Where are Itune playlists stored?

iTunes is a piece of software created for media organization, purchase and playback. iTunes is integrated into the iLife media suite and is available for Macintosh and Windows machines. iTunes is also integrated with the Apple iPod and contains an easy to use interface for downloading music, video and podcasts for use either on a computer or iPod. iTunes is available for free download at: //www.apple.com/itunes/

iTunes is no longer supported as of Catalina [Mac OS 10.15]

Building an iTunes Music Library

Your iTunes music library contains all the files you play through iTunes. To get to the library in iTunes, click on the library link on the left side of the program interface, this should open the library in the main frame. You can also get to this folder outside of the program. On a mac, open Finder and click on the Music link of the left, then open the file labeled iTunes and then the file labeled iTunes Music. Inside that folder you will find a group of folders which organize your music files based on artist. Open any of these folder to access the music files of that artist.

To add music files to your library, open iTunes, go to the File menu and choose Add to library. A box will open which will allow you to search through your computer to find the files you wish to add to your library. You may also use this method to add files from a CD. Note: you may add more than one file at a time by selecting an entire folder or holding down the shift key and using your keyboard arrows to select multiple songs.

Using the iTunes Music Store

You can also add files to your library by downloading them from the iTunes Music Store. To use the iTunes Music Store, click on the Music Store link on the left side of the iTune program. Note: you will need to be connected ot the internet in order to access the Music Store. In the store, most commercial music costs $.99 per song or $9.99 per album. There are also many free downloads available.

Subscribing to Podcasts

There are many podcasts available online nowadays. With iTunes there are two basic ways to subscribe to a podcast. The first is to use the iTunes Music Store [see above for details] to find and subscribe to podcasts. In the music store, use the Choose Genre drop down menu to select Podcasts. You may then browse the different types of podcasts and select the one you are interested in. Most podcasts are free and once you have subscribed updates will be automatically downloaded to your iTunes library every time you open the program.

The second way to get podcasts is to enter the xml address [a type or URL] directly into iTunes. Most websites which produce podcasts will have a link to the xml, you need to right-click [or control+click] on the file and choose Copy link location. Then open iTunes, go to the Advanced menu and choose Subscribe to podcast. A box will open up, paste the URL in the box then click Ok. You will now be subscribed to the podcast and it will auto-update just as if you had subscribed to it through the Music Store.

Creating Specialized Playlists

To create a specialized playlist, start by going to the File menu and choosing New Playlist. This will create a playlist which will appear on the left side of the program. Name your playlist. Then go to the Music Library and click on any files you want in the playlist and drag them in. The files you add to the playlist will remain in the library as well as the playlist. This way you can access the song from multiple paths.

Syncing Your iPod with iTunes

Syncing an iPod should be a very simple task. All you need to do is plug your iPod into your computer with the cable provided, and open iTunes. The computer may want to run updates, but barring those the computer will sync your iPod automatically. Remember, syncing your iPod means that all the music and playlists from iTunes will be copied onto the iPod exactly as it is. If there was a song on your iPod what is not currently in your iTunes library, it will no longer be on your iPod when syncing is complete. Also, you are limited in the number of computers you can sync with, so keep that in mind when working with multiple machines!

Creating a backup for iOS devices in iTunes

Apple's family of iOS devices consist of the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. These devices sync and back themselves up via iTunes. This allows you to manage the data on the device and create a backup incase the device is lost or the data is erased. To start, you need to have iTunes downloaded and installed on your machine. An iOS device can only sync with one iTunes library, so be sure that you sync it with a computer that you will have continued access to. Next, plug in your device and iTunes will automatically launch and begin the syncing process. Durring the sync process, your iOS device will automatically backup.

Troubleshooting

• Apple's iTunes Support Page

By default, all purchases you make from the iTunes Store, music or otherwise, are stored inside your iTunes "Media" folder [older versions of iTunes, which initially only sold music, we stored inside a "Music" folder]. So, where is the iTunes Media folder? We will give you the location of the Media folder for both Mac and Windows, and give you a quick overview of its content: Movies, TV shows, Music, Podcasts, etc.

Follow these steps to locate the iTunes folder in Windows:

• Hold down the Windows key and press "R"
• Windows will open the Run dialog
• Type "Music" inside the text box, and hit Enter
• Windows will launch the Music folder inside Windows Explorer
• Double-click on the folder called "iTunes"
• Then open the "iTunes Media" folder
• Here's an example of what you'll see inside that folder [the content depends on the purchases you made]

Each of these subfolders stores specific media: the Music folder, for example, stores songs and albums, including music videos.

TV Shows contains subfolders named after the title of each TV show or season you purchased. Recently, to avoid accidentally overwriting episodes, the iTunes Store now creates "Season X" subfolders and places the episodes inside these.

"Movies" will store all movies you purchased from the iTunes Store, etc.

Windows Tip: when you launch Windows Explorer [Windows key+E], you will [should] see a "Music" or "My Music" favorite link on the left - clicking on it is another way to access your music folder, inside which you'll find the iTunes Media folder and the subfolders we just discussed.

To find the iTunes music and Media folder on your Mac:

• Open a new Finder window [by clicking on the Finder icon in your Dock, for example]
• On the left, under "Places", click on "Music"
• Double-click on the "iTunes" folder
• And open the "iTunes Media" subfolder
• Therein are stored, in folders, your music [songs and albums], TV shows, movies, podcasts, etc.
• The actual path of the iTunes folder is "~/Music/iTunes/" [to open it directly in Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder and type in the path, alternatively using the Command+Shift+G keyboard shortcut].

Mac Tip: To easily access your iTunes Media folder in the future, just drag it and drop it inside places, between two preexisting places [when you drag above one of the aliases in Places, it will open that place - Mac OS X will display an insertion line when you are between two places, and can drop the iTunes Media folder]. To remove it from Places, right-click on it and choose "Remove From Sidebar".

My computer crashed and I lost everything. But, due to the awesomeness of Backblaze, I have all of my files and libraries and music, so nothing's lost. The problem is... all of my playlists that I've spent years tweaking, I don't want to lose them! I'm wondering where the file is within iTunes so that I can recover it.

Note that, whenever I search for this online, all the results I find are all about exporting the playlist and then importing it again. But since my computer crashed and I had to install everything anew on the new computer, I don't have the possibility to export the playlist from iTunes.

I'd love any pointers or help. Thank you!

-morgan

iTunes saves the settings, library inside the iTunes folder. IF you want to backup iTunes library, simply follow the instructions:

1. Install iTunes on your new drive.
2. After installation is finished, open iTunes for the first time and follow the instructions [don't search for media], this will make iTunes create the iTunes folders in your My Music folder.
3. Now, Go to My Music folder inside your old drive.
4. Copy iTunes folder that is located inside My Music folder.
5. Close iTunes, and go to My Music folder [on your new drive].
6. Replace the new iTunes folder with the one you copied from the old drive.
7. Re-launch iTunes, and your settings, playlists, music, all library will be there. [Make sure your music is in those folders, if it was outside of those folders you will need to first import your music, close iTunes, and when you re-open your playlists will be there].

For data that ARE NOT synced with iTunes

If you have other data that are inside your iDevice [iPhone, iPad], but you have not synced it with iTunes such as tones, songs, app, ..etc. You will have to use a third party tool such as Syncios to export them into your computer, then copy them into iTunes. Because if you sync your iDevice, it'll erase the current library inside your iDevice and replace it with the current iTunes library.

So, before you sync your iDevice, you have to copy whatever data that is not inside the iTunes library, and add them manually into the iTunes library. You can also use iTunes Store to download the data you purchased as well. To move the data that you exported from the iDevice, you just drag-n-drop the data you want to move into your iTunes library into its category [e.g Apps to Apps, Songs to Music]. While the Photos you need to add them to the Photos folder that you use in iTunes.