1. Restore Itunes Library Windows
2. Restoring Itunes Music From Backup
3. Backup And Restore Itunes Library Mac App

Though we store more and more of our music online these days, a hard-copy backup is still the gold standard for keeping your data safe. And if you use Apple Music or iCloud Music Library, the best way to do that is still iTunes.

There are a few ways to back up your iTunes library; it's important to choose one and regularly back up so that you won't have to worry about your local copy getting lost or damaged. My music — at least for me — is one of those must-backup items; I don't want to have to manually re-build or re-buy thousands of tracks.

There are a few ways to transfer your iTunes library from one computer to another: When you get a new Mac, use Setup Assistant (or Migration Assistant, if you’re switching from Windows) to move files—including your iTunes files—from your old computer to the new one. See the Apple Support article Back up and restore your iTunes Library. Oct 09, 2019  Restore your device from an iTunes backup. Open iTunes on the Mac or PC that you used to back up your device. Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable. If a message asks for your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, follow.

First: Make sure your entire library has been locally downloaded

If you use iCloud Music Library or the iTunes Store, you may have some or all of your music stored in the cloud. But to truly make sure your purchased and owned content is backed up, you'll want to download a local copy to your Mac. Here's the best way to do so:

To download specific items in your iCloud Music Library right now to your Mac's drive, do the following:

1. Launch Music (or iTunes on Mojave and earlier) on your Mac.

   Source: iMore

2. Find the Artist, Albums, or Songs that you want to download.

3. Click the ... button to bring up a pop-up menu.

   Source: iMore

4. Click Download to initiate the download of these items.

   Source: iMore

And if you want to start automatically downloading everything that you add to your Apple Music library from this point forward, then it's easy peasy! Here's how:

1. Launch Music (or iTunes on macOS Mojave and earlier) on your Mac.

   Source: iMore

2. Click Music in the menu bar.

3. Click Preferences (or press ⌘, on the keyboard).

   Source: iMore

4. Make sure you're in the General tab.

   Source: iMore

5. Click the box for Automatic Downloads to turn it on.

   Source: iMore

Once that is turned on, any music you add to your Apple Music library will be downloaded automatically to your Mac's hard drive.

How to back up iTunes via Time Machine or another backup service

If you have Apple's Time Machine backup system enabled — or any other cloud — or system-based backup — your iTunes library should automatically be covered. This way, if you ever need to restore, you can just pop back in Time Machine's History (or a past backup from CrashPlan or Carbon Copy Cloner, for example) to retrieve it.

How to manually back up your iTunes library

If you're not employing a Mac-wide backup service (really, you should get on that), or if you just want to manually back up your iTunes library separately, here's how to go about that.

Consolidate your library

Restore Itunes Library Windows

To ensure that all of your iTunes files are in the same place when you make a manual backup, you should first consolidate your iTunes library.

1. Make sure you've downloaded a local copy of your music to your Mac.

2. Launch Music (or iTunes in macOS Mojave or earlier) on your Mac.

   Source: iMore

3. Click File in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.

4. Hover your cursor over Library in the drop down menu.

   Source: iMore

5. Select Organize Library from the secondary menu.

   Source: iMore

6. Tick the box for Consolidate Files when the Organize Library window appears.

   Source: iMore

7. Click OK.

   Source: iMore

This will make a copy of all files in the iTunes media folder, leaving the originals in their current location.

Copy your iTunes library to a backup source

1. If you are using an external hard drive, connect it to your Mac using a USB cable.
2. Click on Finder to open a Finder window.

3. Select your Mac's Hard drive.

   Source: iMore

4. Click on Music in the sidebar.

   Source: iMore

5. Select the Music folder (or iTunes on macOS Mojave and earlier) and drag that folder to the external hard drive icon on your desktop or copy it to your online backup service.

   Source: iMore

6. Click Authenticate, if prompted, to give permission to make a copy of the iTunes folder.
7. Enter your administrator password.

8. Click OK.

   Source: iMore

The copy process will begin. This could take a very long time, depending on how big your Music/iTunes library is. So, sit back, relax, watch a movie, or whatever you do to pass the time.

Desperate times call for desperate measures

If you are about to do something wild with your Music or iTunes library and don't have a way to back it up on an external drive or online backup service, you can make a temporary backup that you store right on your Mac. This is, by no means, a solid backup plan, but can be useful in a pinch.

Note: After making a copy, it is a good idea to move the copied folder to an easy-to-find location that is separate from any folder you plan to make changes to (like the Music folder). This copied folder should be deleted immediately after it is no longer needed because it takes up extra space on your computer's hard drive unnecessarily and could cause confusion with your most current Music or iTunes folder.

1. Click on Finder to open a Finder window.

2. Select your Mac's Hard drive.

   Source: iMore

3. Click on Music in the sidebar.

   Source: iMore

4. Right-click or control-click on the Music folder (or iTunes folder if you're still on macOS Mojave or earlier).

   Source: iMore

5. Select Duplicate from the drop down menu.

   • The copy process will begin. This could take a very long time.

     Source: iMore

6. Move the copied iTunes or Music folder to a new, easy-to-find location.

7. Delete the copied iTunes or Music folder once you no longer need the temporary backup.

Any questions?

Running into issues making an iTunes backup? Pop them in the comments below.

March 2020: These are still the current steps for how to back up your music.

Serenity Caldwell contributed to an earlier version of this guide.

Backing up: The ultimate guide

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Restore your device from an iCloud backup

1. Turn on your device. You should see a Hello screen. If you already set up your device, you need to erase all of its content before you can use these steps to restore from your backup.
2. Follow the onscreen setup steps until you reach the Apps & Data screen, then tap Restore from iCloud Backup.
   
3. Sign in to iCloud with your Apple ID.
4. Choose a backup. Look at the date and size of each and pick the most relevant. After you choose, the transfer starts. If a message says that a newer version of software is required, follow the onscreen steps to update (If you don't see onscreen steps to help you update, learn what to do).
5. When asked, sign in with your Apple ID to restore your apps and purchases (If you've purchased iTunes or App Store content using multiple Apple IDs, you'll be asked to sign in to each). If you can’t remember your password, you can tap Skip this Step and sign in later. But you won't be able to use the apps until you sign in with your Apple ID.
6. Stay connected and wait for a progress bar to appear and complete. Depending on the size of the backup and the network speed, the progress bar might need a few minutes to an hour to complete. If you disconnect from Wi-Fi too soon, the progress will pause until you reconnect.
   
7. Now you can finish setup and enjoy your device. Content like your apps, photos, music, and other information will continue to restore in the background for the next several hours or days, depending on the amount of information there is. Try to connect often to Wi-Fi and power to let the process complete.

Get help with restoring from your iCloud backup.

Restore your device from a backup on your computer

1. On a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15, open Finder. On a Mac with macOS Mojave 10.14 or earlier, or on a PC, open iTunes.
2. Connect your device to your computer with a USB cable.* If a message asks for your device passcode or to Trust This Computer, follow the onscreen steps. If you forgot your passcode, get help.
3. Select your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch when it appears in the Finder window or iTunes. If your device doesn't appear, learn what to do.
   
4. Select Restore Backup. If a message says that your device's software is too old, learn what to do.
5. Look at the date of each backup and pick the most relevant.
6. Click Restore and wait for the restore time to finish. If asked, enter the password for your encrypted backup.
   
7. Keep your device connected after it restarts and wait for it to sync with your computer. You can disconnect after the sync finishes.
8. Get help restoring from a backup.

Restoring Itunes Music From Backup

Learn more

Backup And Restore Itunes Library Mac App

• Learn how to make a backup on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.