“I just recently got a mac book pro. The 13 inch I think. How do I get my music from my pc to my mac book? I’ve done it before from pc to pc but it didn’t transfer all my music and I want all my music.”
If you’re moving from a Windows PC to a Mac, then you’ll probably want to transfer all your music files from PC to Mac for further enjoyment. You may have two kinds of music files stored on your computer, some are stored in your iTunes library, and other music files are stored in your local music folders. With iTunes, you could manually transfer iTunes music from PC to Mac. How about other music files not in iTunes? In this post, we will show you how to transfer music from PC to Mac, iTunes music and local music files are both included.
- May 29, 2014 A simple, succinct guide to transferring your iTunes Library from one computer to another, while keeping your Playlists and other metadata intact. Subscribe to remain current on Easy Mac Training.
- Jan 04, 2020 How to Move Your iTunes Library. You can move your iTunes library to a different folder, computer, or drive. Here's how to do it, even in macOS Catalina, which ditches iTunes for the Music app.
Part 1. Transfer iTunes Music from PC to Mac Manually
Of course you could transfer iTunes music from PC to Mac manually. However, it is a hard task to do it by using iTunes. You need to spend a lot of times to finish the task. The guidance belwo will show you the steps of transferring iTunes music from PC to Mac.
Step 1.From iTunes, go to Edit > Preferences > Advanced tab. Now check the boxes “Keep iTunes Music folder organized” and “Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library”. From here you can change location of your iTunes library.
1 How to Find iTunes Library Location on PC. If you are using a PC, you can find your media files in the iTunes library folder. The media files contain imported songs, downloaded stuff and purchased items from iTunes. You can also find individual folders containing songs and movies etc. Where to Find iTunes Library Location on Mac/PC.
Step 2. Go to File > Library then click on “Organize Library”. These setting will ensure that all of your media files will be save in your iTunes folder. Now click on File > Library > Export Library and save it to your computer. It will take time depending on the size of iTunes library. Now go to iTunes music folder which you can find here: UsernameMusiciTunesiTunes Media. Copy this folder to your external drive.
Step 3. On your Mac computer, click on iTunes > Preferences > Advanced > Change. Check “Keep iTunes Music folder organized” and “Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library” if they are not checked. Navigate to that folder in Finder and paste the contents from the network drive into this folder. Once this has finished drag the Library.xml file on your desktop over the iTunes Library.
Part 2. The Easiest Way to Transfer iTunes Music from PC to Mac
Transferring iTunes Music from PC to Mac with iTunes is a little wasting of time and complicates for most fo people. Therefore, using the third-party transfer software is a great choice. Here we will recommend one of the best data transfer software, Leawo iTransfer. It is available for transfer all kinds of files between iTunes, iOS devices and computers. Both Windows and Mac versions can be chosen. It supports the latest iTunes and Mac versions as well as iPhone 7/7 Plus. Follow the guide below to know how to transfer iTunes music from PC to Mac with the data transfer software.
Step 1. First of all, you need to connect iPhone/iPad/iPod to PC and run iTunes, then sync it with iTunes music library.
Step 2. Run Leawo iTransfer for Mac on Mac computer and connect iPhone to computer with the USB cable. The software will automatically detect the libraries of your iPhone, and then list the libraries in the left sidebar.
Step 3. Choose “Music” in the left sidebar, and then the contents will be shown in the right part of the window. Click the transfer button at the right bottom to transfer all the music files to Mac. Or hold “Command” key and click to choose certain music files, and then right-click the chosen files to “Transfer to > My Computer”.
Step 4. After selecting music files, the dialog of transfer settings will pop up. Check “Save to Folder” and click “Change” to choose a folder on your computer as target. If you want to save the music files to iTunes library, just check “Transfer to List: iTunes” in the dialog. Then click “Transfer Now” to start transferring music from iPhone to Mac computer.
The progress bar in the pop-up dialog will show you the percentage of the transfer process. The names of the music files will also be shown in the dialog. When the transfer is ongoing, please don’t disconnect your iPhone. After the music transfer, you will get the music files in the target folder.
Note: If you have some music files stored in local music folders, you could add these music files to iTunes library firstly, and then follow the steps mentioned above to move them from PC to Mac.
You can also read this guide in Français.
For most of us, when it comes to transferring iTunes library, it’s not a big deal because iTunes manages the content of our iTunes library by default. The real problem surfaces when we need iTunes to offer us more control over contents, functions, file management and transfer.
We are also troubled when we lose existing media files when transferring or syncing files – this is the major problem with using iTunes in managing and transferring media files.
There are common problems that we encounter when we transfer iTunes library. Some of them include:
- Erasing previous songs on iDevice: This point has been the major complain of every iTunes user even users of the most current version. Apple claims that they have corrected this abnormality with the release of iTunes 12, but we know that Apple’s copyright protection won’t allow that to happen. Your iTunes library files won’t be deleted when syncing only when your iTunes library have all the songs on your iDevice.
- iTunes is confusing/complicated at a first glance: iTunes is no longer “That Simple Music Player” app anymore. It is now complicated with different functionalities and uneasy to navigate interface. Most users at the first day find it very hard to transfer files with iTunes.
- iCloud Music Library: iCloud Music Library is a major source of headache in latest versions of iTunes. Many of us pay for iTunes Match at the cost of $25 per year, but all we get to receive are faulty artwork display, matching blunder, missing duplicates, and files with DRM.
The good news is that all these pains are avoidable with some iTunes alternative software or by having the right tips on transferring iTunes library.
- Part 1: How to Transfer iTunes Library to iPhone
- Part 2: How to Transfer iTunes Library to PC/External Drive
How to Transfer iTunes Library to iPhone
“How do I transfer iTunes library to iPhone” is a common question on every search device. But it’s very easy to accomplish if you have the right tips. You can transfer iTunes music library by simply dragging and dropping files from iTunes to iDevice, or through other third-party tool.
1 Transfer Via iTunes
This method is not the same as syncing method, it is a manual process of copying contents from iTunes to iPhone. To smoothly transfer your iTunes library to iPhone, here are some easy steps to follow:
Step 1: Connect your iDevice to your PC using USB cable.
Step 2: Do you have the latest iTunes? If not, download and install the latest iTunes.
Step 3: Choose the content you will like to transfer from your iTunes library.
Step 4: From the left side bar of your iTunes, drag the content, and drop it on iPhone.
How To Download Itunes Library To Computer
Pains in using this method- This method only allows you to add music or vide to your iPhone from a single iTunes library.
- Direct iTunes library transfer is slow, erroneous and mat lead to iTunes crash.
- You may lose your files in the process.
2 Transfer iTunes Library via iMyFone TunesMate
iMyFone TunesMate is an iTunes library manager, transferring iTunes library via TunesMate is very easy and simple to complete. For everyone who is not comfortable with iTunes limit, you should install TunesMate because it has no iTunes limit. You should not be worried about damage to your iTunes library because TunesMate will not lose or damage your library.
Key Features of iMyFone TunesMate
- 100% successful sync: When syncing iOS files between iPhone and iTunes, TunesMate safeguards your files knowing fully well that they are precious to you.
- 2-way sync: With iMyFone TunesMate, you can freely transfer iTunes library from iTunes to iPhone or from iPhone to iTunes.
- Preview and selectively transfer: You can choose to transfer your files in bulk, or selectively. TunesMate makes this choice available!
- No erasure: TunesMate can retain your old iPhone data, while adding the recent ones to your iPhone, without erasing any original data on your iPhone.
- No iTunes limits: You can easily transfer both purchased and non-purchased music between iTunes and iPhone.
In fact, many users, IT pros, and iPhone lovers see iMyFone as the most comprehensive iOS solution of all times.
Transfer iTunes Library via TunesMate – Required Steps.
Step 1: Open TunesMate on your PC. If you have not downloaded TunesMate, you can download and install it on your PC now. Then connect your iPhone to your PC using your USB cable.
Step 2: From Tunesmate user interface, click on “Transfer iTunes Media to iDevice”.
Step 3: Click on the “Start ” button and select files that you’d like to transfer.
Step 4: Begin to transfer your files by clicking on “OK”.
How to Transfer iTunes Library to PC/External Drive
1 Manually Backup iTunes Library
There is always need for extra safety measures and file protection. PC, USB flash and other external drive can be used to back up your iTunes media library, and it is good in file protection.
Most iTunes users do this due to the level of unreliability of iTunes in file syncing and transfer. But to transfer iTunes library, you’ll have to locate your iTunes media library in your PC.
To locate where iTunes stored the media files you added to Windows or Mac PC, you will need to follow the appropriate path listed below.
- For Mac: Click on Music > iTunes Media > Music
- For Windows: Click on Music > iTunes > iTunes Music
If the folder isn’t in the default location: Open Advanced tab from iTunes > iTunes Media Folder Location. This would show you where the media folder is located.
/itunes12-9-macbook-air-itunes-match-hero-5c6db49dc9e77c00016930a4.jpg "Library")
More so, to copy iTunes songs to USB (for example, copy iTunes songs to USB), you will have to follow the appropriate path listed below:
Step 1: insert the flash drive into your PC’s USB port.
Step 2: Open the USB flash drive like a folder on your PC. Then, go back to the songs you would like to backup and highlight them. You can highlight a range of songs, individual songs or all songs in view.
Step 3: Drag the highlighted songs to the USB flash drive folder you’ve already opened.
2 Transfer iTunes Library using TunesMate
You can easily backup your iTunes library using iMyFone TunesMate. This can serve as a good way of backing up your iTunes library in a safer storage device. Follow these steps to transfer your iTunes library via TunesMate.
step 1: Download and install Tunesmate on your PC.
Step 2: Connect your iPhone and USB to your PC, and run TunesMate on your PC.
Step 3: Go to “Music” tab, and click on “Export > Export to PC”.
Step 4: Locate the folder that you want to backup these files and click on “Select Folder” to export the data.