After you open your library from its new location and make sure that it works as expected, you can delete the library from its original location.
In a Finder window, go back to your Pictures folder (or whichever folder you copied your library from) and move Photos Library to the trash. Then choose Finder > Empty Trash to delete the library and reclaim disk space.
If you have multiple libraries, here's how to open a different one:
Photos uses this library until you open a different one.
If you have a permissions issue with your library, you might be able to resolve the issue by using the Photos library repair tool.
1. You can't move your library to a disk that's used for Time Machine backups.
2. If the volume isn't formatted APFS or Mac OS Extended (Journaled), or has been used for Time Machine backups but hasn't been erased, this checkbox will either not be present, or won't be selectable after unlocking. Erase and reformat the drive for this option to be available.