Move your iTunes library to an external hard drive

By Donald Bell on 26 May 2009

If you're an iTunes user (download for Windows | Mac) whose appetite for music, movies and podcasts is outstripping the capacity of your computer, it might be a good time to think about offloading that library to an external hard drive or a separate internal drive.

If you do it right, the process is relatively simple, although the transfer time could take an hour or more, depending on the size of your media library. Our step-by-step slideshow tutorial will walk you through the process.

Topics: itunes, itune, library, location

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Comments (5)

  • Jordan commented on 02/07/2009 00:37 Report abuse

    Hi, Great guide. a quick, slightly off-topic question - once you have done all this, you are then required to have your computer/laptop and HD on at all times to interface with your collection - surely there is a simpler way to play a large music collection! (an iPod with more than 200 or so GBs would do at a cinch - IF ONE EXISTED!!, seriously, am i the only with a decent-sized music collection???)

  • BobD1 commented on 06/06/2009 22:30 Report abuse

    I have one library of itune songs on my computer and a different library of mp3's on my external hard drive (not via itunes, just a folder of mp3's not connected with any media player). Can I follow these steps to get my computer library onto the external hardrive & then will itunes be smart enough to see I have all these other mp3's on the external drive and consolidate them?

  • Terry commented on 31/05/2009 19:27 Report abuse

    Can this method be used to transfer the files from an old computer to a new one (with an 'authorised' itunes account)? i.e. can you then plug the external drive onto the new computer?

  • Terry commented on 31/05/2009 11:31 Report abuse

    Can this method be used to transfer the files from an old computer to a new one (with an 'authorised' itunes account)? i.e. can you then plug the external drive onto the new computer?

  • Sam Leung commented on 26/05/2009 19:56 Report abuse

    One of the best CNet guides yet! I don't know how many times I've attempted to explain to colleagues how to do this. I actually think they'll still manage to stuff it up. Never the less. Thanks a heap Don.

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