Mac Mini Itunes Library

Mar 24, 2020 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. To ensure that all of your iTunes files are in the same place when you make a manual. Jun 02, 2015  The Apple Option: A Mac mini ($500 and up) When my iTunes library outgrew my iMac, there was only one Apple-built option that made sense to me: a 1TB Mac mini. Keeping a large, screen-laden iMac turned on as an iTunes server struck me as a huge waste of both components and electricity.

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.

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

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

Itunes Library Location

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

Library

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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Before you set up Home Sharing

  • Update all of your Apple devices to the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS. On your PC, make sure that you have the latest version of iTunes for Windows.
  • Connect all of your devices to the same Wi-Fi or Ethernet network.
  • Make sure that all of your devices are signed in with the same Apple ID and authorized to play purchases using that Apple ID.

Apps and features might vary by country or region. Learn more about what's available in your country or region.

Itunes Library Download

Set up Home Sharing

Before you can use Home Sharing, you need to set it up on your Mac or PC.

How to set up Home Sharing on your Mac

  1. Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences.
  2. Click Sharing.
  3. Click Media Sharing.
  4. Select Home Sharing and sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.
  5. Click Turn On Home Sharing.

How to set up Home Sharing on your PC

  1. Open iTunes for Windows.
  2. If you're not signed in, sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.
  3. From the menu bar at the top of the iTunes window, choose File > Home Sharing > Turn on Home Sharing.

You can use Home Sharing with up to five computers that are connected to your home Wi-Fi or Ethernet network.

Use Home Sharing

On your Mac or PC, you can use Home Sharing to see shared libraries from other computers that are connected to the same Wi-Fi network and signed in with the same Apple ID.

To see a shared library from a computer on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple TV, you need to be signed in with the same Apple ID as the computer and connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

On your Mac

You can use Home Sharing to access your media library across computers that are on the same Wi-Fi network. And you can stream music, movies, and TV shows from one authorized computer to another. Just make sure that your computers are powered on, awake, and have the Music app or iTunes for Windows open.

To access your media library:

  1. Open the Music app.
  2. If you're not signed in, sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.
  3. In the sidebar, click Library.
  4. Click the media library.

To go back to your music library, click Eject in the sidebar.

On your PC

You can use Home Sharing to stream music, movies, and TV shows from one authorized computer to another. Just make sure that your computers are powered on, awake, and have the Music app or iTunes for Windows open.

To see all of your shared libraries, click Music in the upper-left corner of the iTunes window.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

To use Home Sharing to access your computer's media library on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, sign in to Home Sharing on your device:

  1. To see a music library, go to Settings > Music. To see a video library, go to Settings > TV > iTunes Videos.
  2. Under Home Sharing, tap Sign In.
  3. Sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.

After you sign in, connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer, and open the Music app, Apple TV app, or iTunes for Windows on your computer.

See shared music

  1. Open the Music app and tap Library.
  2. Tap Home Sharing. Don't see it? Tap Edit, select Home Sharing, then tap Done.
  3. Choose a shared library.

See shared videos

  1. Open the TV app.
  2. Tap Library.
  3. Choose a shared library.

On your Apple TV

To use Home Sharing to access your computer's media library on your Apple TV, sign in to Home Sharing on your Apple TV:

Apple Itunes Download For Mac

  1. Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Home Sharing.
  2. Select Turn on Home Sharing.
  3. Sign in with your Apple ID. Use the same Apple ID for every computer or device on your Home Sharing network.

After you sign in, follow these steps to access your computer's media library on your Apple TV:

Mac Mini Itunes Library Login

  1. Connect your Apple TV to the same Wi-Fi network as your computer.
  2. On your computer, open the Music app, Apple TV app, or iTunes for Windows.
  3. On your Apple TV, go to the Home screen, select Computers, and choose a shared library.

Mac Mini Itunes Library Login

You can also view photos from your computer on your Apple TV.

  • On your Mac: Choose Apple menu  > System Preferences. Click Sharing. Click Media Sharing, then select Share Photos with Apple TV.
  • On your PC: Open iTunes for Windows. In the menu bar, go to File > Home Sharing, then select Choose Photos to Share with Apple TV.