Duplicate iTunes Library on PC & Mac

I have a large music library on an external drive. Is it possible to use this drive with my iTunes on both my Mac Mini at home and my Windows PC at work? I would like to have all the same playlists on both machines.

Thanks!

Yes. Just uncheck the option to copy music to your iTunes Music Folder.

lifeisabeach said:

Yes. Just uncheck the option to copy music to your iTunes Music Folder.

Click to expand...

Right. I understand how to get the PC to draw music from the external, but don't I have to copy the Library file in order to get all the playlists, etc. to be the same on both machines? Right now all that lives on the external are the actual music files. All other iTunes files (including the "iTunes Library" file) live in Mac Hard Drive/Users/[my username]/Music/iTunes. Can I simply copy that Library file to the PC (replacing the existing Library file) and have it all set up? I am reluctant to just try it for fear of losing my music.

Moe_Syzlak said:

Right. I understand how to get the PC to draw music from the external, but don't I have to copy the Library file in order to get all the playlists, etc. to be the same on both machines? Right now all that lives on the external are the actual music files. All other iTunes files (including the "iTunes Library" file) live in Mac Hard Drive/Users/[my username]/Music/iTunes. Can I simply copy that Library file to the PC (replacing the existing Library file) and have it all set up? I am reluctant to just try it for fear of losing my music.

Click to expand...

Well for starters, if all your music is on that one drive and you don't have a backup, then you should be more fearful of losing your music than you are. Drop it while transporting it... gets stolen... hard drive crashes.. whatever... it's all lost.

As for "identical" Libraries... I'm skeptical that you can merely copy all the library files from OS X to Windows. Each OS has different directory structures just for starters. Your best bet is to just drop the music files into iTunes on each computer, then export your playlists on one and import them on the other. If yer lucky, they'll work. If not, maybe it will at least ask you to locate the "missing" songs.